It was a land of ice and snow, and tall red lanterns could be seen hanging in front of every house throughout the village. As night fell, the sound of firecrackers rose and fell.

During the Chinese New Year, not only the children were happy, but Zhang Guoqing was also very happy.

As the children grow up and start working, the next opportunity for the family of five to return to their hometown for the New Year will be very rare. He vowed to make this New Year's Eve a lively occasion.

After Zhou Jiao distributed the New Year's money to the little ones, Zhang Guoqing didn't care whether his niece-in-law was present or not. He pulled his wife and called his sons and ran home.

Before leaving, he did not forget to shout: "Mom, come out with my dad later, your old son will set off fireworks for you."

Mother Zhang couldn't stop laughing. She looked at her old son and his wife running away and said with a disdainful tone, "What a kid! He's almost going to be a father-in-law, but he still loves to play."

As she spoke, she glanced at her grandson who had picked up the child and ran out the door, and said to the granddaughters-in-law present, "You all go play too. When you come back, we'll clean up together."

Zhang Guoqing didn't care about them. He ran home with his sons. Together with Xiao Zhu and Xiao Liu, they started to move firecrackers and fireworks to the open space outside the yard.

After the move, Zhang Guoqing lit the incense and handed it to Zhou Jiao, then held her hand and said, "Don't be afraid. Light the string and I'll carry you back."

Zhou Jiao wanted to say that she wasn't such a coward, but looking at his smiling face, she nodded in agreement with a broad smile. If her man thought she was weak, then she was weak!

Upon hearing this, Wuyi quickly approached and said, "Dad, you are already old, let me carry my mom and run."

Ping An and Liu Yi burst into laughter when they heard this.

"You little bastard!" Zhang Guoqing cursed with a smile and gave him a fake kick on the leg. "You're too thick-skinned!"

"A gentleman uses words, not fists." Wuyi dodged to the side and rushed to his brothers. "Dad, do you want your sons to cheer you up?"

Ping An patted his forehead and said, "Okay. A lot of people are coming."

Liuyi smiled and shook his head, then handed the camera to his brother, "Take a few more pictures for grandpa and the others to take back."

"No problem." Wuyi took the camera. "What do you think of grandma and grandpa celebrating New Year in a foreign country? Are they thinking about us too?"

"I'll definitely miss us."

"That's why I don't like studying abroad. What a pity..."

Liuyi shook his head slightly and said, "Let's spend the New Year with our parents first." As for future arrangements, that is a matter for the future and there is no need to say it out loud back home.

The three brothers smiled at each other, then looked at their parents.

Early in the morning on the first day of the Lunar New Year, the children who had enjoyed the fireworks last night ran to knock on Zhang Guoqing's door before dawn.

But they knew that the big snowball piled up in the yard of Uncle Zhang Wuye's house, with red candied haws stuck on it, belonged to them.

After finishing their morning exercise, the three Ping An brothers faced the children who were bowing and shouting greetings like Happy New Year, and gave one to each one of them.

In the living room, Zhou Jiao also followed the village custom and placed several baskets filled with roasted nuts and candies, dried fruits, melon seeds and "mixed vegetables" on the kang.

Of course, there is also a large plate of frozen pears and frozen persimmons on the ground.

Xizi's eldest daughter, Nannan, leaned comfortably on the kang, looking at her friends who had taken away their gifts. "Third Grandma, will you come back next year?"

Zhou Jiao tugged at the little girl's braids and said, "Even if we don't come back for the New Year, we'll still send you some delicious food."

"I'm nine years old, not a child anymore. I don't care about food. If you and Third Uncle don't come back for the New Year, can you let my uncle Ping An and the others come back?"

"You should ask them. They make their own decisions on their own affairs."

"Third Grandma, you're so kind. I want to make my own decisions, but my mom doesn't agree. My dad says I need to grow up a little bit, and maybe then I can be the boss myself."

Zhou Jiao pinched her little face with a smile, how could she be so cute!

After many years, on the first night of the Lunar New Year, the bonfire was burning brightly, and the drying yard in Zhangjia Village was filled with the rich aroma of meat and bursts of laughter.

The three brothers Zhang Guofu, Zhang Laoer and Zhang Guoqing gathered together and looked at the next two generations of the Zhang family, and sighed about the past again.

Back then, the three brothers lived together in the old courtyard...

That year, Ping An was just born...

Back then, they were young...

Fortunately, everything is changing. In the past twenty years, the relationship between the three brothers has remained the same, and their parents in the distance are still laughing.

After a leisurely first day of the Lunar New Year, it was time to start celebrating the New Year on the second day. Early in the morning, the family of five accompanied Zhang's mother and two elder parents to visit their two uncles' homes to pay New Year's greetings.

After the banquet for Zhang's aunt's return to her parents' home, the family of five once again packed up their bags and went to the provincial capital to pay New Year's greetings to Zhao Chuangguang and others.

Zhou Jiao hadn't had a good chat with Huang Huimin for so many years, so she naturally had to stay for a few more days, but she still couldn't avoid visiting the elders to wish them a happy new year.

Mr. and Mrs. Zhao are now old and their health is getting worse day by day. Compared to his wife who is too confused to recognize the younger generations, the old man is still very happy about the arrival of their family.

It’s just a farewell, I wonder if we will be separated by heaven when we meet again next time?

Looking at the sad Zhao Chuangguang, Zhou Jiao could only comfort her godfather with a few words. She didn't know what else to say. She couldn't say that she was much better than her godmother.

At least his father-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Huang, met Marx a long time ago, right?

She estimated that her godfather would beat her to death if she said this!

When Zhou Jiao went to Zhao Dashan to wish him a happy new year the next day, she felt extremely emotional when she saw him again after so many years.

Compared to Zhao Chuangguang, who had always been a soldier, Zhao Dashan, who was over 60, looked much older. He was no longer the handsome uncle she remembered.

The personality hasn't changed.

Indeed, his career and family were both fulfilling, and his carefree days couldn't take away his cheerful personality. Only the passage of time couldn't stop aging.

Similarly, Cheng Hongli also has white hair. She said that she dyed her hair, otherwise she would look ugly standing next to her husband with a head full of white hair.

After hearing her words, Zhou Jiao secretly felt fortunate that her mother Miao Lishan was getting younger and younger after all these years of her careful care, and at least she didn't have any gray hair.

Otherwise, it would be so terrible to stand next to her handsome dad!

Time is really unforgiving.

They talked and laughed during their reunion, and the atmosphere was cheerful and joyful, but it couldn't overcome the melancholy in Zhou Jiao's heart. Her mother was not yet sixty, but her father was over sixty, and the days he spent with her were getting fewer and fewer.

Zhang Guoqing knew that she was worried, so he took her out for a walk the day before returning to Zhangjia Village to relax.

The thing that is most abundant in Northeast China during the first month of the lunar year is the festive atmosphere.

As if everyone wanted to use the festival to drive away the cold, people were having a blast, doing things like yangge (Chinese yangge dance), stilt walking, and Errenzhuan (two-person opera), all to their heart's content.