Writer 1978: I Need to Give the Literary World a Lesson

Chapter 555 1987, The Queen of the Women's Kingdom Pays New Year's Greetings
A mountain mist hung over the entire Maiji Brigade, and a biting wind blew down from the back of the brigade. The Kuye River flowed through the middle of the brigade, forming a wind gap. The wind grew stronger at night, and the trees, rooftops, and wooden doors creaked and groaned as if the wind would blow the roofs off at any moment.

Inside the room, under the dim light of the incandescent bulb, three little ones peeked out from beside the adults, occasionally making faces or playing hide-and-seek. The adults' whispers and the children's giggles mingled together, and everyone wore a faint smile.

The brazier in the middle of the crowd was burning brightly, and the glowing embers warmed everyone. Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin even felt their backs sweating.

Liu Fuqing and Yang Xiuyun talked about their harvest and the chickens they raised. To Liu Yimin and his family, these were all trivial matters. But for the two elders, these were the most important things in their lives besides their children.

“We planted four mu of corn and two mu of peanuts. After deducting the taxes we pay to the government, we made over three hundred yuan after selling them. That's enough for your mother and me. We also raised some chickens. We won't sell the eggs; we'll eat them ourselves. We'll save the chickens for when you come back for the New Year,” Liu Fuqing said calmly.

Yang Xiuyun chimed in from the side, saying that the land in Maiji Brigade was all mountainous, so the yield was already low. The newly reclaimed land was all uncultivated and needed to be nurtured, so the yield wouldn't be high in the first few years.

If it weren't for the roasted nuts factory in the brigade, the living standards of the Maiji brigade members would have been several levels lower.

As Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin listened, they peeled sunflower seeds, throwing the shells into the brazier where they emitted a puff of black smoke before disappearing.

Liu Yimin looked at his elder brother Liu Yiguo: "Brother, pesticides aren't very expensive now, are they?"

“It’s not cheap either, so most of the time we can’t afford to use it. If there’s someone in the family who can do the farm work, we’ll take the time to spray pesticides on the field. When it’s time to weed, I’ll come back and help my parents weed and spray pesticides.” Liu Yiguo knew what Liu Yimin wanted to say.

The eldest sister-in-law said, "When school is on winter or summer vacation, I can come back and help my parents take care of the house."

"Sister-in-law, thank you for your hard work. If anything happens at home, just send a telegram to me and Teacher Liu." Zhu Lin held his sister-in-law's hand.

The older sister-in-law laughed and said, "Linlin, your hands are so soft."

"Hahaha."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room chuckled softly. Zhu Lin smiled and told his sister-in-law how to protect her skin: "Sister-in-law, you're a teacher. Over time, your hands and fingernails will be covered in chalk dust. Apply something to your hands before class and soak them in warm water at night. Chalk dust can corrode your skin if left for too long."

Zhu Lin brought back some skincare products, which were for her sister-in-law. After saying this, Zhu Lin pulled her sister-in-law into the house to look at cosmetics.

After the door closed, Yang Xiuyun said with a smile, "Pingping and Linlin get along well. You don't know, the two daughters-in-law of the old dog's family across the river quarrel every day. Now they have separated their families, one in the west bank of the river and the other in the east bank. They often shout insults at each other across the river."

The entire brigade was filled with their insults. As soon as they started, everyone grabbed their bowls and squatted down by the door to eat; even the food tasted delicious without them having to eat anything else.

Conflicts between sisters-in-law have always been the most difficult to resolve. If they encounter biased parents, it only adds fuel to the fire, and the quarrels can go on for a whole day without stopping.

Liu Yimin sat in the room and turned to his elder brother, asking about his job. Liu Yiguo had tried taking self-study exams this year, enrolling in a mining-related major at Zhengzhou University. Unfortunately, it was his first year, and he didn't do very well, only passing two subjects.

"Anyway, I have plenty of time now. My goal is to get my bachelor's degree in three years," Liu Yiguo said optimistically.

Liu Yiguo is now worried that since Ru County has been transferred, the Mining Bureau might be abolished or merged into another Mining Bureau.

Liu Yimin said with a smile, "Don't worry, neither Luo City nor Pingdingshan is far away."

“Your brother is right. You don’t need to worry about the family. A good man’s ambition lies in all directions,” Liu Fuqing instructed.

The three little ones, who had been playing all day, were also tired. They leaned against Liu Fuqing and Yang Xiuyun, their eyes too heavy to keep open.

Liu Fuqing said, "Alright, it's getting late, go back to sleep. Second brother, there's no heating or air conditioning at home, so make sure you have thick blankets tonight."

"It's alright, the cotton quilts at home are warm enough." Liu Yimin picked up the drowsy Liu Lin, and Yang Xiuyun then took Liu Yu into her arms.

Zhu Lin was applying makeup to her sister-in-law when her brother-in-law saw her appearance and exclaimed in surprise, "She looks like a completely different person!"

"Haha, big brother, your sister-in-law is beautiful. She'll look even better if she dresses up more often." Zhu Lin picked up a mirror and showed his sister-in-law her reflection.

Yang Xiuyun wanted to say that it was too late to look in the mirror, but seeing her eldest daughter-in-law so happy, she silently swallowed her words.

Gu Ping wanted to rest and leave, but Zhu Lin pulled her to finish her makeup before leaving. Before leaving, he put a brand new bag of cosmetics on his sister-in-law's arm.

Liu Yimin put the two little ones on the bed, and the noise of washing his feet didn't wake them up.

"Don't take off your clothes yet, let me go upstairs and warm up the bed," Zhu Lin said.

"It's okay, we'll warm up in a bit." That night, the two of them each covered themselves with a blanket, and then put another one on top of them. Before long, they were completely warm.

Zhu Lin and Liu Yimin couldn't sleep at first, so they chatted idly, mainly about the changes in Maiji Brigade. Before long, they both fell asleep.

Yang Xiuyun and Liu Fuqing lay in bed chatting about their three little ones, and they couldn't get enough of talking. They finally went to sleep around two or three in the morning.

As soon as it was light, the two of them got up and got busy again.

In the morning, Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin poked their heads out, but as soon as they did, they felt as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over their heads, and they both instinctively pulled their heads back in.

When Liu Yu and Liu Lin woke up, they reluctantly found clothes to get out of bed. The clothes were as cold as iron, so they had to warm them up between the first and second layers of blankets before they could wear them.

After getting up, everyone in the family was busy, and Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin covered their faces in embarrassment.

As she helped Liu An fasten his clothes, his sister-in-law laughed and said, "Hey, you're used to living in the city. It's too cold to go back to the countryside all of a sudden. The water in the water tank has frozen solid."

"Sister-in-law, I'll teach you how to do makeup this morning." Zhu Lin picked up the thermos to wash her face.

The sister-in-law glanced at her brother and saw that he was smiling but not saying anything, so she said happily, "Okay, I'll learn from you. At our school, many female teachers, especially the young girls, wear makeup, but they don't look as good as you. It's too heavy and unnatural."

In the morning, Li Lanyong came over and asked Liu Yimin to go and visit the roasted nuts factory, but Liu Yimin wanted to spend more time with his family, so he didn't go.

Upon hearing this, Li Lanyong hurriedly left the Liu family. Ever since he appeared on the radio and was interviewed by the China Youth Daily, the orders for his roasted nuts and seeds factory have been nonstop.

With workers working in three shifts and some new equipment added, the monthly output of various roasted nuts and seeds increased to eighty tons, which is double the maximum capacity that Li Lanyong had initially predicted.

In Li Lanyong's words, he no longer has to worry about sales. Orders come in voluntarily. Various types of goods leave high profits for the channels, making them profitable and easy to sell, so channel partners are willing to do it.

In previous years, the brigade would give some New Year's gifts to its members, but this year they can't. All production must be prioritized for customers.

The Spring Festival is the peak season for roasted nuts and seeds sales. Sales decline after New Year's Eve, and plummet even further after the Lantern Festival. Currently, the business operates on two fronts: wholesale of loose goods and retail of small packages. Even though retail sales may not be as large as wholesale volumes on days with lower wholesale volumes, the overall profit margin is still considerable.

After Li Lanyong left, Liu Yimin and Liu Yiguo helped chop firewood in the yard. This firewood was brought back from the mountain by Liu Fuqing, and it would be more convenient to use after it was chopped.

"Yimin, if you're tired, take a break. I can do this work myself." Liu Yiguo wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Liu Yimin split the firewood on the wooden stump in half: "It's okay. Don't think that just because I sit in the office all day, I can't exercise now."

When they encountered thicker logs, the two could only slowly saw them apart with a wood saw.

Li Lanyong's father, Li Dashan, sat in a sheltered spot with a pipe in his mouth, chatting with Liu Fuqing about all sorts of interesting things, the smile never fading from his eyes.

Li Dashan used to envy Liu Fuqing, but now Li Lanyong is leading his team to great success, and with Li Lanyong now married, he's beaming with joy every day.

Walking through the village, if anyone doesn't respectfully call him "Secretary," he'll be the old Secretary in a few years.

Liu Fuqing pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket: "Here, I'm in a good mood today, have a smoke of this."

“Well, kids grow up so fast. In the blink of an eye, you have two grandsons and a granddaughter. We’re getting old soon. This millstone can still be used for hundreds of years, but a person standing here will be buried in a few decades.” Li Dashan looked at the two Liu brothers with deep emotion.

Liu Fuqing chuckled: "You old rascal, you might live to be a hundred."

"I can't take it anymore, my butt is getting more and more painful, especially on rainy days, and I have to sleep on my stomach at night." Although the bullet in his butt has been removed, it is still tormenting Li Dashan.

Liu Fuqing tapped his cigarette ash: "When spring comes, go to the Beijing Hospital and take a look. The doctors there are better than those here."

"Let's talk about it later!"

After finishing his work, Liu Yimin wiped his sweat and walked over, saying, "Uncle Dashan, have you prepared all the New Year's goods at home? Lan Yong is busy with the factory, so he probably won't have time to take care of things at home."

“Yimin, sit down. Let’s talk about the policies in Yanjing. Your dad is a squad leader, he doesn’t understand. You tell me, I’m the Party Secretary.” Li Dashan smiled and brushed the dirt off his hands, gesturing for Liu Yimin to sit down.

Liu Fuqing glared at Li Dashan: "What the hell are you talking about? What's wrong with the squad leader?"

"The squad leader just needs to hear the latest instructions from the Party Secretary," Li Dashan retorted.

The two argued for a while, then listened to Liu Yimin's explanation. Their political enthusiasm remained undiminished; even if some policies were irrelevant to them, they still wanted to know.

On New Year's Eve, as usual, the family sat together making dumplings. The three little ones watched TV in the house, and the sound could be heard all the way into the kitchen.

"You are like a fire in winter, your blazing flames warm my heart!"

Hearing Fei Xiang's voice coming from the TV, the sister-in-law couldn't help but start singing. Zhu Lin immediately followed, and the laughter of the family accompanied their singing.

After she finished singing, her face flushed, she said, "This song is really popular now."

"In Beijing too, many people carry radios and dance in the park while playing them."

The elderly people who dance in public squares didn't start doing so because they got old; they started dancing when they were young.

Fei Xiang's "A Fire in Winter" was a hit in China for several years. It is said that after the show ended, he received tens of thousands of love letters.

Yang Xiuyun put down the dumplings she was making: "I'll go check if the three little ones have finished eating. Don't just keep watching TV."

When Yang Xiuyun returned, she told everyone, "I heard that 'Journey to the West' will be on TV tomorrow."

Zhu Lin glanced at Liu Yimin, a subtle smile curving her lips, before lowering her head to continue making dumplings.

"Linlin, will you be on TV tomorrow?" the sister-in-law asked.

"Yes, we recorded it in advance."

"Oh, then we'll have to take a good look at it tomorrow," the sister-in-law said excitedly.

The cast and crew of "Journey to the West" will broadcast the "Qi Tian Le Spring Festival Gala" on the first day of the Lunar New Year. The main characters from "Journey to the West" will appear to perform and send blessings to the people of the whole country.

On the other hand, everyone has been eagerly anticipating the complete series of "Journey to the West," and the production team will introduce the filming progress to audiences nationwide.

At this year's "Qi Tian Le Spring Festival Gala," various deities took to the stage to perform, making it even more popular than Fei Xiang's "A Fire in Winter."

Yang Xiuyun asked curiously how Sun Wukong flew in "Journey to the West," and Zhu Lin answered her questions one by one.

After listening, Yang Xiuyun and Liu Fuqing exclaimed that the filming was really amazing; anyone who didn't know better would think they were actually flying.

After the family finished making dumplings together in a joyful atmosphere, they sat in front of the TV for a while before laughing and going back to their room to sleep.

Liu Yu and Liu Lin wanted to watch more, but Liu Yimin picked them up and said, "Let's go, we have to get up early tomorrow!"

The next day at 5:30, the family was awakened by the sound of firecrackers. Liu Yimin and Zhu Lin quickly got up, dressed, and helped Liu Fuqing and Yang Xiuyun with their work.

Everyone gathered around the blazing cypress fire. Zhu Lin first wished the two elders a Happy New Year, and then held the two little ones in his arms to wish them a Happy New Year as well.

Liu Fuqing and Yang Xiuyun happily took out ten yuan from their pockets as New Year's money for the three little ones.

"Yimin, you set off the firecrackers, I'll set off the fireworks!" The eldest brother, Liu Yiguo, patted Liu Yimin on the shoulder and stuffed a half-lit incense stick into Liu Yimin's hand.

"Okay! Sister-in-law, Linlin, take the children back inside. Don't let the firecrackers scare you." Liu Yimin ran into the room and brought out all the firecrackers.

The firecrackers shot into the sky and exploded over Maiji Brigade, marking both the end of one year and the beginning of another.

The flashes of firecrackers flickered in the yard. Zhu Lin told the two little ones to cover their ears and open their mouths, then pulled them into a tight hug.

(End of this chapter)