Chapter 319 It's the Spring Festival again (two in one)
January 31, 2022, the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, New Year’s Eve
Zuo Guoqiang looked at the brightly lit buildings in the distance, but there was silence in his ears. He couldn't help but scratch his head and said to Tian Demao next to him.
"I've spent several Chinese New Years in Quancheng, but every time I don't set off firecrackers during the Chinese New Year, I feel like something is missing. In our hometown, at this point, we two brothers can't hear each other when we talk to each other."
Tian Demao has lived in the capital for many years and has long been accustomed to the rule that no private fireworks are allowed to be set off during the New Year, and he even expressed his full understanding.
"Although setting off firecrackers during the Chinese New Year is lively, it is also very dangerous. It also pollutes the air and makes a lot of noise. There are benefits to banning it."
Zuo Guoqiang nodded. He was born as a farmer and dropped out of school before finishing the third grade of junior high school. He had great respect for Tian Demao, a great professor and even a little admirer.
He often told Zuo Le in private to ask his son to listen more to Tian Demao.
In Comrade Lao Zuo's mind, if Tian Demao can be a professor in a university, he must be well-informed and knowledgeable. It would be better for his son to learn more from him than to cross the river by himself.
The two brothers were talking on the balcony, and Zuo Le walked out of the room with a speechless face: "Dad, you two don't mind the cold outside. It's Chinese New Year, don't freeze, come in with me quickly."
The son/son-in-law spoke, and both fathers were very considerate and followed Zuo Le back to the inner room of the villa from the balcony.
Being in the north, Quancheng is quite cold in winter, so Zuo Le installed a complete heating system in the villa. No matter how cold the wind is outside, when you enter the house, it will be as warm as spring.
Several people came to the living room. Miss Zuo was sitting on the sofa playing with her mobile phone. Tian Yan fell asleep during pregnancy and went into the bedroom to catch up on her sleep in the afternoon. The two mothers took the nanny to prepare for the New Year's Eve dinner.
Zuo Guoqiang circled his eyes and asked, "Xiaoxiao, where is your father?"
Miss Zuo pointed to a room in the distance with a closed door: "Grandpa felt dizzy because of the bright lights in the living room, so he went to the study to listen to a play."
When Zuo Le heard this, he raised his head and looked at the big lamp hanging on the roof, which illuminated the living room as bright as day.
This light intensity is fine for normal people. Mr. Zuo is old and frail, and his eyesight is not very good. He usually stays at home at night, except for cooking and eating, and turns off the lights at other times. He says it makes him dizzy.
Zuo Le went to the old man's study and took a look. The old man turned off the lights, lying on the rocking chair he bought specially, holding a video player in his hand, and leisurely listened to Shan Lao's "The Complete Story of Yue Yue".
Without disturbing the old man and seeing that he was fine, Zuo Le returned to the living room and took another look at the exquisite chandelier above his head.
"I'll buy a low-light lamp later and install it. This one is really too bright."
"What are you messing around with?"
Zhuang Cuicui, who heard the commotion, rushed out of the kitchen and lectured: "Your father can come here a few times a year, but he doesn't like to go out at night, so we can just accommodate him. Your house is so big, if you don't light up the lights, you won't be able to do it."
I’m so scared.”
"Well……"
Zuo Le thought about it carefully. There were only a few people in the room. If the lights were dimmed at night, it would be completely dark. It would be a bit scary.
Comrade Zuo also had the same idea. Mr. Zuo didn't like to move, let alone travel far away.
If I hadn't used the excuse of my grandson's daughter-in-law's pregnancy this year, it would have been impossible to coax someone to come over. Next year I might be able to use my great-grandson to "cheat" her, but after that it's hard to say.
Moreover, every time the old man comes, he goes back a few days after the New Year. He doesn't like to go out at night and goes to bed early. If it hadn't been New Year's Eve today, the old man would have gone to bed long ago.
Although their sons are rich now, Zuo Guoqiang and Zhuang Cuicui are both used to saving. When they heard Zuo Le was so "spending", they naturally wanted to stop him.
He remembered Zuo Le saying that the chandelier in the living room was worth hundreds of thousands, which made him sometimes feel that the lamp emitted pink light. If he replaced it, the money would be wasted.
Zuo Le said nothing.
Based on his experience, regardless of whether the lamp is changed or not, the wisest choice is to shut up and not speak now, otherwise this matter will never be over.
Sure enough, Zuo Le didn't say anything, and Comrade Zuo also stopped his activities. Zhuang Cuicui mumbled twice and returned to the kitchen.
During this period, Miss Zuo and Tian Demao didn't say a word.
Tian Demao is an old man and knows that this is a family matter of the Zuo family and he is not comfortable speaking, so as long as there is no quarrel, he pretends not to hear it.
As for the reason why Miss Zuo didn't speak, it's even simpler. Zuo Le understands her parents, and she, as a daughter, is not bad at all.
Based on her experience, if she had spoken just now, she would have been rebuffed by Zhuang Cuicui saying, "When adults speak, why do children interrupt?"
Dongshan Province is heavily influenced by the culture of filial piety, especially among the older generation in rural areas, where parents have great authority.
Few of them know how to respect children's free will. What they believe is that parents will not harm their children, and children should obey their parents' arrangements.
This situation will gradually improve until the children grow up and start a family.
In the Zuo family, Zuo Le got married, started a family, and had a successful career. He already had the right to talk to his parents on an equal footing, and even vaguely became the backbone of the Zuo family.
Regardless of Zhuang Cuicui's usual chatter, taking care of things and asking questions, if something big happened at home, her first thought would be to ask Zuo Le for advice.
In comparison, don't look at Miss Zuo, who owns hundreds of millions of real estate and is extremely wealthy.
But in Zhuang Cuicui's eyes, she is still a student who goes to school with her family's money, commonly known as a little girl, and has a pitiful low voice in the family.
Miss Zuo has seen through it a long time ago. She is also smart. She learns from her elder brother Zuo Le. On the surface, she never confronts her parents and maintains family harmony. If she really has any ideas, she secretly comes in secret.
Of course, Zuo Le came here secretly and no one cared about it. Miss Zuo was able to hide it from her parents, but she had her brother and sister-in-law supervising her.
However, Zuo Le and his wife are very open-minded. As long as they don't do anything extraordinary, Ms. Zuo's life is still very free.
………
The others were doing their own thing. Zuo Le was chatting with his two fathers. As they were talking, they saw Tian Yan and the full-time escort coming down from the second floor.
Tian Yan became pregnant not long after she got married. She is now nearly 7 months pregnant and her belly has begun to show.
You have to be extra careful when sleeping at this time. Tian Yan is not considered honest when sleeping, so Zuo Le and the full-time pregnancy escort take turns watching her.
Later, Zhuang Cuicui felt that Zuo Le was too dangerous, so she discussed it with Tian Yan and hired an escort. She and Tian's mother Su Fang could also take turns helping.
Zuo Le had no choice but to separate from his wife and move out of the bedroom. He had to suffer by himself for several months before the child was born.
Seeing Tian Yan coming downstairs, Zuo Le just wanted to stand up and greet her, when he saw Lao Tian darting to the stairs in a few steps, carefully supporting his daughter. His mother, Zhuang Cuicui, and mother-in-law also rushed out of the kitchen, surrounding Tian Yan to greet her.
Have you slept well?
are you hungry?
Have something to make up for your loss, some soup specially made for you?
Even Zuo Guoqiang, who never asked questions, stood up. He was too embarrassed to go to his daughter-in-law, so he took the initiative to clear the sofa and let Tian Yan come over so he could sit and rest.
Zuo Le scratched his head. Although he had witnessed Tian Yan's treatment as an old Buddha many times before, he still couldn't hide his shock every time he saw it.
It's too exaggerated!
Miss Zuo no longer dares to play with her mobile phone. She is young and cannot do the delicate work of serving "Lafayette". However, she must maintain respect for "Lafayette", otherwise she will not be able to pass the "Grandma Zhuang" test.
In fact, Tian Yan herself was very uncomfortable with this kind of treatment. She was carefully helped to the sofa and sat down, and she immediately looked at Zuo Le asking for help.
The two parents were watching here, but Zuo Le didn't dare to interfere. He gave a self-seeking look and huddled in the corner with the eldest daughter Zuo.
After struggling for a long time, after confirming that "Lafayette" was in good health, Zhuang Cuicui and Zhuang Cuicui continued to cook. Lao Zuo and Lao Tian went to the teahouse to drink tea and accompany Shen Ren, leaving Zuo Le, Tian Yan and Miss Zuo as the big light.
"Ahem..."
Zuo Le looked at Zuo Xiao dangerously and signaled someone to get out of here.
Miss Zuo rubbed her thumb and index finger together, Zuo Le nodded, and she stood up and left without saying a word.
In fact, Miss Zuo is not short of money, but blackmailing her brother has become her habit, and it can be regarded as the brother and sister's behavior pattern in getting along.
Blackmail and counter-blackmail, cheating and helping each other.
It may seem a bit childish to others, but the brother and sister are quite happy with themselves.
When the last light bulb went away, Tian Yan immediately relaxed, hugged Zuo Le and complained that he was being bossed around every day and had no freedom at all.
This has also been the couple's regular routine for the past two days. During the two days of Chinese New Year, there are many people at home, and there is not much private space for the two of them. But Tian Yan is so depressed that now that he is free, he can't help but express his bitterness to Zuo Xiao.
.
What can Zuo Le do? Just coax him.
In fact, speaking of it, some of the things Tian Yan complained about were even at his instigation. However, the blame was taken by the escort and the two mothers. He himself was "pure and flawless" and was still a good comrade in the same trench in Tian Yan's heart.
.
Of course, Zuo Le's original intention is for Tian Yan's good, and Tian Yan himself understands that complaining is just a matter of complaining, and he usually does as he is told.
After singing and denouncing the "tyranny" for more than half an hour, Tian Yan felt much better.
At the same time, the New Year's Eve dinner was also prepared, and everyone gathered together to have a lively reunion dinner, bid farewell to the old year, welcome the new year, and wish each other good luck.
After dinner, the old man felt sleepy and went back to sleep. The others sat in the living room and watched the Spring Festival Gala.
………
Although the CCTV Spring Festival Gala has been criticized every year and its ratings have been declining, in the minds of many people, it is still the first entertainment choice during the New Year.
Even if you don’t watch it, you still have to turn it on and listen to the music, otherwise this year will feel incomplete.
The same is true for the Zuo family.
And this year I heard that an artist from Zuo Le's company performed a sketch, and Zuo Le himself also participated in the scriptwriting work, so everyone was even more interested.
The New Year's Eve dinner was a little late, and by the time everyone started watching the Spring Festival Gala, it was almost 9 o'clock.
But it doesn’t matter, the Spring Festival Gala program schedule published online shows that Shen Teng’s skit will be broadcast at 9:15, which is plenty of time.
At this time, the person singing on the screen was very familiar to Zuo Le. He was Gu Xiaoge, the first brother of former Shanhe.
Speaking of which, there were many artists related to Shanhe in this year's Spring Festival Gala. In addition to Gu Xiaoge and the artists who participated in Shen Teng's sketch, Sha Yi and Hong Tao also participated in the Spring Festival Gala.
Sha Yi co-operated in a skit, and Hong Tao, as the representative of Kong Wen, participated in a poetry recitation program with all military artists.
Gu Xiaoge's performance was good, she performed solo in the Spring Festival Gala, and she received absolutely top-notch treatment.
His singing was okay, but his singing was just average. At least Zuo Le looked at the reaction of the family next to him, and after listening to it, he showed little interest, and his comments were all centered on Gu's appearance.
After Gu Xiaoge stepped down, two more popular stars appeared and sang a new version of "Old Brother". The effect was quite satisfactory, slightly better than Gu Xiaoge's.
The next program was a dance, in which a man and a woman performed various difficult movements in a ring in the air. Zuo Le himself was not very interested, but others watched with interest.
After the dance, the host came out to announce the curtain, and finally came to Shen Teng's sketch - "Today's Happiness".
Along with the applause, the lights on the stage flashed away, and Shen Teng and Lei Jiayin appeared in the center of the stage.
"Where is your wife?"
"out."
"I'm telling you, Deng Xiaoliang, are you a Biao? Who do you want me to play? When I play your son, she can believe it unless she is also a Biao."
"My wife definitely believes it."
"Oh, then you two have bumped into each other. Two hundred and fifty met Leng Tou Qing, commonly known as the twin brothers."
It must be said that Shen Teng's comedy talent is very strong, and the rhythm of his lines is also very stable. Putting the humor in his mouth, which is not so good at first, actually has a magical effect.
When Zuo Le saw this, his eyes suddenly lit up.
When it comes to observing artists' performances, he is an expert among experts. Shen Teng just said a few lines, and he could see that Shen Teng's acting skills have made great progress compared to the period of "Charlotte Trouble".
And today's performance was in particularly good condition, relaxed and natural, and lifting weights with ease.
Even Lei Jiayin, who was a little panicked at first, quickly calmed down and got on track after a few words with him.
"This kid is going to take off."
Zuo Le was very pleasantly surprised. Shen Teng's current acting skills can be ranked among the top in the entire country, and he is already at the level of being the leading actor on his own.
Zuo Le was still hesitant before, but now it seems that after "Charlotte Trouble", Shen Teng will have the confidence to challenge Yu Euntai's position as the number one brother.
After Sha Yi and others left, their "newcomers on the job" plan was successful. In the next step, Cen Kun, Zhang Ze, Wu Jing, Duan Long, Guo Jinfei, Lei Jiayin and others will also gradually increase the allocation of resources.
As long as two or three first-line players are cultivated, the impact of the previous departure of Sha Yi and others will be completely offset, and Shanhe's ability to "make stars" can also be demonstrated.
Zuo Le is pondering the training route for Shanhe artists, and TV sketches are also continuing.
Unlike movies and TV series, there is enough time to tell the background of the story and lay out the plot line.
The time of the sketch is limited, so the audience must be brought into the set situation quickly, and the plot of the sketch cannot be too complicated to avoid confusing the audience.
The background of the skit "Today's Happiness" is very simple. Lei Jiayin plays Deng Xiaoliang. His wife has prenatal syndrome, has a bad temper, and is worried about the future of her child.
So Deng Xiaoliang thought of a bad move and asked his good friend Hao Jian, played by Shen Teng, to play the son who has traveled from the future to say some nice words to appease his wife.
The name Hao Jian made many viewers laugh. The image of Shen Teng and the character of the character he plays do seem to live up to his name.
The background is clearly introduced and the plot begins.
Ma Lili, Shen Teng's old colleague from "Sad Tofu Nao", plays the role of the daughter-in-law. She has a bad temper and is very dissatisfied with her husband. There is also a joke about Lei Jiayin.
"You see when people praise other people's husbands, they all say that your husband is really capable, your husband is really talented, and your husband is really promising. It's my turn to praise me - your husband has such a big head."
"Hahaha."
Zuo Le laughed. Lei Jiayin had always been nicknamed Lei Big Head or Lei Datou in the company. He had also expressed his dissatisfaction. This time the Spring Festival Gala came, which completely sealed the nickname.
————
ps: Originally, I wanted to create or adapt a niche sketch, but the result was not very good, so I decided to choose Shen Teng’s own work...
