A large red lantern hung in the Xu family's yard, with a sixty-watt light bulb inside.
There is a plastic shed, and there are string lights of various colors on the garden sticks.
It’s the Chinese New Year, and this is the atmosphere we want.
Nowadays, life is getting better, and the electricity bills for the past few days are not bad. It is a good time for the family to reunite, and it is naturally as lively as possible.
With so many lights, the yard is very bright, even if the children don't light up lanterns, it will be fine.
But these children can't sit still, how can they just play in the yard obediently?
When the children from the neighborhood came over and shouted, these children would go out in a large area, jumping and sliding all over the street.
Xu Haiyuan took his younger brothers and sisters and ran to Su's house for a walk.
Xu Jinping and Xu Jinhui planned to help their grandma and grandpa make dumplings.
Anyway, there are a lot of people in the family, so it’s not a bad idea for them to come over and spend time with grandpa and grandma when they have time, so as to save them from loneliness.
When the old couple of the Su family saw their grandson and granddaughter coming, they were so happy that they brought out all the delicious food at home for the children to eat.
It’s the New Year, and every household is not short of food, let alone the Xu family.
The old couple bought it, Xu Shiyan divided it, relatives and friends gave it to them, and Xu Shiyan got it back first. There were plenty.
Apples, oranges and pears were placed directly in baskets and boxes in the outhouse, and the children could get whatever they wanted to eat.
However, the children were still very considerate, grabbing a handful of pine nuts and nibbling on a frozen pear with a bit of ice on it.
Su Weizhong grabbed several handfuls of candies and stuffed them into Xu Haiqing's coat pocket.
"Take it home and eat it slowly. If your mother dislikes you, just tell her that I gave it to you."
Xu Haiqing secretly glanced at his brother and sister, then nodded towards his grandfather with a smile, and patted his coat pocket with satisfaction.
I was thinking in my mind that I would hide the candy when I got home so that my mother wouldn't find it.
Xu Jinping had noticed her brother's little moves a long time ago, but she just didn't bother to argue with him during the Chinese New Year.
"Grandma, let me help you make dumplings."
The two girls took off their coats, scarves and hats, went directly to wash their hands, sat in front of the kang edge, and helped make dumplings.
Xu Jinping can roll out the dough and make dumplings, and the work is so fast.
I saw that she had a rolling pin in one hand and a dough ball in the other. She didn't even see how to roll it out, and the dumpling wrappers just came out.
After a while, there was a pile of dumpling skins in front of her. So she stopped rolling the rolling pin and started making dumplings.
Most Northeastern people like to use bone spoons when making dumplings, which are usually made from ground beef ribs and have a round front end, making them easier to use than kuaizi.
I saw a dumpling wrapper spread out in Xu Jinping's left hand. With her right hand, she used a bone spoon to dig out a piece of meat filling and put it into the dumpling wrapper. Then she grabbed and pinched it with both hands and the dumpling was made.
While Xu Haiqing was nibbling on a frozen pear, his sister had already rolled out the leather and wrapped it into a small half-covered curtain.
Although Xu Jinhui is not as quick at work as her sister, she is still pretty good. The dumplings she makes are small, delicate and pretty.
"What we, Pingping, do is really amazing. Among these girls now, they are also top-notch."
Han Cai'e looked at her two granddaughters and smiled happily.
"Hui Hui is pretty awesome too. She's so old, she can do any kind of cooking, and she makes dumplings so beautifully."
With the help of sisters Xu Jinping, the dumplings were naturally made much faster, and within a short while, the two curtains were full.
"Grandma, grandpa, let's go home first. After we finish eating the dumplings, we will be the first to come over and pay New Year's greetings to grandma and grandpa."
It's almost ten o'clock, and several children are thinking about cooking dumplings and setting off firecrackers at home.
Anyway, the dumplings are almost done, so I quickly tell Mr. and Mrs. Su Weizhong, get dressed and run home.
The Su family and the Xu family were only a little over a mile apart. For these children, it took no effort at all to slip and slide all the way and get home in a few minutes.
】
When I got home, I saw that the dumplings here had just been made and were being packed away.
The wrapped dumplings were placed outside in the shed covered with curtains, and the panels, pots, and kitchen knives were all taken away.
Then Zhou Guilan took a feather duster and swept away the white noodles on the kang.
"Don't talk about it, the leather of this kang is just good. Look at how slippery it is. It's also easy to clean.
Not to mention that the conditions are getting better and better now.
In the past, the Kang mats were spread out all over the house, and they were a bit dusty and earthy, and they were all hidden in the seams of the Kang mats.
The kang mat is used to wear clothes, and even good clothes are worn out on the buttocks first.
Later, I used the fiberboard to paint it. It was fine when it was new, but when the paint peeled off when it was old, it would hurt people."
Zhou Guilan muttered while sweeping the kang.
Kang leather is a new item used by Northeastern people to lay the Kang after the Kang mat and fiberboard.
They are sold in stores, most of them are 1.8 meters wide, standing in large rolls, and sold by the meter.
Depending on the quality and thickness, it costs from more than ten yuan to more than thirty yuan per meter.
This thing is better than kang mats or fiberboard, with a smooth surface and various patterns on it, with bright colors and exquisite patterns.
It should be said that apart from being expensive, there is nothing wrong with it.
Not long after this thing became popular, Zhou Guilan heard people say that Kang leather was good, so she went to the store and bought several pieces and replaced the fiberboards on all the Kangs at home.
"Well, it's quite good. There is still land reform in the county.
Some people have a cement floor at home and change into slippers when entering the house, which is quite good."
Chen Chunling had just taken the dumplings out and when she returned home and heard her mother-in-law's words, she smiled.
"How do you say this? It's called the times.
Today's life is really getting better day by day. When we were young, how could we have imagined that we would still be able to live such a good life?"
Probably because of the Chinese New Year, Zhou Guilan was particularly emotional.
After making the dumplings, the room was cleaned up.
Everyone was either sitting on the Kang or on stools, staring at the TV and watching the cross talk sketches, and from time to time they would be amused by the baggage the actors shook out, making the whole room burst into laughter.
At half past ten, Su Anying went to light the fire. Before eleven o'clock, the water in the two large pots boiled.
Zhou Guilan shouted, and the wives hurried to the kitchen to cook dumplings.
On the other side, Xu Shixian led his four younger brothers and the children at home to set up the heaven and earth table, distribute paper, and set off cannons.
The yard immediately became lively with all kinds of movements.
The crackle of firecrackers, the sound of fireworks exploding in the air, and the occasional exclamations of children.
Xu Chenghou and Chu Xuanhuai didn't go out. They were sitting on the kang, drinking tea.
Listening to the various sounds outside and watching the fireworks flying outside the window, the two old men laughed in unison.
"It's great. Life has to be like this. Only when there are many people in the family can it be enjoyable."
Chu Xuanhuai couldn't help but sighed.
"Yes, what do people want in this life? Isn't it just for future generations?
Seeing that my children and grandchildren are living a prosperous life, I don’t have much to worry about anymore.”
Set off firecrackers, cook dumplings, and celebrate the New Year with family reunion.
Steaming, fragrant dumplings were placed all over the table, and the faces of the men, women, and children in the family were all filled with happy smiles.
The whole family just got together and ate dumplings happily.
The children were gearing up and secretly hiding their thoughts, hoping to eat more money.
No matter who eats it, they will definitely shout, "Money, money."
Not to mention how strong I am, I just want to jump around in circles eight times.
Others looked at the people who paid for their food with envy, and then lowered their heads and ate hard, hoping to make some money.
The children competed with each other and ate a whole plate without even realizing it.
The adults looked at it and said, "No, what if I overeat?" He quickly advised me not to eat anymore.
After eating and putting away the dumplings, time is almost up.
When the twelve o'clock bell rang, Xu Haibo led his younger brothers and sisters, and the twelve children knelt on the ground in large groups, kowtowing together to pay New Year greetings to their grandparents.
"Happy New Year to my grandparents. I wish my grandparents a long life, peace and prosperity."
Xu Chenghou and his wife were so happy that they hurriedly took out a large stack of red envelopes from their pockets and gave them to each one.
The children thanked their grandparents in unison, then got up from the ground, happily received the red envelopes, and ran to the side.
Xu Haiyuan led his younger brothers and sisters, knelt down again and kowtowed to Chu Xuanhuai.
"Happy New Year, Master. I wish you good health, peace and joy."
Chu Xuanhuai was so happy that she couldn't open her mouth from ear to ear. She quickly called the children to get up and gave big red envelopes to all four children.
Over there, starting from Xu Shixian, the five brothers also took turns giving out red envelopes to the children.
Now that life is getting better, there are only a few children in the family. Each of them gives a red envelope of five or ten yuan to make the children happy.
This is the happiest time for the children. They all want to jump to the sky.
When I got the red envelope, I quickly put it in my arms. I felt so rare.
Xu Haiyuan led his younger brothers and sisters out and went straight to Su Weizhong to pay New Year's greetings to his grandmother and grandfather.
On TV, the finale program of the Spring Festival Gala has been completed, and there is nothing exciting to follow.
Xu Haibo and the others shouted, "Who wants to play poker?"
The naughty children were very excited about the New Year. Besides, they took a nap in the afternoon and were very energetic now, so they took the cards and ran to the West Room to play.
Xu Shixian and others didn't feel sleepy at all, so they simply moved out to mahjong. There was a table for men and a table for women, so it was good to play a few rounds of mahjong.
"Dad, do you want to come and play?" Xu Shixiang deliberately greeted Xu Chenghou who was on the kang.
"Okay, you can play with it yourself. I haven't touched these things in years."
Xu Chenghou waved his hand and said that he had given up gambling since he moved from Kuandian to Fusong.
In recent years, whether it is mahjong, cribbage, poker or Pai Gow, I have not touched it at all.
"Well, when your dad was playing cards, you guys weren't around yet.
Regardless of your father's age, if he really wants to play with you, it won't be enough to tie the five of you together."
Zhou Guilan said with a smile over there.
"When our family was still in Kuandian, your father would go out to make money as soon as winter came, and sometimes he wouldn't come back for a month or two.
It's the New Year's Day, and there's nothing at home. I'll get angry with your father when he comes back.
He wasn't angry either, he just smiled and left.
When I come back in three or five days, there are fish, meat, eggs, and cloth, and I even carry a lot of them home with my backpack on my back. I have all the New Year’s goods. It’s all his victory.”
Zhou Guilan couldn't help but talk about things in her early years.
Xu Chenghou loved to play when he was young. He was very fond of gambling. He would often go out for a long time and only go home when he ran out of money.
It was like this in Kuandian in those days. When winter came, there would be bureaus in various places, and whoever set up the bureau would have to draw money to control the food and drink of these money-makers.
Needless to say, if you lose, you rarely get any money home if you win.
Usually, people are paid to buy good wine and meat, and the food is gone after just one meal.
No one will get rich by playing around with money, but if Xu Chenghou wants to win some money and buy New Year goods for his family, it is really not difficult.
Speaking of which, Xu Chenghou also has some abilities.
Even after the Xu family fell into decline, he sold pig bristles, opened a powder mill, and a weaving mill. He did a lot of business and made some money.
But there's no point in making money anymore, because I can't stand being surrounded by money geeks.
As soon as those people saw that Xu Chenghou was rich, they tried to get rid of Xu Chenghou's circle. After a few months, there was no money left.
After all, I moved to Fusong. There is no such environment around me, and there are no influence from those money-makers.
In addition, as he is getting older and has more children at home, Xu Chenghou also knows that he should live a good life.
Only then did he stop thinking about making money and live his life as he should.
"Look, how many years have passed and you are still mentioning it now?
Fortunately, all my grandchildren have gone to the West Wing, otherwise where would I put my old face?"
Xu Chenghou was not annoyed after hearing what his old wife said, he just smiled and said slowly.
Xu Shixian and others laughed when they heard this, and this article was considered exposed.
The old couple were too old to stay up too late, so they went to the east room to rest.
Chu Xuanhuai couldn't stay up late, so Xu Shiyan and his wife did not play mahjong, but helped Chu Xuanhuai back home.
After Chu Xuanhuai was settled, he added a lot of coal to the boiler, lit some more fires on several kangs, and checked to see if there were any abnormalities everywhere.
Everyone knows that during the Chinese New Year, his family spends time with his parents, fearing that someone might come in and do something.
The deadbeats stay away from home every Chinese New Year and go to the mountains and forests to stay.
Mainly because there are too many people at home, especially on New Year’s Eve when the firecrackers are too noisy.
The little guy likes peace and quiet, but he finds it too noisy, so he hides out during the Chinese New Year and doesn't come back until after a while.
At around one o'clock, Xu Haiyuan and others came back first, followed by Xu Haibo and others.
You guys don't need to take off your clothes, just sleep together like this.
I slept until dawn and quickly got up and went to Xu Chenghou's place to have breakfast.
On the morning of the first day of the new year, I will definitely eat dumplings.
After dinner, the neighbors first went around to pay New Year greetings, then went to Han's house, and then Xu Haiyuan led his younger brothers and sisters to Guo Shouye's place.
The Ginseng Company's performance was very good last year. The workers have been busy for a year and it is time to relax.
On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, people from the yangko troupe perform yangko in company yards, high schools, elementary schools and other places.
Nowadays, life is getting better and every household has a TV, so not many people watch this movie, so we won’t book a movie theater this year.
But this Yangko dance only happens once a year.
So at the Ginseng Industry Company, everyone, men, women, old and young, came out of their homes and ran to the street to watch the Yangko dance.
Even at this end of Donggang Town, many people came to join in the fun. Not to mention the scene, the sea of people was so spectacular.
In addition to dancing yangko, the Shenye Company also made ice and snow in the open space east of Shenchang Elementary School, in front of the company building, and at the entrance of the health care products factory.
Especially in the large open space at the east end of the elementary school, there are dozens of withered ice and snow of various colors.
There are a lot of lanterns in this area. From the 30th of the New Year to the 15th of the first lunar month, the lights are on and they are very beautiful. There is no need to go to Songjiang River to see the ice lanterns.
There is also a large open space to the north of Shenchang Primary School, and at the other end is the Snow Great Wall, with steps at one end and a long slope at the other end.
The slope is the best place for children to play.
Get a small sledge and slide it down from the top in one go. You can slide it a long way.
Some children don't have a sledge, so they simply find a piece of plastic sheet or paper shell as a cushion, and they can slide down, and they still have a lot of fun.
As for the primary school playground, a skating rink has been built since the beginning of winter vacation.
A physical education teacher from Shenchang Elementary School teaches children how to skate during the winter vacation.
Xu Haiqing has been busy this winter. He went skating in the morning and learned to sing and dance in the afternoon.
During the Chinese New Year, teachers no longer teach students. The skating rink is open, and the children around are enjoying themselves. They wear homemade skates and have a great time.
On the night of the first day of the Lunar New Year, fireworks were set off at the company building.
Residents and factory workers gathered around, looking up at the fireworks.
Some people were too lazy to come and watch in their own yards.
These fireworks are not the ones that are set off every night on the 30th.
These are specially customized at a place. The fireworks fly high and when they explode, various patterns appear, which is very beautiful.
In the evening, Xu Shiyan and others also came to watch the fireworks.
Watching the colorful, bright and beautiful fireworks exploding in the sky, bursts of exclamations erupted all around.
"Don't these half an hour of fireworks cost a lot of money?"
Su Anying stood next to Xu Shiyan, looking up at the fireworks as beautiful as flowers exploding in the sky, and asked Xu Shiyan casually.
"Well, it's more than a hundred thousand. It's Chinese New Year, just for fun.
Everyone has been busy this past year, so something new will help them relax."
Xu Shiyan smiled, stretched out his arms to hug his wife, and the two leaned together, looking up at the fireworks.
"This is about making money. You need to figure out how to make more.
There is no need to spend money, just spend it however you feel comfortable with. As long as everyone is happy, the money spent is worth it."
The first day of junior high school passed by in such a lively manner, and on the second day of junior high school, Han Liwei came back with Xu Shiqin and his two children.
The whole family gathered together, took family photos, roasted the whole lamb, and cooked pots. It was another lively day.
On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Xu Shixian and others had to accompany their daughter-in-law back to their parents' home. The whole family had been reunited for six or seven days, and it was time for everyone to do their own thing.
Mr. and Mrs. Xu Chenghou prepared a lot of things for their sons, including pork, chicken, goose, radish and cabbage, fried snacks for the New Year, skin jelly, etc. Every family is old and young.
"Oh, Dad, Mom, we have them at home too.
You should keep these for the two elders to eat, you really don’t need to give them to us."
Xu Shi first took a look, is this okay? Mom and dad are planning to vacate the house, right? That's not possible.
"You two live in a building, and the fourth one lives in a public housing unit without a vegetable garden.
Don't think I don't know, you have to buy everything to eat.
These radishes and cabbages were all grown by your father. They were specially picked from the cellar years ago and left for you.
Eat these first when you go back. Those dried beans, dried eggplants, bracken, monkey legs, etc. can be stored in them. Save them for when there is no food in spring."
Xu Chenghou and Zhou Guilan couldn't help but stuff the things into the trunks of Xu Shixian, Xu Shide and Xu Shixiang's cars.
When they came, the trunk was filled with a lot of things for their parents. When they came back, their parents filled the trunk for them.
What is carried here is by no means as simple as food, but the care and love of the old man for his children and grandchildren.
"Mom, Dad, let's go then. Take care of yourself, please, and call if you need anything later.
We all have cars now, so it’s convenient to come back.”
These guys have all been promoted, and they are high enough to be equipped with a car. Nowadays, the management is not strict, so it is okay to drive back.
"Third brother, our brothers are in constant contact with you. What's the matter with you? Remember to greet us.
It's up to you and your parents to take care of your parents. We are far away and can't be seen."
Xu Shixian turned around and said a few words to Xu Shiyan.
"Well, brother, don't worry. Our father and mother are in good health and nothing will happen to them. Yingzi and I will take good care of them." Xu Shiyan nodded towards his brothers.
In this way, the Xu brothers all drove away, and Xu Shiyan and Su Anying also led their children to the Su family.
Last year, when both Su Anying and Su Anfen spent the Chinese New Year in Yangcheng, the Su family could not get together.
It's a good year. All six sisters from the family are back, and the Su family is now reunited.
Mr. and Mrs. Su Weizhong looked at the room full of people, grinning from ear to ear with joy.
The brothers-in-law got together, drank, played cards, and boasted, and they all had a great time.
From the fourth day of the first lunar month to the sixth day of the first lunar month, the Ginseng Industry Company and Donggang Town jointly held a cultural performance to welcome the New Year.
The performance was held in a movie theater. How can anyone watch movies nowadays? The movie theater has long been idle, and most of the seats are broken and unusable.
The movie theater is not profitable and no one is repairing it, so it just sits there with no one taking care of it.
The cinema in Donggang Town is very large and can accommodate many people, so it is used as a performance venue.
The villages under Donggang Town, all units in the town, schools, factories and units of the ginseng industry all sent representatives to participate in the performance.
Shenchang Primary School also selected a program, and Xu Haiqing was the one who played a leading role in the representative team of Shenchang Primary School and performed in several programs.
This kid, partnered with a teacher from their school, performed a cross talk.
Even though he is young, he is not afraid at all when he goes on stage. He teases and teases with the teacher, making the people below him lean forward and laugh.
Later, they sang together with the classmates again, and Xu Haiqing was the one leading the singing.
At the end of the day, this guy came up and wrote another allegro, which made the whole room even more excited.
"Third brother, I think you should send Hai Qing out to learn folk art.
This child was born to eat this kind of rice. Hey, why do you think he is so fun?"
Yang Junxian, Huang Shengli, Zhao Jianshe and others were all sitting in the front row of seats.
Seeing Xu Haiqing performing on the stage, Yang Junxian couldn't help but sigh.
"Well, don't worry, let's finish reading the book first and then talk.
With our family's conditions, to say it's a bit crazy, Hai Qing will be able to eat and drink well for the rest of her life even if she doesn't do anything in the future.
It's good for children to be interested, but they can't eat based on their interests.
You see, those folk performers are very prosperous on stage, but they also suffer a lot behind the scenes."
Xu Shiyan had already thought about this matter.
In his opinion, even if Xu Haiqing is really this material, he can't send him to school right now. He doesn't want his children to suffer.
The child is still young, so it is important to study.
If Xu Haiqing is really interested in literature and art in the future, it will be easy. It will not be difficult to get into an art school or something.
It's not possible right now, it can only be cultivated as a hobby, and the main focus must be on learning.