CH 89.2

The big fair was really lively. Adding the two sides of the bridge, there was two li of land along the sides of the road, not to mention there were still load-carrying peddlers. There was a lot of voices and crowds, and those who brought children had to take care their children, otherwise they would be easily abducted by kidnappers.

Even Lu Gu held Shen Yan’s hands tightly when he saw so many people, and followed the ox cart without missing a step.     

Many things were sold in the big fair, spring festival couplets, New Year pictures of door god, wine, meat, fruit, dimsum, incense, paper money, paper ingots, candles, pots, pans, dustpans, brooms, knives and scissors.     

The gongs made sound clangs, clangs, and the juggler held the torch and spouted wine with a "poof" in the torch, and the flame "boomed" and turned into a long dragon. This skill of blowing fire was beautiful, the people around couldn't help applauding, and there were more copper coins thrown over.     

Seeing the stall that sold silk flowers and headbands, Shen Yan hurriedly called her mother. The stall was huge, and there were so many silk flowers and colorful headbands, it was dazzling.     

They waked all the way while buying somethings, there were more and more things on the ox cart, such as Tusu wine, malt sugar, dried fruit, candied fruit, sweet pastries, almanac papers, spring festival couplets, New Year picture of door god and ghost-eating Zhong Kui. There were also some offerings for sweeping the grave and for the gods and Buddhas.     

They also bought a lot of firecrackers, two feet of big firecrackers, Huoqi flowers (火 起 花) and Taiping flowers  (太平花)

Lanterns were hung during the Chinese New Year, and they were only hung on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, but now there were already various lanterns and colored lanterns for sale. The countryside was far from the towns and markets, so it was the best to buy them all once.

The lanterns were beautiful and with many kinds of colors. Lu Gu and Shen Yan looked at one and then the other, and thought they were all beautiful.

"Buy a few more if you want." Shen Xuanqing came over and said to him, seeing a very beautiful gold and red palace lantern with colorful tassels hanging on it, he directly asked for the price.

The palace lantern was expensive, but he bought it anyway, and he was also happy to have a beautiful lantern during the Chinese New Year.

The paper kite sellers also came to the big fair, since as soon as spring started, the weather would be fine and the wind was good, they could fly the paper kites.

This year, they were happy because they had some money, and the ready-made paper kite was also beautiful, so Wei Lanxiang bought a flying swallow paper kite for Shen Yan, and after Shen Xuanqing picked an eagle paper kite for Lu Gu, she paid for it.

There were many people and things in the market, they stopped for shopping for a while and then went to stroll again. They picked and chose while worrying about getting lost, it was quite tiring.

The smell of fried oil cakes and egg pancakes was fragrant, as well as miscellaneous stew, Yangchun noodle and wontons, roasted chicken and steamed shortbread, as soon as you came to the food stall, all the gluttony people would come out.

Lu Gu originally had no idea and wanted to eat the same as Shen Xuanqing, but after Shen Xuanqing asked him, he whispered that he wanted to eat Yangchun noodles.

There were too many things to eat, the six people chose what they wanted to eat, Ji Qiuyue liked miscellaneous stew and egg pancakes, Shen Yaoqing liked grass jelly and meat buns, Wei Lanxiang liked fried oil cakes, and Shen Yan asked for wontons and meat patty.

Shen Xuanqing brought over a bowl of Yangchun noodles for Lu Gu, the miscellaneous stew for himself, pig’s organ soup for Lu Gu, and bought three crispy and warm pastries, which they ate separately.     

After eating, they wandered around the fair for a while, seeing that there was nothing to buy, and it was not easy to go with the ox cart with too many people. After Shen Xuanqing asked the hawker to wrap ten candied haws, the family returned home happily with the new year's goods.

The 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month was the time to offer some sweets to Zao Shen, the god of kitchen. Malt sugar candy was sticky and sweet. Since his mother left, Lu Gu hadn’t eaten it for several years. Even though he was already married and not a child, he was still a bit greedy.

[糖瓜   táng guā: malt sugar candy, a traditional offering to the kitchen god Zaoshen]

This year Zaotang was placed there, and he could get it when he wanted to eat it, no one would say anything about him.

On the 24, it was time to sweep the dust to welcome the new year, the whole family was in full swing, they cleaned and tidied up the house. Lu Gu moved out the big pot and shoveled the ash from the bottom of the pot, making his face covered with black ash. When Shen Xuanqing saw him like this he laughed, he squatted down and wiped his face with his fingertips.

Seeing that it couldn't be wiped clean, Shen Xuanqing smiled and said, "Forget it, wash it with water later."

Lu Gu's face was a little itchy from being wiped, so he rubbed his face twice with his sleeve heavily.

As soon as Lu Gu did this, Shen Xuanqing frowned slightly, and asked him: "Why, do you dislike me touching your face?"

Others were fine, but being disgusted by his fulang made Shen Xuanqing feel a little uncomfortable, and he even glanced at his hand, at least there was no black ashes like Lu Gu's face, why didn't he want him to touch it.

Lu Gu, who was busy working, didn't even care about the ashes on his face. How could he dislike Shen Xuanqing inexplicably, and he said with puzzled eyes: "No, why do you think so? My face is itchy."

Knowing that he had misunderstood, Shen Xuanqing was a little embarrassed for slandering Lu Gu. When he saw Lu Gu looked at him with a confused expression, taking advantage of the fact that no one in the courtyard was paying attention to them, he lightly squeezed fulang's cheek to take advantage of him.

Shuang'er's skin was tender, and Lu Gu was weak in his eyes. He didn’t dare to use force to pinch his cheek, so it was no different from touching it.

"I'm going to clean the backyard." After taking advantage, he got up and left, leaving Lu Gu frowning alone.

Ji Qiuyue’s pregnancy was not very old now, she still could walk and work. She was tidying up the dishes in the kitchen and accidentally heard the words of the young couple. She glanced outside, and smiled softly when she was alone inside, the second boy had grown up. Even if he touched someone's face, the ither party was not allowed to dislike him.