By the twenty-ninth day, every corner of the house had been swept with a feather duster, and the few pieces of furniture had been wiped clean. The New Year's goods were all ready, and Father Zhou even bought some firecrackers to set off on the evening of the thirtieth and the morning of the first.

  Zhou's father asked a villager who wrote couplets to write some for their home and pasted them on the door with flour paste.

  Spring returns to the earth, blessings fill the home.

  The characters were written very large and neatly, Zhou Xiaoyun admired them for a long time, thinking that she would practice her calligraphy well next year to write couplets for her family.

  Time seems to be passing especially slowly in the anxious hearts of the children. After finishing lunch at 12:30, Dabao felt that the afternoon was particularly long. He looked forward to nightfall, and even when playing, he was a bit distracted.

  As for why?

  All children know that after dinner is the most anticipated part: giving out red envelopes!

  In the evening, the whole family went to the bathhouse in a neighboring village for a bath.

  It turns out that taking a bath is a major problem in Zhou Xiaoyun's life. When the weather is warm, she can still boil some hot water at home to take a bath, but when it gets cold, it becomes a hassle. There is no public bathhouse in the village, and the nearest one is in her aunt's village, which takes more than an hour to get to round trip. This directly results in Zhou Xiaoyun taking a bath only once or twice a month. There's no way around it, she can only endure it, and don't think she's dirty, everyone is like this.

  Before the New Year, of course, we need to take a bath and get clean for the New Year. Uncle Zhou also wants to take Da Bao and Xiao Bao to get their hair cut, as both kids' hair has grown over their ears.

  Many people have this idea, so the small bathroom is crowded with women bringing their children to take a bath. There is no shower, just a hot and steaming water pool, the water is not clear but somewhat murky. Zhou Xiaoyun controlled herself not to think about how many people had washed in the pool before, quickly finished washing and dressing, came out and saw that her father had already taken Da Bao and Xiao Bao out.

  After a while, Zhao Yuzhen came out with Er Ya in her arms.

  Zhou's father was going to take his sons to get a haircut, and Zhao Yuzhen naturally followed them to the barber shop.

  The small house, usually quiet, was packed with people today. After waiting for a while, it was finally the turn of the three members of the Zhou family. The barber's skills were not particularly impressive, and he uniformly shaved everyone's head to be short and flat.

  Zhou Fu and Da Bao Xiao Bao stood together in a row, their heights ranging from tall to short, all with the same flat heads. Zhou Xiaoyun couldn't help but smile when she saw them.

  Zhao Yuzhen's gaze fell on Zhou Xiaoyun's head, and Zhou Xiaoyun secretly called out "not good". Sure enough, Zhao Yuzhen spoke up:

  "Hey girl, your hair hasn't been cut for half a year and it's already down to your shoulders, go get a haircut!"

  Don't cut! It's finally possible to braid a small ponytail!

  "Mom, I won't get a haircut then. Look at Uncle's business, it's so good and there are so many people waiting."

  This is it, many people are waiting for them to finish shaving and come over to shave their heads!

  "But your hair is too long, it's a hassle to comb."

  Zhao Yuzhen is busy every day at home, several children and a courtyard full of chickens, ducks and pigs to feed, how can she still have the energy to braid her children's hair?

  "Mom, you forgot! I combed my hair myself, it didn't take up your time. Let me keep my hair long, I like braids, short hair looks like a boy."

  Zhou Xiaoyun started using colored hair ties to braid her pigtails as soon as her hair grew past her ears, never bothering Zhao Yuzhen with it.

  Zhao Yuzhen had nothing to say, since the child's hair didn't need her to comb it herself, she just let it be!

  Zhou Xiaoyun successfully dispelled Zhao Yuzhen's idea and kept her own hair, feeling quite happy. The hair didn't have any good shampoo to wash it with, so it was a bit dry and yellowish, but it was still relatively soft. Zhou Xiaoyun planned to get some sesame seeds to eat in the future to improve her hair quality.

  After arriving home, Zhao Yu Zhen started preparing the most important New Year's Eve dinner of the year.

  On the square table, several large bowls of dishes were placed, including braised fish, braised chicken, meatballs and stir-fried eggs. The rural people all emphasized that they had the four essential dishes for the New Year's celebration: "chicken, fish, meat and eggs".

  This meal was eaten by Zhou's siblings with round and smooth bellies. Xiaobao ate a lot of fish, which made Zhao Yujuan very happy.

  After dinner, Father Zhou went into the house to get something.

  Dabao was excited beyond words, and Zhou Xiaoyun was also infected by him, looking forward to the lucky money.

  Usually, they have little to no pocket money, at most one or two jiao to buy some pencils and erasers. Who wants to be penniless? Unfortunately, their family is not well-off, and Dabao and Zhou Xiaoyun rarely have money on them.

  Zhou's father started giving out the lucky money one by one, and Dabao, being the eldest, got his red envelope first. He opened it and found two yuan inside, and let out a loud "oh".

  Two dollars can buy a lot of small toys. Especially the "fire whip" that boys love to play with during the New Year, which is as big as a matchstick and makes a loud noise when lit. It costs one cent per box, and Dabao has been craving it for a long time. Now he finally has the money to buy it, how can Dabao not be happy? At this moment, Dabao's math skills became sharp, calculating that two dollars can buy twenty boxes, and playing two boxes a day is also possible.

  Zhou Xiaoyun opened one of her own, not unexpectedly also two yuan. She didn't exaggerate like Dabao, but smiled slightly with great restraint, thinking about buying a brush to practice calligraphy next year.

  Xiao Bao didn't get much pressure money for the new year, just one yuan, but that was enough to make Xiao Bao happy. Holding a brand new one-yuan bill and playing with his brother in a heap.

  The little girl got five cents as a symbolic reward, and she happily put the money in her pocket, bringing a burst of laughter from her parents.