Chapter 776: Chapter 671

Fortunately, the official’s wife was quite sensible. She figured that since Xiao Man was leaving the next day, the young couple must have endless things to say before parting ways. Having her own daughter play third wheel at a time like this would be rather unwelcome, so just after eight o’clock, she sent an orderly to pick Xia Qingting up and bring her home.

Gu Shaojun finally felt mollified. He pulled his wife into his arms and lectured her again, telling her to stay far away from Xia Qingting. "She’ll make you stupid!"

At Feng Hui and Lin Qingqing’s request, Xiao Man delayed her departure from the provincial city until noon the next day. Gu Shaojun had military duties and couldn’t get away, so he arranged for a car and driver to take her back.

The car was piled high with New Year’s supplies. A small portion was what Xiao Man and Gu Shaojun had bought, but most were gifts from others: Gu Shaojun’s comrades-in-arms and colleagues, Xia Qingting, and the Feng Hui couple. In the spirit of reciprocity, Xiao Man had naturally prepared return gifts. She also added more food and drinks from her Treasure Pearl Space to Gu Shaojun’s Storage Ring, telling him to find a chance to have the canteen prepare it and treat everyone to a meal.

The private car took her straight there, and she was back in Gongdao Village within the day. Her whole family was overjoyed, and Qiuyan especially breathed a sigh of relief. ’We’d just managed to get Sister Xiao Man home for the New Year when Brother-in-law Gu snatched her away again,’ she thought. ’I was so worried he wouldn’t let her come back!’

On the twenty-seventh, twenty-eighth, and twenty-ninth of the twelfth lunar month, work in the fields throughout the village ground to a halt. Every household slaughtered their New Year’s pig, busily frying, stir-frying, deep-frying, and steaming to prepare grand holiday dishes. On New Year’s Eve itself, fresh chickens, ducks, geese, and fish were slaughtered and cooked as offerings to the ancestors. The resulting New Year’s Eve dinner was incredibly lavish. By the mid-1980s, the standard of living in the countryside had generally improved, so having enough food and clothing was no longer a concern. This was especially true in a prosperous place like Gongdao Village, where every family had money saved up and was willing to spend on good food and drink. During holidays and festivals, they really went all out.

After a joyous and festive New Year, everyone was another year older.

On the fifth day of the New Year, the gates to the Mo family’s courtyard were wide open, bustling with people coming and going. It wasn’t for another celebration; it was just relatives coming to pay New Year’s visits and, in turn, invite them for a holiday meal.

By custom, visits to relatives should begin on the second day of the New Year. But for some reason, starting last year, Great-Aunt Mo of the Liang family from Shangling Village and her children and grandchildren had stopped coming together. They were all happy to visit Grandpa Mo’s home, but they insisted on acting independently—one would come today, another tomorrow. In short, they refused to come all at once. On top of that, Aunt He from Immortal Grass Village and her children were also quite spontaneous. Every holiday, Yu Wumei wore herself out just hosting those few families. Granny Mo was very unhappy about it, so Grandpa Mo laid down a new rule for Great-Aunt Mo and Aunt He. For casual visits, they could come whenever they pleased and eat whatever was available; if the hosts were too busy to entertain them, there was nothing to be said. But for formal New Year’s visits, which required killing chickens and ducks as a sign of proper hospitality, hosting them day after day was impossible. Therefore, if they wanted to come for New Year’s greetings, they had to come all together on the fifth day of the year. The invitation was only for that day—no one would be hosted if they came early or late. The family had too much work and no free time!

And that was why the fifth day of the New Year was so lively.

Granny Mo, however, didn’t let Xiao Man go downstairs. She said it was too crowded and chaotic, telling her to just stay upstairs to read or write. All sorts of snacks, treats, and fruits were available in the second-floor living room. The second-floor bathroom had a water tank, so it was usable, and the iron gate at the top of the stairs was locked, so guests couldn’t come up.

Xiao Man found it amusing. ’Grandma still treats me like I haven’t grown up,’ she thought. ’She’s so protective, she’d probably wrap me in cotton wool if she could.’

"Grandma, how about I go to the herb garden on the hillock to hang out? I can tend to some of the herbs while I’m there."

Grandma thought for a moment and agreed. "That’s a good idea. Dapeng is already up there. Have Qiuyan go with you, and take some snacks. That Great-Aunt has never thought much of the three of you anyway, so if you’re not around, she won’t even ask after you. There’s charcoal in the herb garden’s storeroom. Light a brazier first to keep it going. If you get cold, warm yourselves by the fire. Don’t catch a cold."

Xiao Man agreed, then added, "Grandma, I actually already know about what happened to Liu Fengying’s family."

Grandma paused, a little angry. "Who has such a big mouth? I warned everyone not to say anything, yet you still found out."

Of course, Xiao Man wasn’t about to tell her that the person with the big mouth was her much-adored grandson-in-law, Gu Shaojun.

She just asked curiously, "Grandma, their family’s drama has nothing to do with me. What’s the big deal if I know about it?"

Grandma was at a loss for words.

After a long moment, she sighed. "Liu Fengying brought about her own death, and Mo Guoqiang is dead too. So, the entire courtyard went to Mo Laoer. As greedy as Mo Laoer and his wife are, they’re also afraid of dying. They hired an expert to chant spells and cleanse the house of evil, and he went at it for three whole days and nights. Now, there’s a rumor going around the village that the expert left a warning. He said the house used to be very unclean, and that anyone from that family who lived in it for three to five years has been afflicted by a malevolent spirit... Your Grandpa says that’s all nonsense, and I don’t believe it either. But... I just didn’t want you to know."

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