Chapter 177: New Year Goods

Second sister-in-law Guan bought seasonings and left the shop. She followed them to the cloth shop and ordered a tael’s worth of cotton.

This was indeed not a small amount. One had to know that cotton was light. Even though it was expensive, one tael of silver was already a lot. At the very least, it was enough for all the children in the family to buy new cotton jackets. The adults would also have a few catties of cotton left for themselves!

They spent four coins to buy some supplements. The Guan family did not mind. They would see who in the family had tattered clothes which needed mending to ask for cloth from Mother Rong.

After they came out of the cloth shop, Second sister-in-law Guan led Second Brother Guan and Fifth Brother Guan to buy brown sugar, ordinary sugar, osmanthus sugar, and cinnamon. They also bought some bowls, rapeseed oil, pastries, dried fruits, a few jugs of wine, couplets, lanterns, a large barrel of oil, incense sticks, firecrackers…

There were so many things.

Even Second Brother Guan and Guan Chixi were dumbfounded.

Their family bought so many things?!

And their family could actually afford so many things?!

Second sister-in-law Guan was dumbfounded as well. She had bought them according to Mother Rong’s instructions. Her family had discussed this beforehand. Who knew that after buying them, there would be so many things?!

In the past, the Guan family was so poor that they could not fork out much money. They only wanted to be fed during the new year. They had never bought so many new year goods!

Especially since there were three babies this year, they had steeled their hearts and decided to buy some fruits such as apples and pears. These fruits were transported from other places. As they were heavy, the transportation cost was expensive and they were not sold cheaply.

However, Ye Lulu said that when the babies grow up, they would be able to eat solid food and other things. It would be best if they could eat some apple mash.

Children should eat more fresh fruits.

So she bought them.

Second sister-in-law Guan went to buy other miscellaneous items. She bought needle, thread, and a few sticks of red candied haws.

After buying all the things…

Second sister-in-law Guan and the rest finally went home excitedly with a huge pile of things, their faces red!

As there were too many things bought later, the grain shop and cloth shop could only send workers to help them carry the things and send them home.

Second Brother Guan and Guan Chixi were carrying a lot of things on them. Their hands, shoulders, and backs were all full. They tried their best to bring along the items that they had bought. Second sister-in-law Guan did not idle around either. The few of them returned home panting.

They had never bought so many things before, so they had underestimated the number of people required. They should have called Guan Chibei over!

The workers were working in the Guan family’s house. The wall had already been mostly built, and it had become colder over the past few days. The mountains were especially cold, and only the Guan family was working. It felt a little warmer.

Second sister-in-law Guan and the rest entered through the door and felt at ease when they saw the wall. They put down the items. The workers from the grain shop who followed them had bitter expressions. They carried the grains up the mountain. Second sister-in-law Guan also asked them to put the bags in the courtyard.

After checking that there were no missing goods, the workers who carried the items to their house went back down the mountain. Second sister-in-law Guan loosened her bones and started to call for help. “Hurry over and take stock of things!”

Guan Chibei and Father Guan were the ones who stayed at home today. They walked out from Ye Lulu’s house. Second sister-in-law Guan quickly instructed them, “Carry the grains into the house in the backyard. Yes, remember not to put them in the kitchen. The winter stove will be too warm and insects might grow…”

“Place all the sugar, dried fruits, and pastries in the cabinet of Mother’s house. The house in the backyard is too messy… Place the seasonings in the jars in the kitchen and the bowls and plates near the stove. Keep the rapeseed oil, couplets, lanterns, incense sticks, and firecrackers in the house in the backyard as well…”