On the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month, it was Little New Year.
That day, the Mo Family did not set up their stall and gave all the village helpers a day's wages, letting them take turns watching over the vegetable patch to prevent theft or mischief.
After having breakfast early in the morning, the whole family got busy.
Mo Qingze used a cloth strip to tightly wrap a small broom onto a four or five-meter-long bamboo pole for cleaning cobwebs and dust from the roof and corners. Lizhong followed behind him with a broom to sweep off the dust clinging to the walls.
Mo Yan dismantled a few quilt covers from the beds to wash and air them. Liyan was also kept busy, tidying and thoroughly cleaning all the jars and bottles in the kitchen, while Xin Er was responsible for drawing water from the well, assisting.
