Reborn during the early days of China’s reform and opening, the narrator finds himself in the 1980s countryside. In this setting, the past is still a cold reference, yet it is also a fresh start....
As far as I can remember, this was the best meal my grandma's family had ever had, and they were very satisfied.
Those who have new clothes after lunch should change into new clothes.
Wan Feng's new clothes were made by Luan Feng himself, a black and green jacket with a green ski jacket.
This woman probably likes green besides red. This is not a good hobby and she must correct it in the future.
Black pants, black cotton shoes, and a blue hat.
This outfit feels a bit weird.
After changing his clothes, Wan Feng put the one hundred plates of small firecrackers with one hundred blasts on the kang, took out the red envelopes that had been pasted together, and put one plate in each red envelope.
These red envelopes can just hold a plate of small whips, which are of course prepared for the children in the depression.
Wan Feng packed a total of eighty plates of small whips, and the remaining red envelopes were of course reserved for money.
After filling the red envelopes, Xiaobian took out a handful of new coins with consecutive numbers of various denominations and put them into each red envelope.
My grandparents each put 16.66 yuan in a red envelope, which means one thousand six hundred and sixty-six, representing good luck.
At their age, as long as everything goes well for them, getting rich is basically none of their concern.
My uncle, aunt-in-law and aunt each received a red envelope of eight yuan, eighty cents and eight cents, which means make money.
Wan Feng sent one red envelope after he finished installing one. When my uncle, aunt and aunt-in-law saw that Wan Feng had sent such a big red envelope, they were so happy that their forehead wrinkles appeared and the pimples on their faces radiated brightly.
The red envelope given to Luan Feng's parents was naturally 16 yuan, 66 cents, and the red envelope given to Luan Feng was the largest, 88 yuan and 80 cents.
Others should not be jealous of this. Luan Feng is his wife, so of course he should give her more.
Wan Feng also gave two red envelopes of six yuan, sixty-six cents each.
We made dumplings for dinner. After the dumplings were made, my grandpa and my uncle went to the crossroads with a lantern made of a can to welcome the New Year.
This also has nothing to do with Wan Feng. He is a grandson and has no right to invite other people's ancestors.
When my grandfather and my uncle arrived at the intersection, they burned some paper, lit some incense, and set off some firecrackers. They recited a few clichés about how our ancestors had returned home to celebrate the New Year, then picked up a piece of green stone and took it home to put on the altar, declaring the New Year ceremony complete.
After the New Year, we eat dumplings.
It was dark by the time we finished eating the dumplings, and the rest of the time was just waiting for the sky to turn purple around eleven o'clock.
Forget about the Spring Festival Gala, we don’t even have a TV.
Wan Feng’s goal is to buy a TV for his grandma this year. If nothing goes wrong, black and white TVs will appear in stores this fall, but of course they will require a ticket.
But this is not a problem. As long as it dares to appear, Wanfeng will definitely bring one back. It's only 520 yuan.
In the past, on New Year’s Eve, almost all the young people in Dongtou gathered at the house of Luan Feng’s grandfather, Old Li, and this year was no exception.
There were young people around 17 or 18 years old on the kang and on the ground. They told stories, sang songs, told jokes and chatted. Before they knew it, it was around 10 o'clock in the evening.
People started going home to prepare for the purple.
"Come to my house to celebrate the New Year after the New Year's Eve." Luan Feng extended an invitation to everyone in the house, of course the main target was Wan Feng.
Wan Feng said yes and took out two red envelopes and gave them to Luan Feng’s grandma and grandpa.
These are the two red envelopes of six yuan, sixty-six cents each.
When Wan Feng first took out the red envelope, the people in the room didn't know what it was. They had never seen a red envelope before.
Luan Feng quickly grabbed it and opened it to see that it was filled with brand new coins.
Then I started counting, one note for five yuan, one note for fifty cents, one note for ten cents, and one note for five cents.
"This is the New Year's money for grandma and grandpa, why are you grabbing it?"
Luan Feng smiled and handed the red envelope to her grandmother. Then she extended a shameless hand to Wan Feng: "Where's mine? You should give me one too."
"None of yours."
Wan Feng wanted to get off the bed but Luan Feng grabbed his clothes and said, "No, you can't leave without mine."
"I'll give it to you after I send out the purple."
Only then did Luan Feng let go.
When I got home, my uncle was also back. My grandmother and aunt were cooking New Year's Eve dumplings, while Wan Feng and my uncle started to prepare the firecrackers to set off.
The firecrackers were all set on the kang in my aunt's room, for fear that they would get damp and not go off.
Around half past ten, the sound of firecrackers could be heard from the nearby villages, and some impatient people were already starting to turn purple.
A dozen children from the east end gathered in front of my grandma's house, each holding a lantern made of a can, lighting up the street.
They all knew that Zhu Ping's family had a lot of firecrackers this year, so they were waiting to watch the excitement and hear the noise, and were also prepared to pick up the duds.
Wan Feng and Zhu Ping raised the firecrackers. The four-meter-high whip pole was very suitable for hanging the four-meter-long middle whip.
Wan Feng carried out a pile of firecrackers and spray flowers, waiting for the sound of the purple whip.
At exactly eleven o'clock, the dumplings cooked by grandma began to come out of the pot.
Here, Zhu Ping used a long incense stick to light the fuse of the firecracker.
The firecrackers rose up like a fire dragon with a deafening sound and soon burned to the end.
Here, Wan Feng had already lit the spray guns arranged in a circle, and the eight spray guns sprayed out gorgeous flowers.
"It's so beautiful, so beautiful!" The children gathered at the gate clapped their hands and cheered.
After releasing the purple whip, Zhu Ping slid onto a medium whip, and the crackling sound rang out again.
The two men took out ten whips and prepared to release them all during this period of time.
If not tonight, when will it be released?
Zhu Ping was setting off firecrackers and Wan Feng was releasing magic bullets. They were so busy having fun that they didn't even hear their grandma calling them to eat.
"Eat first, and then you can play after you finish eating!" My aunt-in-law came out and shouted, and the two of them stopped.
Seeing that Zhu Ping stopped setting off firecrackers, the children rushed in and grabbed the firecrackers that didn't go off on the ground.
Wan Feng walked into the house and took out a handful of red envelopes: "Ask me so I can give you red envelopes during the Chinese New Year. If you don't ask, there will be none."
The sound of the purple whip means that the last year has passed and the new year has arrived, so you can ask for good luck in the new year.
The first one to say hello was Cong Xicheng. He received a red envelope with just a "Happy New Year". When he opened it, he was overjoyed to see that it contained a plate of small firecrackers with a hundred blasts.
When the other children saw this good thing happening, they came forward to greet him, and in a blink of an eye, Wan Feng distributed more than 20 red envelopes.
After entering the house and asking everyone a Happy New Year starting with his grandfather, Wan Feng symbolically ate a few dumplings and didn't feel hungry at all.
Zhu Ping hurriedly ate a few dumplings and ran outside to set off firecrackers.
He finally had a great time with two bundles of firecrackers, one big and one small.
Wan Feng didn't plan to indulge himself. It was cold outside so he let his uncle cook it himself. He put on his cotton hat and walked towards Xigou, all the way to Luan Feng's house.
On the first day of the new year, the son-in-law cannot see the family tree. Wan Feng and Luan Feng have not even arranged a marriage and have no matchmaker, so it naturally does not count, because Wan Feng has no burden at all when he comes to Luan Feng's family.
After entering the house, I went to the east room first to wish Luan Feng's parents a happy new year. Naturally, I had to take out the two red envelopes containing 16 yuan, 66 cents each.
Luan Changyuan and his wife happily accepted Wan Feng's red envelope.