Bai Jiu returned home with a bountiful haul. She immediately began preparing the ingredients for dinner. When her eldest brother returned, she also asked him to go and pick up Xiang Gaoli.
The two families were practically one.
On such a joyous day, alcohol was, of course, essential. If it weren’t for the scarcity of good liquor in town, Bai Jiu would have hoarded some long ago. As it was, she could only manage to buy a bottle or two of decent quality for their own consumption. Seeing the liquor on the table, the men of the Bai family were as excited as wolves spotting fresh meat.
Bai Xingguo, recalling what his father had told him at noon, couldn’t quite bring himself to smile. Throughout the meal, he kept a close eye on Xiuxiu and Zhengyang. Bai Jiu was unaware of his thoughts. Had she known, she definitely would have told him not to worry—in the future, as long as she had money, thousands of people would line up to call her "Mother."
The next day was New Year’s Eve.
Early in the morning, they were awakened by the sound of firecrackers. Nowadays, setting off firecrackers during the New Year was permitted, though most families just lit a string in the morning and evening for the festive atmosphere. The rest of the time, it was mostly children playing with them. Naturally, Bai Jiu had prepared plenty of sparklers and small firecrackers for her two children.
Bai Xinghua watched with envy and even playfully fought the kids for their firecrackers. Truly, an unmarried man was just an overgrown child.
"Uncle Xinghua, let me do this one! Let me!" Xiuxiu was having a blast. Seeing the long fuse in her uncle’s hand, she ran over shouting, wielding a stick with a glowing ember at the tip.
"Alright, here you go." Bai Xinghua didn’t mind handing it over; he had been busy lighting the short ones anyway. The crisp BANGs were endlessly entertaining.
"Mother, are we honoring the ancestors tonight?" Since it was New Year’s Eve, Bai Jiu wanted to pay her respects to her grandfather. After all, her future wealth relied entirely on the things Old Sir Bai had left behind.
"You silly girl, what nonsense are you spouting?" Mother Bai, wary of the neighbors, nervously glanced up at the wall. Only when she saw no one did she feel relieved. "Why do you just blurt out whatever comes to mind? If anyone hears about this, our family will be ruined." Mother Bai had been deeply traumatized by the tumultuous years of the past.
Realizing she had spoken out of turn, Bai Jiu lowered her voice. "Are we not allowed to?"
"We can. Your grandfather’s room has been kept exactly as it was. Your father already went in this morning to burn some joss paper and incense." Although such practices were officially banned, nearly every family still did it in private. As long as they kept quiet and no one reported them, nothing would happen.
Hearing this, Bai Jiu completely understood. "Alright then. I’ll make a few of Grandpa’s favorite drinking snacks tonight and pour him a cup of good liquor," she said softly.
The mother and daughter worked the entire day, finally managing to whip up a lavish New Year’s Eve dinner. Staring at the feast on the table, everyone except Bai Jiu felt as if they were in a dream. The Bai family knew full well that Bai Jiu was the one who had brought all this to them.
After offering a toast to the ancestors, Father Bai took the lead. He raised his glass, offering his very first toast to his daughter. He was sincerely grateful for everything she had contributed to the family.
Bai Jiu didn’t act coy. She picked up her glass and said, "Dad, saying ’thank you’ treats me like a stranger. You all know my current situation. I’ll definitely have to trouble my eldest brother and younger brothers in the future. We’re a family, so let’s not stand on ceremony. Otherwise, I’ll feel too embarrassed to come back."
"You silly child." Mother Bai had the strongest reaction to her talking about being too embarrassed to return. "This will always be your home." Her eyes reddened, her heart aching at the thought.
"Exactly. What you just said breaks your eldest brother’s heart. No matter what happens in the future, us siblings will always be united as one, just like before." Bai Xingguo raised his glass higher and clinked it against his sister’s.
Bai Xingbang echoed the sentiment. "That’s right, eldest sister, saying that hurts my feelings. You know exactly what kind of person I am. It’s just that I haven’t made much of myself yet, so I still have to rely on you to pull me along."
Not wanting to be left behind, Bai Xinghua chimed in, "I’ll listen to whatever my eldest sister says." This boy certainly knew how to sweet-talk people.
Seeing his children so united, Father Bai felt deeply gratified. "To our family’s future prosperity, cheers!"
"Cheers!"
Bai Jiu only had one glass. She wasn’t very fond of strong liquor. If possible, she wanted to try brewing some medicinal wine using the formulas from Old Sir Bai’s medical books. Not only would it nourish the body, but it could also help a woman maintain her youthful complexion. She just didn’t know if she actually possessed the skill to do it.
Like Bai Jiu, Mother Bai stopped after a single glass, eating her food while keeping an eye on the two children.
Zhengyang was a mischievous little boy. The warmth of his maternal grandfather’s home had probably coaxed this typically quiet child out of his shell. Taking advantage of the adults’ distraction, he actually sneaked a sip of his grandfather’s liquor, immediately burning his tongue.
"Spicy! So spicy!"
"Haha, you little rascal! Let’s see if you dare try that again."
"If you wanted a drink, you should have just said so."
"Come here, Uncle Xinghua will pour you a glass."
Since it was the New Year, the men knew their limits. Bai Jiu just watched with a smile, saying nothing. Mother Bai wasn’t one to nag either; she simply reminded them to take it easy. Xiuxiu also wanted to try a sip. Bai Jiu didn’t stop her and let her have a taste. Ultimately, the festive atmosphere in the Bai family reached its absolute peak. It was the happiest, most joyous New Year they had experienced in years.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year.
Bai Xingguo packed up some gifts and visited the Xiang family. He was even invited to stay the night.
Now that Bai Jiu had recovered her health, and Father Bai only suffered from the occasional suppressed cough, they decided to take advantage of these rare, relaxing days of the holidays. So, while Bai Xingguo was away, the rest of the large family went out for a stroll in town.
Their first stop was the movie theater.
Ever since watching *Little Tadpoles Look for Their Mother*, the two little ones had been obsessed. As soon as they heard they were going to the movies again, they immediately jumped for joy. They clamored loudly, demanding to watch a cartoon.
Coming from an era bombarded by modern blockbusters, Bai Jiu frankly thought little of the movies from this time period. However, this era had its own unique charm, making the films at least tolerable for her. Compared to the ridiculous television tropes of her own time, where soldiers supposedly tore enemies apart with their bare hands, the war movies of this decade were actually much more fascinating.
Sometimes, getting completely engrossed in the plot, she wondered how she would have fared in those wartime years. Did she possess the same dedication as her predecessors? Did she have their courage and heroism? Thinking about this led Bai Jiu to occasionally wonder what would happen if she died in this world...
Well, whatever the case, she certainly wasn’t going to court death just to find out. She would just have to wait until she reached the natural end of her life to discover the answer.
The fifth day of the Lunar New Year arrived in the blink of an eye.
It was Bai Xingguo’s wedding day. Knowing her status as a married daughter living at home, Bai Jiu deliberately avoided coming face-to-face with the newlyweds. Even though her family insisted they didn’t mind, she refused to do anything that might leave a blemish on her eldest brother’s wedding. The two children were fine, however. With Bai Xinghua looking after them, she was completely at ease, so she confined herself directly to the kitchen.
On such a joyous occasion, the family naturally invited the surrounding neighbors to help out. In the past, people might not have bothered to show up. Now, however, they came uninvited just to offer a hand.
"Girl of the Bai family, why aren’t you out front enjoying the festivities?" The ones helping in the kitchen were two neighborhood aunties who were close to Mother Bai. They had brought their daughters-in-law along to pitch in.