On New Year's Eve, while Buling was sleeping soundly, she was suddenly awakened by the sound of firecrackers. She opened her eyes and listened carefully before letting out a sigh of relief.

"Lingling, were you scared?" Sangshen murmured as she hugged Buling and patted her soothingly.

Buling gave a soft "hmm" to calm her racing heart, then nudged Sangshen: "Get up, we still have to go pay New Year's visits later."

Sangshen hugged Buling and rubbed his face against her neck, saying in a sticky voice, "My brother's here~"

Seeing him like this, Bu Ling gave him a quick kiss on the forehead: "Get up, I'm still getting ready to collect my red envelope."

Sangshen opened her eyes instantly, moved her hand up, and grabbed the back of Buling's head. "Trying to run away?"

Bling pounded his chest: "You rascal, get up already, or you won't get any more red envelopes!"

Sangshen tilted her head back, her breath mingling with Buling's, her voice low and husky: "No, if we don't come, Grandpa won't give out red envelopes." After saying that, she kissed him fiercely.

Half an hour later, Bu Ling entered the living room wearing a scarf. Xie Dong was puzzled when he saw her: "Sister-in-law, are you cold? Why are you wearing a scarf even indoors?"

Bling sat down calmly and cleared his throat: "A little."

Xie Dong wanted to say something more, but was stomped on by Sangshen and shut up. He turned around and glared angrily at Sangshen: Why did you stomp on me?

Mulberry: Shut up!

As the two locked eyes, Grandpa Sang pulled a stack of red envelopes from his pocket: "Come on, come on, time to give out New Year's money!"

These words immediately attracted everyone's attention.

Grandpa Sang laughed heartily, "First of all, this is for Xiao Fang. Thank you for taking care of this old man this past year."

Fang's eyes were slightly red as she accepted the red envelope from Grandpa Sang with both hands. "I should be thanking the Commander for taking me in."

Grandpa Sang waved his hand, took out another red envelope, and handed it to Uncle Lin: "This one is for Xiao Lin. I'm sorry for keeping you from going home for the New Year. When you get back to Kyoto, I'll give you a long holiday so you can have a good reunion with your wife!"

Uncle Lin first saluted the old man and said loudly, "Protecting the commander is my duty!" Then he took the red envelope and put it in his pocket.

Grandpa Sang's smile deepened. "This is for Xiao Bu. From now on, we're family, so don't be shy!" With that, the old man handed the red envelope to Bu Yi.

Bu Yi stood up and bowed to the old man: "Thank you, Grandpa Sang."

"This one is for Xiao Si. Next year, we need to find a sister-in-law for Xiao Qi, you know?" Old Master Sang sternly looked at Sang Zi.

Sangzi smiled helplessly, pushed up her glasses, and said, "Grandpa, thank you for the red envelope!" She didn't respond to her sister-in-law's words.

Grandpa Sang was so angry he was puffing out his beard and glaring, but Xie Dong quickly came to his rescue: "Grandpa Sang, it's my turn!"

Grandpa Sang glared at Sang Zi and said, "I'll settle accounts with you after the New Year!" Then he picked up a red envelope and said, "Here you go, thank you, kid. This is yours. You should find a wife soon. Your parents are waiting to hold their grandson."

Xie Dong grinned and said, "I'll try my best!" He quickly grabbed the red envelope and stuffed it into his pocket.

Grandpa Sang pointed at him vaguely, without saying much, and finally picked up the two largest red envelopes: "Here, Xiao Qi and granddaughter-in-law, these are for you two."

He handed the thickest one to Buling: "Granddaughter-in-law, this is yours."

"Thank you, Grandpa." Bu Ling stood up and accepted the red envelope with both hands.

"Xiao Qi, this is yours. Now that you're married and grown up, you have to shoulder the responsibilities of a man!" Grandpa Sang said earnestly to his youngest grandson.

Sangshen accepted the red envelope: "Grandpa, don't worry!"

After giving out red envelopes, it's time for breakfast. In the north, breakfast on New Year's Eve is usually just something simple, like noodles or porridge.

After breakfast, everyone got busy preparing for the family reunion lunch. Fang's wife was in charge, saying, "Lingling, come help me start the fire. Let's stew the chicken first."

"Here I am!"

"Xiao Bu, go chop the chicken into pieces!"

"good!"

"Xiao Si, go peel the garlic, chop the ginger, and peel the potatoes."

"Can!"

"Dongzi, go wash the vegetables and cut the meat!"

"Okay!"

"Xiaoqi, you're a great cook, come cook with me!"

"no problem!"

The morning passed by in a flurry of activity. The lunch on New Year's Eve, also known as the reunion dinner, had to be prepared with the utmost solemnity.

For this meal, Sangshen and Sister Fang went to great lengths, preparing a total of eight dishes and a soup, making it an extremely lavish meal.

At the dinner table, the old man said a few auspicious words, and then everyone started eating. No one was in a hurry; they ate slowly and chatted as they ate.

They talked about the past year, future plans, the national situation, and the marriages of the Sang family brothers. In short, they talked about everything under the sun, from the most important things in the world to everyday family matters, from politics and military affairs to the harvest in the fields.

Grandpa Sang didn't put down his chopsticks until the sun set, signaling the end of the meal. Everything on the table, except for the fish, was eaten clean.

After dinner, Sangzi and the others who weren't very good at cooking washed the dishes and wiped the table, while Sangshen and Sister Fang made bread and dumplings.

We ate and drank our fill, and before we knew it, New Year's Eve was over.

The next day was the first day of the Lunar New Year. At the beginning of the new year, the first meal after getting up was dumplings. The dumplings that were made on New Year's Eve were eaten. After eating the dumplings, it was time to visit the families of acquaintances to offer New Year's greetings.

Both the Bu and Sang families were outsiders; they had no other relatives in Gu County, but they did have families they needed to visit.

After finishing the dumplings, only the old man, Uncle Lin, and Aunt Fang remained in the courtyard; everyone else dressed neatly and left the courtyard.

At the entrance of the compound, Bu Ling looked at Bu Yi: "Brother, are you going back to the military region to pay New Year's visits?"

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