Chapter 30
  Chinese New Year After a bumpy journey, Fang Qing's family finally returned home and immediately began to clean the house, because today is the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, and the whole family will return to the old house to celebrate the New Year on New Year's Eve. Fang's mother had to clean up all the rooms in advance and prepare the fillings for tomorrow's dumplings.

  The three of them worked together and finally finished cleaning before dark. Fang's father finally returned home in the moonlight.

  "Why have you three been gone for these days? If you don't come back, I'll chase you to Liujiagou!" Fang's father swept the dust off his body, changed his clothes and sat down.

  Fang's mother was preparing dinner in the kitchen. While picking vegetables, she told Fang's father everything about her trip back to her parents' home. Seeing that Fang's father was not very happy, she quickly praised him.

  "Old Fang, you've been quite impressive these past few days while we were away. I noticed you've washed the sheets and quilt covers, and even cleaned the windows. You've made great progress!"

  Father Fang snorted, leaning back in his chair, striking a match, and taking a few puffs of his cigarette. "Hmph, don't you see who I am? How can such a small matter be so difficult for me? If it weren't for the fact that you haven't returned yet, this kind of thing wouldn't be worth my effort..."

  The couple praised him for a while and were about to call for dinner when there was a knock on the wooden door of the small courtyard.

  Fang Ming opened the door and immediately shouted excitedly, "Uncle? You're finally back! Mom, it's my uncle!"

  Fang Deli handed Fang Ming the things in his hand and went straight into the house. "Second brother, I'm back."

  Father Fang was both excited and angry to see that his younger brother had finally returned after disappearing for several months. He stepped forward to take a closer look at him. He saw that although he was darker and thinner, his shoulders had muscles. He then patted his shoulders vigorously.

  "You little brat, you're finally back! You left without a word and didn't even leave a message for home. Don't you know how worried your mother is about you? You!"

  Fang Deli patiently explained, "I followed others out to do business and left in a hurry without saying goodbye to my family. It was my fault. I'll go apologize to all my brothers and sisters when I get back. But second brother, I really learned something and made some money this time out there."

  As he spoke, he unbuttoned his coat and took out a paper bag from the lining of his clothes and placed it on the table.

  "Second brother, this is my salary for the past few months, plus some I earned from selling goods. It's all here. Second brother, you've helped me a lot before, so give this money to him to supplement the family expenses!"

  Father Fang was stunned by the tightly wrapped paper bag on the table. He reached out to open the bag and saw that there were actually several hundred-yuan bills and some ten-yuan and five-yuan bills inside. He was stunned for a moment, and then became nervous again.

  "Deli, tell me the truth, this money... where did it come from? What kind of job do you do to earn so much money all of a sudden? Are you doing something illegal?"

  Fang Deli became angry when he saw the scrutiny and distrust in his second brother's eyes, "What do you mean, second brother? I, your younger brother, earned the money through my own labor. Why is it that when it comes to you, it becomes an illegal thing? Don't you trust me so much?"

  Seeing that his father and uncle were about to quarrel, Fang Qing, who was eavesdropping in the attic, hurried down, "Uncle, you're back!"

  Fang Qing ran over and hugged his uncle. His uncle picked him up and spun him around, and then they looked at each other happily.

  Fang Deli pointed to the money on the table and showed it to Fang Qing. "Girl, your uncle kept his word. I earned back the hundred yuan I promised you!"

  Fang Qing felt a warm surge of emotion as she looked at her dark and thin uncle. He truly loved her the most. "Uncle, you've been working hard out there these past few months. What did you do to earn so much money?"

  At this point, Fang Deli finally perked up and recounted his journeys with that big brother, exploring the country and creating new businesses.

  It turned out that Fang Deli had not only been hauling goods with the truck, but had also taken the opportunity to acquire a large quantity of medicinal liquor to sell in another city. Thanks to his persuasiveness, the liquor was a huge hit. Over the next few months, in addition to his wages from working for others, he had also earned a considerable amount of money from selling the liquor himself.

  Fang's father, sitting beside him in anger, finally understood his brother's difficulties, but he couldn't bring himself to apologize. He simply told Fang Ming to go buy some wine, "Go to the store up ahead and buy that ten-year-old wine, and then bring back a roast chicken."

  Fang Deli sat still, listening to the roast chicken and wine, and finally smiled: his second brother still cared about him.

  The two brothers drank until late, initially silent, then hugged each other's shoulders and cried, reminiscing about their difficult childhoods, and finally fell asleep on the table.

  With great effort, the mother and three of them finally settled the two drunks. Fang's mother, though pleased to see the money on the table, didn't touch a penny. She rewrapped the money and placed it in her uncle's pocket, and told the siblings not to tell anyone about it.

  After a restful night, the next morning, Uncle Fang Deli ate breakfast, washed up, and hurried to his eldest brother's house to see his mother.

  Before leaving, he called Fang Qing over and, while his sister-in-law wasn't paying attention, slipped a brand new hundred-yuan note into Fang Qing's pocket. "Here, this is what uncle promised you, and you can't make me break my promise. Save it for school supplies. Go back, I'll come back tomorrow. Don't tell anyone..."

  After giving these whispered instructions, the uncle scurried off, leaving Fang Qing standing there, feeling the money in her pocket with a satisfied smile.

  Uncle's return brought a sudden burst of life to the Fang household. Early on New Year's Eve, each family returned to the Fang family estate.

  My eldest aunt's family arrived first, carrying New Year's goods. Because my uncle was there, my eldest aunt, unusually, didn't find fault as usual, but sat aside and chatted with everyone.

  My eldest aunt's family had returned to their old house in the countryside for the New Year. Before leaving, they received a box of frozen hairtail and hurried off to catch the bus.

  My youngest aunt arrived late, accompanied by her uncle, Zhao Qiangshanshan, carrying a large box of Yufangzhai pastries. She then sat on a small stool and helped Fang's mother pick vegetables.

  My uncle's cousin, Fang Liwei, had already graduated from high school and had been accepted into a provincial technical college. I heard he'd be assigned to the railway department after graduation, which made many people envious. My aunt was especially proud of this, boasting about her son's promising future to everyone she met.

  Although Fang's mother was happy for her son, her endless boasting was always annoying, so she deliberately chopped the meat. The chopping board made a clanging sound, disturbing Grandma Fang, who frowned from inside the room.

  Although Fang Deli is a man, he can see clearly the conflicts between his sisters-in-law. He kept praising his eldest sister-in-law for her youth and beautiful new clothes, which interrupted the awkward atmosphere.

  As night fell, big red lanterns lit up thousands of houses, and the Fang family finally had a reunion dinner.

  No matter what barriers there were in daily life, they turned into blessings for each other at this time. With the sound of firecrackers outside the window, they looked forward to the new year with joy. On

  the first day of the new year, Grandma Fang got up early, changed into clean and festive clothes and sat firmly on the armchair. The younger generations came one by one to pay New Year's greetings, and the old lady distributed New Year's money with a smile.

  But the eldest aunt looked at Fang Qing's new leather shoes and couldn't help feeling jealous.

  (End of this chapter)