country bumpkin

Chapter 341 Shopping During the Chinese New Year

New Year's Eve has finally arrived.

Everywhere is decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and firecrackers are set off. New Year's Eve is a festival of reunion, a festival of joy, and a festival of hope for the new year.

People always leave the unpleasant and bad things for this year, hoping that the new year will be peaceful and smooth.

In Yicheng, Yunya and Sun Limei sat around the table helping Kong Xiujuan make dumplings. The family was very harmonious on New Year's Eve this year.

Kong Xiujuan was very kind to Yunya. Perhaps it was because Yunya handed over all her salary.

Perhaps it was because Kong Xiujuan saw that her children had all grown up, and her second daughter had learned a bit of cunning outside, that she could no longer treat her the way she used to.

Even if I'm biased, they're all my own children, so I have to maintain appearances. I can't treat my children like a stepmother!

And as time went by and she got older, she met more and more people and learned more and more tricks. As she grew older, she was no longer as easy to manipulate as she was when she was a child.

Er Ya Tou has a straightforward personality; she will immediately speak out if she feels she has been treated unfairly.

The eldest daughter's personality is like Sun Zitao's; she is quiet and doesn't talk much, but when she does speak, she always gets to the point.

The youngest son is the smartest child in the family. Not only does he excel academically, but he's also a master at charming his parents.

Whenever Sun Guoqiang angered Kong Xiujuan, he could always find a way to amuse his mother, leaving her both amused and exasperated.

For example, when Sun Guoqiang was 5 years old, a batch of timber came to the timber market. It was all covered with bark, and the women from the neighborhood were waiting there to peel off the bark, dry it, and use it for cooking.

Because it often snows in winter, and the weather is cold and the ground is slippery, Kong Xiujuan didn't want to go this time.

Sun Guoqiang was a little penny-pincher and a thrifty child. He begged his mother to peel the bark off the tree, but Kong Xiujuan didn't want to go this time.

She said that the firewood in her house was already piled up as high as a small mountain, so there was no need to store any more firewood.

Sun Guoqiang insisted that his mother go and steal the tree bark, feeling that if she could steal it but didn't, it would be like losing a hundred million yuan.

No amount of pestering worked; Kong Xiujuan was feeling unwell and exhausted, and had no desire to move.

Sun Guoqiang threatened his mother, "Mom, if you don't go and take the tree bark, I'll smash our little thermos."

Kong Xiujuan shouted, "Let's see if you dare!"

"Bang...crash!" The thermos flask shattered, with shards of glass from the inner liner and water scattered all over the floor.

Kong Xiujuan was so angry that she was about to hit her son. After Sun Guoqiang finished venting his anger, he realized that he had made a mistake and seemed to have caused a big problem.

Seeing that her mother's big hand was about to land on her, she quickly hugged her mother's leg.

He cried and called out, "Mommy, Mommy, I was wrong. I just wanted to scare you, I didn't mean to really fall! But my hand slipped and I couldn't hold on properly. I'm sorry, I was wrong."

"Mom, if you're really angry, just hit me a few times to vent your anger. As long as you're happy, I'll do whatever you want."

Kong Xiujuan was initially furious, but after hearing what her son said, her temper subsided somewhat.

Finally, he gave me a light slap on the buttocks as punishment.

Not only this time, but whenever Sun Guoqiang angered his mother, he would use this trick, and it always worked.

Getting back to the topic, everyone makes a new set of clothes for the New Year.

Yunya used to wear her older sister's hand-me-downs, but since she started working and earning money, she has bought new clothes.

At this moment, Yunya was wearing her new clothes and going shopping with her older sister, younger brother, and a few of her neighbor's friends.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, everyone first goes out to visit their grandparents to wish them a Happy New Year, and then visits the elders of a family with the same surname.

The girls are different; they don't need to go to any other events besides paying New Year's respects and kowtowing to their grandparents.

Another crucial rule is that if any relatives or elders have businesses, girls should never visit their homes on the first day of the Lunar New Year, as the host family will be angry.

This is a manifestation of male chauvinism. The elders carefully explained this rule to the younger generation in the family, requiring them to abide by it.

It is said that girls bring bad luck. If a girl comes to visit on the first day of the Lunar New Year, the business will not go well and one will not make a fortune in the new year.

Isn't that nonsense? How many female entrepreneurs have made a name for themselves? Isn't it all due to their own hard work? Do you think they relied on these outdated rules and traditions?

At 9 a.m., the boys had visited all the elders' homes they were supposed to go to. After returning home with nothing to do, the boys and girls decided to go shopping in the city center.

They all put on new shoes and clothes, and went hand in hand to the most bustling part of the city, the central street.

The group hiked there, chatting non-stop along the way, and didn't feel that it was very far, nor did they feel tired.

Perhaps because talking distracted everyone, they focused on the topic and no one felt tired. Time seemed to fly by, and before long they arrived in the city center.

The central street is lined with stalls on both sides, offering a dazzling array of goods, from delicious snacks to fun games.

Yunya and the others were immediately drawn to it. Yunya's gaze was first drawn to a sugar painting stall, where the lifelike sugar paintings shimmered with an alluring luster in the sunlight.

She swallowed hard, and her feet unconsciously moved in that direction.

Sun Limei excitedly grabbed Yun Ya's hand and pointed to a ring toss game stall, saying, "Yun Ya, let's try that!" Everyone responded and gathered around the ring toss stall.

The stall owner was a kind uncle who smiled and handed them the ring toss game.

Sun Guoqiang volunteered to be the first to go, and he threw the ball with great confidence, but unfortunately he missed.

Yun Ya then took her turn. She took a deep breath, tossed the toy gently, and surprisingly caught a small toy. Everyone cheered for her.

Sun Limei was not to be outdone, and she immediately launched two consecutive ring attacks, but unfortunately, she failed to trap either of them.

Sun Fei managed to trap a small rabbit-shaped porcelain piggy bank and happily kept showing it off.

Afterwards, they ate candied hawthorns, and everyone's face was filled with a happy smile.

Time passed by unnoticed, and the sun gradually set in the west. They carried with them a bountiful harvest and joy, and hand in hand, they embarked on their journey home.

I didn't feel anything when I arrived, but I felt a bit tired when I left. I had a whole day of fun and ate and drank my fill, but I had been walking around for too long, and the soles of my feet were sore.

They returned home with their purchases and haul. After putting everything down, they collapsed onto chairs, exhausted.

As soon as Sun Limei got home, she sprawled out on the bed. She's not usually one for physical activity, and walking so much today must have exhausted her.

Yunya and Sunfei weren't in such a serious situation; they used to walking tens of thousands of steps a day when they worked at the textile factory.

Looking back now, some hardships weren't necessarily a bad thing. They not only tempered a person's physique but also cultivated their patience.