The Sweet Little Fulang

    Sweeping and cleaning all day, they had to clean the house inside and out, and it was tiring. Lu Gu sat on a small stool and shoveled the bottom of the pot, there was a lot of soot from the bottom of the pot on his face, he didn't know it without looking in the bronze mirror. When he looked up, the rest of the family saw his face, and they all laughed.

    Twenty-four hours passed in the midst of hustle and bustle, and the next morning, the snowflakes began to float again. As they said, the auspicious snow was the sign of the coming of a prosperous year, the wind today was few, and the white snow fell slowly, gradually covering the ground.

    In the morning, Wei Lanxiang took Shen Yan to the tofu workshop in the next village to buy tofu. Today was the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, and it was time to eat tofu.

    She carried a big basket covered with cloth, and bought half a board of tofu. When she got home, she saw Ji Qiuyue and said, "It's a blessing to go early. There were so many people buying tofu, and it was very crowded. The young fulang of the He family is timid and poor. He could only buy a small piece of tofu. He was pushed around and didn’t dare to speak. He was squeezed out, he could only stand behind and almost cry. It was Quanzi’s fulang who saw it and scolded those women in the neighboring village, and your third aunt and I also helped to scold them. "

    Ji Qiuyue usually spoke briskly and was very familiar with Quanzi’s fulang, if she was there, she would definitely help to scold those women.

    Wei Lanxiang uncovered the basket, she pinched a small piece of white tofu to taste, she said: "It's also because the tofu boss and his wife are kind-hearted. When they saw that the young fulang of the He family was standing behind the crowd, he cut a piece for him and let him go home."

    The owner of the tofu workshop was called tofu boss, and Ji Qiuyue and Lu Gu called him Uncle tofu boss when they met each other.

    Poor people were indeed more likely to be bullied. Even when their family had no money, they were looked down upon and even bullied by others in Qingxi Village. That kind of vexed feeling when they couldn’t say anything made them felt sad and furious, let alone when their own family members also treated them coldly.

    It was also because of this that even if the eldest uncle’s family showed their favor later, Shen Xuanqing wouldn’t easily share the prey and meat with their family.

    Wei Lanxiang was busy guarding the place in front of her, so she didn't pay attention to other people. After succesfully buying the tofu and listening to Quanzi’s fulang scolded others, she clarified the situation three times and began to help.

    "Those people should be scolded." Ji Qiuyue and Wei Lanxiang shared the same hatred. She also remembered how they were looked down upon by others two years ago and became a little angry. What kind of skill they had to bully fulang from the He family? She knew those three women, the family's life was not good at all, so they could only bully those who were poorer than them.

    "They should be scolded, but don't be angry, just be happy, mother will cook tofu, and you can have a good meal for lunch." Wei Lanxiang hurriedly persuaded her, fearing that she would be angry and hurt her fetus.

    "Mother, I know." Ji Qiuyue smiled.

    Lu Gu helped Shen Xuanqing mended the sleeves in the room, just now there was a small hole in it, he sewed it so it wouldn’t look sloppy and tattered.

    Shen Xuanqing put on the outer clothes, and both of them heard Wei Lanxiang's words outside. He knew that the fulang of the He family was not very courageous, just like Lu Gu. Now he felt a little worried, he frowned slightly and said, "In the future, if someone pushes you or bullies you when you go out, and you can’t beat them, just come back and call me. If not, let mother and sister-in-law scold them."

    He didn't beat women, but he could beat the men in the other family, there was no need to be kind and polite. In their village at the foot of the mountain, there were many uneducated people. Sometimes reasoning with them didn’t make sense, and they could only speak with their fists. If they were powerful, the opponent would be afraid.     

"En." Lu Gu nodded heavily. He also knew that he was timid, and he didn't dare to quarrel with others when he went out, and he always felt trembling in his heart. What Shen Xuanqing said at this moment was like a reassurance, which gave him a feeling of solid back and something to rely on.

Wei Lanxiang was cooking tofu in the kitchen, and Lu Gu went to help.     

Shen Yaoqing was sweeping the snow in the courtyard, Shen Yan and Ji Qiuyue were not idle, they brought a bowl of paste and pasted the red “Fu” character papers they bought in the fair on the doors and windows. 

[福 fú: good fortune; happiness; luck]    

At lunch time, there were stewed tofu with Chinese cabbage, Stir fry tofu with minced pork, deep fried tofu with dried tofu on the table. Shen Yaoqing was amused when he saw the foods on the table, he said: "It's all tofu, this is called the Quanfu Banquet."

[全 quán: all; whole; entire; every; complete, 福 fú: good fortune; happiness; luck]

He said it nicely and pleasantly, and Wei Lanxiang couldn't close her mouth with a smile, that was right, what they ate was the Quanfu Banquet.

    Once the red “Fu” character papers were pasted on the doors and windows, the house became different immediately, and the more you looked at it, the more festive it would be.

    The past few days passed quickly, in the blink of an eye it was the next day. On the twenty-sixth of the twelfth lunar month, it was time to eat big meat. Those who raised pig and sheep, and those who were willing to eat it, were sharpening their knives.

    This year Wei Lanxiang only raised chickens and ducks, so she had to buy pork and mutton from Meng Dayue.

    Shen Xuanqing took Lu Gu to buy the meat in the morning. They went early and saw the scene of carrying pigs and sheep out of the pen to be slaughtered. There were so many people watching and it was very lively.

    They had custom here, when it was twenty-sixth of the twelfth lunar month, no matter rich or poor, you had to eat some meat.

    Lu Gu bought a lot with Shen Xuanqing, the bamboo basket was heavy, and when they left, they saw Li Wanyun in the crowd, she also came to buy meat.