PDLP Chapter 272 New Year’s Eve
Chapter 272 New Year’s Eve
Chapter 272 New Year's Day
There was an old Chinese doctor in the compound. He came to see my little sister and found that she was in good health and was rescued in time. Apart from being nervous and sleeping for a few extra hours, she was almost unharmed.
After this incident, the younger sister was under house arrest and could only move around in the compound. She had nothing to do, so she started reading books. It seemed like she had suddenly become sensible.
Everyone found it strange at first, but later they got used to it. With Qiu Huoming, a top student, at home, they don’t have to worry about the studies of their two younger sisters. They can just ask whenever they don’t understand something, and Qiu Huoming will always respond to their requests.
The 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month is the day when the Kitchen God goes to heaven to report on his work. Early in the morning, Chen Suniang was kneading dough with glutinous rice flour at home. Qiu Huoming smelled a fragrance before he got up. The first pot of Kitchen God cakes with sugar filling had been steamed.
The first pot is for the Kitchen God. It is said that if he eats sweet food, he will say good things. This pot of cakes is placed neatly as an offering in the kitchen, with gauze covering it to prevent the surface from cracking over time.
The filling of the second pot of Sending Kitchen God Baba is pickled vegetables, diced pork belly and dried tofu. The filling needs to be fried in advance. As soon as this pot is out of the oven, everyone can start eating.
By the time Qiu Huoming had finished washing up, his younger sister had already secretly taken a stove god cake and was eating it. Not only that, she was still muttering, "I really want the Kitchen God to go to heaven every day..."
Chen Suniang covered her mouth with her hand, and said with a pious look, "I'd like to trouble the Kitchen God to go to heaven and say something good about our family."
The eldest sister was smart and immediately agreed: "Thank you, Kitchen God..."
Qiu Jianshe came out from the inner room holding a newspaper and said with disdain, "These are all superstitions."
Qiu Jianshe stopped him because he was afraid that the TV would fall to the ground. This thing was very precious.
Grandpa held up his pipe and shouted, "Old woman, come in and take a look!"
Grandpa was also stuck when he heard this.
They went in and chatted. Qiu Huoming put the TV on the cupboard in the living room, and then went to the yard to set up the antenna.
"How can it be true? How can it be true?"
“This cow looks just like the real thing.”
He has been doing well in physical fitness recently, and his legs are regaining some strength. In the past, he would not have been able to walk a distance of more than ten meters without help.
Qiu Huoming simply pushed his bicycle, and his whole family followed him, walking towards the coal factory in a mighty manner.
In the morning, Qiu Huoming put the TV into its original packaging box, removed the antenna, placed it on the back seat of the car, filled a basket with vegetables and hung it on the handlebars, intending to deliver it by bike.
Behind her was Qiu Huoming who was pushing a cart, and behind her were Chen Suniang, Qiu Jianshe and her eldest sister.
In the dormitory of the coal factory, the old couple of the Qiu family were waiting at the door early in the morning.
We will have these stove-god cakes for breakfast today. Chen Suniang’s cooking skills are excellent, and the cakes are just the right softness and hardness. If you don’t mind wasting oil, you can put these steamed cakes back into the pan and fry them until both sides are golden brown. They will taste even better.
Now, he can follow his parents to greet Qiu Huoming and his party at the door.
Chen Suniang carried the basket and went into the kitchen with her mother-in-law. The good thing about having a separate house is that the entire kitchen is their own.
They were putting up a temporary projection, so the antenna didn't need to be built in a formal way, so it was placed directly on the wall. There was already a clothes drying rack here, so it was set up soon. The noise attracted a few children who were playing in the factory, and they lay at the gate of the yard and looked inside.
Qiu Huoming then fixed the angle of the antenna and jumped off the chair.
When Qiu Huoming and his group arrived, his second uncle had just walked to the door with the help of a crutch.
My younger sister fell into the water not long ago, and her family still treats her as a patient.
We made an appointment a few days ago and everyone will go to the coal factory to celebrate the New Year.
This year is special, grandpa and grandma came to the city.
On New Year's Eve, according to the old rules, the younger ones in the family were responsible for pasting up spring couplets, Qiu Huoming was responsible for setting off firecrackers, and Chen Suniang was responsible for preparing the New Year's Eve dinner.
After a while, the TV in the living room showed images. The eldest sister was responsible for shouting, and Qiu Huoming was responsible for switching the antenna.
For breakfast, I had fried eggs and noodles, mainly to fill my stomach.
Early in the morning, the Qiu family had already pasted up the couplets, set off a string of firecrackers, and set off two extra large landmines. The yard was covered with red firecracker debris, which looked very festive.
The grandmother, who was washing vegetables in the kitchen, wiped her hands with a rag and walked into the living room. A TV series was playing on TV, showing a farmer plowing the field.
"Hongshuang, come in quickly, there is a fire inside..." Grandma reached out and covered the little sister's hand, then led her into the living room.
Although the coal factory has good profits, almost no employees can afford a TV.
After the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, the days seemed to be accelerated, and in the blink of an eye it was New Year's Eve...
Grandpa smiled and said, "It's true."
Chen Suniang glared at him, and he immediately changed his tone, "But it's also a tradition, quite interesting."
Second Uncle sat back in his chair and stared at the TV in the living room with curiosity.
"Brother, that's enough, don't move."
Wrap the excess thread around the nail and hang it.
Grandma was surprised.
Because the Qiu family did not celebrate the New Year at home, the firecrackers were set off early in the morning. The custom in Wucheng County is to set off firecrackers before eating the New Year's Eve dinner. The New Year's Eve dinner is not actually eaten in the evening, but starts at three or four in the afternoon.
Everyone can eat the sugar-filled Kitchen God cakes after today. The main feature is that they are both an offering and not wasted. These days, everyone is not well off, and eating Kitchen God cakes can sometimes make children happier than during the Chinese New Year.
She couldn't take her eyes away for a moment.
There is no electricity in rural areas yet, and the only luxury electrical appliance is a tape recorder that can play cassettes, which is particularly popular among young people in rural areas.
"Grandpa, grandma, and second uncle!" When the little sister saw them at the door, she just ran over.
After breakfast, Qiu Huoming took a basket and sent some stove cakes to his grandparents' house. They gave them in return and he took some back.
The weather is nice today, but the air is hazy. When winter comes, the air is not very clear. In the living room, there is a brazier filled with coal, which makes the room warm. The brazier is made of pottery and there is a footrest on it, which can also be used to warm the feet.
I’m afraid most elderly people in rural areas don’t even know what television is.
I've only heard of such a thing.
Chen Suniang poked her head out from the kitchen and said, "Mom, you and Dad can stay in the living room and watch TV. I can do this job by myself..."
Grandma replied, "Well, I just took a look. I'll have to watch it again in the evening..."
She looked away and hurried back to the kitchen.
Qiu Huoming looked at them, and simply took the extension cord to the yard, placed the small table where his cousin did her homework in the yard, and carried the TV out.
In this way, he could see the TV from the kitchen window and the yard from the living room. He moved his second uncle's chair forward a little, and the viewing angle was just right.
The children at the gate of the yard stayed outside obediently at first, but when they were not paying attention, they all slipped into the yard, leaned against the corner, stared at the TV, unable to move.
The younger sister simply picked out some melon seeds and gave some to everyone.
The children soon became familiar with the little sister, and their laughter could be heard from the yard.
Grandpa also walked to the door of the room and moved a small stool. He knocked on his pipe, took out a pack of tobacco from his pocket, pinched some and held it in his hand, while instructing Qiu Huoming, "Huoming, put up the couplets at home."
"Okay." Qiu Huo had heard about the matter of posting the couplets early in the morning.
He immediately took out the couplets and the paste that had been prepared in advance.
The house where my grandfather and his family lived had been abandoned for a while. This was the first New Year since my grandfather and his family moved in, and the door was empty.
The eldest sister was responsible for checking whether the couplet was placed straight. Qiu Huoming took the couplet and first brushed a layer of paste on the back, then made the gesture to paste it.
"Brother, come a little to the left... too much, too much, go back a little, hey, it's done!"
Qiu Huoming was quick-eyed and quick-handed. He pasted the one on the right side, and then followed suit and pasted the one on the left side. The horizontal scroll was easy to make and was pasted directly above the door frame.
There was a character "Fu" pasted on the gate of the yard, and even on the jujube tree, there was a character "Fu" pasted on it.
Once the couplets were posted, the whole compound suddenly became more festive.
While washing vegetables, grandma chatted with Chen Suniang: "You guys should come more often. It's New Year's Day now. It's so lively when Huo Ming and his friends come. I feel so happy..."
Chen Suniang laughed and said, "These kids are like monkeys, they can't sit still..."
"It's a pity that the third girl is not here. She won't be back until the second day of the new year."
"My eldest daughter is the same. She won't be back until the second day of the new year."
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law get along well with each other. In the kitchen, they prepare dishes while chatting and watching TV from time to time.
It was noon and no one at home was eating. If I was hungry, I would go to the dining table and eat some fried rice candy or a fried egg.
Not long after, the TV was forcibly turned off by grandpa, and the group of children dispersed.
"It's open at night, so we shouldn't watch it in broad daylight. Otherwise, what if something gets damaged..."
At almost three o'clock, Chen Suniang shouted from the kitchen, "Huo Ming, go set off the firecrackers!"
"Okay." Upon hearing this, Qiu Huoming knew that the New Year's Eve dinner was ready to be served.
He put down the book in his hand, took the basket and walked out from the corner of the room.
In the basket were the firecrackers and "landmines" that the third aunt had prepared in advance. A long string of firecrackers was spread out, and the younger sister followed out, eager to try, "Brother, light it for me..."
The eldest sister had been hiding aside. She covered her ears with her hands and looked over here.
Qiu Huoming handed the matches to his little sister and squatted down with her.
With a "pop", the match lit up. The little sister stretched out her hand and brought it close to the fuse of the firecracker. "Sizzle..." The black fuse flashed an arc and quickly faded away...
Qiu Huoming picked up his younger sister and quickly retreated to the yard.
"Crackle!" The firecrackers bounced in front of the gate of the yard. The smoke and the sound blew up an area at the gate, leaving no place for people to stand.
The younger sister stood with Qiu Huoming, and she said excitedly: "Brother, the firecrackers at grandpa's house are so loud, louder than ours!"
Grandpa sat on a small stool, knocking off his cigarette ashes while shouting, "This is called an electric cannon, made by your aunt and uncle..."
Grandpa’s hearing is still so good even at his age. Qiu Huoming admires him very much.
He did know his aunt and uncle. In previous years, they would come to Qiu Huoming's house and stay for two days during the Chinese New Year, mainly to sell homemade firecrackers.
These days no one advocates safety in production or anything like that, so some firecrackers were just piled directly inside Qiu Huoming's house.
Looking back on it now, I feel a little scared.
Ever since grandpa moved to the city this year, my aunt and uncle went straight to him.
The firecrackers we set off at home were given by my aunt and uncle last year, and they were probably old models.
The smoke cleared, leaving a field of red debris in front of the door. Qiu Huoming came out again and lined up the "big mines". This kind of firecracker was very powerful. Qiu Huoming was worried about letting his little sister do it, so he simply did it himself.
After a while, the fuses of several large mines lit up and Qiu Huoming retreated quickly.
"Bang" "Bang"... The big mine flew into the air and rang six times in a row in the air before it fell down.
"Wow, it's so high." The little sister exclaimed in admiration. The debris of two "big landmines" fell into the yard. Grandpa quickly stood up and found that the TV was not hit, so he felt relieved.
"Huo Ming, please put the TV back in the house. Putting it in the yard makes me feel uneasy..."
Qiu Huoming moved the TV back to its original place.
Dishes were served one after another on the dining table in the living room. The fish was the first to be prepared, but people were not allowed to eat it. The main dish was a pun that meant "abundance every year".
Qiu Jianshe brought some white wine. At the dinner table, Qiu Huoming drank one glass with him and then stopped. Qiu Jianshe drank slowly and clinked glasses with his grandfather from time to time. They didn't stop until four o'clock.
Qiu Jianshe drank with his grandfather and went back to his room to sleep. His second uncle was also tired today and went back to his room early.
During the New Year, it was the women in the family who were busy, while the men were quite idle. Qiu Huoming originally planned to go into the kitchen to help wash the dishes, but was chased out by Chen Suniang. Even the eldest sister's request for help was rejected by her.
"The work we do today will last for the whole year. I will be busy by myself, so you guys should be quiet and have a good new year..."
There are many rules for the Chinese New Year, and Chen Suniang didn't want her children to suffer in the future, so she simply took on all the work.
Grandma and Chen Suniang were finishing up in the kitchen. "Suniang, it's not good for you to spoil your eldest sister like this. In our village, a girl this old can cook a whole table of dishes..."
Chen Suniang smiled and said, "When a girl gets married, she will have a lot of hard work. I will make her happy if she can stay a girl for one more day."
"There aren't many people who spoil their children like you do. You have to go to work, so you must be exhausted..."
"Not tired, they are all good at studying, I think... if they can all go to college, they will be full of energy. I have suffered from lack of education in my life..."
"Hey, I heard from Jianshe that if you have an elementary school diploma, you can be a teacher. Being a teacher is so great..."
……
A few children were bored in the living room, so they just started playing cards.
Qiu Huoming taught them how to play "Fifty K". The rules are very simple and can be played by three people.
After a while, everyone got excited and started arguing with each other.
Chen Suniang washed the dishes and begged her mother-in-law to go back to bed. Then she returned to the living room, grabbed a handful of melon seeds, sat at the table, and ate them while watching the three children play cards.
Qiu Huoming simply pulled her into the battle. The rules of playing cards were very simple, and Chen Suniang was always smart, so she quickly got the hang of it.
The four people started to form teams. Chen Suniang drew a card and formed a team with Qiu Huoming. The two of them were invincible and quickly won the first game...
When Qiu Jianshe walked out of the room, this was the scene he saw. Chen Suniang had a smile on her face, her eyes and eyebrows were so gentle, and several children were laughing and playing, and no one noticed him.
He stood there blankly, staring at her.