Chef Hua

Zhenwei Garden and Daoxiang Garden closed temporarily, and the craftsmen at the new home site were given time off for the New Year. As Chinese New Year’s Eve approached, there were hardly any farmers left working in the fields of Fire Knife Village.

Apart from the rainy season, this was the most rightful time of the year to rest to one’s heart’s content. There was no need to worry about making money, and the delectable food usually too precious to buy could now be enjoyed without restraint. The rich Chinese New Year’s Eve dinner embodied hopes for a bountiful harvest in the coming year, and every household was immersed in a joyful and festive atmosphere.

Making new clothes, doing a massive clean-up, washing the fortune and prosperity figurines... Although Hua Xiaomai no longer had to busy herself daily at Daoxiang Garden, she still hadn’t had a moment’s rest. Every day, Old Lady Meng hustled her from one task to another without pause. She couldn’t even take a leisurely stroll into the village with Meng Yuhuai. The moment she dared to step out the door, Old Lady Meng’s roar would be on her heels immediately.

"With that spare time, don’t you know to go back to your room and get some proper rest? Look at your belly. It’s hard even to walk a few steps now, and you still can’t settle down. Why go through the trouble? Don’t make me smack you!"

Hua Xiaomai couldn’t win against her. Lowering her head to glance at her own round belly, she felt an inexplicable helplessness. Forbidden from entering the kitchen and not allowed out of the front door, she simply stayed at home, doing what little she could, or consumed all the nutritious items Old Lady Meng made, watching herself grow even plumper.

On Chinese New Year’s Eve, it was Old Lady Meng who took charge of the feast. She had been busy in the kitchen for most of the day and took a moment to submerge a silk pouch filled with nutmeg, platycodon, Sichuan pepper, aconite, and other medicinal herbs into the well.

Since Hua Xiaomai was pregnant and close to giving birth, this year, the family of three didn’t stay up late to usher in the new year. They enjoyed their meal happily, chatted for a while around the brazier, set off a string of firecrackers, and then retired to their rooms, sleeping until the sky was bright.

Whether it was because winter was too cold or the baby inside her was too fond of sleeping, Hua Xiaomai had become increasingly lazy. Getting up each morning had become the most painful ordeal. Even if Meng Yuhuai wasn’t at home, she could still linger in bed for a good long while. These days, with both having nothing to do, she was even more insistent, relentlessly clinging to him, demanding he stay with her a little longer.