CH 88.2

The five-beans porridge at noon was well-cooked and soft, and Lu Gu added a few pieces of rock sugar to make it even sweeter.     

He also practiced calligraphy in the morning, and the yard was covered with snow. After eating, he sat in his room to keep warm and do some works.     

Lu Gu moved the kang table onto the bed, put a long pillow behind him and sat while leaning on the head of the bed. He covered his legs with a thin quilt, but he felt it was still cold, so he also pulled the fox fur quilt to cover his legs and also put tang pozi inside the quilt.     

The fox fur quilt was not too big, it was narrow and long, but even if Shen Xuanqing was sitting on the other side of the kang table, both of them could cover their legs.     

Lu Gu tied a carp double knot with red string and red thread, also known as the goldfish knot.

The ties and knots he made were big and small, with different shapes and colors. The country people didn't usually make this kind of decoration, but they were happy to wear a sachet on their bodies during the New Year.

"Sister-in-law and mother also make it. There are so many, can they be used up?" Shen Xuanqing didn't know how to do this kind of work, and he was sitting by the side with his legs covered with fox fur quilt.

"Sister-in-law said, there are too many things to hang on the branches of the trees during the New Year. The white snow, red knots and colorful Laozi (络子)  are so beautiful." Lu Gu raised his eyes and said seriously, and then he said: "Hang less in the persimmon tree outside, and hang more in the jujube tree in the yard, it will look good."

The small jujube tree was dug from the third uncle's house and planted in the yard this year, and it may be able to bear jujubes next year after it grew, but it was definitely not as many as the big jujube tree.

"That's right." Shen Xuanqing nodded, he actually wanted to talk more and stop working, let Lu Gu talk to him or do something else.

However, Lu Gu didn't understand his meaning, he thought that he was also influenced in the excitement of this year's New Year, he was happy and a little nervous, and he couldn't stop the work in his hands.

Seeing that he was so busy, Shen Xuanqing hesitated to speak, finally he sighed softly, stretched out his hand to cover the little Tang pozi on the kang table, inwardly added troubles for himself and couldn't stretch his brows for a long time.

The window was opened a slit to let the cold air in.

Shen Xuanqing got out of the bed and closed the window, and the door was also closed. When he came back, he saw that the goldfish knot in Lu Gu's hand had been tied.

Shuang'er's fair neck was far more delicate than the rough man's. Shen Xuanqing rubbed it, and then touched the earlobe again.

In fact, Lu Gu didn’t feel uncomfortable when Shen Xuanqing rubbed his neck, just rubbed it twice, but Shen Xuanqing's palm was rough and warm, he didn't know what he was thinking, but he didn't stop him.

At this moment, the earlobe was pinched, and his face was flushed red. Before he could break free, Shen Xuanqing leaned over to kiss him.

The fox fur was caressed by the palm of the hand, and it was rough but brought a very intimate sense of security.

As soon as the five beans festival was over, it was the time for Laba Festival in the blink of an eye. Yellow rice, white rice, walnut kernels, pine nuts, various beans, peanuts, jujubes and hazelnuts, and even chestnuts were boiled to make Laba porridge, which was richer than five beans porridge.

It was sunny today, and in the morning Lu Gu and Shen Yan smashed walnuts, peeled chestnuts and hazelnuts, and didn’t throw away the remaining shells.     

When Lu Gu came out of the kitchen, he saw Li Wanyun, who was wearing a man's clothes, came in with a bowl in her hand. When she saw him, she even pursed her lips and showed a very shallow smile, she said: "Guzi, is aunt Lanxiang at home?"

Wei Lanxiang poked her head out from the main room and said, "I'm here."     

When she went to visit the third room’s house the day before yesterday, she passed in front of Zhang's house and saw Lao Zhang. She said a few words about her to Zhou Xiangjun and joked, but no one in the village knew what happened to Li Wanyun.

But as long as the gray and dead air on her was gone, that was a good thing. The neighbors, who had nothing to do would look forward to the death of others.

"Auntie, I want to exchange some jujubes with you to cook Laba porridge. There are only beans and peanuts in the house, and I want to add some jujubes."

Li Wanyun smiled a little shyly, but as long as people had decent appearance, even if she looked mediocre, everyone was happy to see her.

Wei Lanxiang saw that there were two eggs in her bowl, so she not only gave her jujubes, but also a handful of walnut kernels and chestnuts. Their family got them from the mountains without spending any money, and Li Wanyun was kind enough to exchange them with eggs. The hens didn't lay eggs very much in winter so the eggs was as precious as gold, so she should give something more.

"Auntie, I'm going back first." Li Wanyun took the bowl, said something to Wei Lanxiang and left.     

Because her family had a funeral and she didn't like Lao Zhang, Wei Lanxiang didn't visit her house very often, and only now did she recognize that the clothes on her body looked like the winter clothes that Zhang Zhengzi had worn before. Also, if it was not her own man's clothes, whose clothes she could wear.

"It’s Zhengzi's clothes, finally she knows to wear her husband’s clothes, otherwise it will be hard to wear such thin clothes." Wei Lanxiang and Lu Gu sighed.

It was good for country people to have food and clothing, women wearing their men's leftover clothes wouldn’t attract gossip, besides, it was winter, and Li Wanyun was also pitiful.