The wicked mother-in-law doesn't try to whitewash herself; she only abuses her awful children.

Chapter 364 New Year’s Eve

Tong Pandi helped Tong Huaqiong tidy up her clothes for the New Year.

Tong Pandi had no idea that this Spring Festival was the first truly meaningful Spring Festival for the aunt and niece in the world.

After tidying up the clothes, Tong Pandi fed Hua'er milk, and then followed Tong Huaqiong to the yard to collect the clothes that had dried.

"My cousin is back?"

When Tong Pandi saw Gu Taohua and Su Chengmin enter together, she greeted Gu Taohua.

"You're back from the ancestral worship so soon?" Tong Huaqiong asked, looking up.

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

Despite seeing her every day, Tong Huaqiong felt that Gu Taohua had grown taller and lost a lot of weight recently, making her look as bright and beautiful as a peach blossom in spring amidst the snow and ice.

Su Chengmin, walking with Gu Taohua, changed into the new clothes that Chen Sufen had tailored for him, making him look heroic and dashing.

No one knows what he said to Gu Taohua outside, but Gu Taohua was all smiles when she came in, and Su Chengmin's eyes were shining as he looked at her.

The two walking together looked like a perfect couple in a painting.

The two of them dazzled Tong Huaqiong's eyes.

If Gu Taohua weren't her biological daughter, Tong Huaqiong would definitely want to ship them as a couple.

"Don't even mention it. I had a fight with the clan chief. She said I'm so old and still not engaged, and she wants to find me a match. I said it's none of her business. She said I have no manners, that I've disgraced our ancestors, and that I'm unworthy of being a descendant of the Gu family. That's why I came back."

After Gu Taohua finished speaking, she raised the pig's head in her hand and said, "I brought this pig's head here because I was so angry. Since it's so easy to lose face for our ancestors, it doesn't deserve to eat my pig's head."

Su Chengmin waved the pastry box in his hand and said, "Taohua also brought the pastries offered to the ancestors."

Su Chengmin naturally couldn't enter the Gu family's ancestral hall. He was playing with Xiaolong outside when he saw Gu Taohua carrying things and cursing as she walked out of the ancestral hall. So he accompanied Gu Taohua back.

Tong Huaqiong laughed and pointed at Gu Taohua, saying, "You, you, since you've brought it, just bring it. If our ancestors won't eat it, we'll eat it."

On New Year's Eve, when it was time to pay respects to ancestors, Tong Huaqiong felt somewhat uncomfortable. She was unwilling to admit that she was Old Gu's widow, so naturally she was unwilling to go to the Gu family ancestral hall to perform the rites of a daughter-in-law.

Fortunately, the emperor in Shengjing bestowed upon her the title of "County Lady" from afar, which allowed her to escape the rituals of becoming a daughter-in-law of the Gu family at the ancestral hall.

This action naturally sparked a heated discussion within the Gu family. The patriarch was so angry that he wanted to use the clan rules to suppress Tong Huaqiong. Tong Huaqiong brought out the imperial edict, which frightened the patriarch so much that he almost kowtowed to Tong Huaqiong and never dared to mention having Tong Huaqiong go to the ancestral hall to pay her respects again.

The three brothers, Gu Dahan, Gu Dashu, and Gu Jingzhe, along with Chen Sufeng and Liu Yue'e, listened to the clan elder's instructions in the ancestral hall.

The clan chief subtly used Gu Dahan's mother to sow discord between Tong Huaqiong and Gu Dahan.

Honest Gu Dahan had been manipulated by Tong Dajiao for over twenty years, and was now on the same side as her. In the past year, he had been enlightened by Tong Huaqiong and felt even more that his stepmother was not wrong.

Gu Dahan interrupted the clan chief's provocation directly, saying, "Clan chief, you didn't stand up for me when my mother treated me badly before, but now that she treats me like her own son, why are you jumping out to say this won't work? Do you want my mother to treat me well or badly?"

The angry clan leader wanted to expel Gu Dahan from the Gu family ancestral home.

After paying respects to their ancestors, the three brothers, along with Chen Sufeng and Liu Yue'e, returned home together.

Because there were many people celebrating the New Year together, Tong Huaqiong and her family prepared the New Year's Eve dinner in the late afternoon.

The fish has already been fried, and the ribs from the freshly slaughtered pig from the past two days have been simmering in the pot this morning. Stewed chicken, duck, mutton, beef, and other meats are also stewing in the pot.

At home, all you need to do is stir-fry a few vegetarian dishes and make dumplings.

It's very cold in Qinghewan in winter, and it's hard to find fresh vegetables. When Tong Huaqiong was expanding her yard, she built a cellar to store radishes and cabbages.

Tong Huaqiong also had Gu Taohua hydroponically grow vegetables in her space. Man'er took the vegetables out of the space early in the morning, so there were several plates of fresh and tender vegetables that Qinghewan did not have on the New Year's Eve dinner table.

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

Farmers are simple and kind; they'll give you whatever they have. If one family gives you a bowl of dumplings, the other will give you a bowl of meat and vegetables.

For families that were not well-off, they brought steamed buns and twisted rolls, which Su Chengmin accepted with a smile. He patted the children on the head and told them that he would teach them martial arts after spring.

The children jumped for joy, unwilling to let the village chief find a new teacher. As dusk fell, lanterns were lit in the courtyard.

When the wind blows, the lanterns on the fence and under the eaves sway in the breeze.

A large table was set up in the main hall, and Tong Huaqiong's first New Year's Eve dinner in this era began.

She hadn't had a chance to think about home after a busy day, but now, looking at the table full of food and sniffing, she realized she missed her home in the afterlife.

I wonder if my family is also celebrating the Spring Festival right now. Without her, I wonder if my parents' New Year is cold and lonely.

She wished it were a parallel world.

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

Even though there are only three people in her family, she still prepared a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner, with the table full of her favorite dishes.

There were lion's head meatballs made by my father, braised pork stewed by my mother, and candied sweet potatoes made by her.

Accompanied by the background music of the Spring Festival Gala, the family of three chatted and laughed as they ate their New Year's Eve dinner and drank a bottle of wine.

When the bells rang, I watched the fireworks outside the window.

Then they ate while complaining about the Spring Festival Gala.

These days passed by so uneventfully, year after year, that I never imagined that even these ordinary days would one day disappear.

"Grandma, come out quickly, the firecrackers are going off!"

"And there are fireworks that Grandpa He bought in the prefectural city, come and see!"

Tong Huaqiong, who was missing her hometown, was interrupted by the shouts of Man'er and Yaozu.

Tong Huaqiong suppressed her sadness and walked to the corridor with a smile.

At this time, the sound of firecrackers began to echo throughout the village.

"Grandma's here! We can set off firecrackers now. Uncle Laifu, hurry up and get out the thousand-shot firecrackers!" Man'er said defiantly, not wanting to be outdone, as she heard the sounds of firecrackers going off in other households in the village.

Su Chengmin placed the tray of a thousand firecrackers on the snow. Gu Jingzhe lit a fire poker in the kitchen and handed it to Su Chengmin, who then aimed the sparks at the fuse.

A series of crackling sounds echoed in the Gu family's courtyard.

The children covered their ears.

The rising sparks illuminated the snow and everyone's faces.

After the white smoke from the firecrackers dissipated, Su Chengmin began setting off fireworks.

"I'll come, I'll come."

Gu Taohua, feeling playful, picked up a fire poker and lit the fireworks.

Fireworks rose into the sky, exploding into chrysanthemums, peach blossoms, and peonies.
"What beautiful fireworks!"

"Besides flowers, there are also big fish."

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

The entire Qinghe Bay was captivated by the fireworks exploding in Tong Huaqiong's courtyard, and everyone came out of their houses and stood in the courtyard, looking up.

This is the first time fireworks have been set off during the Lunar New Year in the entire Qinghewan area. In the past, if people wanted to watch fireworks, they had to wait until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month to go to town to watch them.

The wealthy families in town would set off fireworks at night, and sometimes if you went too early or too late, you might not catch them.

Now you can enjoy fireworks right in your own village.

Hearing the children cheering outside, Tong Huaqiong asked Gu Taohua and Su Chengmin to set off a few more fireworks.

The New Year is meant to add to the festive atmosphere of family reunion in the village.