"I haven't eaten like this for a long time. Today's meal is delicious. It will satisfy my craving." Second uncle Li Dezhong put down the bowl and chopsticks, lit a cigarette and took a nice puff.

"It's just drippings. The last time I ate like this was when Xiaowen came back the year before last and ate braised pork buns." The second aunt Cui Yanzi on the side continued.

"The meat still tastes delicious. If we can have such a meal every now and then, our life will not be in vain." Li Deyou took a nice sip of the wine and said with emotion.

"I just thought about it all day long and had a meal every now and then. In the past, even landlords would not dare to eat like this.

I've seen you so greedy all day that you drink even after eating." Wang Chunmei rolled her eyes at Li Deyou and said with a smile.

Li Wen and other juniors listened to their parents' bickering and covered their mouths and snickered.

"Hurry up and do your business, the baby is here! I don't want to lose face one day." Li Deyou's old face turned red.

After the meal, the women began to wash pots and dishes, while the men were bragging and farting in the yard and listening to the radio.

The whole family, old and young, sat in the yard, playing games and chatting, it was very lively.

Li Wenzheng and his father and uncle lifted the flower cards. His mother, Wang Chunmei, walked in from the door and shouted: "It's time to stop playing and see. It's time to post couplets."

"Okay, let's clean up now. I forgot about it, but I didn't expect it was already past four o'clock." Li Wen looked at his watch and said hurriedly.

"Post couplets!" Several little guys who were eating melon seeds and making steamed buns in the yard jumped up immediately.

Li Wen smiled. In a child's mind, posting couplets means officially celebrating the New Year.

Because it was time to post the couplets, my second uncle Li Dezhong and his family also packed up and returned to their home.

"Brother, I'm going to get the couplets. You go and hold the big bench. I'll post them for you later." Li Wen said to Li Wu with a smile.

"Okay, it doesn't matter who posts it." Li Wu smiled and nodded.

The couplets of this era were basically all handwritten, and the Li Wen family's couplets were no exception. Li Deyou cut the red paper from a consignment store and asked a teacher from the brigade primary school to write it using a sweet potato.

The couplets are also very characteristic of this era.

First couplet: Love the collective and work hard without complaining

Second line: Build a country with one heart and one mind

There were very few door gods in those days, and printing them was too expensive. They were mainly peach charms with the words "Shen Tu" and "Yulei" written on them.

When Li Wen came out of the door with the couplets and peach charms, Wang Chunmei had already ironed the paste.

This paste feels more practical than glue. As long as it doesn't come into contact with water, it sticks very firmly.

The next step is to open the sticker, but before applying it, you need to wipe the dust off the door frame.

There are no iron doors now, they are all old-fashioned wooden doors. The door in Li Wen's house is better. It was specially made from the leftover wood when building the house two years ago.

Li Wen wiped the door frame with a rag, then applied paste on the couplets and stuck them on.

The wooden door painted with black paint was relatively short, so Li Wen could stand on a higher stool.

Li Wen's house is considered a good place. Most houses in the village don't use stools on their doors. They can just stand and stick them up.

"Brother, Xiaomin, please watch! If I post it crookedly, please tell me, otherwise it will be a joke." Li Wen stood on the stool and said.

"I know!" Children love to do this.

"Brother, it went to the left!" Li Min was directing from the side.

"No, go to the right." Li Juan retorted.

"Little sister, are you right? Should you go left or right? If you go further to the right, you will hit the wall." Li Wen turned around and asked with a smile.

"There is obviously such a big gap! Why is it on the wall?" Xiao Lijuan pointed to the left airway.

"Haha!" Everyone looked at the direction the little guy was pointing and laughed. It turned out that the little guy couldn't tell the difference between left and right.

"Little sister, that's the left side." Li Wen laughed to tears because of the little guy's wrong and reasonable look.

When the little girl saw everyone smiling at her, she immediately blushed and ran away screaming, making everyone laugh again.

Without the little one's trouble, Li Wen quickly finished posting the couplets and hung up the peach charms.

After posting the couplets, the men were free again, but the women became busy. They had to prepare the meals for the family dinner in the evening.

It was getting dark. Although there was no electric light, candles were lit at the door of every house.

I don’t know which family started it first. The sound of firecrackers gradually filled the village, and the smell of sulfur and gunpowder gradually filled the air.

Every year on New Year's Eve, the relatives who are not out of town will visit the house with meals, first pay New Year greetings to their elders, and then have a dinner together.

In the evening, when relatives gather for New Year greetings, they usually go to the oldest family first, and then go from family to family in turn.

Uncle Li Wen and his wife have passed away. Grandpa Li Wen is the second oldest. The old lady is still alive, so naturally she left the Li Wen family first.

After the cannon was fired, it was getting dark. Li Min and Li Yong were sent by Li Deyou to play at the door while waiting for the relatives who came to the door.

"Dad, my seventh uncle and the others are here!" Li Min, who was playing at the door, saw that the people coming were the two sons of the Fourth Master's family, and immediately shouted towards the back room.

When brothers Li Deyou heard Li Min's voice, they quickly took brother Li Wen out to greet him.

"Second mother, we wish you happy new year!" The two sons of Li Deyou's fourth uncle's family shouted loudly before they entered the house.

"Desheng, the Germans are here, please sit down in the room." Li Deyou quickly stepped forward to greet him.

After the two brothers Li Desheng entered the hall, they kowtowed to the old lady as a New Year greeting.

After the New Year greetings, the old lady gave New Year's money to the children of the younger generation who came with the Li Desheng brothers, which was only two cents.

"Desheng, you and I, sit down quickly, Tiedan baby, let me give you some candies." Because we were kissing each other, the old lady even took a few toffee and stuffed them into the two little kids.

As soon as everyone sat down, Li Dequan, the third uncle who had fought with the Li Wen family a few years ago, came in with his young grandson.

"Second aunt, wish you a happy New Year. My mistress is here to wish you a long life." Third uncle Li Dequan led Li Shoucai's two-year-old son in and kowtowed to the old lady.

"Okay, okay, get up! The third child brought the child up to the kang. It's cold on the ground." The old lady smiled and nodded, and asked Li Dequan to put the child on the kang.

As time went by, the relatives first visited their closest cousins, and then began to come to Li Wen's house to pay New Year's greetings.

Not counting Li Wen's family, there were almost twenty people in the main room at that time, and it was almost impossible to stand.

After the New Year greetings, the Li Wen family had four full tables. None of the women and children of the Li Wen family were seated. Those who were seated were all the elders and the children who came to visit the family.

Although four tables were opened, Li Wen's family did not have the luxury of serving a full table of dishes. They only served three dishes per table.

Although Li Wen's house provides few dishes, there are many dishes on the table, because everyone who comes to Li Wen's house brings one or two dishes of their own.

In the past few years, life in the village has been relatively good, and everyone is reluctant to use chopsticks, taking a bite or two of each dish.

However, Li Wen's family is an exception. Everyone knows that Li Deyou killed pigs this year and left a lot of meat, so he finished the plate of meat and vegetables served by Li Wen's family.
Chapter completed!