On the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, the hired hands prepared wild grass to feed the chickens and ducks for the next few days. In the afternoon, Jiang Hu paid all the workers their wages and set the date for work to resume.
The second wife gave each of them a strip of cured meat, not much, just about a pound, but it was enough to make them very grateful, promising to return early after the new year, and then hurriedly headed home.
On New Year's Eve morning, several children happily followed Jiang Hu, pasting couplets and window flowers, while Xiaoxue and the second wife were busy in the kitchen.
This morning they ate dumplings, planning to just have a simple lunch, leaving the New Year's Eve dinner for the evening, which would be a big feast meant to last until tomorrow.
Although it was their first New Year in Xiangmu Village, everyone felt comfortable, just like in the previous years at Fu'an Village.
