The New Year was approaching, and the village was beginning to bustle with activity. Children gathered together, excitedly imagining the things they would buy for the New Year, while their parents, wrapped in thick overcoats, stood nearby watching them with smiles.
The village committee beat gongs and drums along the village roads. Their hands were red from the freezing cold, but they couldn't hide the joy on their faces.
"Time to go to the commune to collect the work-point money! Don't just hole up at home, hurry up and get your money—"
Passing children trailed behind the committee members, shouting along with them, "Time to collect the work-point money!"
"When the time comes, I'll ask my mom to buy me candy."
"I'm going to ask my mom to buy me some too!"
"Candy is nothing. My mom said she's going to buy new fabric to make me new clothes."
Ji Zhuxin tidied up and went to collect her work points. To be honest, her family had a small labor force, so the work-point money for the whole year was not even as much as what she usually got from the village chief's wife.
But money was money, after all.
Qin Du went without saying. Because of his poor family background status, he wouldn't get more than a few pennies even if he went, and he would only be ridiculed. He hadn't gone to collect it for several years.
People lined up at the entrance of the commune. Having worked hard all year just for this day, everyone dressed very cleanly.
"How much did you get?"
"About the same as you, a few dozen bucks."
Some villagers had few laborers but many mouths to feed, ending up in debt to the production team. They furrowed their brows and couldn't stop sighing.
Early the next morning, the production team slaughtered the pigs together. The men, women, and children of the village all gathered around the muddy ground. The pigs thrashed about vigorously, splashing mud spots all over the bystanders.
A few children stared at the freshly cut pork, swallowing their saliva uncontrollably.
In the afternoon, it was Ji Zhaoxi who came to collect their share of the pork. She hadn't left the house for days and shivered constantly in the biting wind.
A sharp-eyed auntie nearby spotted her, her eyes lighting up.
"Zhuxin's sister!"
Ji Zhaoxi smiled and greeted her, "Aunt Qiu."
Aunt Qiu looked Ji Zhaoxi up and down. It was true that a girl changes as she grows up. How beautiful and delicate she looked now! She used to be a scrawny little girl, but now she had fully blossomed.
Ji Zhuxin had raised her sister well. With such a rosy complexion, it was obvious she hadn't suffered much from hunger.
Aunt Qiu felt a bit tempted. She leaned in close and lowered her voice, "Zhaoxi, do you still remember my Wu Hao? Are you two on good terms?"
Wu Hao.
Ji Zhaoxi immediately recalled how he used to squat in the fields and throw feces at people when they were kids. She answered honestly, "We don't really talk much."
Aunt Qiu wanted to say more, but her name was called up front. She immediately ran up to collect her meat, leaving no time to chat further with Ji Zhaoxi.
As soon as the door closed, the wind was instantly shut out, and the room was filled with the smell of firewood from the stove.
Mother Qin, wrapped in a military overcoat, sat on the bed. "Son, the New Year is almost here. The places on the wall where the plaster is falling off, and the area around the stove, need to be papered over."
She coughed, her voice growing a bit weaker. "We can't let people make a joke out of us."
Qin Du nodded and made her a cup of malted milk extract. "Okay."
Mother Qin held the cup, took a sip, and asked tentatively, "You haven't been to the county town lately, have you?"
Qin Du's hands paused in their work, but he said nothing.
Mother Qin sighed.
Every time this topic came up, the conversation would hit a dead end.
Qin Du went to the county town and bought a good amount of blank newsprint. After papering the walls of his own home, he went over bright and early to paper the walls of the Ji family next door.
Ji Zhuxin, wearing a scarf, was preparing to make a trip to the village chief's house. "Qin Du, don't cook at your place this noon. I'll cook for you guys."
Qin Du was mixing paste. He didn't decline. "Thank you, Sister Zhuxin."
Ji Zhuxin laughed, "Nothing to thank me for. We've eaten quite a bit of your family's meat too."
"Later, when Zhaoxi gets up, tell her to eat the food on the stove. Don't let her go back to bed again."
Qin Du nodded.
The moment the quilt was lifted, the cold wind from outside slipped right in. Ji Zhaoxi buried herself in the blankets, truly not wanting to get out.
She planned to eat the food on the stove later and then hurry right back under the covers.
Finally coaxing herself out of bed, her eyes instantly lit up when she saw Qin Du standing in the room.
"Brother Qin Du!"
Qin Du was bumped back a few steps. His hands were covered in paste, so he didn't dare touch her at all. He looked down at Ji Zhaoxi, who had thrown herself into his arms, and smiled.
"Zhaoxi, Sister Zhuxin told you to eat breakfast first."
The moment Ji Zhaoxi heard Ji Zhuxin's name, she behaved herself. Reluctantly letting go of him, she ran off to wash up.
After finally finishing her meal, she immediately sidled up to Qin Du, curiously watching him mix the paste.
Seeing her interest, Qin Du let her give it a try.
Ji Zhaoxi carefully scooped out a small spoonful of white flour. Even just this little spoonful was enough to make her heart ache over the cost.
She slowly added cold water and gently stirred it with chopsticks until it turned into a paste.
Next, freshly boiled water had to be poured in. Afraid that Ji Zhaoxi might burn herself, Qin Du took the bowl from her hands and poured the boiling water in.
He kept stirring until it finally turned translucent, and then it was ready.
Ji Zhaoxi kept her head down, applying the paste, while Qin Du stood behind her, sticking the pasted newsprint onto the wall.
Qin Du carefully aligned it with the corner of the wall, then used his palms to smooth it outward in all directions, squeezing out any air bubbles trapped inside.
Ji Zhaoxi leaned against the wall, occasionally getting in Qin Du's way, but neither of them brought it up.
One just wanted to stick close, and the other didn't want her to leave either.
"Zhaoxi, help me smooth out the bubbles at the bottom of the paper."
Qin Du held up both sides of the paper, looking down at her.
"Okay!"
The pasted paper was heavy. If it wasn't pressed firmly, it would quickly fall off. Feeling the paper precariously slipping, Qin Du stepped forward a bit.
He rested his arms on either side of Ji Zhaoxi, forming an enclosed corner where the air suddenly seemed to grow thin.
The two were very close. Qin Du struggled to turn his head away, but the scent of wheat mixed with the paste, along with the fragrance on Ji Zhaoxi's body, kept wafting into his nose.
"D... done."
Ji Zhaoxi said softly. Her back was almost pressed against Qin Du, and she could even feel the taut muscles all over his body.
Ji Zhaoxi knew what the muscles on Qin Du's body looked like, not that she had looked on purpose.
It was just that during the summer, when he worked in the fields wearing a tank top, she would catch glimpses of them from time to time while sitting nearby.
To be honest, there were many bare-chested people in the village, both men and women, but Ji Zhaoxi felt that Qin Du's body was different from everyone else's.
But she had never dared to say this to anyone else.
She didn't dare tell her sister either. If her sister found out, she would definitely scold her for picking up bad habits.
Ji Zhuxin was a person who placed great importance on rituals. She insisted on celebrating every holiday, and celebrating it well. The New Year was naturally no exception.
It was also Qin Du's first time realizing there were so many things to prepare for the New Year. In previous years, he had merely papered the walls, and his meals were no different from usual.
With Qin Du around this year, the happiest person was Ji Zhaoxi.
Because she had Qin Du do all the chores her sister assigned her. As soon as Ji Zhuxin came back, Ji Zhaoxi would just pretend to work for a bit.
Looking at Ji Zhaoxi, who kept stealing glances at her, Ji Zhuxin's mouth twitched.
