TIPS – Chapter 140

Liu Yue said, “If you don’t want to separate, fine. Then someone from your family has to take turns cooking with me. Same goes for the housework—however much I do, someone from your side has to do the same.”

Seeing Shen Dongying and Wang Shi standing there speechless, he added, “It’s impossible to expect me to serve the entire family alone. Think it over yourselves.”

Shen Dongqi helped bring over the stir-fried dishes. He echoed to his younger brother and sister-in-law, “That’s right, exactly what he means. You two think it over.”

As he walked past them, the aroma of the meat dishes wafted into their noses.

Shen Dongying and Wang Shi subconsciously sniffed the air. Their hunger grew even stronger. It felt like they could hear each other’s stomachs rumbling. They exchanged a glance and swallowed hard.

“So what now?” Things weren’t looking good—the second brother and his wife were being ruthless and refused to back down even a little.

“What else can we do? We can’t really eat separately…” Shen Dongying turned to Wang Shi and said, “See if you or the daughter-in-law can take turns cooking.” Then he glanced at the meat dishes inside and said reluctantly, “Whatever happens, we’ll talk after we eat. Just agree for now—besides, the cooking won’t start until tomorrow.”

Wang Shi was thinking the same thing. She muttered, “Fine, worst case, let our son’s wife take turns cooking with him.”

So, the couple split up—one went to call their son and daughter-in-law to come out for dinner, and the other went to Liu Yue, who was still cooking, and said, “Then it’s settled, okay? Our family will send someone to take turns cooking.”

Liu Yue looked at Shen Dongying in surprise, then nodded. “Alright. Who from your family is going to cook? Let’s be clear: if you go back on your word, I won’t be polite.”

“We won’t. My family… He’er’s wife knows how to cook,” Shen Dongying said, though he didn’t sound too sure himself.

Liu Yue chuckled to himself but didn’t say anything more.

And so, the family managed to sit down and eat their New Year’s Eve dinner peacefully. After they were full, Liu Yue kindly reminded them, “I’ll clean up the dishes this time, but the third household better remember to get up and make breakfast for everyone tomorrow. Also, whoever cooks must clean up afterward too—don’t expect anyone else to do it for you.”

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the third branch of the family varied. Shen Dongying and Wang Shi, being in the know, understood what Liu Yue meant. But Shen Junhe and his wife didn’t—especially the new bride, Xu Shi. She noticed several people glancing her way.

Shen Dongying quietly tugged at his wife’s sleeve and whispered, “Didn’t you tell the daughter-in-law about this?”

Wang Shi replied, “There was no time—we just finished eating.” Now that dinner was done, it was too late to say anything. Either way, the cooking duty had already fallen on their third household. They had no choice but to do it.

When Xu Shi, Shen Junhe’s wife, heard that she had to cook, she immediately objected. The reason she had agreed to marry into the Shen family in the first place was because they were considered a scholarly farming family—with land, assets, and even a private school. She had carefully calculated that she wouldn’t need to do manual labor. Only then did she agree to the marriage.

If it hadn’t been for her pickiness and missing her prime marriage age, leading to her marrying later, she never would have settled for someone like Shen Junhe.

“Mother, I already made it clear to you earlier—I don’t know how to cook. You’ll have to find someone else for that task,” Xu Shi said to Wang Shi with an innocent look.

Wang Shi stared at her, dumbfounded. It was true that during the argument yesterday afternoon, Xu Shi had said she couldn’t cook. But she had thought Xu Shi was just making excuses, trying to side with them in pushing the cooking duty onto Liu Yue. She assumed that now, as her mother-in-law, she had the final say and Xu Shi would comply.

She said, “You don’t know how to cook, and neither do I. So what, should your father-in-law cook? Or your husband?”

Her tone was already laced with irritation.

“I wouldn’t dare decide such a thing. I’ll leave it to you to make the decision, Mother,” Xu Shi said gently, still looking innocent.

“……”

Wang Shi was speechless. She had initially thought that Xu Shi’s gentle and obedient nature was a good thing. But now, it felt like she had swallowed a fly—disgusted and unable to spit it out. She didn’t know what to do.

Seeing this, Xu Shi cautiously offered, “Mother, there’s no need to trouble yourself over this. Our family used to have a certain way of doing things, and we should continue that way. We shouldn’t bother ourselves over such trivial matters.”

Wang Shi looked at her and asked, “What do you mean? Are you suggesting we hire laborers?”

Their family used to employ long-term workers, including a cook. But after the war broke out, those people had returned to their hometowns.

“Yes, why not take out a bit of silver and hire someone?” Xu Shi suggested.

Wang Shi was tempted, but she said, “In times like these, who would be willing to come out and work? Even if we’re willing to pay, they may not be willing to come.”

“Not necessarily,” Xu replied. “Things are starting to settle down. Most families aren’t too busy anymore. Logically, there should be people willing to help. Why not give it a try?”

Wang Shi found that reasonable and said, “Alright. I’ll talk it over with your father-in-law and see how we can go about hiring someone.”

After all, the money would come from the shared family fund—her third household wouldn’t be at a loss.

Once Wang Shi discussed it with Shen Dongying and they found the idea workable, he went to speak with the rest of the family. In the end, they decided to use the funds previously allocated for hiring long-term workers to employ someone to help with cooking and chores again. As usual, the money would come from the communal family pool.

Meanwhile, Shen Junxi and Song Jingwei braved the cold wind as they walked home. By now, it was already dark. When everyone saw the couple return, they immediately urged them to come sit down so they could start the meal. Tonight, the house was packed with people, buzzing with excitement.

“Come, come sit by the fire and warm up!” Shen Dongming moved the brazier by his feet closer to them and asked with concern, “How was it? Everything go smoothly?”

Shen Junxi and Song Jingwei sat down and took off their cloaks. Shen Junxi replied, “It went smoothly.” But as they recalled the mess that had unfolded at the Shen family’s ancestral home, both of them couldn’t help but laugh.

Shen Dongming asked, “What’s so funny? Did something happen over there again?”

Since Song Jingwei wasn’t comfortable talking about the situation in front of everyone, Shen Junxi simply gestured and mimed the events to Shen Dongming.

Both Yang Shi and Shen Dongming understood right away and burst into laughter. “That’s just too ridiculous. Today’s New Year’s Day, and they’re still acting like that? I really don’t get what they’re thinking.”

Song Jingwei said, “Let’s not bother with them. Let’s eat. Sorry we came back so late and kept everyone waiting.” There was wine tonight, so he lifted his cup and made the first toast.

Seeing this, Shen Junxi quickly stood up to join him.

In the past, he hadn’t enjoyed socializing much. Entertaining others had always been about business and profit. But now, it was different. Standing here with Song Jingwei, sharing the same pot of wine and the same table of food with everyone, he felt genuinely happy to host them.

“Come on, let’s toast to the new year—may everything go smoothly and all our wishes come true!”

“Our family’s wish is to have a second child, another son,” Pei Hongxuan said with a big grin, and his partner echoed him, drawing hearty laughter from everyone around the table.

Everyone chimed in, wishing them a clever and healthy second son in the coming year.

“Our family’s wish…” Qiao Lang looked at each of his loved ones and said, “…is for the war to end soon. And hopefully, one day, we’ll be able to return to our hometown.”

Everyone nodded in silence and drank their wine solemnly.

“That’s everyone’s wish,” Song Jingwei added. “No need to drink too much. This is enough. Let’s eat more dishes and have a joyful New Year’s celebration.”

“Yes, yes, listen to Jingwei. No more wine, let’s focus on the food.” Shen Dongming chuckled and began serving Yang Shi more dishes.

Smiles never left anyone’s faces; tonight was truly joyous. In the afternoon, everyone had gathered together—cooking, chatting, doing chores side by side—the atmosphere was wonderful.

“There will be dumplings later, so don’t eat too much now,” Yang Shi reminded. When the dumplings were ready in the kitchen, she and Lin Shi brought them in, giving each person a small plate.

The plate in front of Song Jingwei had around ten dumplings, each made beautifully. He picked one up and asked the young man next to him, “Did you help make dumplings this afternoon?” It looked very much like Shen Junxi’s handiwork.

“Yes,” Shen Junxi answered softly. His eyes never left the person beside him, filled with gentle affection. When he saw his lover put the dumpling he had made into his mouth, his expression turned impossibly tender.

“There are coins inside some of these,” Yang Shi announced as she saw everyone digging in. “Let’s see who’s lucky enough to find the most tonight…”

Before she even finished speaking, a “crack” came from Song Jingwei’s side.

“…”

His expression stiffened. He had bitten down on a coin, which sent a sharp jolt through his teeth.

“Hahaha! Did Jingwei get one?” Everyone laughed when they saw his expression.

Song Jingwei spat out the coin and winced. “Must be too lucky—I almost lost a tooth!”

“Hahaha…” The room roared with laughter. Some were unwilling to admit defeat since they had already eaten several dumplings and hadn’t found a single coin. “No way! We need to keep eating and see who finds the second one!”

Before they could finish talking, Old Master Yuan spat out a coin and held it up, laughing. “Got one right here!”

Those who hadn’t found any didn’t show any jealousy and instead congratulated him one after another. “Congratulations, Old Master! Auspicious start to the year!”

“There are eight left! Let’s see who’s lucky enough to get them!” Yang Shi encouraged. The moment she said that, everyone started eating with renewed vigor—some even reached over into other people’s plates.

“This isn’t fair! I finished my whole plate and didn’t get a single one!” Pei Hongxuan cried out. He had stuffed himself trying to get a coin.

“Heh, I’m in the same boat,” Qiao Lang said, tapping his empty plate with a sigh.

“I got one,” his older brother Lu Mengyang announced as he held one up.

“Me too! Me too!” shouted the two little grandsons from the Lu family, raising their hands.

“Wow, looks like the Lu family is on a lucky streak—three coins already!” Shen Dongming said as he ate his last dumpling. Still no coin. He looked very unwilling to give up.

“We got one,” Wu Xi said cheerfully, holding up a copper coin.

Shen Dongming quickly asked, “Wait, weren’t there supposed to be ten coins? That’s only seven. Who still has dumplings left?” Looking around the plates, it turned out Shen Junxi, Song Jingwei, Yang Shi, and Lin Shi still had some.

“Come on, hurry up and finish them. Let’s see which family ends up with the most!” Qiao Lang urged. His family already had three—if Lin Shi found one or two more, they’d definitely win.

Everyone was thinking the same thing, so they all stared at the three of them—just which family had won?

With no other choice, the three had to eat the remaining dumplings under everyone’s watchful gaze. After counting, it turned out that Song Jingwei had the most dumplings left on his plate—about six. Shen Junxi had three left, and Lin Shi had four.

Lin Shi ate one, but there was no coin inside.

Shen Junxi finished his, and he did get one with a coin.

Song Jingwei picked one up—crack—he said, “Second one.” Then another—crack—“Third one.” Including Shen Junxi’s, their family had four in total. He smiled and said, “Our family won.”

Shen Dongming and Yang Shi burst out laughing. They hadn’t expected to win at all. “Haha, Jingwei’s luck really is something—three in a row!”

Everyone had to admit it—they were convinced. Song Jingwei truly had great luck.

After finishing the dumplings, it was almost time to wrap up the feast. No one wanted to leave just yet, so after cleaning up the table, they all stayed together to keep vigil and chat.

According to tradition, they were supposed to stay up until midnight.

Shen Junxi and Song Jingwei sat with everyone for a while before taking Benben back to their room. Pei Hongxuan and Wu Xi also left early—they had children to take care of and were sent off by Yang Shi.

The older folks, like the two elders of the Lu family, had also gone to rest by then.

In the end, it was Shen Dongming and a few young men who stayed up until midnight. As the hour struck, they went outside to light firecrackers. This was known as the “Opening the Door Firecrackers.”

“The weather is dry, everyone be careful. Make sure nothing catches fire,” said a member of the safety patrol team, who had already been informed by Song Jingwei to be vigilant about fire hazards tonight.

After setting off the firecrackers, everyone checked the ground to make sure there were no scraps of paper or leftover embers that might cause a fire.

Listening to the crackling fireworks outside, Song Jingwei initially covered Benben’s ears. But not every household lit firecrackers at the exact time, so the sound came in spurts and bursts. Eventually, he gave up on covering his ears.

Surprisingly, Benben didn’t even wake up.

“Come look at your son—he’s sleeping like a pig,” Song Jingwei said, amused.

“That’s a good thing.” Shen Junxi smiled and gestured, then turned his head to kiss his wife on the cheek. “Happy New Year.”

“Happy New Year.” Song Jingwei looked up and gave him a kiss. “I didn’t prepare a gift this year. I’ll get you something next year.” In previous years, he always picked out gifts for his family and friends—it had become a tradition.

Now, he simply wanted to give something to Shen Junxi—just because he wanted to.

“Mm.” Shen Junxi nodded, feeling a bit embarrassed. He hadn’t prepared anything either—not even thought about it.

On the first day of the new year, they were supposed to visit the temple to offer incense and pray, but due to special circumstances this year, no one could go. Instead, people set up small tables at their doorsteps, placing chicken and pork on the tables, lighting incense sticks, and setting off a few firecrackers.

Even though the New Year wasn’t quite the same as usual, everyone was still in high spirits. There were even more visitors than usual—people going door to door with gifts. You give something to my household, and I give something to yours. It felt like relationships had grown warmer than before. Maybe it was because everyone had gone through hard times together?

Yang Shi had also prepared gifts and went around giving them to each nearby household. For families they knew well, of course, they brought even more. Naturally, when she returned, her hands were full of return gifts.

“Oh right, by the way,” Yang Shi returned with a gossipy smile, “I heard some news today. Apparently, the Shen family wants to hire kitchen help.”

“Oh? Hiring help?” Shen Dongming raised an eyebrow doubtfully. “At a time like this, who would go work for them?” It wasn’t that no one would go—it’s just that the Shen family probably wouldn’t offer much pay. People used to do that kind of work for them, but who knows now.

“I doubt local folks care for such small pay.” The Shen family’s previous hired hand, Xu Da, was local and took the job only because his family was poor and had no choice. The rest of the cooks and workers were from out of town, and probably went back home before the group went into the mountains.

“Who knows. Anyway, it doesn’t concern us.” Shen Dongming scratched his head.

The news that the Shen family was hiring cooks gradually spread around. Some idle folks started getting ideas and told the others, “Well, if I’m just sitting around doing nothing, why not? It’s just cooking—how hard can it be? Seems like easy money.”

People laughed and said, “If it’s so easy, then go for it.” But in their hearts, they weren’t so sure—money from the Shen family wasn’t exactly easy to earn.

“Fine, I’ll go then.” That person immediately went.

They went to the Shen family and said they came to work as help. When asked about the pay, it was a little low, but still acceptable. Ever since Song Jingwei, the generous landlord, appeared in the village, people had gotten used to higher standards. Ordinary wages didn’t appeal to them anymore—they’d unconsciously compare everything to what Song Jingwei paid.

“Well, since you’re willing, then let’s settle it. Three meals a day—you’ll cook and do some work,” Shen Dongying told the hired help. But he didn’t clarify exactly what “work” meant.