RL (AT) Chapter 37: New Year’s Eve

Chapter 37: New Year’s Eve

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Sulo

 

There were five or six days to celebrate the New Year and Lin Mo’s Gourmet Shop closed a few days ago. Chen Qing and Chen Mu lived in the yard over there and looked after the shop. Lin Cheng also changed the opening time of his store to the afternoon and closed at five in the evening.

This year, the Lin family was not going back to the village since it took too long to get to town from Daling Village and there was going to be an ice lantern festival in town.  Even the road was covered with snow, making it difficult to travel.

Father Lin and Mama Ln were going out to buy New Year’s goods. While Lin Cheng and Cheng Yan would be going back to Daling Village to get some bags of rice that had been shelled, as well as all kinds of preserved meat that they had stored for the winter.

Sister-in-law Lin and Lin Mo started to clean the yard, but two children plus a ger couldn’t do anything. So they waited for Lin Cheng and Cheng Yan to return to officially start the New Year’s cleaning.

One day before the New Year, Lin Xing and Lin Chen, wearing thick cotton padded jackets, cleaned the snow off the ground in the yard and piled it against the wall. Lin Cheng and Cheng Yan pasted all the red paper window couplets bought by Mama Lin, and hung two big lanterns outside the door.

Sister-in-law Lin and Mama Lin had cleaned the inside and outside of the house. Lin Xiu wrote couplets in the study, and then took them out and pasted them. Considering Lin Mo’s physical problems, Father Lin and Mama Lin didn’t ask him to come out to help, so Lin Mo was the most idle one in the Lin family now, just watching Xiaonan and Xiaoya in the room.

Lin Xiaoya stood on the bed and looked out of the window, “Fourth Uncle, are they playing with snow?” 

“Mn, making a snowman.” Lin Mo glanced sideways and explained to her.

“Are snowman fun? Xiaoya wants to play too.” Xiaoya turned to look at Fourth Uncle.

“It’s too cold outside. Children can’t go out.”

Xiaonan thought about it and said, “But Second Uncle said before that Fifth Uncle was still a child.” 

“… It’s too cold outside.”

“Brother and I have fluff, so we are not afraid.” Xiaoya ran to one side and took her clothes off the wall.

“…” You are not afraid of the cold, but I am afraid.

“Only for a moment.” Lin Mo looked at the expectation in their eyes, kept silent for a long time, and finally compromised.

“Great, Fourth Uncle is the best!” Xiaoya cheered and began to dress herself.

Lin Mo helped them to put on their clothes and shoes, and then started to put clothes on himself. When they were fully armed, Lin Mo took them out. Although he had worn enough clothes, Lin Mo unconsciously shrunk his neck when he opened the door and felt the cold wind blowing in front of him.

The snow in the yard had been swept into piles by Lin Xing and Lin Chen. As soon as Xiaoya and Xiaonan went out, they ran to Lin Xing’s side. They were not frightened by the cold wind outside.

Lin Mo tightened the fur around his neck and made sure his hat was properly fitted before going to them.

“Fourth Brother, did you come out to play? Would you like to build a snowman?” Lin Xing patted the snowman’s body and asked when he saw the Fourth Brother coming.

“This is a snowman?” Lin Mo doubted. This was not a round body but a scattered pile of snow? Although he had never made a snowman, at least he has seen pictures of them.

“I can’t make it round. I can’t help it. Anyway, it’s a snowman. Everyone else in the village is like this.” Lin Xing patted the snowman’s body and made it firm.

“Mn, I’ll help too.” Lin Mo went to another pile of snow. Maybe it was time for them to see what a real snowman looked like.

“Ah? Then brother and I will help too!” Xiaoya started to play when she saw Fourth Uncle. She hurried her brother to a snowdrift.

After the others finished the house and the outside, they saw the several children playing with snow in the yard. Cheng Yan could see Lin Mo’s nose was a little red from the cold and his brow slightly wrinkled so he hurried to cover the short distance

“Ah, what are you doing?” Lin Xiu stood in front of the warm room door, feeling the heat inside, and shouted to them.

“Momo, why did you come out?” Cheng Yan walked over and touched his red nose with his hand.

Cheng Yan’s hands were very warm. Even if he stayed outside for a long time, his hands would not get cold. Lin Mo was very envious of this. Lin Mo threw away the snow in his hand, took off his gloves, and put his hand in front of him.

Cheng Yan easily reached out and covered Lin Mo’s cold hands with his warm ones. “Why didn’t you stay in the house?”

“I was competing with Fourth Brother to make snowmen. Second Brother, are you joining us?” Lin Xing heard Lin Xiu’s words and responded loudly.

Cheng Yan heard this and he looked at Lin Mo with some doubt, and then looked at the snowdrift in front of him, which was of an unknown shape.

Lin Mo, who understood Cheng Yan’s expression, “…”

When did he say he was going to make a snowman?

Obviously, Lin Mo had selectively forgotten what he just thought, and wanted to show them a real snowman.

“And Brother and me~” Xiaoya looked up at Second Uncle, shaking her hands and shouting.

“Mn… It’s fun, so I’ll come too.” Lin Xiu also went to find a pile of snow and began to play with it.

Father Lin and Mama Lin and Lin Cheng had a good time watching them. They finished their work, so they joined the competition.

Lin Mo, “…” It was not really a game.

“What do you want to do?” Cheng Yan who helped him warm his hands, took out his gloves from his pocket and put them on.

“Make a big and small ball, then put the small one on the big one, and use other things as eyes, nose and hands.”

“You stand by and I’ll take care of it.” Cheng Yan listened to Lin Mo’s description, thought about the shape in his mind, and asked him to stand aside and began to work.

“Uh… Remember to keep the snowball tight.”

When Lin Xiu made a general shape, he looked around and found something that made him feel a little bit frustrated. His parents were a pair, his Elder Brother and sister-in-law were a pair, Mo’ger and Cheng Yan were another pair. Even the two sets of twins, Lin Xing and Lin Chen and Xiaonan and Xiaoya had formed a team, so he was the only one by himself?

When Lin Xing was halfway done, he looked up at Fourth Brother and found that the snowman in front of Fourth Brother was different from theirs. After thinking about it, Lin Xing put down the snow in his hand and ran there. Lin Chen glanced at him, then continued to finish his strange snowman.

“Fourth Brother, what did you do with the snowman? How did you make it so round?” Lin Xing asked.

Lin Mo was putting eyes and mouth on the snowman. He looked at him and said, “Ask Brother Cheng. This is his pile.” 

Lin Xing nodded and ran to Cheng Yan. After getting the method, Lin Xing went back to discuss with Lin Chen, and then made the transformation to their original snowman.

For a long time, it was still a pile of snow. Xiaoya was frustrated and looked up at the others’ snowman. Seeing the snowman in front of Fourth Uncle, Xiaoya’s eyes brightened, and then she ran over.

Xiaonan, who was fighting against the snow, saw his sister running away, looked up, and saw the snowman in front of Fourth Uncle. After thinking about it, he threw away the snow in his hand and also went over there.

“Fourth Uncle, this snowman is so big and has a good look!”

“Is that right? I think so too.” Lin Mo laughed. “Go to your Uncle Cheng and ask him to make a small one for you.”

When they had almost finished playing, the sky gradually darkened. Occasionally, they heard the sound of other people’s fireworks. Sometimes, fireworks exploded in the sky, making the surroundings brighter. Fireworks, a rare and expensive thing, could only be bought by every household for the New Year and lighted up for a celebration.

It was almost time to eat. Mama Lin and Sister-in-law Lin also went to the kitchen to prepare their New Year Eve’s dinner. After Cheng Yan helped the others pile it up, he took Lin Mo back to the house.

After a big dinner, Cheng Yan routinely brought a basin of hot water to soak his husband’s feet. Whenr all the work was done, Cheng Yan went back to the house and got into the bed. Lin Mo grabbed him and held him. On the last night of the year, everyone stayed up late, so the yard was full of lights and every family was lighting up fireworks now.

Lin Mo lay on Cheng Yan, yawned, and rubbed his face against his half exposed chest. Cheng Yan was half leaning on the head of the bed with his hands on Lin Mo’s waist.

Cheng Yan touched his hair and said, “Go to sleep if you are tired. I’ll watch over you.” 

“No, I want to be with you.” Lin Mo squinted, muttering in a low voice.

Just after he started to nod off for the third time, Lin Mo finally couldn’t stand it. As expected, he had to do something to raise his spirit. Lin Mo propped his hands on Cheng Yan’s chest, slowly moved them up, and then put his hands on his neck.

“What’s the matter?” Cheng Yan held him carefully, wondering what he was doing.

“Um… Doing something meaningful.” Lin Mo said that, then he leaned over and nibbled at Cheng Yan’s mouth.

Cheng Yan’s eyes were deep. His hands on Lin Mo’s waist suddenly tightened. Then he turned his husband around and pressed him down on the bed.

At this time, they proceeded to do something meaningful.

Their intermittent breathing echoed in the room, the sound of their breathing slowly became low, and soon the New Year’s Eve was over. Lin Mo lay on Cheng Yan’s body and fell asleep. Cheng Yan reached out to wipe off the tears at the corners of Lin Mo’s eyes, touched a red string at the head of the bed, flicked it, and turned off the light.

In his ears was the sound of fireworks exploding in the air from time to time outside. Cheng Yan turned to his side, put Lin Mo on the bed, and then closed his eyes.

On the first day of the New Year, no one got up early and they all slept in bed. It was almost nine o’clock when Mama Lin got up and cooked the dumplings they made yesterday.

After cooking the dumplings, the others were up. Mama Lin brought the big bowl of tangyuan to the warm room. After washing, the several children went to the warm room to stay and chat while eating tangyuan.

When Cheng Yan woke up, he heard the sounds outside. It was not too early and he woke up the man in his arms. By the time Cheng Yan and Lin Mo were ready to go to the warm room, the children were already eating.

Xiaoya scooped up the tangyuan with a wooden spoon and wanted to deliver it to her mouth. Then she saw someone at the door. She looked over and saw that it was Fourth Uncle and Uncle Cheng. “Happy New Year, Fourth Uncle! Happy New Year, Uncle Cheng!”

“Happy New Year, Xiaoya. Here’s New Year’s money from Fourth Uncle and Uncle Cheng.” Lin Mo walked over, took out the red bag that had been prepared in the morning, rubbed her head, and smiled.

When other children saw this, they also told Lin Mo and Cheng Yan to have a happy New Year. After getting lucky money, they continued to eat happily.

Cheng Yan gave Lin Mo a bowl of tangyuan, and then sat next to him to eat it.

“There is an ice lantern festival in town today. Do you want to have a look at it at noon?” Cheng Yan asked in a low voice.

“Okay.”