The soup was made with minced venison and meatballs, topped with a sprinkle of chopped scallions and cilantro. It smelled delicious even before you tasted it.

"That cilantro was given to me by someone. Her house is spacious; she has several wooden troughs on the windowsill where she grows chives, scallions, cilantro, and other things. It's perfect to eat it now."

These rascals had their pockets full of firecrackers. They held lit incense sticks in one hand and pulled out firecrackers from their pockets with the other, lit them, and casually threw them to the side of the road, where they exploded with a bang.

"Yes, everyone should try some." Sheng Liancheng took the lead, picking up a fish and chive dumpling and putting it in his mouth.

He deliberately didn't dip it in garlic sauce or vinegar, just to enjoy the original flavor.

I must say, the moment you put these dumplings in your mouth, the combination of fish and fresh chives is absolutely delicious.

Especially with the addition of some pork fat to the filling, the fish filling is not dry at all, but tender and just the right amount of softness. Combined with the juice of the chives, it is so delicious that you would want to swallow your tongue along with it.

"Mmm, delicious, so fresh. Quick, try them all, they're so good, I've never had such fresh and bright dumplings before."

Sheng Liancheng swallowed the dumplings in two bites, nodding and praising them.

Everyone then picked up their chopsticks and put the fish dumplings in their mouths.

"Mmm, mmm, delicious, really delicious, this flavor is amazing."

As soon as the dumplings entered his mouth, Sheng Xitai nodded repeatedly. For a foodie like him, it was simply impossible to resist such deliciousness.

Fish dumplings were a hit, and almost no one touched the cabbage dumplings; everyone was focused on the fancy fish dumplings.

It wasn't until she finished the fish dumplings that Zhang Shuzhen realized, "Oh no, my wallet is in the cabbage and radish dumplings."

These fish and chive dumplings were difficult to wrap, so Zhang Shuzhen didn't put money, dates, peanuts, or other things inside. Instead, she put them in the cabbage and radish filling of the dumplings.

As a result, everyone went to eat fish dumplings and completely forgot about the money they had spent.

"Quickly, eat some more." Zhang Shuzhen hurriedly cleared away the empty plates and urged everyone to eat some more.

"Mom, I can't eat anymore, I'm already stuffed." Sheng Xitai rubbed his stomach and said with a wry smile.

I was already quite full from lunch, and I just ate a lot of dumplings. Where is there any room left to stuff in my stomach?

"Yeah, I can't eat anymore, Mom. Let's save the dumplings for tomorrow morning." Sheng Xiping smiled as well.

Zhang Shuzhen saw that the children had eaten quite a lot, and she couldn't force them to eat more if they couldn't finish. "Alright, let's save it for tomorrow."

Everyone had finished eating the dumplings, but the TV program seemed to be less than halfway through.

Everyone was a little disheartened, but it wasn't midnight yet, and they couldn't go to sleep right now. So they could only sit on the kang (a heated brick bed) and watch the actors' performances under the dim lights on TV, as they overcame difficulties.

As the clock struck twelve, the new year officially began. Children happily exchanged New Year's greetings, and Sheng Liancheng and his wife cheerfully took out red envelopes to give out lucky money.

Sheng Xinyue and Sheng Xinqi, the two girls, took a nap in the afternoon and finally made it to this time, all for the sake of red envelopes.

Now that they've received their red envelopes, the two girls can't stay awake any longer and are whining that they want to go to sleep.

So Zhou Qinglan coaxed her two daughters back to the west room to sleep, while the others sat on the kang (heated brick bed) and watched TV for a while longer.

In the end, they all felt it wasn't very interesting, so they simply turned off the TV and went to sleep.

Chinese New Year is a time for visiting relatives and friends, eating and drinking. People who have been busy all year can finally relax and have a good rest and enjoy themselves for a few days.

From the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, the Sheng family received a constant stream of New Year's greetings, one after another.

Many people knew that Sheng Xiping's factory was hiring, and they came over to inquire about the news during the New Year's greetings.

In recent years, although the bureau and the forest farm have recruited workers in batches, there are still quite a few unemployed young people left.

Some of these workers looked down on those working in private factories and were still waiting for the bureau to recruit them.

Even jobs in large collectives or agricultural and forestry sectors are at least considered secure, which is better than working in private factories.

Of course, a large number of people don't think that way.

Since I'm either unemployed and waiting for a job, and now that I have a job, I might as well take it.

The job posting from Huayang Wood Products Processing Plant has great conditions and high wages. I'll just focus on making money first, no matter what.

They can come back when the bureau has a recruitment policy in the future.

Many unemployed young people in the forest farm were tempted to go there, not to mention the countryside. Whether it was a state-owned enterprise or a private company, being a worker was always more lucrative than farming.

Wouldn't it be great if workers could start and finish get off work on time, rain or shine, and get paid for their work?

Unlike farming, which is entirely dependent on the weather, if the weather is good, you can have a surplus this year; but if the weather is bad, you can hardly fill your stomach.

So, not only people from the forest farm came to inquire, but also many people from the Dajianchang area took the opportunity of paying New Year's visits to come over for a chat and ask about the factory's recruitment situation.

During the Lunar New Year, anyone who comes to the door is a guest, and the Sheng family warmly welcomes them all.

When people inquired about the factory, Sheng Xiping tried his best to explain. However, he didn't interfere with the specifics of recruitment.

After applying for a job, you will receive training, and based on the training results, you will be assigned to a specific job.

Sheng Xiping ignored all those who tried to curry favor with him and get an easy job.

And just like that, the first and second years of junior high school passed quickly, and before we knew it, it was the third year.

Originally, Sheng Xiping was supposed to accompany Zhou Qinglan back to her parents' home on the third day of the Lunar New Year, but Zhou Qingyue got engaged on the sixth day, so Zhou Qinglan said that they would go back on the fifth day to help her family prepare.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!