While Mu's father and Wang Qiao were talking, Liu Xiaonuan only occasionally chimed in, her hands never stopping.

The bamboo strips produced were all the same width, and the movements in the hands were almost like a dance, with very few breaks.

Lin Chuchu helped her mother and grandmother make couplets, paste them up, and hang lanterns.

All the other group members who could go home have gone home, and now only three group members are left at home.

Mu Chen is always busy during the Chinese New Year and often works overtime. He hasn't come back these past two days, and he was away on a business trip for a year before. This year, he will also have to work overtime on New Year's Eve.

He wasn't home today either.

The kids are out playing now, otherwise the house would definitely not be so quiet.

“Your uncle’s family is coming back this year, so we’ll have to go back to the courtyard house on the third day of the Lunar New Year. Last year, they came over too, and I even met you, my new sister-in-law.”

"He seems to have a good personality and is kind to your older brother's children."

Mother Mu said with a smile, "Your brother's transportation company is getting bigger and bigger, but I heard that similar companies are being established all over the country, which has had some impact on his business. He said he wants to transform his business."

Lin Chuchu knew that even if there was an impact, they were definitely making money now, and could make money for many years to come. However, if her older brother wanted to change his business now, it was a good idea to plan ahead, and Lin Chuchu supported him.

"Mom, this is a good thing. The government is now supporting individual businesses, which is a great time to make money."

The bold get rich while the timid starve. Lin Chuchu in their family doesn't go into business; her parents are getting old and are content with running a clothing store.

"Yes, I think young people have more energy now. I don't have much energy to design clothes anymore. Now I use the clothing design drafts you left behind."

"Girls on the street these days dress very boldly, unlike when we were young."

Mu's mother works in the clothing industry, so she naturally has a good eye for fashion. However, in the past two years, the rapid development of Beijing has made it somewhat difficult for her, who is already a bit conservative, to accept it.

“Mom, you’re getting old. If you’re tired, we can quit. Over the years, our family has earned quite a lot. Both of our salaries are high enough for our family to live on.”

Lin Chuchu advised.

Mother Mu rolled her eyes at her, "Will that work? I'm not so old that I can't move. I can't just sit around. If I sit around, I'll become useless. It's better to do some work, which isn't tiring."

Several of her old friends had their children bring them to the city, supposedly to let them enjoy a peaceful retirement, but nothing felt as comfortable as staying in their hometown.

It visibly became boring.

"By the way, many factories are going out of business now, even the garment factories that we often cooperate with are starting to lay off workers."

"The garment factory offered two options: one was to buy out my seniority and pay a lump sum, and the other was to retain my work position so that I could receive a salary when I get older."

"Now everyone is in a state of panic, not knowing which option to choose."

Lin Chuchu didn't expect it to come to this point. If they were working in the factory, she would probably choose the first option.

Lin Chuchu was silent for a while, then said, "Mom, I'll design some clothes these next few days. You can give the designs to the factory manager and see if we can increase their business."

Poor business is the primary reason for the factory's problems.

The designers' clothing designs are too conservative, and the influx of brands from other countries has had a significant impact on the domestic clothing market.

Around this time, state-owned enterprises will undergo reforms, becoming more independent enterprises that operate autonomously and are responsible for their own profits and losses.

In order to turn losses into profits, surplus labor will inevitably be eliminated, which will lead to a large number of employees losing their jobs.

"Okay, I'll have your dad send the design over then."

The two companies have been cooperating for so long, and when either of them has encountered financial problems, they have even helped each other solve them. Mother Mu also does not want anything to happen to the garment factory.

"By the way, Mom, will any of the dresses made by our family be on this year's Spring Festival Gala?"

"Yes, of course we made them! Half of the outfits worn by the hosts this year were made by us, and even some of the outfits worn by the celebrities performing in the shows were made by us."

Even though Mu's mother dislikes the bold style of dressing among young people today, she still makes a lot of clothes that suit the current aesthetic in order to cater to the market.

Therefore, their clothing store's sales remain high, and they are always at the forefront of fashion trends.

Lin Chuchu asked around for a while to find out the current fashion trends. Actually, what her mother meant by "bold" was just that sundresses were becoming popular, and they came in a variety of colors.

My absolute favorite color is red. A red slip dress, high heels, shoulder pads, wavy hair, statement earrings and jewelry, and bright red lips—that's the most fashionable look right now.

No wonder Mom doesn't like this style; even Lin Chuchu herself doesn't really like it.

However, just because you don't like it doesn't mean you don't appreciate it.

These are just some of the most exaggerated outfits worn by young people; there are also many more normal clothes, but they are still very different from what they were two years ago.

On Lunar New Year's Eve, the Mu family's gate was still bustling with activity. Lanterns of various shapes hung outside the gate, looking very beautiful and attracting children to stop and watch.

The neighbors on both sides have also gotten used to coming here every year to buy lanterns for the children.

After all, it's the Lunar New Year, and every family needs to buy some toys for their children.

Early in the morning, Lin Chuchu and the others got up and started working again, braising pork belly, stewing aspic, frying meatballs, and so on.

We were busy until noon before we could sit down for lunch.

After dinner, Dad would bring food to Muchen and also prepare some snacks and drinks for the young men on duty.

Others started doing something beneficial for their health: playing mahjong.

By this time, mahjong and poker had become common in every household. The Mu family didn't usually play them, except during the Chinese New Year when everyone was together, and they would play them occasionally.

Lin Chuchu wasn't good at the game, and soon she had lost all her money. However, she decided to treat it as a way to amuse her elders.

The children in the family took their candied hawthorns and sweets to share with their friends, and even Xiao Ping'an went along.

There weren't many children at home, so it was much quieter. Besides playing mahjong, the TV was always on, and each person had drinks, melon seeds, peanuts, and other snacks in front of them.

You could say they ate and played together at the same time.

Soon it was six o'clock, and the mahjong game ended.

Mu's mother made dumplings with Liu Xiaonuan and Lin Chuchu. These dumplings were for Mu Chen and the others, so they had to be made in advance so that Mu's father could deliver them.

If we send it over early, Mr. Mu can come back earlier for New Year's Eve dinner.