Liu Mama and a few others were tidying up the kitchen while chatting, the atmosphere warm and harmonious. As they talked, they habitually asked each other about their ages, where they lived, and so on.
Liu Mama, wiping water stains from the stove with a rag, asked absentmindedly, "Chun Cao, Ru Yi, Xiao Xue, you girls don't seem very old. Are you all around twenty this year?"
Chun Cao, holding her son, sat by the stove and said with a hint of bitterness, "Auntie, this is my zodiac year, and I've just turned twenty-four. My mother gave birth to me when the spring grass was just sprouting, so my father named me Chun Cao. This child in my arms is my son, Xiao Dou Zi. He was born when we were harvesting soybeans last year, and he's just turned one."
Ru Yi then lowered her head and said softly, "Auntie, I'm twenty this year. I was born during the autumn harvest season. My mother said the harvest was good that year, so she named me Ru Yi." As she spoke, her eyes welled up, and she wiped away tears.
Xiao Xue also began to shed tears.
Liu Mama saw this and felt terribly guilty. "Oh no! Please, don't cry. It's my fault. I shouldn't have asked you about these things and made you sad. Let's go to the living room and rest."
With that, she took Xiao Dou Zi from Chun Cao's arms and led them to the living room.
Chen Lan and her mother were sitting on the sofa, chatting and feeding the twins custard. Hu Yu Zhen was also sitting on the sofa, mending a shoe sole and chatting. Tou Tou sat on a low stool, building a house with blocks at his small dining table. The three of them naturally greeted Liu Mama and the others when they saw them emerge from the kitchen.
The mother, in a warm and hospitable tone, said, "Come, come, sit on the sofa. It's warmer on the sofa. It's raining outside today, and it's a bit cold. Were you cold last night? Were your quilts warm enough?"
Chun Cao, Ru Yi, and Xiao Xue nodded nervously and replied in unison, "Auntie, the quilts are made of new cotton. They're very warm. We've really caused you trouble!"
The mother smiled gently and said, "How could this be trouble? Everything here is readily available. It wasn't prepared specifically for you. Don't be so polite! Come and sit down quickly."
Liu Mama also chimed in, "Chun Cao, Ru Yi, Xiao Xue, come and sit here quickly."
Chen Lan saw everyone sitting there awkwardly, looking at each other, and felt it wasn't right. She didn't have much to talk about either.
Liu Mama, regretting her earlier words that had made them cry, didn't know what else to say and didn't dare to speak again.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the living room became quite awkward, making the three of them even more uncomfortable.
Chen Lan then thought about the possibility of a group of people arriving at the valley by the end of the year, or at the latest, in the new year.
So, she opened her mouth and asked, "Mother, Liu Mama, should we start preparing new clothes for everyone for the New Year?"
The mother nodded and said, "Yes, we should start preparing. There are over thirty people in the valley, big and small, old and young. Otherwise, we won't have enough time."
She thought for a moment and continued, "We need to find your mother-in-law and discuss this together. There are only a little over two months left until the New Year. We need to decide what to prepare for everyone and reach a unified decision."
With that, she handed the bowl of custard she had been feeding Jia Yao to Chen Lan and got up to call out at the study door, "Wen Kai, Wen Qi, take a break for a while. Rest your eyes and read later. For now, help Mother make a trip and invite your paternal aunt over. Also, have her bring Cui Mama, Cui Qiao, and Zhao Xiao Yue. Just tell her you're coming to discuss New Year matters, and she'll understand. Dress warmly when you go out. It's windy and raining outside today. Wear the raincoats and rain boots your elder sister prepared for you."
The two brothers readily agreed, put on their raincoats and rain boots, and went out to call for people.
The mother and daughter continued feeding the twins custard. Chen Lan, seeing that Chun Cao and the others were too reserved, asked, "Can you all pull shoe soles and make shoes?"
The three of them nodded in unison. Ru Yi said softly, "I can pull shoe soles, and I can also make clothes. I can make clothes for my nephew, Xiao Dou Zi."
Xiao Xue also said, "I can't make clothes, but I can mend them and make insoles and pull shoe soles."
Chun Cao, blushing, said softly, "I can do it all, but..." She then looked at her arm.
Chen Lan immediately smiled and comforted her, "It's okay, it will get better soon! I have some pills here for reducing bruising and promoting blood circulation. I'll get them for you. If you take them consistently for a while and rest well, you'll recover quickly!"
With that, she fed the last bite of custard to Jia Hui, wiped the mouths of Jia Hui and Jia Yao, and took the twins' custard bowls to the kitchen to wash. After washing the bowls, she went upstairs, and came back down holding a packet of Sanqi tablets in her right hand. Under her right armpit, she carried two bolts of floral fabric, and on her left shoulder, she carried three bolts of fabric in navy blue, dark blue, and military green.
Liu Mama and Hu Yu Zhen saw this and quickly got up to help, but Ru Yi and Xiao Xue were faster and rushed forward to take the bolts of fabric from Chen Lan.
Chen Lan thanked them and asked them to place the fabric on the table. She handed the packet of Sanqi tablets to Chun Cao and said, "Take six of these pills three times a day, twenty minutes after each meal. Now is a good time to take them."
She then turned and went to the kitchen to get half a bowl of warm water, placing it on the coffee table next to the sofa where Chun Cao was sitting. She continued, "You can test the water temperature with your mouth. As long as it's not too hot, swallow the pills. Remember, do not use cold water. Only take six pills at a time! Don't take more or less. Do you understand?" She looked at Chun Cao, waiting for her reply.
Chun Cao, with red eyes, nodded. Chen Lan didn't say any more and picked up a rattle from the nearby coffee table for Xiao Dou Zi to play with.
Meanwhile, Hu Yu Zhen's eyes lit up when she saw the two bolts of floral fabric. "Xiao Lan, are these floral fabrics for our New Year clothes?"
Chen Lan asked, "What do you think? Do you like these two colors? If not, I'll discuss it with your father-in-law again and see if we can exchange them for other colors."
Hu Yu Zhen said joyfully, "I like them, I like them very much! How could I not like them? The colors are so vibrant, so bright, and so festive!"
At that moment, voices were heard from outside. It was the mother-in-law's loud voice. She arrived before she was seen. Pushing open the living room door, she said loudly, "Xiao Lan, Wen Kai and Wen Qi said you needed to discuss something with me?"