Goldfield
Chapter 55: New Year

Yu Xiaocao, who had become one of the leading stockholders of the seasoning production plant in the future, spent the next days thinking about how to ask his parents to let him out of the house to get some fresh air. That was the only way for him to get a chance to add water from the mystic stone around the trap his father had set up. Aye! Sometimes, it was quite troublesome to have an overly anxious parent!

But in the end, he failed to achieve his goal. It was not because of his parents' opposition, but the arrival of another blizzard. This snowfall was not inferior to the first snow. The entire mountain village was covered in a thick white layer.

In the old residence of the Yu Family, half of its roof had been destroyed by the snow. Under the urging and supervision of Old Yu, the three brothers from the Yu Family worked hard against the blizzard for three to five days and ended up repairing the old house.

Old Yu had fled to Dongshan Village as a refugee with his father when he was a child. The old residence of the Yu Family was a two-bedroom cottage made of mud and straw built with the enthusiastic help of the villagers of Dongshan Village. It was filled with Old Yu's longing for his late father, as well as his childhood memories. The four Yu Family siblings were all born and raised in this old house.

Therefore, even though the Yu Family had moved into the newly built five-bedroom house, they did not leave their old residence. Old Yu often visited the old house. They also make repairs once or twice each year. Otherwise, it would have been a desert.

There was too much snow, so it was impossible to go hunting in the mountains. Yu Xiaocao's plan to earn money before the New Year by catching some animals was put on hold. In addition, the price of goods has also reached new heights before the New Year. Every day, Madam Zhang sighed deeply as she counted the family's food rations.

Fortunately, the whole family only stayed at home during the winter, so they did not need to do any physically demanding work. The Yu family ate twice a day, which was reduced to just eating dried pancakes in the morning and a bowl of disgusting peanut paste soup in the evening. In addition, the coarse-grain pancakes eaten for breakfast are not an all-you-can-eat meal.

The men each got two palm-sized pancakes, while the women were each given only one piece. But the children were given less. Madam Zhang even stopped giving Yu Caidie a portion of the secret egg. They were a family of more than ten people, who could not make money during the winter. During the winter, the family chickens do not lay many eggs. They just sit around and eat at home, while slowly spending their money. How much money should they waste to fill this bottomless pit?

Madam Zhang glared at Yu Hai and his daughter angrily. If they were not in debt for the evil girl's medical expenses, with the money Yu Hai had earned from selling the hunted, their families would have enough money for a luxurious New Year! Their situation would not be like now, where they would have to calculate their food rations before preparing each meal!

“Second boy! It's going to be New Year's is a few days. The snow has just stopped today, so take advantage of this time and head to the city to buy some of the things we need for the New Year! First of all, we don't have a lot of millet flour. Buy more millet flour back, so we can keep it at home. Also, no matter what we need to make dumplings for the New Year. So buy wheat flour and two catties of meat. ”.

Madam Zhang made many requests but did not spend any money.

Yu Hai would agree when his youngest daughter wore her sleeves. He looked up and noticed that his daughter was gesturing to him with her eyes. Yu Hai immediately understood his daughter's intentions. After all, he had already gotten used to obedience to Madam Zhang for over twenty years. Therefore, he fell into a state of hesitation.

However, when she saw her daughter's pitiful gaze and thought about the resolution she had made to herself recently, she finally said, “Mother, 'Mother, I'll go to the house of Eldest Uncle to borrow the sled — but money for New Year's items.. ”.

As soon as the money was mentioned, Madam Zhang immediately pulled a face that was even longer than a donkey's face, “A few days ago, didn't you go to the city to sell the hunted produce every day? You must have earned a lot of money. Why do you still ask me for money when you have your own money ?! Second Son, there is no precedent of anyone having personal savings in our family! This is a rule that no one should break! ”

“Grandmother, the snow that accumulates in the mountain forest has not even melted, so there are not many game animals that can be caught. We only caught a few game animals during those few days! So, are you not very clear about how much money we can make? It's almost a new year, so of course we have to pay off our debt first. After paying back the money that Eldest Grandfather lent me for my medical treatment, we didn't even have enough money for treatment! Fortunately, Doctor Sun pitied us and allowed my father to buy medicine on credit! Daddy's! After the New Year, you will have to climb the mountain more often to pay back the dozen taels or so we have in the Tongren Medicine Hall! Our family still needs Doctor Sun to help treat our illness in the future! ”

Xiaocao knew very well that his father had made great progress because he could openly ask Mrs Zhang for money. So, he interrupted and declared everything that needed to be said.

A dozen taels or more? Madam Zhang gasped and looked at Xiaocao with a sharp gaze, as if her eyes were daggers. If he could, he really wanted to cut the curse into pieces!

“Cih! To use a dozen taels or so for a mild illness, it seems like our family really has someone born with the life of a noble young lady. It's a pity that he reincarnated in the wrong family. He had the body of a noble lady with no fate to enjoy it! Geez, twenty teal is something almost enough for the entire family to use for an entire year while living frugally! Tsk-tsk... ”Madam Li clicked her tongue in disapproval as she fanned the flames nonstop.

Yu Hai recalled the indifference of his family when his daughter was on the verge of death. They did not spend the family money on his daughter's illness, yet they still had to endure ridicule from them. Her expression immediately turned grim and she muttered in a muffled voice, “The eldest sister-in-law does not have to worry about what kind of life my daughter has! We didn't use a single cent of you for my daughter's illness! ”

“Oh! He's mad at me now! You did not spend my money on your daughter's illness, but I, Li Guihua, also did not use your money for food or drink! What right do you have to yell at me ?! Do you think I'm easy to bully? ” Lady Li is not someone who will suffer a loss, so she patted her waist and shouted back.

Yu Hai was originally bad at arguing with people, so he did not know what to do when he saw him acting like a rat.

Madam Zhang glared at Xiaolian with angry eyes. He threw a broom in his hand towards Xiaolian and shouted, “Why does a little boy butting while an adult was talking? Second Son, is that how you teach your children? ”

Yu Xiacoao shouted in shock and exclaimed, “Grandmother, what are you doing? It's not enough that you're making me seriously ill, but you're also going to hit my brother! Grandma, you should be more careful thinking about your actions. If something happens to my sister, you won't even get a chance to grieve over the money! ”

When the money was mentioned, even though Madam Zhang had feelings full of anger, she did not dare to direct her anger towards the children anymore. If something happened to the children during the New Year Festival, based on how much Yu Hai cherished his children, he would definitely take his children to the doctor. Even if they were to owe more, she would still get medical treatment for her children. As a result, he would not be able to earn money from Yu Hai for the following spring and summer.

Old Yu, who was quietly standing at the side, finally spoke up! “Everything, stop! Aren't you guys afraid of being the laughingstock of others during the New Year ?! My wife, instead of you having money, so stop thinking about taking the little money that Second Son has! Quickly take the money. More important to buy New Year's! ”

“Will the meager amount of money in my hands be enough for them to use?” It would be more painful for Madam Zhang if money was taken from her hands rather than cutting off her flesh.

Old Yu impatiently said, “You always talk about money, money, money! To you, even one copper coin is bigger than a millstone! can we get the money back when the beach water melts in the spring? After the New Year, I and the Eldest Son will go to the sea, while the Second Son goes to the mountains. Can't we cover our winter expenses? ”

Madam Zhang could not escape this situation, so she reluctantly unlocked the closet while grumbling. He took out a piece of copper coin and a few pieces of silver, which were the size of a fingernail. He reminded Yu Hai, as if he was afraid he would spend money carelessly, “Everything is very expensive at the moment, so don't buy too much food. We have sweet potato flour at home. Although eating too much can cause heartburn, it is still very filling! As for wheat flour and meat, buy enough for one dumpling.. ”.

Yu Xiaocao looked at the money in his hands. His mouth twitched as he thought to himself: Even if they want to, this will not be enough to buy many items! Did he really need to repeatedly warn them?

Yu Hai took the money and left the house in silence. That day was very bright. Even though the snow on the ground rose a notch, there were still many people going to the city to buy New Year items. After days of heavy snow, most people do not have time to buy the items needed for the New Year. Therefore, they want to take advantage of this good day to buy the items they need.

Oldest uncle Yu Hai had originally planned on going to the city today. However, seeing that his eldest nephew wanted to borrow a sled and the sunny weather would probably last more than a day, he decided to go to town the next day.

Yu Hai did not dare to buy too many unnecessary items and directly went to the grain store to buy fifty catties of millet flour and five catties of wheat flour. After that, he went to the butcher and got two catties of meat. The money Madam Zhang gave him was not enough, so he used some of his own money to cover the cost.

While walking down the street, he met the manager of Zhenxiu Restaurant. The manager knew that the little girl from the Yu Family was someone that was highly valued by her young master, so she naturally acted very warmly towards Yu Hai. Looking at the simple New Year items Yu Hai bought, he bought some snacks and sweets from the cake shop. He insisted that Yu Hai accept it, saying that Third Young Master Zhou had ordered him to buy it for Miss Yu and her younger brother.

Yu Hai bought meat buns and went to the carpentry shop to visit his son. He also left some copper coins for his son. However, Yu Hai did not expect that his son would be reluctant to use the money he received from the family and instead save them, leading to a disaster that almost claimed Yu Hang's life.

The New Year is slowly approaching. On the morning of New Year's Eve, Lady Liu was busy working in the kitchen with her two daughters. The two catties of meat that Yu Hai bought were mostly fat. Lady Liu cut some of the fat to make lard, and then left the dregs of fat for the night when they needed to mix it with cabbage to make stuffing for dumplings.

Winter vegetables are usually either horseradish or cabbage. Yu Xiaocao had predicted that there would not be enough food at home for the New Year, so he planted a bean sprout on the edge of the bed. He also made handmade vermicelli with yam flour.

With the sweet potato vermicelli, their dishes for the New Year do not feel boring. Boiled cabbage and radish with vermicelli, sauteed sour cabbage, boiled radish, sauteed black mushrooms and cabbage, crunchy radish salad, and dried bean sprouts… They also cut some slices of pork to cook with bean sprouts and vermicelli, making other home-cooked dishes. For soup, they make cabbage and bean sprouts.

When the dish was served, even the picky Madam Zhang looked surprised. He never knew that so many dishes could be made with turnips, cabbage, and some sprouts.

For the taste, it was pretty obvious based on everyone's reaction. No one had the time to talk because they were all just diligent eating, which was the biggest affirmation for the dish.

Old Yu rarely got a chance to drink alcohol, so he poured a cup for his three sons and said in satisfaction, “Second Daughter-in-law's culinary skills have improved again!”