CH 50

Note: The chapter title raw is 猫冬, which literally means Cat Winter. 猫冬 is a dialect word that means “to hide in the house and avoid the cold in winter” or “to adopt a conservative strategy in a difficult economic situation”. It is derived from the behavior of cats who stay indoors during the cold season. The word is commonly used in Northeast China and Beijing.

Desperate, unbearable.

In this moment, all the love welled up unrestrained.

Qiao Yuan couldn’t take it anymore and cried out, “Yu Dameng, you beast, you’re hurting me to death!”

……

The next day, they could not sleep in because now that they were living separately, it was customary for the younger generation of the village to come to pay their New Year respects.

Yu Dameng squatted on the ground, helping Qiao Yuan put on his shoes. Qiao Yuan let out a couple of fake annoyed huffs, “Having fun?”

Yu Dameng grinned foolishly, his eyes bright. He leaned in and stole a kiss from Qiao Yuan’s lips.

Qiao Yuan’s laughter in his eyes became even harder to conceal. He hugged Yu Dameng, nuzzling against his shoulder affectionately, before saying, “I’m having fun too.”

But when it truly came time to get out of bed, the unavoidable soreness made itself known. Things were not so simple anymore. Qiao Yuan seemed angry but was more like sulking as he said, “It’s all your fault!”

Clearly, it was he who had cried out in pain last night but refused to let Yu Dameng pull out. Yet now, he was trying to shift the blame.

But Yu Dameng was happy to indulge him. Helping massage his waist with his big hands, he nodded and replied, “Yes, it’s all my fault.”

Qiao Yuan felt smug inside. He wanted Yu Dameng to dote on him and love him this way.

The two first paid New Year’s respects to Qiao Wangshi, then went to the old house to pay respects to Old Man Yu and Lin Cuifen. Full of auspicious words, Qiao Yuan spilled them out as if they cost nothing, prompting Lin Cuifen to give him an extra red envelope.

After that, Yu Dameng went to pay respects to the elders in the village with his big brother while Qiao Yuan waited at home for the younger generation to come and pay their New Year’s respects.

Leading the way were Zhao Laifu from the village chief’s family and Zhang Dabao from the butcher’s family. They had been craving the snacks from Uncle Dameng’s house for a long time. After leaving, the first place they ran to was Uncle Dameng’s house.

“Uncle Yuan, Happy New Year! Wishing you good luck, prosperity, and abundant wealth.”

The group of little radishes performed the New Year’s greetings quite convincingly. Qiao Yuan couldn’t help but laugh and invited them inside. He gave each of them a red envelope containing six wen coins.

Qiao Yuan also packed some New Year’s pastries prepared at home for them, filling two big bags for each person to take home.

Thanks to Qiao Yuan’s donation to build a school in the village, an unusually large number of people came to pay New Year’s respects at Qiao Yuan’s house this year. Despite many groups of people leaving, even after Yu Dameng returned, there was still no sign of the Qiao clan members who should have shown up.

Qiao Yuan squatted on the ground, holding Qiao Wangshi’s hand, wanting to comfort her but not knowing what to say. In the end, he just called out, “Grandma.”

Qiao Wangshi forcefully held back her sorrow and patted Qiao Yuan’s hand. “I’m fine.”

Not wanting to dampen Yu Dameng and Qiao Yuan’s mood on this auspicious day, she smiled and said, “Let’s eat. I’m hungry.”

As she tried to get up to go to the kitchen, Qiao Yuan held her back, acting a bit spoiled, “Grandma, let Dameng do it!”

Being old, Grandmother shouldn’t tire herself. Plus, his own waist was sore today. Let the culprit who caused his back pain take care of it!

“Oh!” Yu Dameng scratched his head, looking a little silly but also appeasing. “I’ll go, I’ll go make it.”

This exchange greatly amused Granny Qiao. Over these days, she had come to understand that her grandson-in-law truly indulged her grandson in all things, unfailingly doing whatever he asked. She felt quite reassured. As long as Yuan’er was happy, she could give his late parents an explanation when she saw them in the afterlife.

Yu Dameng wasn’t exceptionally skilled at cooking. All he did was boil the dumplings Qiao Yuan had wrapped a few days prior and make a simple dipping sauce.

But Qiao Yuan still praised it as unparalleled, making Yu Dameng’s ears turn red, completely unlike his bravery from last night.

The three of them were halfway through the meal when Ping’an, Yu Laoer’s son, came.

He was thin and seemed a bit awkward. Upon entering, he respectfully bowed, “Grandmother, Third Uncle, Uncle Yuan, Happy New Year.”

As an adult, Qiao Yuan did not want to involve children in the grudges between adults. Therefore, he still warmly welcomed him, gave him a red envelope, and even let him pick some snacks that he liked to eat.

However, whether the elders explicitly instructed it, the boy quickly grabbed a handful of pastries, left the red envelope on the table, and hurriedly ran off

Qiao Yuan looked at him with a tinge of bitterness in his heart. However, no matter what, he could never forgive Yu Laoer’s family. Their treatment would never be as warm as that of Yu Laoda’s.

Aunt Wang went home for the New Year and wouldn’t return to work until the tenth day. Qiao Yuan’s house was on the outskirts of the village, and the usual interactions with the villagers mostly happened through the old house. The village elders and aunts had the tact not to disturb the young couple, making the house unusually quiet.

Qiao Yuan was afraid that Qiao Wangshi would overthink if left alone, so he wanted to spend more time with her during the day. However, every time he stayed for a short while, Qiao Wangshi would chase him out and ask him to spend more time with Yu Dameng.

After some thought, Qiao Yuan decided to get a puppy to keep at home. Once spring arrived, he planned to get some chicks as well, giving Qiao Wangshi something to do and pass the time.

Yu Dameng quietly listened to Qiao Yuan’s plans, occasionally voicing his agreement while massaging Qiao Yuan’s waist.

When Qiao Yuan finished speaking, his bright eyes fixed unblinkingly on Yu Dameng, not saying another word.

Understanding his intention, Yu Dameng lowered his head and kissed his lips.

The second day of the new year was when married daughters returned to visit their natal families. With Qiao Wangshi already here, Qiao Yuan did not have to take this step.

In the past, due to the Yu family’s poverty and debts, Lin Cuifen’s brothers had severed ties with her, so she did not need to go back either.

The only one who had a place to go was Meng Qiu, but being pregnant, Li Xiumei had told him not to come back this year. They would come to visit him instead.

So, on the second day of the new year, no relatives from the Yu family needed to go out.

So, they simply gathered the whole family together.

With a large and close-knit family, the atmosphere was warm and lively. They didn’t feel the absence of other relatives.

By the third day, when other families were still visiting relatives everywhere, Qiao Yuan could already lounge lazily at home.

Outside, it was snowing heavily, but the charcoal stove was burning warmly inside. Dressed in a small padded jacket, Qiao Yuan nestled in Yu Dameng’s embrace, reading storybooks.

Naturally, these were not the previous two books. Qiao Yuan had specially bought these to pass the time over the long holiday.

A bundle of a hundred books cost two taels of silver. Now, it felt like opening a surprise box.

“What nonsense is this! Clearly, it’s about a poor scholar passing the imperial examination and abandoning his original wife without a conscience. The whole story is praising the love affair between the poor scholar and the young lady!”

Qiao Yuan indignantly slapped the crappy storybook heavily onto the bed.

Yu Dameng laughed and lifted him up, affectionately planting a kiss on his lips.

Feeling sweet in his heart, Qiao Yuan turned around and playfully tackled Yu Dameng, his eyes gleaming. “Let’s do something more fun!”

…..

The weather would not warm until mid-February. Old Man Yu wanted to sell more stoves this winter, so after the third day, he and Yu Dameng started taking work orders in the village again.

Qiao Yuan did not stop them. After all, Yu Dameng had his own business to run, too.

On the other hand, Yu Laoda felt very unsatisfied. He went over several times trying to help but was chased back to the study by Elder Yu and Yu Dameng. Finally, he simply stationed himself stubbornly at the entrance to the blacksmith’s workshop, refusing to leave.

Qiao Yuan listened to the commotion outside and couldn’t stop chuckling. He chatted with Meng Qiu and said, “When I didn’t know Big Brother well, I thought he was an extremely mature and steady person. But after getting to know him recently, I found out that he has such a lively and unpredictable personality.”

Meng Qiu smiled slightly but did not respond.

Lin Cuifen exclaimed, “Sigh! He’s soaked in those books. Just look at how proper he is! He was not an easy child to raise, always climbing trees to catch birds and going to the river to catch fish, never missing a chance to give me headaches!”

But as he grew older, he realized the earnest expectations his parents had for him and understood the responsibilities he carried, so he gradually became more patient. However, in front of his family, he couldn’t help but reveal his true personality.

After thinking about it carefully, Qiao Yuan realized that it was fortunate that he had this kind of personality. Otherwise, if it were someone else with abundant talent but constantly burdened with filial piety and unable to pursue their ambitions, they would probably be discouraged and unable to recover.

Lin Cuifen continued, “Out of all my children, I would say the easiest to take care of is Dameng. However, he is a bit simple-minded, and when he was younger, he was often taken advantage of and tricked by others. Despite this, he would still help others count their money!”

Qiao Yuan pictured it and found it a little amusing, warmth swelling in his heart.

If he had known Yu Dameng since childhood, he certainly would have stuck by his side every day, absolutely not letting anyone take advantage of him.

“The main thing is he’s too generous. After getting tricked once, he’d still happily play with those kids again!”

Everyone laughed, and Meng Qiu smiled, “Little uncle has an extremely good temper.”

Stroking his belly, his face was full of tenderness. “I wonder what this one’s personality will be like.”

Lin Cuifen laughed, saying, “It’s best if he takes after you. That’d be easy to handle!”

Then she turned to Qiao Yuan and said, “You too! Don’t give birth to a silly kid like Dameng when the time comes. Having one as clever as you would be so much better!”

Qiao Yuan couldn’t help but laugh. Lately, due to Meng Qiu’s return, the family often discussed the topic of having a baby. It made Qiao Yuan constantly think of wanting to have a child with Yu Dameng.

But when he saw Yu Shanwen and Yu Shanwu jumping around every day, the lively and rambunctious little ones who often drove Lin Cuifen crazy, those thoughts gradually faded away.

Perhaps it would be better to wait another year, let the business grow a bit more, stabilize a bit, and let things happen naturally.

The pork ribs stewing on the stove made a bubbling sound.

Qiao Yuan estimated that the time was about right, so he lifted the lid. The entire room was instantly filled with the aroma of meat, making people very hungry.

Liu Ge’er sniffed eagerly, prompting Lin Cuifen to tease him, “You’re going to be a little uncle next year, and you’re still so greedy!”

Liu Ge’er pouted and then went to hug Qiao Yuan’s thigh. “You clever little devil, I’ll get it for you!”

The pork ribs had been stewed until tender and easily fell off the bone. They were cooked with radish in a light broth without adding too many ingredients, making the meat’s original flavor and bones even more intense.

It was delicious with just a little bit of salt.

Qiao Yuan scooped up a delicious pork rib with plenty of meat for him and also scooped up a piece of sour radish. The combination was so aromatic that words couldn’t describe it!

The radish had almost melted into the soup. The broth was clear and fragrant, and the taste was extremely fresh.

Qiao Yuan quickly stir-fried a dish of spicy pickled pork belly in the kitchen, a refreshing stir-fried cabbage to balance the flavors, and heated a basket of soft white steamed buns.

Lin Cuifen called out, and all the men in the Yu family stopped their work, washed their hands, and entered the house to eat.

I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. If you want to show your support, you can buy me a coffee. It would make my day! For every five coffees I get, I will release a bonus chapter. You can also follow me on Ko-fi to get the latest updates on my translation progress and new projects. I appreciate your love and feedback.