The Sweetness of the Seventies
Chapter 575 - 546: Soaking in the Hot Springs, Leak_1

Chapter 575: Chapter 546: Soaking in the Hot Springs, Leak_1

Upon arriving at Qijia Village, how could one not experience the hot springs of Qijia Village?

Wang Shuping couldn’t take Jiang Liping over, so this task was handed to He Tiantian; He Jingyu, accompanied by Huo Yingjie and Huo Zhekun, went to soak in the hot springs.

Emerging from the hot springs at the back mountain, everyone’s cheeks were rosy and flush.

After applying moisturizing cream, they felt utterly nourished.

"Tiantian, the hot springs in the back mountain here are really nice," Jiang Lifang said, "No wonder Yingjie is a little reluctant to think of home. If I had the time, I would also want to stay here."

He Tiantian smiled and replied, "We come up here to soak almost every other day, unlike before when we could only bathe in hot water at home during winter. It’s so cold, and easy to catch a cold, but soaking in the hot springs is different. As long as we keep warm, we won’t catch a cold. It’s invigorating and relaxing."

"That’s true, but there are quite a few people," Jiang Lifang commented, it would be nice to have a private pool.

Jiang Lifang didn’t like sharing a pool with others but also knew that one couldn’t expect special treatment in Qijia Village.

"Aunt Jiang, don’t worry," He Tiantian explained, "Those hot springs are originally scalding water, with bactericidal and anti-inflammatory properties. By the time it flows to where we bathe, it’s not too hot, but since it’s flowing water, it’s relatively clean." She was worried that Jiang Lifang might find it dirty to share the hot springs with everyone.

Jiang Lifang laughed and said, "I’m not worried about it being dirty, I just find it a bit embarrassing with so many people."

He Tiantian smiled wryly, saying, "At first, I wasn’t used to it either, and when I went in, they all stared at me. Later, I made myself a thin vest and shorts to wear, and then they stopped looking at me."

"Who wouldn’t like and envy your fair and delicate skin?" Jiang Lifang laughed, but soon her own son would be the benefactor of it.

Huo Zhekun, on the other hand, felt even more at ease—not only was his body relaxed, but his mind too.

In that time, the stress, shocks, and various emotions he’d experienced all vanished. After thoroughly relaxing, he felt light all over, almost as if he was floating.

He took advantage of the free days to soak as often as possible during this period.

Since it was winter and everyone liked soaking in the hot springs, many pools were dug around the area and enclosed, ensuring privacy.

With everyone from the same village, the men’s pools were on one side and the women’s on the other, and no man dared to wander over to the women’s side for no reason.

On New Year’s Eve, Third Grandma Qi brought Old Man Qi over, and everyone celebrated the new year together.

On New Year’s Eve, the two families stayed up with Third Grandma Qi, staying in rooms that had been prepared in advance.

As Third Grandma Qi had long wanted to bring Old Man Qi to live with her, everything inside was well-prepared and tidy.

Old Man Qi was also very happy. Although there were others to celebrate the new year with at the livestock farm, he preferred to be with his family and younger generations now that he was older.

Third Grandma Qi decided then to keep Old Man Qi living in the yard so he could enjoy a lively old age for a few more years.

With the presence of Third Grandma Qi and Old Man Qi, as well as the He Family and Huo Family, the more people there were, the merrier it got.

He Tiantian, like a busy little bee, flitted from one to another, offering water here, fetching seeds or snacks there, busily enjoying herself.

Huo Yingjie also helped out. Whenever the chance arose, he snuggled up with He Tiantian in a corner of the room, whispering together.

With the adults around, Huo Yingjie couldn’t do anything inappropriate, so they just stood together and talked, and He Jingyu had no choice but to turn a blind eye to the two youngsters.

After midnight, Huo Yingjie and He Tiantian went out to set off firecrackers together—crackling and popping, nearly every household in the village was doing the same.

After setting off firecrackers, everyone rinsed their mouths, washed their faces, and then went back to their rooms to sleep.

Here, staying up for the New Year meant keeping vigil until firecrackers were set off at midnight.

After resting, everyone had to get up early on the first day of the new year to exchange New Year’s greetings, so they needed to sleep.

Without sleep, there would be no energy for the next day.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, it wasn’t just the adults who were spirited; the village children were brimming with energy too!

Each little rascal, holding a small bag prepared by their mothers, went from house to house to pay New Year visits, and then they would receive the New Year goods prepared by the household. If they couldn’t eat everything, they’d carry it with them. Once the bags were full, they’d take the goodies home and then continue their New Year visits.

Luckily, Qijia Village had a prosperous year, and everyone had prepared plenty of New Year goods. The whole year’s toil was well rewarded at this time, giving both adults and children their well-deserved treats.

The village children were blissful.

During the New Year, not only could they wear new clothes, but there were also lots of tasty treats.

He Tiantian took Huo Yingjie with her to pay New Year visits to several acquaintances’ homes, as well as to the educated youth spot.

The educated youth spot was lively now too.

Ever since Lin Xiaoru left, Huang Jingli had been living peacefully, maintaining a good relationship with the other zhiqing.

Wang Lei, Sister Wu, and the two couples, Ye Xiaofan and Zhang Qingshan, all had their own babies now.

Since they were joyous, He Tiantian brought some lucky money and during the New Year visits, gave each of the two children a fifty-cent red envelope.

As for Huashan and Cui Ying, although they had their own agenda in Qijia Village, they had gradually integrated into the life of the educated youth.

However, their work was rather special, with most of their time spent working inside the large tomb newly excavated on the back mountain. Now with the New Year, the archaeologists had gone home, leaving only the security guards on site.

By the time He Tiantian and Huo Yingjie finished their New Year visits, a steady stream of people came to Third Grandma Qi’s home to pay a New Year visit.

The courtyard was bustling with activity!

He Tiantian turned into a busy bee, starting to serve tea and water to everyone.

The point of the New Year was precisely this hustle and bustle.

It was only after four in the afternoon that the house quieted down a bit.

After dinner, everyone chatted together, and by nine o’clock, everyone had gone to bed.

He Tiantian found Huo Yingjie and asked him to accompany her to the back mountain.

Even though Huo Yingjie was reluctant, he had previously promised He Tiantian, so he had no choice but to tough it out and take her to the back mountain.

In the middle of the night, the cold wind howled, and all was silent.

However, since there was no one else around, they could walk hand in hand to the back mountain openly.

With Huo Yingjie there, nobody discovered their tracks.

Because of the snow accumulation on the mountain, the path was difficult to navigate, and they were slower than usual.

Arriving at the cave, Huo Yingjie opened the magical barrier and led He Tiantian inside.

But in the moment of opening the barrier, a trace of spiritual power leaked out.

Previously, Huashan had set up a minor array that was very inconspicuous but had a very good function: it could sense spiritual power, then notify Huashan.

By the time Huashan and Cui Ying arrived, there was no difference from any other time here.

Even in this place, there weren’t any extra footprints.

"Senior brother, could it be that we sensed it wrong?" Cui Ying felt disappointed, once again finding nothing, which was far below their expectations.

Huashan shook his head and said, "It shouldn’t be wrong! I suspect that person is too clever for us to track."