It's time to eat. This year, there are still separate tables for children and adults.

Niu Niu went to eat with his brothers and sisters. When he saw his mother coming, he immediately ran over and showed her the Diudiu firecrackers in his hand.

His older brother bought a box of Diudiu firecrackers. He saw his older brothers throwing them on the ground, making a loud noise, so he asked his older brother for one so he could throw it to his mother.

Xu Xiangjuan didn't know what was going on. She saw Niu Niu throwing something on the ground. "Niu Niu, stop littering. How come your hands are so dirty? Mommy will take you to wash your hands... Ping An sits down and prepares to eat first."

It's really a dirty little hand. If you don't know, you would think it was just digging the soil.

"Mom." When being picked up by his mother, Niu Niu became anxious and pointed at the firecrackers he was throwing on the ground.

Ping An understood what Niu Niu meant, and helped Niu Niu pick up the Diudiu firecrackers, and put them in his pocket first.

Only after seeing his uncle put away his diudiu firecrackers did Niu Niu feel at ease and allowed his mother to take him to wash his hands.

Zhou Chengning: "Juan, Niu Niu is so heavy, why are you still holding him? Your hands are tired."

Niu Niu, who was about to be put down by his mother to wash his hands, said: "It's not heavy!"

Xu Xiangjuan was willing to hug the soft little Niu Niu occasionally: "It's just a short distance, and Niu Niu is not heavy. You should sit down and have dinner."

After washing his hands, Niu Niu couldn't wait to eat, so Zhou Chengning simply picked up Niu Niu and sent him to the children's table.

Xu Xiangjuan hadn't finished cooking yet, so she asked Zhou Chengning to sit down and eat first, and she would be here soon.

"Uncle, eat." Niu Niu still used a spoon. He would scoop a spoonful of food that could be scooped up and put it into his uncle's bowl, pretending not to hear what his mother said.

His mother told him to eat his own food and not to pick vegetables for his uncle. His uncle could pick up whatever he wanted to eat.

Song Ping'an also helped Niu Niu pick up the food that Niu Niu couldn't reach with a spoon. The relationship between the big and the small was quite harmonious.

When Xu Xiangjuan served the last dish, she went to the children's table to take a look and saw Niu Niu scooped a spoonful of fried meat with pickles into Ping'an's bowl, which was full of pickles.

There were already vegetables on the table that had fallen onto it while Niu Niu was digging and transporting the vegetables.

Xu Xiangjuan: "Niu Niu, what did mom tell you? Eat your own food. Your cousin can pick up the food by himself. Look at the table. It's all the food you dropped. Eat your own food... Ping An, please help me take care of Niu Niu."

Song Ping'an: "Cousin, it's not a bother. Go eat. I'll take care of Niu Niu here."

Xu Xiangjuan took a rag and wiped the food off the table into the rag: "Ping An, don't just focus on Niu Niu. I think he can eat by himself. You can eat yours. My cousin's wife is also going to eat."

As soon as the cousin's wife left, Song Ping'an said to Niu Niu, "Niu Niu, you don't have to serve food to your cousin. Your cousin will serve food for you, and you can eat your own food."

Guagua: "Yes, Niu Niu eats his own food, but you pick up the food yourself and the food falls on the table. It's a waste."

She really couldn't stand her brother's "extravagance and waste". Who would drop food on the table? If it fell on the table, they would pick it up and eat it again.

Only then did Niu Niu stop thinking and turned to tell his uncle what he wanted to eat.

All the delicious food was snatched away by the older brothers and sisters.

When there is delicious food at home during the Chinese New Year, the children have to fight for it.

Ping'an also experienced this kind of scene for the first time. He was having a reunion dinner at his grandfather's house at noon. His grandfather's good friends were there and everyone was eating normally. But he had never seen a group of children fighting for food.

Niu Niu was also trying hard to grab food and helping his uncle Ping'an to dig vegetables. Although the vegetables he dug were basically those that the children would not grab, it was still a token of his thoughtfulness.

Everyone was scrambling for food, and Ping'an inexplicably felt his appetite improved a lot, and he ate half a bowl of rice more than usual.

When the older children finished eating and were about to leave, a few other children followed. Gua Gua stayed to eat. Gua Gua didn't leave, and neither did his older sisters.

If his sister left, Niu Niu would definitely leave the table, but if his sister didn't leave, Niu Niu would stay and eat slowly, and ask his sister to wait for him, and then he would play with his uncle after he finished eating.

In addition to the reunion dinner on New Year’s Eve, children of course have other things to do.

Especially now that every home has electric lights, even if poor families are reluctant to use electricity on weekdays, they will turn on the lights during the New Year. The village is brightly lit, which is especially suitable for children to play around.

Xu Xiangjuan: "Guagua Niuniu, mom will go light candles with aunt and grandma and aunts later. If you want to go home now, follow dad. If you don't want to go home, play with your brothers and sisters for a while before going back. Don't forget to brush your teeth and wash your face before going to bed."

There are electric lights at home, but the custom of lighting candles on the stove and going to the small temple in the village to light candles and burn incense has not changed. She has to tell the two children again and then ask Ping'an to help watch Niu Niu wash and dress.

Zhou Chengning doesn’t know how to play cards or mahjong, and his wife is not around, so he can’t run around like a child after dinner, so he has to go home first.

His lover will be home very late tonight, so he will have to stay alone in the empty room.

Guagua and Niu Niu were very obedient and responded to their mother's words. Ping An also said that he would look after Niu Niu.

Since the children and adults had been arranged, Xu Xiangjuan helped wash the dishes first, and then went out to light the candles.

...

Zhou Chengning was puzzled: "Ping An, what is Niu Niu doing?"

He didn't fall asleep so early at night because there were firecrackers outside and it was noisy. Most importantly, his lover hadn't come home yet, so he couldn't sleep.

So Guagua and Niu Niu went home. Guagua had already taken Miaomiao to wash up and go to bed, but Niu Niu was still throwing something, which successfully attracted his attention.

Song Ping'an explained for Niu Niu: "Cousin, this is the firecracker that Niu Niu asked his brother for. It might be called a "slap firecracker". It makes a loud noise when you throw it hard on the ground."

But how could Niu Niu make the Diudiu cannon fire with such little strength?

There was only one Diudiu Cannon, and Niu Niu cherished it very much, so he had to throw it successfully himself. After losing it, it was very difficult to find such a small Diudiu Cannon.

"Bad." Niu Niu came to this conclusion after losing it countless times.

Zhou Cheng would rather not play with firecrackers that are for children: "If they are broken, go to bed quickly. If mom comes home and sees you throwing things here, she will probably scold you. I'm going to bed now, and I have to put on new clothes tomorrow and go out to play early."

When Niu Niu heard that his sister was going out to play early, he felt like going to bed, but he found it hard to let go of the cannon in his hand.

Zhou Chengning simply threw the Diudiu firecracker in Niu Niu's hand to the ground and said, "Okay, Niu Niu, go to bed quickly. What time is it? If you don't go to bed, I will go out without you tomorrow."

After hearing the loud noise made by the Diudiu cannon, Niu Niu finally felt relieved, knowing that the Diudiu cannon was not broken!

It’s good that it’s not broken. Niu Niu took his uncle to wash up and get ready for bed.

Xu Xiangjuan: "Aning, why are you still playing with children's things?"

Zhou Chengning quickly explained: "Juan, you came back so early. It's not that I want to play. Niu Niu fell down without making a sound. He refused to go to bed without making a sound. I fell down for him. Look, now he is getting ready to wash up and go to bed."

Xu Xiangjuan: "Oh, so... I was busy with grandpa's reunion dinner this morning, and my parents' reunion dinner this afternoon. I felt a little sleepy, so I lit the candles and talked with my mother, second sister and sister-in-law for a while before coming back."

Zhou Chengning: "Juan, this is really not what I want to play with."

He felt that his image in his lover's heart was ruined.

In Xu Xiangjuan's heart, Zhou Chengning really had no image to speak of: "Well, I know you didn't want to play, Niu Niu is safe, you two should wash up and go to bed early."

"I know, mom."

"Okay, cousin."

Ping'an and Niu Niu both agreed. Xu Xiangjuan went into the inner room first, and then went to wash up after both of them were ready.

"Niuniu, why don't you tell your mother?"

Niu Niu: "What?"

Zhou Chengning: "The Diudiu Cannon is yours, not your dad's."

Niu Niu: "Mom knows it's mine."

Mom knows why she should say it.

Niu Niu really doesn’t understand what adults are thinking.

Zhou Chengning felt that talking to his son was irrelevant, so he simply went back to the inner room.

He had no idea how his lover saw him dropping the firecracker.

After washing up, Niu Niu and his uncle went back to their bedroom and prepared the pants, clothes and shoes they would wear tomorrow.

Seeing that Niu Niu was having a hard time moving the chair next to the bed, Song Ping'an simply helped Niu Niu.

"Uncle, I'll sleep outside at night." After putting his clothes, pants and shoes on a chair, Niu Niu climbed onto the bed.

The cow, which usually sleeps inside, is preparing to sleep outside for the first day of the Lunar New Year.

This way, tomorrow morning he can quickly get dressed and get out of bed, and call his sister to wait for him.

He had already told his sister in the evening that he would go out to wait for him the next day, but he was afraid that his sister would forget, so he had to get up early, quickly.

My cousin can come later and call my sister, so I don’t need to call my sister.

Song Ping'an had no objection to Niu Niu's arrangement, so he followed Niu Niu's arrangement and went to sleep inside.

...

After his lover washed up and went to bed, Zhou Chengning was still struggling: "Juan, do you think I am too playful?"

Xu Xiangjuan was sleepy: "Why do you want to play? I hope you are more interested in playing, and don't be busy with work and study all day, and relax yourself occasionally."

Zhou Chengning listened to his lover's words and said sweetly: "It's not good to be too playful. We are all adults now."

Xu Xiangjuan: "What's wrong with adults? You were a little adult when you were a child. Aren't you tired of being like this all the time? You can play whatever you want in the future. I won't say anything..."

Xu Xiangjuan muted her voice and fell asleep at the end of her speech.

So his lover still thinks that diudiupao is for him to play with? Zhou Chengning wanted to continue explaining but felt it was unnecessary. He kissed his lover on the face and went to sleep.

On the morning of the first day of the first lunar month, children get up earlier than adults.

Xu Xiangjuan woke up when she heard Niu Niu shouting, "Sister, wait for me!"

Since their adults didn't go out to play, Xu Xiangjuan turned over and continued to sleep.

Zhou Chengning woke up after his wife turned over, and the children outside were also making a lot of noise.

Holding their lover in their arms, the couple chose to stay in bed.

In the yard.

Guagua and Miaomiao are waiting for Niu Niu to brush his teeth.

Song Ping'an got up and dressed faster than Niu Niu. At that time, he was the only one waiting for Niu Niu and helped Niu Niu put on his clothes.

Niu Niu put on his clothes, and Song Ping'an washed his face and brushed his teeth faster than Niu Niu, but now there were three people waiting for Niu Niu.

Niu Niu insisted on brushing his teeth the way his mother taught him, even if he was in a hurry.

After brushing his teeth and washing his face, Niu Niu didn't even wipe off the toothpaste foam on his mouth. He followed his sisters and took his uncle out.

After the children left, the yard became quiet for a while.

What they didn't do last night, the couple did in the morning.

After hugging the man's shoulders tightly for a moment, Xu Xiangjuan relaxed and said, "I don't have...a belly anymore."

Zhou Chengning also relaxed: "Well, there wasn't any."

"You just coax me."

"No coaxing, only the bullish one is called a small belly, Juan, your fault."

Niu Niu was innocently caught in the crossfire.

Xu Xiangjuan gently pushed Zhou Chengning away, sat up and put on her clothes with her back to him: "You can open your eyes now, let's get up too."

In the morning, Zhou Chengning is used to either turning his back or closing his eyes. He will open his eyes only when his lover asks him to.

After kissing the back of his lover’s fair neck, Zhou Chengning got dressed.

Feeling refreshed, the couple went to cook porridge first. After they finished, the children went out to play and came back. Niu Niu drank a small bowl of porridge and Xu Xiangjuan wiped Niu Niu's face clean.

Niu Niu: "Mom, I have to go out with my sister and uncle later."

"Go out, don't get dirty, today's clothes are all clean."

The children treated clothes that had been worn only a few times as new clothes, and Xu Xiangjuan also washed them clean.

After Niu Niu recovered, everyone was fine too, and the kids went out again.

The yard was quiet again.

"We're going to my parents' house later..." Xu Xiangjuan reminded, but her words were quickly drowned out by the kiss.

She felt that her Aning was so enthusiastic that she seemed to want to make up for what she had missed in China.

Zhou Chengning indeed thought so. It was not easy to get time and space, so he had to make good use of it.