BYBOTE Chapter 55: Writing Spring Couplets, Celebrating the New Year

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A few days before New Year’s Eve, Xi Yanqing made three more batches of ice cream, about 900 popsicles in total—his last batch for the year.

In Yuqing Country, businesses usually closed for about ten days during the Spring Festival, so no one would be doing business during that time.

Xi Yanqing planned to sell this last batch before taking a break. There were still New Year’s goods to prepare, and he also needed to visit the Shi family.

Luo Fei didn’t know what to give them, so he quickly made a red jacket for Xiao Changle before the holiday and embroidered a zodiac pouch. Xi Yanqing brought these gifts along with the ice cream and went to visit Shi Shi, where he also discussed his idea.

“You’re saying you want to teach my people how to make ice cream?” Shi Shi asked, while showing Xi Yanqing three ice cellar design plans.

“Yes. I didn’t expect to find whitening powder before, and I wasn’t sure if it could really make ice. So, I never considered selling ice cream in the summer. I originally just wanted to stay busy through the winter and earn some extra money. But now that we know ice-making is possible, and we can sell ice cream in the summer, keeping the recipe to ourselves would be impractical. It makes more sense for you to take over production. I only have myself, and Luo Fei isn’t in a condition to help. Even if we got help from family and friends, we wouldn’t have the space to make enough. But for you, these issues wouldn’t be a problem.”

“Xi, to be honest, I had considered asking you for the recipe before. But since this was your and Luo Fei’s idea, Brother Li didn’t think it was right to ask,” Shi Shi sighed. “He believes friends should gain benefits from him naturally, but he wouldn’t actively take from them, even if the intention was to create mutual success. It’s a principle he follows.”

“Brother Li is indeed very thoughtful. But I’m offering this myself because I think, as you said, it’s best for everyone. It’s about resource sharing and maximizing benefits. There’s no downside.”

“Resource sharing? Maximizing benefits?”

“Yes, it means sharing assets, knowledge, and goods so that everyone profits more.” Xi Yanqing suddenly realized that the term “resources” might not even exist here. At least, he had never heard it used before.

“That’s an interesting concept,” Shi Shi said. “In that case, we can discuss the details after the New Year. Since you’ve brought it up, Brother Li shouldn’t object anymore. I’ll think about who to assign to handle this. Don’t worry, I won’t treat you unfairly.”

“Great. I still have New Year’s shopping to do, so I won’t stay long. Let me wish you an early Happy New Year.” Xi Yanqing cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

“And the same to you. Please send my regards to Luo Fei as well,” Shi Shi said, then called his butler. “Uncle Zhang, bring the items for Xi.”

“What items?” Xi Yanqing asked, confused.

“Some New Year’s gifts. If Brother Li were feeling better, we would have brought them to you ourselves. But since you’re here, you can take them back.”

“Thank you, Brother Shi and Brother Li.” Xi Yanqing waited, expecting some festive snacks. But to his surprise, two servants carried over two large chests—the kind used in historical dramas for dowries!

“This…” Xi Yanqing smiled wryly, “Brother Shi, this is really too much.” Didn’t they agree on just a little? If he emptied these two boxes, what else would he need to buy?!

“It’s not too much,” Li Siyuan stepped forward slowly. “It’s all food, most of it is specialty products sent by friends, perfect for everyone to try. There are also a few crabs in there—crabs are very cooling, so Luo Fei should eat less.”

“Alright, then I’ll accept it with gratitude. I won’t be polite with you two,” Xi Yanqing watched as the workers helped move the boxes outside and then used a cart to transport them to the ox cart waiting outside the town. He had come out today with Luo Ji and Li Yuehua since his mother-in-law and brother-in-law also needed to buy New Year’s goods. While he was visiting the Shi family, they had been shopping in the market.

“Yanqing, what’s this?” Li Yuehua asked curiously.

“These are some New Year’s goods from the Shi family,” Xi Yanqing saw that the boxes were sealed, so he didn’t intend to open them. But judging by their size, there was definitely a lot of food inside. He decided to change his plan and only buy the essentials—things like beef, pork, and firecrackers. After all, new clothes were already made, and new shoes were already bought. Once they had enough food, everything would be set. Speaking of which, it had been a long time since he had heard the sound of firecrackers in the city—now he could finally enjoy them to his heart’s content!

“Oh, right, Brother, did you buy red paper?” Xi Yanqing almost forgot—they still needed to write Spring Festival couplets.

“Yes, I bought a whole roll,” Luo Ji replied. He remembered how they used to go to the village chief’s house to have couplets written. Last year, Zhang Yangfan had gifted them a set. Originally, he thought they would have to go to the village chief’s house again this year, but now that wouldn’t be necessary—Xi Yanqing could write them himself.

On the way back, Xi Yanqing kept thinking about what to write for the Spring Festival couplets while chatting with Luo Ji and Li Yuehua. Before they knew it, they had arrived home.

The ox cart first stopped at the Luo family’s house. Li Yuehua unloaded her family’s purchases, and then Luo Ji helped Xi Yanqing unload the boxes at his place. Luo Ji had intended to drive the ox cart back afterward, but Xi Yanqing wouldn’t let him.

After telling Luo Fei that the boxes contained New Year’s gifts from the Shi family, Xi Yanqing opened them and set aside some items for the Luo family. He gave them things like venison, crabs, pork, a roasted duck, a variety of snacks, frozen fish, and flour…

There was no need to buy any more New Year’s goods—this was practically the ultimate New Year’s gift package.

Luo Ji repeatedly said, “That’s enough, that’s enough, Xi, you keep the rest for yourselves.”

Luo Fei, sitting on an empty box, said, “There’s so much, how can we finish it all? Brother, just take it.”

Xi Yanqing set aside about a quarter of the goods for the Luo family. As for the rest, he planned to send some to Han Yang and Han Xu’s family. As for Luo Yong and Jing Rong, there was no need to give them separate portions—they would definitely come over to celebrate the New Year together, so they could just eat at his place. At most, he could prepare some extra portions for them to take home.

“Did you talk to Brother Shi about the ice cream business?” Luo Fei asked after Luo Ji left.

“Yes. My guess was right—Brother Shi had the same idea but hadn’t brought it up. But we didn’t discuss the details yet; we agreed to talk about it in more detail after the New Year,” Xi Yanqing replied. He took the pork ribs, crabs, venison leg, and other items outside to freeze, then placed the snacks in a cool, well-ventilated area. “Wife, after dinner, can you help me cut some paper? I want to write a few Spring Festival couplets.”

“Sure! I also want to draw some other decorations. Do you think we can make paper-cut window decorations? I’ll draw them, and you can cut them out with a knife. I saw how they did it at Han Xu’s wedding,” Luo Fei said, already picturing the designs in his head.

“We can. Just show me which parts need to be cut out,” Xi Yanqing replied. He took off his thick coat and sat on the heated brick bed to rest for a while. Luo Fei, being considerate, had already set the dinner table on the kang. They had steamed buns and cabbage meatball soup. The soup had been freshly made after he got home, so the meatballs hadn’t fallen apart at all—they were delicious. The shredded cabbage had absorbed the broth, making it taste even better.

“I think our family is probably the only one in the village eating this well. It’s all thanks to you, Qing,” Luo Fei said, enjoying the soup with a satisfied expression.

“I think you’re the lucky star. If it weren’t for you selling embroidered pouches and meeting Shi Shi and Li Siyuan, things might not have gone so smoothly for us,” Xi Yanqing smiled. “Speaking of which, this might actually be the first time since I became an adult that I have someone to spend the New Year with.”

“Huh? That can’t be…” Luo Fei was surprised. “Didn’t you go to Liang Boyuan’s house?”

“I went once. But… how do I put it? I felt like I didn’t belong,” Xi Yanqing recalled. That year, his aunt had insisted he come for the New Year, and since he had injured his wrist and was resting, he had agreed. But after arriving, he realized he didn’t feel comfortable at all. His uncle was the eldest in the family and managed a large company, so many relatives came for the holiday. He felt completely out of place, like he and they lived in two different worlds. Especially when they talked about past family events—he could only sit there awkwardly and listen. He could tell that only his aunt and Liang Boyuan genuinely welcomed him. The others…

“The more people, the more drama. But it doesn’t matter, from now on, you have me,” Luo Fei said, scooping two meatballs for Xi Yanqing. “No, actually, you have us.”

“Right, we can’t forget about our little one,” Xi Yanqing smiled and glanced at Luo Fei’s belly. “Wife, have you noticed? Your belly seems bigger than before.” Before, it only looked bigger after eating, but now it seemed slightly round even when he hadn’t eaten.

“That’s normal… I just hope I’m not the one getting fat!” Luo Fei carefully touched his belly. He had also noticed—his stomach had started to show.

Xi Yanqing watched for a moment, then finished eating and started tidying up. Luo Fei rested for a bit before cutting the red paper. He measured the paper’s size, calculated how many couplets he could make, and then strung them up to avoid waste.

After washing the dishes, Xi Yanqing sat down and wrote out some couplet options on a scrap of paper, letting Luo Fei choose.

Luo Fei looked them over and picked:

"Family happiness brings wealth and prosperity; the Year of the Dog brings great fortune and luck."

Horizontal scroll: "Joy and happiness always."

Xi Yanqing held Luo Fei’s hand, and together they wrote the couplet, leaving it to dry naturally. The couple enjoyed a relaxing conversation before going to bed early for a rare full night’s rest.

Xi Yanqing had thought he could finally relax for a few days.

But the next morning, Jing Rong announced they were slaughtering a sheep.

And so, they spent the whole day butchering, burning off the wool, boiling water, and dividing the meat… By the afternoon, Xi Yanqing thought he could finally rest—until a bunch of people came asking him to write couplets!

Originally, no one knew Xi Yanqing could write Spring Festival couplets, but Li Yuehua had casually mentioned it, and now the whole neighborhood was asking for his help. Being a generous person, he agreed as long as they weren’t people he had grievances with.

The village had over 40 households, and Xi Yanqing ended up writing for nearly half of them. He was so exhausted that he ran out of inspiration.

“If I had known, I would’ve called you to help so I wouldn’t have had to write so many,” Xi Yanqing glared at Jing Rong, who was happily eating mutton and drinking soup.

“Hard work for the capable—twenty couplets is just some arm exercise for you,” Jing Rong teased. “By the way, when are you making dumplings? I can come help.”

"You know how to make dumplings?" Luo Fei asked.

"I can roll the wrappers, but I'm not very good at wrapping them—they tend to break easily."

"That works too! I'm not good at rolling dumpling wrappers!" Luo Fei said excitedly. "Then it's settled—when we make dumplings, you all come over to help! Qing-ge can chop the filling, and Luo Yong, can you knead the dough?"

"I can," Luo Yong replied.

"I'm pretty fast at wrapping dumplings, so let's make a big batch and freeze them. That way, whenever we want to eat some, we can just cook them right away!" Luo Fei said. Given the cold weather, they could just leave the dumplings outside, and they'd freeze solid in no time—nature's own refrigerator!

"Then let's just do it tomorrow?" Luo Yong said, "I've been craving dumplings for a long time."

"Then I'll come over after I finish with the sheep tomorrow," Jing Rong said. "I'll shorten the time tomorrow." Actually, there wasn't much to eat outside right now, but the sheep needed to be let out every day to run and stretch their muscles. It's just like people; if kept indoors for too long, they could get sick.

"Then I'll go get the meat into the house," Xi Yanqing estimated that the pork from his family would need to thaw overnight. The meat, both from gifts and what he bought himself, was all large cuts of pork. One piece of tilapia had been cut, and it was said that they'd thaw a piece when they were ready to eat. There was also a large piece left uncut. This one would be used for dumplings!

Two large pieces of pork could make a lot of dumplings.

When Luo Fei had first arrived, he was always wondering when he'd get to eat well. He hadn't expected that, just in his first year, they’d already be eating so well. Although it wasn’t always like this, having a year this rich was something to be happy about! It also made him more hopeful for the future.

The next morning, Xi Yanqing got up early to wash and chop the meat, while Luo Yong kneaded a large bowl of dough. Jing Rong was still out with the sheep, so the three brothers started getting busy. Luo Fei cleaned the green onions and prepared the cabbage, asking Xi Yanqing to chop them finely. They were going to make pork and cabbage dumplings.

Luo Yong set the dough aside and said, "Brother Xi, do you think I should raise sheep with Jing Rong?"

Xi Yanqing had brought up the idea of selling ice cream with Luo Yong as a reminder. He couldn't just focus on farming. Once he built a house here, he'd have access to two or three acres of land, but relying solely on farming to live a good life would be tough, unless they had dozens of acres and could avoid taxes. But he couldn’t read well enough to hope to pass the imperial exams, so avoiding taxes wasn’t an option. He had to think of ways to make a living elsewhere.

"After all, we can't let the wife and kids suffer, right?" This was what Xi Yanqing had said, and Luo Yong felt it made sense. A man who couldn’t provide a secure life for his wife and children wasn’t really capable.

Xi Yanqing had also considered raising sheep before, but he knew too little about it, so he said, "I don’t understand much about this. We’ll need to ask Jing Rong. Also, if we raise sheep, where will we sell them? Do we sell them at the market or deliver them to the restaurants? If we want to sell to restaurants, we’ll need to make arrangements in advance, or they won’t accept them. Or should we raise dairy sheep?"

"Dairy sheep are hard to sell. Who raises dairy sheep nowadays?" Luo Yong said. "You don’t know, but the sheep Jing Rong got from his family are mostly male sheep. Out of the 44 sheep he has now, over 30 are males. He only has two pregnant ewes, and a few other ewes that aren't pregnant."

"Can we still breed them now? Is it too late?"

"It’s hard to say. The best time for breeding has definitely passed. Jing Rong had mentioned this before. He said the best time to breed sheep is around October, because they get pregnant in May, and by October, the weather is warmer, and grass starts growing again. This way, the ewes can eat fresh grass, produce more milk, and the lambs grow better. He’s been thinking about breeding the sheep, but he doesn’t know if it will work."

"We’ll discuss it more when he gets back," Xi Yanqing said. "After the new year, I want to plant more fruit trees. Maybe we can even try raising dairy cows." Since they were still going to sell ice cream, why not try raising their own dairy cows? Although Jing Rong had never raised dairy cows, no one was born knowing everything, and they could always learn!

"Brother Qing, are you saying... we’ll supply the ingredients for making ice cream?" Luo Fei immediately thought of this. Why else would they raise dairy cows and plant fruit trees? They didn’t need that much for themselves, right?

"Exactly. We won’t be making the ice cream ourselves, but if we can supply the ingredients, it should be profitable. The fruit we grow, the milk we produce, and we can even raise chickens and sell eggs!" Xi Yanqing said. "Yeah, why can’t we have a diversified farm?" They had many people, and the land was good. They could take a bold approach!

"Let’s wait until Jing Rong gets back, and we can plan for next year!"

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