After the first month of the lunar year, spring ca about with gentleness and the vitality accumulated over the winter was ready to burst forth. The kids seed to be more sensitive than buds on treetops, which was why they couldn’t wait to rush out and play in the fields.
After eating the Qingming rice dumplings, the children look forward to eating zongzi(1) during the Dragon Boat Festival. Ti flew and the Dragon Boat Festival was coming in the blink of an eye.
(T/N: Large pyramid-shaped glutinous rice dumplings, wrapped in bamboo or reed leaf. Usually a good portion of at would be wrapped inside as well.)
It was the season to start harvesting, which was a ti where Han Qingsong helped with the sumr harvest at ho to earn work points. In order to encourage the rush to harvest, the Production Team divided the work into separate chunks and assigned it to the mbers. The more they worked, the more they earned. Han Qingsong then brought Dawang and Erwang to the fields before dawn whereas Maisui and Sanwang delivered their als for them. He alone could earn the work points of two or three people, so he didn’t intend to have Lin Lan go to the fields.
Before dawn on the Dragon Boat Festival, Lin Lan woke up with Han Qingsong. She took out the sachet she made and tied it on his belt, “Today is the day of the festival, you should have so breakfast before going to work.”
Han Qingsong looked at the sachet and was a little conflicted, “We can get done sooner if we start harvesting the crops earlier. It is better to go early and have our daughter deliver us our breakfast. Then, we’ll co ho and have lunch.” Embracing her in his arms, Han Qingsong bent down to kiss her on the lips, which made her glare at him.
The sachet was sewn by Lin Lan herself with so red cloth. It was filled with incense bought from the commune, as well as so moxa and wild chrysanthemums that were dried at ho. Wearing sachets on the Dragon Boat Festival was a custom in Lin Lan’s hotown in her previous life. Therefore, she just did it for the occasion.
Lin Lan tied it and patted his waist with satisfaction, “Okay, we’ll have the zongzi at noon, so co ho once you finish work.”
She heard Dawang and Erwang get up, so she rushed out happily with a basket, “Don’t leave yet, eldest.”
She took a sachet and hung it around Dawang’s neck.
Dawang was so surprised that he imdiately dodged, “What is it?”
Lin Lan smiled and said, “Wearing a sachet on the Dragon Boat Festival is good to ward off evil spirits. Be good, your father is wearing it too.”
Dawang wanted to run away and escape, but Han Qingsong ca out of the house right then, which flaunted the dazzling, bright red sachet around his waist.
Dawang, “…”
With just a look from Han Qingsong, Dawang’s legs felt like they were filled with lead. All he could do was to let Lin Lan fiddle with him.
Erwang held back his laughter and couldn’t bear to see his eldest brother in so much suffering, “Mom, why don’t you use a needle to sew it onto the waist of his pants?” That way, the shirt would cover it without anyone seeing.
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