CHAPTER 185: CHAPTER 185: DIRTYING MY CLOTHES

185 Dirtying My Clothes

Zhao Yue pointed in the direction of the Ancestral Hall. "Right next to the hall! The Village Chief and a few uncles are hanging firecrackers. It’s a huge string of them! After they go off, there will definitely be a lot of unexploded ones on the ground. Are you coming to pick them up? If you’re late, others will get them all."

Zhao Zhitong immediately shouted, "Yes, let’s go!"

Then she told Sun Mei and ran off after Zhao Yue.

Zhao Yu and Zhao Cheng also heard about picking up firecrackers, and their eyes lit up. Even Zhao Cheng, who usually acted as mature as a little adult, was only ten years old. He was still a child, right at the age for playing and having fun.

For children, New Year was all about the excitement of setting off a few firecrackers.

After the firecrackers at their own home had been set off, any unexploded ones left on the ground had already been picked up by these two boys. Now, hearing that a huge string of firecrackers was going to be set off outside the Ancestral Hall, they were both itching to go.

Once Sun Mei nodded her approval, they dashed off, running after the others.

Only Zhao Ya, who was more reserved, stayed by Sun Mei’s side, watching the lion dance and the flower sedan.

...

By the time Zhao Zhitong and the others arrived, many children from the village had already gathered. The Village Chief and a few strong men from the village were busy hanging the string of firecrackers on a large tree outside the Ancestral Hall.

Seeing that the firecrackers were about to be lit, the adults hurriedly shooed the children further away.

"Go on, all of you, move further back! Don’t get hurt!"

The children, seeing that the fuse was about to be lit, clapped their hands over their ears and, whooping and yelling, scattered backward.

Zhao Zhitong was incredibly excited. This was her first time experiencing such a New Year celebration, and she found it wonderfully lively and fun.

As Zhao Leizi, the Village Chief’s eldest son, lit the firecrackers, a deafening series of CRACKLES and POPS instantly erupted.

Once all the firecrackers had finished, the children swarmed forward. The village adults shouted at them to wait a bit before picking them up, fearing some might still explode.

But the children paid no heed, pouncing on the unexploded firecrackers like cats spotting fish.

Zhao Zhitong, seeing so many people scrambling for them, widened her eyes and yelled, "Ah, they’re going to take them all! Big Brother, Xiao Ge, charge!"

Shouting at the top of her lungs, she rushed forward.

It didn’t take long for Zhao Zhitong to gather a small handful, though her small hands struggled to hold them all. In truth, there weren’t many firecrackers, but her hands were tiny. She also didn’t want to dirty her new clothes by putting them in her pockets, so she carefully used both hands to pick them up.

Finally, when both her small hands were full and she couldn’t hold any more, she ran to find Zhao Cheng.

"Big Brother, Big Brother! Look how many I picked up!"

Zhao Yue looked up and started to tease her. "Zhao Zhitong, you haven’t even picked up half as many as I have! And what kind are those? They don’t have fuses; how are you going to light them?"

Zhao Zhitong huffed proudly. "Zhao Yue, you dummy! If there’s no fuse, you can break them open to make sparkling barrels! My big brother knows how. They’re so pretty."

Hearing this, the other village children nearby gathered around, asking how to make them.

And so, Zhao Zhitong began to brag.

While she was happily boasting, not far from them, Zhao Cai and Zhao Yun stood surrounded by many village girls, their heads held high with pride as they listened to the envious compliments around them.

"Wow, their new clothes are so pretty! And their hair ornaments are lovely too. They’re truly beautiful."

"The embroidery on their clothes is exquisite! I’ve never seen anything like it!"

Then, a little girl’s haughty voice piped up.

"Of course! Our clothes and jewelry are the latest, most fashionable styles from the county town. You’d never find things like this at the small marketplaces you go to."

Zhao Cai’s voice was sharp and piercing. Zhao Zhitong instinctively looked towards the sound and saw the two sisters, Zhao Cai and Zhao Yun, dressed in flamboyant attire, standing in the crowd like proud peacocks.

She was about to see what else they were doing when Zhao Yue and the others tugged at her, urging her to quickly teach them how to make sparklers.

Zhao Zhitong pulled her gaze away and went back to playing with them.

Meanwhile, the children surrounding Zhao Cai and Zhao Yun grew even more envious upon hearing that their clothes and jewelry were the most fashionable styles from the county town.

"Wow! So, is this how the young ladies in the county town dress? It’s just so beautiful!"

"You two look exactly like young ladies from the county town!"

...

Hearing herself compared to the young ladies from the county town, Zhao Cai tilted her head even higher, her face beaming with pride as she basked in the chorus of envious praise.

Zhao Yun was also incredibly proud, but she was more adept at concealing it than Zhao Cai. She maintained a gentle smile, which made her stand out distinctly among the group of plainly dressed village children.

Just then, one little girl, overcome with envy, reached out to touch Zhao Cai’s dress. Zhao Cai instantly recoiled, swatting the girl’s hand away. "Hey, what do you think you’re doing?" she snapped. "Don’t touch my clothes! If you get them dirty, can you afford to replace them?"

The little girl was none other than Zhao Miaomiao, the daughter of Mrs. Zheng, who was known for fawning over Mrs. Wang. Envy practically dripped from Zhao Miaomiao’s face.

Hurt by Zhao Cai’s words, she didn’t dare get angry and merely whispered, "Sister Cai’er, my hands aren’t dirty. I just washed them; they’re very clean. I just wanted to feel the fabric. I want to ask my mom to buy me a dress like this too."

Zhao Cai sneered. "This is high-quality merchandise from the county town. Can you even afford it? Hmph!"

After saying her piece, she lifted her foot, ready to walk away and look elsewhere. Then, she spotted Zhao Zhitong surrounded by a few boys, chatting.

She glanced at the new clothes Zhao Zhitong was wearing: a rose-pink satin jacket trimmed with rabbit fur. The rabbit fur was exceptionally white and clean, making Zhao Zhitong’s small face appear fair and rosy.

Today, Zhao Zhitong had abandoned her previous tomboyish hairstyle. She wore a hanging bun, adorned on each side with a light green velvet flower and a string of light green beads. Wispy bangs framed her forehead, making her look as adorable as a doll from a New Year painting.

Zhao Cai felt a surge of displeasure. She glanced down at her own satin jacket, a flicker of jealousy in her eyes. Why should that jinx get to wear such nice clothes and be dressed so beautifully? Shouldn’t she be like the other village kids, dressed in shabby clothes, her face chapped and red like a monkey’s butt?

Then, an idea sparked in her eyes. She darted to the side, grabbed a handful of mud, and crept up behind Zhao Zhitong. Then, she smeared the mud directly onto her new jacket!

Feeling a push from behind, Zhao Zhitong spun around just in time to see Zhao Cai pulling her hand back.

The mud still clinging to Zhao Cai’s hand didn’t escape Zhao Zhitong’s notice.

Zhao Zhitong immediately clutched her jacket, inspecting it. Sure enough, there on her shoulder was a large, black handprint!

Zhao Zhitong’s expression instantly darkened. She glared at Zhao Cai. "You dirtied my clothes."

Caught red-handed, Zhao Cai panicked for a moment. But then, she jutted out her chin and declared defiantly, "It was an accident!"

She then brushed the mud from her hands, tilted her chin up, shot Zhao Zhitong a triumphant look, and turned to leave.

"Stop!"

Zhao Zhitong strode forward and grabbed her arm. "Did I say you could go?" she snapped.

Then, she repeated with emphasis, "I said, you dirtied my clothes!"

It was clear that, at this moment, Zhao Zhitong was truly furious.