"Jiao girl, what good things did your mother-in-law send over again?"

Zhou Jiao walked slowly with the package in her hand and met an old lady in the yard.

The other person was smiling. Facing the old lady's curious gaze, she smiled and said, "A few days ago, you wrote me about the children's clothes. I haven't opened them yet. Auntie, are you going out?"

"No, my second son's wife gave birth to a big fat boy in the early morning, and I have to rush over to take care of the child now."

"Oh, that's a great joy. The child was born on a very lucky day, rushing out to celebrate New Year's Eve with you. He will definitely be a filial child in the future."

The old lady laughed out loud and said, "Little girl, you are really good at talking. Thanks to your good wishes, I will treat you to noodles when the baby is one month old."

Zhou Jiao nodded with a smile.

"Can you carry it? Why didn't you ask your aunt to help? Do you want me to carry it back for you?"

Zhou Jiao quickly stopped her, "It's just a small bag, why do you need my help? Auntie, go and see the little baby, the child is still waiting for you, the grandmother."

Seeing this, the old lady smiled and waved at her, then left in a hurry.

Zhou Jiao watched her leave, dealt with a few acquaintances passing by, and hurried home.

These people were extremely enthusiastic. Some of them were unfamiliar faces and she had hardly any interaction with them. If it weren't for her good memory, she really wouldn't be able to recognize whose families they were.

If Zhang Guoqing hadn't been taken out of town by her father to see the world, Zhou Jiao really wouldn't have wanted to leave the house. It was almost New Year's Eve, and there wouldn't be too many people coming and going.

When I got home, no one was at home. Even Ping'an was taken to visit the Wen family by Old Mrs. Cheng, and Aunt Chen ran out of the compound with receipts to go shopping in the early morning.

Everyone is busy. Zhou Jiao feels that if she doesn't move, she will probably be in seclusion at home for cultivation.

After cutting open the package, they found Ping'an's set of cotton-padded clothes and trousers, Zhang Guoqing's set of sweater and trousers, and the rest were fur scarves, leather gloves and a lot of thick socks.

Zhou Jiao knew immediately that Ping'an's clothes were another New Year's gift from pregnant Lin Juhua. She was so thoughtful, giving them to him three years in a row, and no one knew where the cotton came from.

Zhang's mother had made a set of sweaters and trousers, which Zhou Jiao had seen before. The remaining fur items were probably New Year gifts from Huang Cuilan.

Zhang's mother is a thoughtful person. Last time, I heard Zhang Guoqing mention that being a soldier is very hard, and the daily exercise has worn holes in his socks. This pair of thick socks must have been prepared by her mother-in-law.

Zhou Jiao shook her head and smiled when she saw this.

Zhang Meili and her sister had already sent a lot of things a few days ago. Now with the addition of her in-laws, she didn’t know if the New Year gifts she sent back would be too little.

Zhou Jiao woke up from a nap at noon and found Aunt Chen busy in the kitchen.

"Auntie, when did you come back? Why didn't you wake me up?"

Aunt Chen smiled and said, "Why are you here? I've put all the things I bought in the living room. See if there's anything else you haven't prepared. Take a look before I go home."

Zhou Jiao nodded. Seeing Aunt Chen busy preparing dinner, she didn't stay long. She just told her to finish what she was doing and hurry home to celebrate the New Year.

This year's New Year's atmosphere was different from previous years. If it weren't for the couplets and red lanterns scattered throughout the compound, and the occasional sound of firecrackers, Zhou Jiao would have forgotten that tomorrow was New Year's Eve.

Thinking back to the past, I remember the fragrance coming from every household, but unfortunately it is all gone.

In the evening, Zhou Xiaozheng returned with Zhang Guoqing, and then went home safely with a bag of red envelopes, which finally added some joy to the deserted New Year's Day.

At the dinner table, the family gathered together to eat the New Year's Eve dinner in advance. Every year, they couldn't be together on New Year's Eve, but now the family has adapted to the local customs.

Zhou Xiaozheng took a few bites of food and put them on Zhou Jiao's bowl. "Don't be shy in the cafeteria tomorrow night. Dad's not with you, so remember to follow your aunt."

Lin Lishan smiled and said, "If you let them sit with my aunt, then the table will be full of elderly people. It's better for them to stay with the young people. If they are hungry, they can go home and cook for themselves."

It was rare for Zhou Jiao to see her father so upset, so she smiled and said, "We still have our cousins ​​and the others, so we'll see how things go. This is the first time we've celebrated the New Year together, so it's going to be a bit chaotic."

Zhang Guoqing chuckled. "The kitchen staff has already made arrangements, so this little mess won't get messed up. I've already made inquiries. Dad can even eat a few bites with us in the cafeteria before leaving. Mom, you're the one who's more pitiful. I guess the art troupe will have to quickly finish one or two tables before arranging their performances."

"Well, just like in previous years, I won't join other groups and will take some people to the grassroots level."

The family had no objections to Lin Lishan's work. After all these years, no one knew the procedures better than she did.

Zhang Guoqing suddenly remembered something and laughed, "This New Year's celebration was quite interesting. Some time ago, someone suggested that we shouldn't be superstitious during the Spring Festival, but do couplets and peach charms count? They advocated against extravagance, but the whole city was waiting for the Fuqiang rice noodle and meat dumplings to be served tomorrow night. They told everyone not to wander around, but the temple fair started on the first day of the new year. They also told everyone not to drink before work, but now is the time to get drunk, and there's no alcohol on the market. Many people were discussing these things privately, and everyone kept complaining, but no one dared to say it out loud, and they had to happily applaud and agree."

Zhou Xiaozheng sneered and shook his head.

Zhou Jiao also smiled and shook her head. "You guys didn't know since you weren't home. A classmate called me the other day and said that this year's collective year is the most meaningful, and he kept showing off to me."

Lin Lishan looked at her in confusion. "Your classmate can actually make a phone call, which means she has a good family background, but there's no need to brag to you about it. Does she know where we live? She's stupid!"

The whole family burst into laughter at her words.

Zhang Guoqing explained to her, "That classmate's family probably has one phone per building. She probably thinks ours is similar to hers."

Zhou Jiao nodded and said, "None of us have ever brought classmates home, and we rarely talk about family matters outside. Our classmates only know that our parents are in the army."

This was very consistent with what his daughter would do, and Zhou Xiaozheng smiled knowingly.

However, this classmate was indeed a nerd—and even though he was admitted to a prestigious university, his IQ wasn't necessarily that high. No wonder my daughter Jiaojiao never liked to spend too much time with these people.

Zhou Jiao had originally wanted to tell everyone about the other person's brilliant remarks the other day, but after hearing what her mother said, she lost interest. There was indeed a gap between the compound and the outside world, especially the conditions at home. No wonder her mother was so arrogant.

What is a "collective year"? Her mother didn't understand. She had never lived outside, and the army was actually a large collective, so she ignored the essence.

The compound has its own supply and demand system. There is an auditorium for watching movies, but they rely on invoices from their parents' units and the street to go to the cinema.

During a collective New Year holiday, the neighborhood committee has immense power. Besides unified invoices and purchase books, it can also organize cleaning and carnivals. There are countless options for action.