BXBX NOVEL Chapter 74 - 74: People Should Have Dignity
Chen Hao heard the commotion and walked over with a frown, asking,
“Mother, what’s the matter?”
“What else could it be? Madam Qiao treats your mother like an outsider.” “But, Mother, we are outsiders to them.”
“We are neighbors. We eat together now and then. How can we be outsiders?”
“A gift exchange involves giving and receiving. When we eat at their place, we rarely bring anything. We always eat their food. Moreover. Mr. Yuan is mv teacher. Aunt Qiao told you not to worry and only give a gift for the New Year and festivals, but you haven’t given anything.”
“Well, they’re together now.”
“Even so, you still need to give a gift to Mr. Yuan. We are two different families.
Etiquette should not be disregarded.”
“You’ve only been in school for a few days, and now you dare to lecture your mother?”
“Mother, this is the way things are. It’s not that I don’t understand, but you are always seeking advantages without walking the right path. Don’t be surprised if they look down on us.”
“Our family is poor, aren’t we? I am a widow raising children. Isn’t it tough for
“Being poor in wealth doesn’t mean you have to lack dignity. I won’t visit the Qiao family after New Year’s. I can study at home.”
“Why shouldn’t you go? As long as he doesn’t kick us out, we will go to their house. I don’t have to go, but you must. If you can eat at their place, we can save some money.”
“Mother, you have thicker skin than your son. Mr. Yuan said I can go after the fifteenth, so let it be. Don’t go to their house anymore.”
“Do you want to drive your mother to an early grave?”
“People should have dignity. If people criticize you, do you have to rush to face the insults?”
Without caring whether his mother was crying, Chen Hao turned and returned to his room. Madam Chen was so angry that she threw the pillow by the door.
She was starting to hate Qiao Mai from that day onwards. She blamed her for provoking Yuan Jiaqi. Otherwise, Yuan Jiaqi wouldn’t prevent her from entering the house.
From that day on, she developed a strong resentment for Qiao Mai.
On New Year’s Eve, as the head of the family, Qiao Mai had already hung up the couplets early in the morning. Since they had a horse and dogs, she decided not to set off firecrackers.
In the morning, she cooked dumplings for her family. For lunch, they had pan-fried dumplings. In the evening, Qiao Mai put in extra effort and prepared various dishes that the children loved.
She also squeezed some fruit juice for them. The family spent the New Year’s Eve together in a warm atmosphere.
The children, who were used to going to bed early and rising early, got sleepy before the New Year’s bell rang. Yuan Jiaqi carried them back to their rooms and tucked them in.
After tidying up the table, the couple bid each other goodnight and returned to their rooms.
Qiao Mai brought the sleeping Ling’er into the space. She wanted to see if her laptop with internet access could stream the New Year’s Gala.
Unfortunately, the laptop only had limited access to useful knowledge like news. Movies and TV shows were not accessible.
However, Qiao Mai could access online shopping websites. Even though she couldn’t purchase anything, she could still browse through various products and enjoy window shopping.
Qiao Mai sighed. She couldn’t fall asleep and glanced at the farmland outside. Over forty types of crops were flourishing, with vibrant green vegetables and juicy fruits, making her feel hungry by looking at them.
With the space expanding over twenty times and its seemingly limitless growth rate, it wouldn’t take long for it to become larger than a small town.
She sat by the side and absentmindedly grabbed a cucumber to munch on.
If her space had this function in her previous life, Qiao Mai could have happily farmed there and never left for the rest of her life.
Standing up and walking around the land, she realized that these forty plots of land were arranged circularly around her house and shelves.
They formed a circular shape, encircling the house. Every time the land expanded, the area of the central house also increased accordingly.
It always maintained a space the size of one acre. Qiao Mai was pleased.
Having a spacious living area would make life more comfortable. If there was water, she could raise fish, shrimp, lotus, and more, making the space even more dynamic.
Feeling content, she spread a mat in front of the house and covered herself with a thin blanket. She ended up falling asleep till dawn.
If it weren’t for her children knocking on the door, she might have slept through the morning.
Hastily carrying Ling’er out of the space, Qiao Mai opened the door.
“Mother, Happy New Year! Your son wishes you health and happiness in the coming year.”
“Haha, I also wish my children to be another year older.”
“Hehe.”
“Here, this is a red envelope I prepared for you.”
“Thank you, Mother!”
Qiao Mai looked at her three children, all dressed in new clothes with neatly combed hair, and hurriedly let them go outside. She also needed to change into new clothes with Ling’er.
Firecrackers were continuously set off in the small town. The horses neighed restlessly in the stable, and the dogs refused to leave the house.
Qiao Mai quickly dressed up nicely with Ling’er. She even wore a complete set of silver jewelry.
Carrying Ling’er, she walked out of their house, catching everyone’s eye.
Yuan Jiaqi also looked decent. Without waiting for Ling’er to greet him, he handed her a red envelope.
“Happy New Year!”
“Happy New Year! Hold Ling’er. I’ll go cook dumplings.”
Feng’er quickly took over Ling’er. “Mother, let us take turns holding our little sister. Dad could help you. It will be faster this way.”
The family’s dumplings were cooked in one pot.
Despite having dumplings all day yesterday, the children were still not tired of them.
The dumplings were filled with cabbage and shiitake mushrooms, while the ones yesterday were filled with leeks. The symbolism of these fillings was meaningful, and the children loved them.
When the leftover dumplings were fried in oil for the next meal, they were incredibly delicious.
After finishing the dumplings, the family dressed warmly and followed Qiao Mai to visit neighbors.
The first stop was at the Mayor’s house. During this time every year, they were usually the busiest. Qiao Mai and her husband brought their children to greet the Mayor and his family for the New Year.
Without saying much, they left after the greetings. A guard came out with four red envelopes.
“Madam Qiao.”
“Brother Guard.”
“These are from the Mayor, for the four children. Please accept them. There were people around just now, and it wasn’t convenient for the Mayor to say anything.”
“Thank you!”
The second stop was naturally at Shopkeeper Lu’s house. They had been in the town for almost a year, but Qiao Mai’s family hadn’t visited them yet.
Following the description previously given by Shopkeeper Lu, they found their way to the house. Upon opening the courtyard gate, Shopkeeper Lu’s family came out to welcome them.
Ruxin took Ling’er and entered the living room. The three children greeted Shopkeeper Lu and received red envelopes. Even Ruxin and Ruyi received red envelopes.
Qiao Mai had prepared red envelopes as well. She gave one to her two apprentices, as well as Xiu Hong and Xiu Yu, who had helped her at her stall. She wanted to express her gratitude on this occasion, so the amount of money certainly wasn’t lacking.
They sat, drinking hot tea and munching on melon seeds. Yuan Jiaqi didn’t say much. He just listened.
“Sister, your house is quite nice.”
“It’s a two-story courtyard. I wanted to buy a three-story house, but my family is small. If I buy something too large, it would feel empty.”
“As long as it’s comfortable to live in, that’s enough. Besides, not many people come to visit me with my identity. And if they do, they are mostly female relatives.”
After sitting for a while, Shopkeeper Lu was about to go cook. Qiao Mai got up and followed her to the kitchen.
Shopkeeper Lu seemed a bit embarrassed. “Don’t think badly of me. Even though I’m a woman, I’m really not good at cooking.”
Qiao Mai chuckled, “Is this dish prepared in advance?”
Shopkeeper Lu grinned at Qiao Mai. “Before the New Year, I ordered some dishes from Jingtai Restaurant. It’s so cold these days that the dishes won’t spoil. I was waiting for you to come today.” Qiao Mai’s lips twitched. “Their food isn’t very delicious.”
“Well, it’s still better than what I can cook.”
“Let’s eat at my house from now on.”
“If you don’t mind our noise, I’ll go to your place. I don’t care about all those formalities. As long as we’re happy, it’s good. By then, I’ll watch over Ling’er while you cook. I love eating your dishes. They’re truly exceptional. If
Shopkeeper Tong knew about your culinary skills, he would probably kneel and beg to buy your recipes.”
“Is it that exaggerated?”
“It is. Since I started eating your dishes, I haven’t wanted to eat from any other
place. I even prefer yours to homemade ones..”