After seeing off Uncle Yun and his family, the Yun family entered a busy period. The next day, Uncle Yun went to invite all the relatives and friends, and said that he would visit them on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year to exchange gifts. He also invited several elders to attend the ceremony, as is customary.

After informing relatives and friends, the family began the pre-New Year's cleaning and preparations for the New Year's Eve dinner.

On New Year's Eve, Dad took Yunqi to put up Spring Festival couplets at the door and together they carried offerings to the ancestral temple to worship their ancestors and gods.

In the evening, the family of three finished their New Year's Eve dinner early and went to the yard to build a tower shape out of coal. Locally, this is called "tower fire," "prosperous fire," or "club fire," which means hoping for a prosperous year ahead.

Lunar New Year's Eve is a day for bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new, so how can we forget to stay up all night? Staying up all night is what we call "keeping watch over the year." As the saying goes, "Keeping watch over the winter brings longevity to the grandfather, and keeping watch over the year brings longevity to the mother."

The family turned on all the lights in the rooms. There's a custom on New Year's Eve called "lights burning forever," meaning that lights must be kept on in every room, whether occupied or unoccupied, and kept burning until dawn. This custom is related to the ancient practice of burning offerings to the year's spirits. The folk explanation is that the ever-burning lights illuminate the surroundings, leaving no place for ghosts to hide and ensuring the family's safety. —In today's world, it might also serve the purpose of providing nighttime lighting.

The family of three sat together on the sofa in the living room. Yun's mother had laid out various dried fruits and snacks on the table. They watched the Spring Festival Gala and chatted about this and that. Suddenly, they started talking about Yun Liping.

“Actually, Xiaoping has a boyfriend, and they were planning to get married. Last month, both sets of parents met, and things went quite well. But then the other mother made an outrageous demand, saying that whatever the dowry the other family gave, they had to give double, claiming that her recently married niece had the same dowry. Your Uncle Wei has a heavy burden; he just raised his children, how can he afford such a generous dowry?” After saying this, Aunt Yun sighed.

"And then what? What did her boyfriend say?"

"The most infuriating part is this: her boyfriend actually pulled her aside and suggested that her family borrow money from relatives. Xiaoping was furious when she heard this and immediately questioned him, 'How are we going to pay this back?' The man actually said, 'Since your family provided a dowry, of course your parents should pay it back.' Xiaoping was so angry that she kicked them out, and later I heard that they broke up."

"If I keep arguing with her like that today, wouldn't that be like stabbing her in the wound? I'll apologize to her tomorrow!" The two of them usually argue and bicker, but they've never said anything so hurtful before. Even though it was unintentional and caused serious harm, they still felt very sorry.

"Yes, you need to change your temper. Everyone has grown up. There are only a few brothers and sisters in the family. We'll have to look after each other in the future." Yun's father also started to give Yun a pep talk.

"Actually, it's better to find out sooner rather than later. This world is too materialistic. Not only do women demand betrothal gifts, but now even men are asking for a certain amount of dowry. The cost of marriage is too high. No wonder more and more people are choosing to remain single."

"Your Uncle Wei is still very guilty, feeling that he has held his children back and failed to provide them with a good quality of life. Now he can't even afford a dowry. Xiao Ping comforted him, saying that families that value material things too much will not be happy together in the future."

"Who says otherwise? Your father and several uncles were even planning to give more money as a wedding gift, but Xiaoping refused. She said she doesn't need him, the world will still turn and life will still go on without him."

"Fortunately, Si Cheng's family doesn't have these problems. His parents didn't care much about him before, and they both have new families now. They won't be living with you anymore, so although they won't be able to help you, it will also save you a lot of trouble."

"Yes, Mom and Dad, don't worry, Si Cheng and I will take good care of you."

"Have a child soon after you get married. While we're still young, we can help you take care of the baby for a few more years." Speaking of children, Yun's mother seemed to see her adorable baby reaching out to her, and she couldn't wait any longer.

"Mom, that's not right. I want to play for a few more years."

“Your mom is right. You’ll have to give birth sooner or later anyway. Your mom and I will take care of you after you’re born.” Upon hearing the topic of the child, Yun’s father couldn’t help but urge him on.

Yunqi hadn't really considered the issue of having children. After her parents brought it up, she realized she wanted a child with both of them, but she was also afraid she couldn't provide a stable life for the child. Although she currently had her own space and trump cards, the future was unknown and unstable. The thought of her child facing such a world made Yunqi feel as if her heart was being squeezed by a pair of large hands, making it hard for her to breathe.

"Xiao Qi, did you hear me?" Seeing Yun Qi standing there speechless, Yun's mother gently nudged her.

"Let nature take its course." Yun Qi thought back to her previous life when she was with Si Cheng for several years but didn't get pregnant. She didn't know if it was because their fate hadn't come yet or if there were health problems. At that time, there was no way to get medical treatment. By the third year of the apocalypse, many medicines had expired and could no longer be produced. Many hospitals were practically defunct, and only people with privileges and power could afford to see a doctor.

Speaking of children, Yunqi realized that the two of them hadn't included children in their plans, and they hadn't planned to buy any baby supplies. She thought she would write these things down in her notebook when she got back to her room.

Time slowly ticked down to eleven o'clock, and Mama Yun began preparing to make dumplings. She prepared the filling, rolled out the wrappers, and the family of three chatted and laughed as they made dumplings. Making dumplings is a tradition, and it's customary to put a few pieces of silver or copper coins inside. Nowadays, these are replaced with small steel coins, a custom known as "grabbing gold" or "grabbing silver," as it's believed that finding one in a dumpling will bring good luck in the New Year.

Mother Yun prepared freshly boiled and cleaned dumplings in advance, wrapped them in dumplings marked with coins that only she knew about, and then put a dumpling containing a coin in each bowl after they were cooked. Every year, the Yun family father and daughter knew the secret but never exposed it, and when they found a coin in their dumplings, they would say auspicious words.

As the clock struck midnight, the new year arrived. We exchanged New Year's greetings and went to the courtyard to light the prepared fireworks. Watching the fireworks burst in the sky, and thinking of the impending disaster, I couldn't help but pray that my past life was just a dream, and that this prosperous era would last forever.

"May Mom and Dad live to be a hundred years old and enjoy good health." This is Yunqi's biggest wish. Following tradition, she knelt on the ground to pay her respects to her parents for the New Year and received two red envelopes and blessings from them.

At this time, the phone started to get busy. Yunqi answered the phone and heard Sicheng's New Year's greetings, which were interspersed with auspicious words from Gao Jie and Gao Liang.

Because everyone knows they'll be quite busy afterward, having to send New Year's greetings to elders, superiors, colleagues, and relatives and friends, the call ended after a few words.