Xu Jiaojiao had taken a bath early in the afternoon and changed into a new set of clothes, a pink cotton jacket that she adored immensely.
"Jiaojiao, aren’t you saving it for the first day of the new year?"
Zhao Juxiang saw Xu Jiaojiao in her new clothes and couldn’t help but remind her, "Don’t get your clothes dirty."
"Mom, it’s New Year’s today, I’ll only wear it for one night," Xu Jiaojiao said coquettishly. She wanted to wear her new clothes and play outside.
Zhao Juxiang usually doted on her daughter, and hearing her daughter’s coquettish words, she couldn’t resist saying, "Be careful not to get it dirty."
Xu Jiaojiao ran off to show off her new cotton jacket to her classmates.
These days, having enough to eat and wear wasn’t hard, but getting new clothes was still beyond the reach of many families.
Many wore hand-me-downs from older siblings for several years, never getting new clothes. For some families in poorer conditions, especially those with the youngest child, they might always be wearing the older siblings’ cast-offs.
By the time Xu Nianhua’s family arrived, Liu Sanmei was clearly displeased, saying, "Qinghe’s wife, even though you’ve split off from the family, isn’t New Year’s meal a time for the whole family to eat together? Couldn’t you have come earlier to help?"
"Grandma, it’s only two o’clock in the afternoon," Xu Nianhua reminded her.
Liu Sanmei glared at Xu Nianhua displeased.
"Mom, we had lunch a bit late, and this is a little something from Qinghe and me," Ji Ying quickly presented the things they had brought.
A bottle of wine, two cans, a bottle of malt extract, two kilos of cake, a box of chili sauce, and some snacks.
Xu Nianji, Xu Nian’an, and Xu Qinghe, the father and his two sons, had carried these on their way and garnered attention from the villagers.
When Xu Qinghe’s family had initially split off, they were incredibly poor, but in just half a year’s time, they returned home for New Year’s carrying so many items; other people’s daughters didn’t even bring back so much when visiting their parents!
The villagers were all thumbs up in praise of Xu Qinghe’s family.
Especially since many households had benefitted from Ji Ying’s kindness, gaining employment in the food factory, they were even more complimentary of Xu Qinghe’s family, truly repaying evil with good.
"I heard Ji Ying makes over thirty a month at the factory?" Liu Sanmei glanced at the items on the table, quite satisfied. Wine, cans, malt extract, and cake—all valuable items.
Liu Sanmei’s gaze fell on the chili sauce and asked, "Is this the chili sauce made in your factory?"
"Mom, we’re choked by the chili every day, it’s not easy for us," Ji Ying responded quietly, changing the topic, "Yes, this is the sauce made in our factory. It can be kept for over six months, and adding some to noodles in the morning tastes really good."
"These didn’t come from the factory? Why only one box?" Liu Sanmei vaguely heard somewhere that the chili sauce was quite expensive.
This one box cost several dozen yuan.
"Mom, I’ll go help in the kitchen."
Ji Ying decisively avoided answering and went into the kitchen to get busy.
The Xu family was large, and even without Xu Qinghu’s family returning, just Xu Qinghe and Xu Qingjiang’s families alone filled more than one table.
Zhou He was pregnant, and even though she wanted to help in the kitchen, Ji Ying firmly pushed her out.
Xu Nianhua sat and chatted with Zhou He in the living room.
Xu Jiaojiao returned from showing off outside, quite pleased, but her mood turned sour the moment she saw Xu Nianhua sitting in the living room.