Chapter 35: Winter Break Begins

  In the blink of an eye, these five days have passed.

  The day she went to get her report card, Gu Xiang left a bit late. Her bicycle chain came off halfway there, and she had to push it for the other half of the way.

  Teacher Jiang said 8 o'clock, but she arrived almost at half past eight.

  The class is in an uproar, nobody has brought their books, several are playing with their phones, and several have changed seats to gather together and chat.

  Gu Xiang arrived at the location and found that Tang Lulu and Li Wei were both absent.

  Huang Xinyi said: "Just now, Teacher Jiang called for the class committee members, and they all went over."

  Gu Xiang put down her bag and walked away.

  Mr. Jiang was talking to the class committee in his office and nodded at Gu Xiang when he saw her coming.

  Gu Xiang honestly followed behind a group of people and left.

  Teacher Jiang told them about the things to pay attention to after the holiday, and also said that next year when school starts, there may be personnel changes in the class, so they all need to pay attention, whoever comes first will come here to take the name list for roll call.

  After finishing handing over things, Teacher Jiang let them each take a stack of grade reports to the classroom.

  Gu Xiang was kept behind by Teacher Jiang, she thought it was because of her tardiness.

  But Teacher Jiang said to her: "Next semester you come a little earlier and help me keep an eye on the class, if there's anything that happens, you also need to be more flexible."

  Gu Xiang nodded.

  She still didn't know what would happen, but she still remembered Mr. Jiang's words.

  The ranking list was still posted in its usual place, but Gu Xiang hadn't had a chance to look at it yet.

  When other class cadres were distributing score reports, she ran over and took a look, roughly the same as the mid-term exam ranking.

  She ranked first, Chai Zi Yu second, Zhao Lei third, Tang Lu Lu fourth, Li Wei fifth... Lin Jia Huan was still 25th.

  The scores of the top few were also similar.

  Chai Zi's score is 2 points lower than Gu Xiang's.

  Chai Zi Yu was still sleeping ten minutes before the exam...

  This is simply an IQ crush!

  Gu Xiangjue thought that in two more years, she would absolutely not be able to pass the imperial examination with Chai Zi Yu.

  Soon, Teacher Jiang came with a stack of honorary certificates.

  He announced a person's name on the stage and someone went up to receive the certificate.

  An honorary certificate is just a leather case with a paper award inside.

  "Three Good Students" were rewarded with two soft-cover notebooks and two pens, "Excellent in both character and learning" were rewarded with one soft-cover notebook and one pen, while "Progressive Students" didn't get any reward.

  Gu Xiang, one of the class committee members, was awarded "Three Good Student".

  Lian Lin Jia Huan both received "Progress Student".

  Everyone can have a good year now.

  Teacher Jiang reminded them to pay attention to safety during the winter break, try not to set off firecrackers, and don't go to remote places to play. She also said that in the previous two years, there were students who blew their hands off with firecrackers, and some fell into ice holes...

  After scaring them, Teacher Jiang let them go home.

  Gu Xiang's bicycle broke down, so he prepared to push it and walk slowly back home.

  She went out in the morning thinking of coming to get a transcript, forgetting to ask her mother for money.

  Lin Jiahuan walked alongside her, pushing their bicycles in tandem as they headed home.

  Lin Jiahuan is in high spirits today and plans to go out and have some fun.

  Gu Xiang was speechless: "There's a lot of winter homework, what have you been playing with all this time? You'd better not think about asking me to lend it to you to copy again."

  Lin Jiahuan said: "The winter and summer vacation homework, the teacher collects it but doesn't look at it. Just write something casually and it's fine. My mom says my grades are stable, she'll only take me out to play if I get a reward."

  Her uncle told her about the results long ago.

  "What are you planning to do for winter break?"

  Gu Xiang thought for a moment: "I don't know, I'll just stay in the countryside. Then go to my dad's place for a few days before the Lantern Festival."

  "Are your parents not together?" Lin Jiahuan asked afterwards, and then regretted it.

  Many people are reluctant to talk about their parents' divorce.

  Gu Xiang was fine, she had long been able to face it calmly.

  "They divorced when I was just in elementary school."

  Lin Jiahuan chuckled: "Then you can get two red envelopes, and become a little rich lady."

  Gu Xiang also laughed along with her.

  This is the first year Gu Xiang has spent since her rebirth.

  And her traditional birthday is also around Chinese New Year.

  The meaning is quite different.

  Nowadays, it's no longer popular to give birthday gifts. In the past, when Gu Xiang had a birthday, he would just bring back a cake to the countryside and put it in the middle of the table during the New Year's Eve dinner.

  The whole family just lit a candle and blew it out, and that was it.

  Today, Gu Xiang doesn't even want cake.

  The most common butter cake, an 8-inch one costs over 80, and it's too greasy, not delicious at all.

  Moreover, Gu's mother's shop was open until the afternoon of New Year's Eve, and it wasn't until 3 or 4 o'clock that they prepared to close up and head back to the countryside. It would be too inconvenient to carry a cake on a crowded bus!

  Mom said without thinking: "Birthday must eat cake! This can't be saved, and your grandma also likes to eat."

  In the end, Gu Xiang couldn't outdo her mother and booked the cheapest one.

  Because they don't need to sweep away anything at home, Aunt Gu and her family only quickly cleaned the house on New Year's Eve.

  It was New Year's Eve, and the store was already empty. Mrs. Guo casually made some lunch, and after eating, they closed the shop early.

  There were more than a few people on the bus.

  Not to mention seats, there's hardly even room to stand.

  The smell is particularly unpleasant.

  Gu Xiang held a red ribbon tied cake, her mother stood beside her protecting her.

  Gu's mother still held a pile of goods for her grandparents in her hands, she wanted to take them, but her mother refused to let go.

  After taking a detour by car, I finally arrived.

  Gu's mom asked her if she was tired.

  Gu Xiang said: "I'm not tired, I'm running now, my body is much better." Then she wanted to take something from her mother's hand, but Gu's mom took two steps forward and shook her off.

  The uncles returned later than Gu Xiang and the others, only returning on New Year's Day.

  Grandfather and grandmother knew they were coming this afternoon, so they waited for them in the main room.

  The old grandma from afar saw them and ran out to help carry their things.

  Gu Xiang, who thought he had a much better physical condition, actually didn't have as much strength as his grandma. The things in his hands were all snatched away by his grandma.

  The stove and coal stove were both simmering with something, as soon as you came in, it felt warm, and there was also a savory aroma wafting through the air.

  Gu Xiang sniffled and felt a bit hungry. She hadn't eaten much at noon.

  Recently, there have been fewer vegetable vendors in the market, and she and her mother haven't bought many vegetables, which can last for several days.

  Grandfather saw Gu Xiang's greedy look and went to the stove to scoop a large bowl of pig's feet for her to eat.

  The braised pig's feet are tender and soft, the soup is simmered into a white color, without any oil residue.

  Gu Xiang changed into a pair of old cotton shoes belonging to her grandmother, and then sat down quietly next to her with a bowl in hand. Her grandmother pulled Gu's mother aside to chat.

  Grandfather didn't say much, just smiled and looked at them for a while, then looked at Gu Xiang.

  Gu Xiang finished a bowl quickly and his grandfather wanted to serve him more.

  "Stop it, I've had enough, can't eat anymore."

  Gu's mother said to her father: "If she wants to eat, let her serve herself. She's a big girl now and has legs of her own."

  Grandfather said: "Yaya has lost so much weight, you must eat more during the New Year."

  Gu Xiang touched her own belly, originally three layers, now only two. ~(≧▽≦)/~

  In the afternoon, there was nothing to do, so Gu Xiang helped her grandparents with cooking.

  It was burning with straw and branches, some places were a bit sharp.

  Her grandfather wouldn't let her do these things, but since her mother saw that Xiang was having fun playing with them, she didn't stop her.

  It's pitch dark as soon as it's past five o'clock.

  The New Year's Eve dinner at home is about to begin.

  In rural areas, it's customary to have dinner on New Year's Eve without closing doors. The dishes are served and soon become cold.

  Moreover, there are fewer obstructions in the countryside, and the wind is particularly strong. The candles on the birthday cake flickered constantly.

  Gu Xiang was frozen stiff, sniffing his nose and stomping his feet.

  She wants to ask her grandfather for an army overcoat to wear.

  Seeing her so frozen and pitiful, Grandma slightly closed the big gate.

  Gu's mother warmed up a can of coconut juice for her to drink.

  The whole meal was eaten with trembling by Gu Xiang.

  She thought she wasn't usually so afraid of the cold. After counting down the days, her aunt would probably arrive next week.

  The butter on the cake was particularly greasy, so Gu Xiang had only two bites before going to eat other dishes.

  My grandma's cooking is still super delicious, even though some of it has gone cold, but it's still much better than what Gu Xiang usually eats.

  The dishes in the school cafeteria are always the same, you can count them on your fingers.

  Although Gu's mother can cook in various ways for her, her mother is also busy and cannot make such labor-intensive dishes.

  After dinner, Grandpa asked Gu Xiang if he wanted to set off fireworks.

  Fireworks are still the simplest and longest shape, 10 pieces for just 5 yuan.

  Thinking that it was a special gift from her grandfather, Gu Xiang pretended to be very enthusiastic and wore her grandfather's military coat to go out and set off fireworks with her.

  Because there was a stack of straw in front of someone else's house, Grandpa said to Gu Xiang while handing him firecrackers: "Let them off towards the sky, don't let them off towards the front. When you were young, you once set fire to the thatched cottage next door."

  Gu Xiang also remembered that when she was a child, she had once lit a firework that didn't make any sound at all no matter how long she held it. Just as she was about to give up and throw it away, the firework suddenly started exploding with loud popping sounds. She got startled and accidentally threw the firework onto the neighbor's haystack...

  In the end, it was still the two families working together to put out the fire. The uncle from next door pretended to hit her and scared her into crying.

  That uncle hugged her and turned over for a long time, coaxing her...

  That was the first year her parents were divorced and also the first year she spent in the countryside, which made her feel particularly uncomfortable.

  Now it's especially heart-wrenching when I think about it.

  The uncle next door happened to come out and see her, and he said: "Yaya is back? This year, you are not allowed to set fire to my house."

  Gu Xiang had called out to people, her face was a bit red with embarrassment.

  Grandpa said to him, "Don't bully our family's Diao Diao, you little scamp. When you were young, didn't you know how to steal eggs from our chicken coop when you wore open-crotch pants?"

  That uncle hastily waved his hand: "Big brother, I won't say it anymore, I won't say it anymore."

  Gu Xiang laughed beside him.

  After watching the fireworks, Gu Xiang was driven into the house by her grandmother to watch TV.

  Even Mom wanted to help with washing dishes and was driven away.

  Mrs. Gu is busy all year round and can only put her feet up and take a break at this time.

  There's nothing good on TV either, Gu Xiang stuck to her mother's words.

  Her mother was crying and laughing at the same time. Her daughter sometimes had big ideas, but sometimes she acted like a child who loved to throw tantrums.

  Grandfather boiled water and let them go take a bath.

  Bathing was still done in a large pot with a plastic sheet hung above as a shower curtain.

  Gu Xiang took a bath with her mother, who scrubbed her back while complaining about how dirty she was.

  Their home has only one shower head and no bathtub, so it's impossible to take a bath in winter.

  Gu's mother takes her to the public bathhouse every week for a wash.

  It's actually warmer here in the countryside where we burn our own fire and wash ourselves.

  Gu's mother gave her a back massage and also massaged her hands and feet.

  Gu Xiang is mostly like a little adult, but sometimes she really enjoys being taken care of by her mother.

  Grandma came in after a while and added firewood for them, asking if the water was still cold.

  After taking a bath, Gu Xiang felt comfortable and put on her cotton sweater and cotton pants, then ran into the house and snuggled under the quilt.

  My grandmother's house has two floors, and downstairs there is only one room that can be lived in.

  She and her mother came and they were given a place to live, while her grandparents lived upstairs.

  But every New Year's Eve, everyone would gather downstairs to watch the Spring Festival Gala on this TV set.

  The family finished their baths one after another, and the Spring Festival Gala is about to start.

  Gu's mom took out the new clothes she had bought for her grandparents and asked them to try them on.

  She bought a deep blue down jacket for her grandfather and a deep red one with dark flowers for her grandmother.

  Because they will still be working in winter, so all of them bought short ones.

  Grandma loves it so much, wearing it and striking poses back and forth.

  My grandfather didn't say anything, after trying on the clothes he quickly folded them up and put them away carefully, even smoothing out the creases.

  Gu Xiang saw it all.

  The Spring Festival Gala's programs are still mostly traditional, many of which Gu Xiang remembers.

  She soon looked like she was about to fall asleep.

  My grandparents and Aunt Guo are all in good spirits. Although the tradition of staying up late on New Year's Eve is no longer observed, it's still necessary to stay up until one or two o'clock.

  She was almost asleep, so they lowered their voices.

  In the midst of this chatter and the occasional bursts of laughter from the TV audience, Gu Xiang fell asleep before 12 o'clock.

  The next morning, the wooden door creaked open and Gu Xiang woke up.

  Grandma poked her head in and saw that she was rubbing her eyes, so she asked softly: "Ya Ya, are you hungry? Do you want to have breakfast now or sleep a little longer?"

  As soon as the door opened, Gu Xiang felt a draft coming in and shrank into her quilt, asking her grandmother: "What time is it?"

  Grandma said: "It's still early, it's just seven o'clock."

  Outside, there were bursts of firecrackers and fireworks sounds coming over.

  They said this, and Gu's mother woke up too.

  On New Year's Day, they didn't have much to do, so they just went to several homes in the village to pay their respects.

  Gu's mom would sleep in just once a year, and Grandma would let the two girls eat breakfast before getting up.

  Breakfast was red sugar-coated scrambled eggs with red dates added.

  Gu Xiang took three eggs, and Gu's mother took two.

  Grandma cooked and served it to them.

  "Mother Gu said to her: 'Don't leave any, finish all the dates.'"

  Gu Xiang usually doesn't like to eat dates, and only eats a little bit before her aunt comes.

  But it's Chinese New Year, so it's just for a sweet and beautiful meaning, and it's unlucky if you can't finish eating.

  Gu Xiang loves to eat tender ones, and eggs are sugar hearts.

  Gu's mother loves eating old eggs, her boiled eggs are always overcooked.

  Gu Xiang finished drinking all the soup and said to her mom: "Grandma even made the eggs so delicious."

  Her mother was getting dressed and preparing to get out of bed, glared at her: "Don't you think your mom's cooking is not good?"

  "The gap is too big!"

  "Even if it's not delicious, it has still managed to fatten you up."

  Gu Xiang: ……

  The sky is especially cold, Gu Xiang lies down and doesn't want to get up.

  "Get up quickly and put on your new clothes!"

  Gu Xiang thought that the clothes had been worn yesterday and were no longer attractive!

  But then just tossed around on the bed for a while, and obediently got up.

  After brushing her teeth and washing her face, Gu Xiang followed her mother to the village to pay New Year's visits.

  There is an old granny at the head of the village, who will be 99 years old during the Spring Festival and has the highest seniority in the village.

  They went to this one first.

  This family's Fengjuan Auntie and Gu Mama have been friends since childhood, when they were young, their grandfather would buy them a piece of candy and divide it in half for each of them.

  She was particularly happy when she saw Gu Xiang and pulled her hand to feed her sugar.

  Gu Xiang has paid New Year's respects to his lord.

  Phoenix Aunt stuffed a red envelope for her.

  Gu's mother also gave a red envelope back to her little kid.

  After running two more households in the village, her pocket sugar was almost full.

  She didn't finish cleaning until half a day after she got home.

  Moreover, when visiting the last family for New Year's greetings, that grandmother's home looked not wealthy but still wanted to give her a red envelope. Gu's mother wanted to return the red envelope to her, and the two of them were pushing back and forth, causing Gu Xiang's pocket to be slightly torn open.

  Wow! Her new clothes!

  Little uncle's family arrived after 10 o'clock, and little aunt helped grandma prepare lunch as soon as she came.

  Gu's mom also felt embarrassed and lazy no more, so she went to help out too.

  Grandfather was telling his younger brother about some places in the house that needed to be repaired, whether the light bulb here was bright or not, and whether the chair there would creak when sat on.

  The little uncle took off his coat and fiddled with the toolbox.

  Chen Wu went to play with Xiao Hei Pang as soon as he arrived.

  Gu Xiang unexpectedly became the most idle person in the whole family, moving a stool to sit at the door quietly basking in the sun and cracking melon seeds.

  According to rural customs, the first meal of the New Year must be eaten at 12 o'clock sharp.

  As expected, 10 minutes later, my uncle's family appeared mysteriously.

  The elder sister-in-law took two buckets of oil in her hands and said they were for grandma and grandpa.

  Gu Xiang had never seen her uncle and Chen Wen in this life before.

  Chen Wen wore a snow-white short sweater, which made her skin look very white and more beautiful.

  Gu's mother saw Gu Xiang staring at Chen Wen and thought she should still buy her a white one.

  The table was full of Da Gu's mother talking about how good the oil she brought was, and Gu Xiang barely restrained herself from rolling her eyes.

  Her mother gave her grandparents each a set of clothes for the new year, from woolen sweaters and woolen pants to down jackets.

  My little uncle's family brought things like Brain Platinum and Western ginseng.

  My elder aunt is really something, she can talk about two buckets of oil as if they were heaven and earth.

  The elder sister-in-law boasted and then told the younger sister-in-law and Gu's mother: "I can get this at an internal price, if you want it, I'll sell a bucket to you for 50 yuan."

  Gu Xiang: ……

  Hello, have you heard of Amway?

  The author has something to say: Thank you for Sisi's and Xiao Yu's landmines.

  The weather has cooled down, and the author who had a frozen brain all along forgot to say thank you~

  Kowtowing with a loud thud!

  Too lazy to update twice, so I'll just write it as one chapter~

  Less than a few hundred words, next chapter will add some more ovo

  It's cold outside, I'm always hungry and can't eat enough, it makes me irritable.