Chapter 643: Chapter 643: The New Year

After Dr. Turner joined the medical tent, Evelyn Ford wasn’t so busy anymore. She spent most of her time in her space, digging up medicinal herbs or refining medicines with everyone else. Rhys Chase returned to the base camp every two days. Although he wanted to take it easy, the base was swamped with work, so he couldn’t just be a hands-off manager yet.

In the blink of an eye, it was the twelfth lunar month. Taylor Vance and Zion Lowell were in charge of writing couplets. The two of them had likely written over a thousand sets, as well as many characters for "Fortune."

Rhys Chase borrowed two tons of white paper from Evelyn Ford. With no dye, they could only use red ink for writing. The base needed to celebrate the New Year too. With so many people gathered together, having migrated from Frelia and the Southward to Eldoria, it was a true escape from death. After so much bitterness, the sweet times had come. They had to have a lively New Year celebration.

The base wasn’t wealthy right now, so they could only offer an IOU first. For once, Evelyn Ford was feeling generous. With a wave of her hand, she didn’t even mention borrowing or returning. At this point, there was no need to fuss over such things.

She gave all the paper, brushes, and ink to Rhys Chase, telling him to distribute the "Fortune" characters and spring couplets to everyone so they could all share in the festive spirit. After the New Year, once the land was cleared and crops were planted, everyone’s lives would get better.

Rhys Chase also found a few experts who knew how to make fireworks and firecrackers. He took some samples from Evelyn Ford for them to study and told them to rush a batch of firecrackers. The base actually had plenty of materials for making them. After the bases merged, resources had been pooled, and there was no longer a shortage of various supplies.

When the base broadcast announced that the New Year was approaching, all of Eldoria came alive with excitement.

When Evelyn Ford saw Lily West and her two companions, she gave them three large "Fortune" characters. She also gave a set of couplets to both Dr. Turner and Yolanda Lawrence. For Iris Miller, the team leader of the maternity medical tent, Evelyn gave her a mini red paper lantern.

The log cabin was already decorated with red couplets. Even the streetlights in the mining area and the large windmills of the power station were plastered with them.

On the twentieth day of the twelfth lunar month, the base was already covered in couplets and "Fortune" characters. Many red paper lanterns were even hung up, with the characters for "Spring" and "Fortune" written on them. Evelyn Ford, holding her medical kit, stood before a dusty tent. The team leader was putting up spring couplets with a few young men. She walked over and asked about Tim Channing.

"That kid? He’s doing great. I found him a master carpenter to learn from."

Evelyn Ford was pleasantly surprised. "That’s wonderful! Team Leader, this is a thank-you gift for you."

Evelyn Ford took a "Fortune" character on red paper from her cloth satchel and handed it to him. The team leader accepted it graciously and thanked her.

The twenty-third and twenty-fourth of the twelfth lunar month was the Little New Year. Several vehicles left Eldoria to cut tree branches on a distant mountain. The Little New Year was for spring cleaning. Even though their living conditions were simple, tradition dictated that even a beggar’s hovel had to be swept. The soldiers brought back the branches, giving one to each tent. Everyone cleaned together. The air was thick with dust, but then a water truck appeared from who-knows-where and sprayed everything down. The dust settled, and the air became moist.

Starting from the twenty-third of the twelfth lunar month, the base’s large speakers played songs constantly. The children all learned them. As Evelyn Ford carried her medical kit to teach her students, a child passed by, humming a tune.

"New Year’s is here, New Year’s is here! Ring out the old, ring in the new, it’s New Year’s..."

Evelyn Ford suddenly felt her nose tingle with emotion. She looked up at the sun and couldn’t help but smile.

The base broadcast announced that aside from soldiers on duty, base leadership, management, and area supervisors, all other residents would have a two-day holiday for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. This included workers from the mining area, the munitions factory, and the power station. Furthermore, during these two days, everyone could receive one can of meat and two sausage links.

It wasn’t much, but everyone was overjoyed. As Evelyn Ford walked along the road, residents gathered in small groups, dreaming of the good days to come in the new year.

Many people signed up to study medicine and nursing. The two senior doctors selected two hundred people, one hundred men and one hundred women. Evelyn Ford’s class was from 8 AM to 10 AM. She only taught obstetrics and gynecology. Some students weren’t interested; in their eyes, medicine was about saving lives and healing the injured, which didn’t include delivering babies for pregnant women. Evelyn Ford couldn’t be bothered with those who didn’t want to learn. She noted down the names of the diligent students and gave them extra guidance whenever she had time.

On the morning of New Year’s Eve, Evelyn Ford was examining a woman who had just given birth. On her way back to the truck, the sound of firecrackers erupted. The popping and crackling continued for half an hour. Adults and children alike came out of their tents, looking towards the source of the sound.

The CRACKLE and POP of the firecrackers resonated deeply in everyone’s hearts. For the first time, Evelyn Ford found the smell of burning firecrackers so pleasant. It was the smell of the New Year, the smell of peaceful times, and the smell of finally settling down.

At one in the afternoon, the team leader came over with his men to distribute the canned meat and sausage links. The sun was especially bright today, the temperature was around twenty-three degrees Celsius, and there was very little wind. The sound of people cheering was exceptionally clear.

"Dr. Ford, Happy New Year! I wish you good health and may all your wishes come true."

Evelyn Ford laughed heartily. "Same to you! I wish you all a new year of good fortune, peace, and for everything to go smoothly."

In these times, "May you be prosperous" was no longer a fitting blessing, and no one dared to easily wish another a "happy family reunion."

On the afternoon of New Year’s Eve, Evelyn Ford didn’t enter her space at all. She sat inside her truck, greeting wave after wave of people who came to offer their blessings.

Patients she had treated on the road all made a detour to come and wish her a "Happy New Year." Evelyn Ford wasn’t stingy with her well-wishes either, pouring out kind words by the bucketful. She had a large bucket of peanuts and sunflower seeds next to her. Whenever someone came to chat, Evelyn would give them a handful of seeds.

"Dr. Ford, we’re here."

Lily West and her two companions were wearing newly distributed clothes. The outfits didn’t fit well; Helen Nash’s jacket was even a man’s brown leather coat. These clothes were supplies the base had scavenged from surrounding cities many years ago. Previously, at Rhys Chase’s request, they had been stored in Evelyn’s space for safekeeping. A while back, Ronan Kendrick had delivered them back to him. Rhys had said that since it was the New Year, everyone at the base—men and women, young and old—should have a new piece of clothing to wear.

"Happy New Year." Evelyn Ford grabbed a handful of seeds and offered it to them. Lily West and her friends didn’t refuse, accepting it with both hands.

"Dr. Ford, we were given an extra bag of brown sugar today. The team leader said it was a bonus for the medical staff."

Evelyn Ford smiled. In truth, she had received one too.

"The team leader said that once the houses are built, we can move in. Red brick houses don’t have formaldehyde, so we can live in them right away. Each of us might get a small house, probably about five square meters."

’That’s not bad at all. Having your own independent space, not having to squeeze in with others... That’s a dream for so many people.’

"I want to start saving things up now. I heard that after the base’s factories are built, they’re going to build a shopping center. I want to buy a bottle of face oil. My face is so dry," Rosemary Sullivan said shyly.

Lily West had a look of longing on her face. "We’re considered official workers now. At the end of every month, the base will issue all sorts of ration tickets to the workers—grain tickets, oil tickets, cloth tickets, daily necessity tickets..."

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