After the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, the flavor of the year grew stronger. Mrs. Xue and Zhixin often went to town to buy things together, as New Year's goods were always needed. Mrs. Chen was leading Huixin and Jingya to make clothes at home because it was New Year's after all, and everyone needed a new outfit. Besides, this year, Huixin was getting married, and naturally, no one in the family could wear clothes that were too old, lest they embarrass Huixin.
Huixin's dowry was already almost ready. Originally, Mrs. Chen had planned to make some furniture, but the Tao family said that they were carpenters and would take care of it all, so the Xu family didn't need to worry about it. Thus, the furniture wasn't made, and Mrs. Chen saved the money meant for the furniture for Huixin, for her to keep as a nest egg.
