After Luo Jingyan left, Luo's father chopped the meat filling and kneaded the dough in the morning.

Luo's parents and Luo Jingyan had already discussed it and invited Grandma Zhang to come over for a meal. Grandma Zhang felt embarrassed, so she pulled Luo Jingyan into the house and insisted on giving her a pair of pure gold dragon and phoenix bracelets. Luo Jingyan couldn't refuse her, so she had to accept them.

Mr. Luo asked the others, "What kind of dumplings do you all want to eat? I'll try my best to satisfy your requests for the New Year this year."

Luo Jingyan wasn't picky: "I'm fine with any filling."

Xue Yanchen was just like him; he liked everything she liked.

Luo Changtian recalled the shrimp he had eaten last time: "Can I eat shrimp filling?"

Mr. Luo gave him a loving glare: "You're the one who eats the most strangely, but I can grant your wish. Just put shrimp in the pork filling when you make dumplings."

Luo's mother and Zhang's grandmother didn't have any requests.

Mr. Luo prepared the dumpling filling with pork, scallions, and cabbage. Luo Jingyan and Xue Yanchen were responsible for peeling shrimp. When making dumplings, they simply put the shrimp in the middle of the meat filling.

Mr. Luo truly lives up to his reputation as a foodie. Although he is a man, he is very skilled at the entire process of preparing fillings, rolling out dough, and wrapping dumplings. Moreover, the dumplings he makes are plump, round, and very beautiful.

Xue Yanchen used to make dumplings during holidays in the army. His dumplings were passable, but Luo Jingyan's dumplings were even better, comparable to works of art.

Mr. Luo laughed and said, "My daughter is the most skillful; the dumplings she makes are the most beautiful."

Having such a wonderful daughter is a source of pride for him.

The worst dumpling maker among them was Luo Changtian. He would either wrap the dumplings into triangles or they would leak filling and become shriveled. When his dumplings were placed next to those of others, you could tell at a glance which ones were his. Just like Luo Jingyan's dumplings, they were very distinctive.

One is strikingly beautiful, while the other is conspicuously ugly.

Mr. Luo said, "Changtian can eat what he wants; no one will take it from you."

Everyone burst into laughter.

Luo Changtian pouted: "If you want to eat, then eat. You want to eat, but I won't let you?"

"Ha ha ha ha."

"You want us to help you eat? We're not going to help you."

The room was filled with laughter and cheerful conversation, which further increased the already warm and cozy atmosphere, creating a warm and harmonious ambiance.

After they finished eating dumplings, Luo Jingyan, Xue Yanchen, and Luo Changtian returned to the Shengli Brigade's educated youth settlement first, while Zhao Jun and the others were eating dumplings.

They made dumplings with the pork from the pig slaughtered in the village for the New Year, and several people were enjoying them immensely.

Luo Jingyan and the other two stayed at the educated youth settlement for a symbolic while before going out again. They called Luo's father to go up the mountain together, where they collected some firewood and brought it back.

In the evening, the sound of firecrackers could be heard sporadically in the village. Due to regulations, firecrackers and kowtowing were not allowed during the Lunar New Year. The old Chinese tradition is to set off firecrackers on New Year's Eve to drive away the mythical beast Nian and ensure a prosperous year ahead. Some villagers, however, were unwilling to abandon this tradition and defied the rules by secretly setting off firecrackers.

Under the cover of night, Luo Jingyan secretly delivered twenty eggs and a can of malted milk powder to the cowshed.

Because it was Chinese New Year, Luo Jingyan didn't neglect the two cats in her space. After entering the space that night, she sent each cat a big red envelope filled with fried dried fish.

The cats, holding red envelopes, thanked Luo Jingyan, saying, "Thank you, Master."

"You're welcome, you're welcome." Luo Jingyan hugged each of them and stroked their little heads. "If you've finished eating, and want more, I can make it for you anytime. You can also tell me if you want anything else."

"Yes, Master."

After the cats finished eating the dried fish, they were basically full, so they didn't ask Luo Jingyan to do anything else.

Beijing City

After learning that Xue Yanchen was in good health, Wu Yueying wanted to tell Chen Xiaoyue the news.

A few months ago, Chen Xiaoyue pursued men and they were all willing to be with her. However, after learning that Xue Yanchen had a health problem, she became conflicted. Even when young men pursued her, Chen Xiaoyue did not accept them.

If she tells Chen Xiaoyue this good news, she'll definitely be able to please Chen Xiaoyue. The eldest son's family is more capable than the second son's family. If she can get Chen Xiaoyue to say a few good words about her family in front of her brother-in-law, her family might even benefit from the eldest son's family's influence because of this.

At the Chen family's banquet, Wu Yueying took the initiative to get close to Chen Xiaoyue, "Xiaoyue, I heard that quite a few young men are pursuing you lately. Tell your second aunt if there are any you like?"

"Second Aunt, it's not as exaggerated as you say. It's just that two male colleagues from my workplace have expressed their interest in dating me. The way you're making it sound like I'm some kind of immoral person."

"No, no, that's not what I meant. I'm just concerned about your marriage."

"I don't have a boyfriend right now. I'm not interested in those two people. I'll see how it goes." Chen Xiaoyue's tone was somewhat disappointed.

Wu Yueying realized that her chance to shine had come.

"Oh, Xiaoyue, don't worry. You're beautiful and young. You'll definitely find a young man who's a good match for you in terms of character, looks, and family background."

Chen Xiaoyue sighed, "It's not easy to find."

Wu Yueying also sighed: "If that Xue family boy hadn't gone to the countryside, he wouldn't be a good match for you. What a fine young man, what a pity."

"Second Aunt, you know he's not in good health."

"What do you mean it's not normal? He's perfectly fine. Your aunt must be mistaken. Let me tell you, I heard it from Chen Qiulan, who works with us. She and Xu Minghui are from the same hometown and they're very close. What she said can't be wrong. And think about Xue's physique. If he had any health problems, how could he be so strong?"

Chen Xiaoyue seemed to have suddenly understood. She became excited and wanted to thank Wu Yueying, but then she thought of Wu Yueying's greedy nature. She knew that Wu Yueying would definitely try to get something out of her by revealing this information. Humph, don't even think about it.

She deliberately concealed her excitement and said calmly, "Second Aunt, you're right. Even if he's perfectly normal, without a single problem, and very strong, what good is it? He's gone to the countryside now, only able to farm, not much different from those peasants. He's no longer good enough for me. Second Aunt, please don't bring this up in front of me again."

After saying that, she coldly stood up and went outside.

Wu Yueying trembled with anger, grumbling at her retreating back: "When you were chasing him, you shamelessly followed him around, saying that if he didn't have any physical defects, you'd follow him to the countryside to be with him. Hey, who would have thought you'd change your mind so soon? You don't even care if he's not defective anymore. You brat, I... I wish you'd marry an impotent man for the rest of your life!"

Once outside, Chen Xiaoyue was already planning when to go find Xue Yanchen.

Victory Brigade

While Zhuang Feifei was sleeping, she accidentally touched the small mole on her collarbone. She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt that the mole seemed to have gotten a little bigger.