After finishing the New Year's Eve dinner, Huo Hai was the first to say, "Happy New Year to my parents! I wish them good health and a long life in the new year."

Old Man Huo chuckled, and Liu Guilan also smiled and said, "Get up! Remember to change the lines next year; it's always the same two lines every year."

Huo Hai said embarrassedly, "It's because I didn't go to school much."

After saying that, he looked at Liu Guilan expectantly.

Liu Guilan glared at him irritably, then took out a red envelope and gave it to him.

Huo Hai happily accepted the red envelope, but just as he was about to put it in his pocket, he noticed an unfriendly gaze. When he looked up, he saw his wife staring at him, so he quickly handed the red envelope over.

Su Xuemei took the red envelope and snorted, "That's more like it."

This caused everyone to burst into laughter again.

Next, Su Xuemei wished the two elders a Happy New Year, and Liu Guilan gave her a red envelope.

Next it was Huo Jiang's turn, then Huo Xiao, Ye Weiwei, and Ye Huaijin, and each of them received a red envelope.

After the adults finished paying their New Year's greetings, it was the children's turn. Xiaoshan, Xiaochuan, and Xiaoxing were together, as were Xiaochun, Xiaoxia, and Xiaoqiu.

After wishing my grandparents a Happy New Year, I went on to wish other elders in the family a Happy New Year. After going around the circle, everyone had several red envelopes in their hands, and everyone was all smiles.

When Su Xuemei saw that Ye Huaijin had also prepared red envelopes for each of the children in the family, she was initially a little embarrassed to accept them. Liu Guilan waved her hand and said, "It only happens once a year, so just accept it if Uncle Ye gives it to you."

Then she looked at her grandchildren and said, "Hurry up and thank your Uncle Ye!"

"Thank you, Uncle Ye!"

The little ones all spoke in unison.

Little Star shouted the loudest; that was his second uncle!

Liu Guilan put one yuan in each of the red envelopes given to adults and ten cents in each of the children, which was a large amount of New Year's red envelopes in the village.

Normally, even close friends would only give a child a small amount in a red envelope, usually just a penny or two as a token gesture.

Su Xuemei and Huo Jiang gave the children red envelopes containing only one cent, just like they always gave them one cent in previous years.

The red envelopes given by Ye Weiwei and her second brother Ye Huaijin each contained one yuan.

When the little ones saw how much money was inside, they all sensibly handed it over to their parents. Little Xingxing followed suit and gave the red envelope he received to Ye Weiwei so that her aunt could keep it for her.

Huo Xiao teased him deliberately, "Why don't you give it to your uncle? He can keep it for you."

Little Star blinked at Huo Xiao: "But doesn't Uncle's money all go to Aunt too?"

He looked at me with disapproval, as if to say, "Are you disobeying me and trying to hide your secret stash of money?"

Huo Xiao: "...You're right!"

I was speechless!

Seeing Huo Xiao get the short end of the stick with Xiao Xingxing, Huo Hai couldn't help but sigh, "I'm not even as good as a child like Xiao Xingxing!"

Everyone couldn't help but laugh again.

Unlike the joyful atmosphere at the Huo family's house, Lu Xiaolan and Zhao Mingzhe had their first major battle since their marriage on the first day of the new year.

After Lu Mingcai lost his position as brigade leader because his affair with Widow Liu was exposed, Lu Mingcai fell ill and was hospitalized, and he didn't even get discharged during the Chinese New Year.

Aunt Zhang went to the hospital to stay with her husband, leaving only Lu Chenggong and Niu Li at home.

Without the pressure from their in-laws and the constant fuss from their troublesome sister-in-law Lu Xiaolan, Lu Chenggong and Niu Li had a very peaceful New Year. The couple got up early to clean the house, put up Spring Festival couplets, and made four dishes and a soup for lunch.

After dinner, Lu Chenggong went to visit the graves with his uncle Lu Mingfa's family. Before leaving, he told Niu Li that he would wait for him to come back to chop the filling and make the dough so they could make dumplings together, stay up late on New Year's Eve, and have New Year's Eve dinner together.

Who knew that Lu Xiaolan would come over in the afternoon.

Upon entering, they saw that Niu Li was home and didn't greet anyone. Seeing the leftover food from their lunch on the stove, they reached out and put it in their mouths, which angered Niu Li so much that she started to chase them out.

Lu Xiaolan, used to being the boss at home, didn't take Niu Li seriously at all. She started rummaging around the house, picking up half a bag of refined flour from the flour jar and about to leave.

Niu Li was determined not to let her leave like that!

This is the only bit of flour we have left at home; we're saving it to make dumplings for the Lunar New Year.

"Lu Xiaolan, put it down!"

Lu Xiaolan was even less likely to give up. Her family's food supplies had run out these past few days. If she didn't take some food back with her, what would she eat during the New Year?

Besides, her parents aren't home right now, so wouldn't it be a complete waste to give all the flour in the house to that little bitch Niu Li?

Only his brother Mingzhe deserves to eat such refined food.

The two had both old and new grudges against each other, and they immediately started fighting.

Niu Li was still recovering from her injury, and before she knew it, Lu Xiaolan pinned her down and straddled her for a while, tearing and scratching at her, leaving several bloody marks on her face.

When Lu Chenggong and Lu Mingfa returned from visiting the graves, they had just reached the door when they heard Niu Li scream. Startled, they kicked the door open and rushed in. They then saw Lu Xiaolan hitting his wife, which enraged Lu Chenggong. He grabbed Lu Xiaolan by the hair and threw her aside.

Seeing Lu Chenggong helping Niu Li beat her, Lu Xiaolan was so angry that she pointed at Lu Chenggong's nose and yelled, "Lu Chenggong, you traitor! You actually helped someone else beat your own sister! Are you even human?!"

When Lu Chenggong saw the bruises on Niu Li's face, his eyes turned red with anger. Hearing Lu Xiaolan still cursing, he immediately grabbed her and slapped her several times, making Lu Xiaolan scream. She cursed and scratched at Lu Chenggong's face, but only managed to scratch his neck.

When Lu Mingfa and his two sons saw this, they quickly came in and separated the two.

When Lu Xiaolan saw Lu Mingfa there, she plopped down in the yard and burst into tears, cursing Lu Chenggong and Niu Li for being inhuman and ganging up on her. She insisted that Lu Mingfa stand up for her, which made Lu Mingfa's head ache with anger.

"Shut up!"

Startled by Lu Mingfa's shout, Lu Xiaolan hiccuped in fright and finally dared not cry or make a fuss anymore.

Lu Mingfa looked at Niu Li: "Tell me what happened?"

Niu Li then recounted how Lu Xiaolan came to her house, ransacked the place, stole the flour, and left.

Lu Xiaolan didn't see anything wrong with it at all, and even argued, "Why should people like them eat those refined grains? What's wrong with me taking them back for my brother Mingzhe to eat?"

Lu Mingfa was so angry he wanted to slap this bastard to death!

Lu Xiaolan's two cousins ​​had long disliked her.

Lu Chenggang, the eldest cousin, said, "You're a married daughter, like water spilled from a cup. You come to your parents' house during the New Year to cause trouble, steal things, and beat your sister-in-law. And you still think you're right!"

Lu Xiaolan glared angrily at her eldest cousin: "This stuff belongs to my parents. They're not home, so what's wrong with me eating some for them?"

Second cousin Lu Chengfeng pulled his eldest brother, who was furious, aside and said, "What reason can you possibly get from arguing with a shrew like her? I think she wasn't beaten enough. Chenggong should have given her a good beating so she would suffer!"