The Evil Mother-in-law: Torment Children, Work Hard, Be Rich!-Chapter 364: New Year’s Eve

Tong Pandi helped Tong Huaqiong arrange the clothes to be worn for the New Year.

Tong Pandi didn’t know that this Spring Festival was the first real Spring Festival for the aunt and niece in this world.

After arranging the clothes, Tong Pandi fed Hua Er, then followed Tong Huaqiong to the yard to collect the dried clothes.

"Is Cousin back?"

Tong Pandi saw Gu Taohua and Su Chengmin walking in together, so she greeted Gu Taohua.

"Back so soon from the ancestor worship?" Tong Huaqiong looked up and asked.

When Tong Huaqiong looked up and saw Gu Taohua, she was amazed as if she didn’t recognize her own daughter.

Though they saw each other every day, Tong Huaqiong felt Gu Taohua had grown, gotten taller, and lost quite a bit of weight, looking as radiant and charming in the snow as a peach blossom in spring.

Walking beside Gu Taohua, Su Chengmin donned new clothes tailored by Chen Sufen, looking both heroic and carefree.

Not sure what he said to Gu Taohua outside, but Gu Taohua came in with a bright smile, and Su Chengmin’s eyes were glowing as he looked at her.

The two walking together looked like a golden boy and jade girl straight out of a painting.

The sight of them dazzled Tong Huaqiong.

If Gu Taohua weren’t her own daughter, Tong Huaqiong would’ve wanted to ship them as a couple.

"Don’t mention it, I had a row with the Clan Leader. She said I’m so old and not betrothed yet and wanted to arrange a marriage for me. I said it’s none of her damn business. She said I bring disgrace to my ancestors, unworthy of being a Gu Family descendant, which pissed me off and I came back."

Gu Taohua finished and raised the pig’s head in her hand, saying, "I took the pig’s head out of spite. If the ancestors’ dignity is that easily tarnished, they’re not worthy to eat my pig’s head."

Su Chengmin lifted the box of pastries and said, "Taohua brought back the pastries offered to the ancestors too."

Su Chengmin naturally couldn’t enter the Gu Family Ancestral Hall. He played outside with Xiao Long and saw Gu Taohua storming out with things, cursing, so he accompanied her back.

Tong Huaqiong laughed, pointing at Gu Taohua, "You! Since you brought it back, we’ll have it instead. What the ancestors don’t eat, we will."

On New Year’s Eve, there was ancestor worship. Tong Huaqiong felt a little uncomfortable about it; she didn’t want to admit being Old Gu’s widow, naturally unwilling to go to the Gu Family Ancestral Hall to perform daughter-in-law rituals.

Luckily, the emperor far away in Shengjing granted her a title, allowing her to escape the daughter-in-law rituals at the ancestral hall.

This action naturally sparked big discussions within the Gu Family. The Clan Leader, angry, wanted to use family rules to pressure Tong Huaqiong. But Tong Huaqiong presented the Imperial Decree, scaring the Clan Leader so much that he almost knelt to her, no longer daring to mention her going to the ancestral hall.

Gu Dahuan, Gu Dashi, Gu Jingzhe and Chen Sufen, Liu Yueer were in the ancestral hall listening to the Clan Leader’s lecture.

The Clan Leader subtly used Gu Dahuan’s biological mother to sow discord between Tong Huaqiong and Gu Dahuan.

For more than twenty years, the honest Gu Dahuan had been manipulated by Tong Dajiao and sided with her, but over the past year, Tong Huaqiong’s teachings made him gradually realize the stepmother wasn’t wrong.

Gu Dahuan directly interrupted the Clan Leader’s manipulations, saying, "Clan Leader, when my mother was unkind to me, you didn’t seek justice. Now she treats me like her own son, and you say it can’t be like this? Do you want her to be good to me or not?"

The Clan Leader was livid, wanting to expel Gu Dahuan from the Gu Family ancestry.

After the ancestor worship, the three brothers and Chen Sufen, Liu Yueer returned home together.

Since there were many people celebrating the New Year together, Tong Huaqiong started preparing the New Year’s Eve dinner with her family in the early afternoon.

The fish had already been fried, the ribs from the pig slaughtered a few days ago were already simmering since morning, and the chicken, duck, lamb, and beef were also stewing.

The family only needed to stir-fry a few vegetarian dishes and make dumplings.

Winter in Qinghe Bay was very cold, making fresh vegetables hard to come by. When expanding the yard, Tong Huaqiong built a cellar to store radishes and cabbages.

Tong Huaqiong also had Gu Taohua use space to hydroponically grow vegetables, which Man Er pulled out early, so the New Year’s Eve dinner table had several dishes of fresh vegetables uncommon in Qinghe Bay.

At dusk, children studying at the village private school were sent by their families to deliver thank-you gifts to teacher Su Chengmin.

The simple village folk gave whatever they had: one family gave a bowl of dumplings, another a bowl of meat dishes. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

For families with fewer means, they brought steamed buns and flower rolls, all of which Su Chengmin accepted with a smile, patting the children’s heads and telling them he’d teach them martial arts after spring.

The children jumped with joy, refusing to let the village head find another teacher.

As night fell, lanterns were lit in the yard.

A gust of wind moved the lanterns hanging under the eaves and on the fence.

A large table was set in the main hall; Tong Huaqiong’s first New Year’s Eve dinner in this era began.

Having been busy all day, she hadn’t had time to feel homesick. Looking at the table filled with dishes, she sniffled, missing her home from the future.

She wondered if her family back home was also celebrating the Spring Festival and if the absence of her made her parents’ celebration feel cold and lonely.

She wished it were a parallel world.

In the parallel world, she was still happily celebrating with her parents.

Though the family was just the three of them, they still made a sumptuous New Year’s Eve dinner with all her favorite dishes.

There were lion’s head meatballs made by her father, red-braised pork by her mother, and caramelized sweet potatoes made by her.

They chatted and laughed over dinner while watching the Spring Festival Gala in the background, drinking a bottle of wine.

When the bell tolled, they’d watch fireworks through the window.

Then they’d continue to eat while complaining about the Spring Festival Gala.

Such times felt so commonplace, year after year, that she never thought even such simple days would one day disappear.

"Grandma, hurry out, they’re setting off firecrackers!"

"And Grandpa He’s fireworks bought from the main city, come and see."

Lost in thoughts of home, Tong Huaqiong was pulled back by the shouts of Man Er and Yaozu.

Tong Huaqiong gathered her emotions and smiled as she went to the hallway.

At that moment, the village had already begun echoing with the sound of firecrackers.

"Grandma’s here, we can set off the firecrackers. Uncle Lai Fu, quickly bring out the thousand-shot firecrackers." Listening to the scattered firecracker sounds from other village homes, Man Er said unyieldingly.

Su Chengmin placed the thousand-shot firecracker disc on the snow, and Gu Jingzhe lit a fire stick in the kitchen to hand to Su Chengmin, who used the spark to light the fuse.

The crackling sounds echoed in the Gu Family courtyard.

The children covered their ears.

The rising sparks illuminated the snow, as well as everyone’s faces.

As the white smoke from the firecrackers dispersed, Su Chengmin began setting off fireworks.

"Let me do it, let me do it."

Gu Taohua, playful at heart, grabbed the fire stick and lit the fireworks.

One by one, the fireworks rose, exploding chrysanthemums, peach blossoms, peonies... in the air.

"What beautiful fireworks."

"Besides the flowers, there are big fish too."

Man Er and Duo Er clapped their hands and looked up at the sky.

The entire Qinghe Bay was captivated by the fireworks set off in Tong Huaqiong’s yard, and people came out of their homes, standing in their yards with heads lifted.

It was the first time fireworks were set off for New Year’s in Qinghe Bay. In the past, to see fireworks, people had to wait until the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth to go to town to watch.

The big households in town would set off fireworks at night. Sometimes if you went too early or too late, you might miss them.

Now, the fireworks could be appreciated right in their own village.

Hearing the cheers from the children outside, Tong Huaqiong had Gu Taohua and Su Chengmin set off a few more fireworks.

For the New Year, it was just a little something to enhance the atmosphere of reunion in the village.