On New Year's Eve, even Grandpa An started to move around, helping to clean up and pick up things. He looked very busy, which made Grandma Liu laugh at him: "You used to just sit and wait for food, but now you can move around."
Grandpa An smiled and said, "People will always make progress." He didn't feel embarrassed at all.
Xia Ruzheng knew Grandma Liu's cooking skills, and the two old people also knew Xia Ruzheng's cooking skills, so no one was afraid of being at a disadvantage.
Grandma Liu’s kitchen is quite big, and she uses a gas stove, which is much more advanced than many other people’s.
Grandma Liu explained: "The black coal balls have a bad smell when they burn, and you have to keep changing them. I found this too troublesome, so I got this. It's clean and saves trouble. If you pay attention, you don't have to worry about gas poisoning."
Yes, people who burn coal balls at this time, due to lack of safety awareness and knowledge, put the burning coal stove in the bedroom at night in winter, which can easily lead to carbon monoxide poisoning. Fortunately, they will only feel dizzy and nauseous and then pass away. If they are unlucky, there are also many families who die quietly, so coal stoves are also very dangerous.
Xia Ruzheng said: "This thing is indeed good, but you also have to be careful about gas leaks on a daily basis."
Grandma Liu said, "Don't worry, I'm being very careful!"
Xia Ruzheng pulled out his own coal stove and placed it in the yard to stew things, such as stewed pig's feet and pork ribs. He would use a pressure cooker to stew them and just leave them in the yard without taking care of them.
The gas stove is used directly for cooking.
Both families got a few pounds of dumplings from Tian Nier's place. They will stay up tonight to celebrate the New Year. After dinner, if they feel hungry, they can have a bowl of dumplings.
Wen Zhichao was washing and cutting vegetables at the faucet in the yard. The water was freezing cold, but he didn't even frown. Grandma Liu suggested using hot water, but Xia Ruzheng quickly refused. The fire wasn't even enough. Even stewing vegetables required waiting in line, so where would there be enough to heat water for Wen Zhichao to wash? Besides, some vegetables couldn't be washed in hot water; it would ruin their flavor.
Xia Ruzheng and Grandma Liu were busy in the kitchen. The two families had two sets of kitchen utensils. Looking at each other's shiny kitchen utensils, Xia Ruzheng and Grandma Liu smiled at each other. This way they didn't have to worry about the other's hygiene being unsatisfactory, and they felt a sense of mutual understanding.
The two housewives were busy all afternoon, and around six o'clock in the evening, the house was filled with the tempting aroma of food, but it was not so obvious because of the number of people around.
The dishes were served, and two men, one old and one young, went outside to set the table and pay respect to the heavens, then set off firecrackers. Although the two families were sharing the New Year's Eve dinner, they still had to let the heavens know that they were two families, right? So, everything was doubled.
After a while, the sound of firecrackers rang out outside. The two men returned to the house, closed the door, and started to eat the New Year's dinner in a lively manner.
The sound of the TV, the sound of everyone talking and laughing, and the occasional crackling of firecrackers coming from outside made it seem very lively.
Grandpa An prepared some wine, even red wine.
The two men drank low-alcohol wine, and the two women drank red wine. Xia Ruzheng thought it was really high-end. In the countryside, it would be great to have chicken, duck, fish and meat on the New Year's table.
The four of them clinked their glasses, and Grandma Liu sighed, "It's been a long time since I've had such a lively New Year's celebration."
In the past few years, the two old people had just spent the New Year's Eve dinner together. The house was cold and deserted, and the two old people could not eat much, so the New Year's Eve dinner was also simple. At that time, there was no TV, only a radio, so they ate in silence with the radio on. The festive and lively New Year's greetings from the radio seemed to have nothing to do with the two old people.
Xia Ruzheng said, "Life will get better and better, and the New Year will get more and more lively. You two don't have to be sad."
Grandma Liu said, "Look at me too. Why are you saying such depressing things on such a good day? Let's eat!"
Wen Zhichao was indeed a business savvy person. He quickly found a new topic to start with and diverted the attention of the two elders.
Xia Ruzheng was chatting and laughing with them while paying attention to the TV. She thought there would be the Spring Festival Gala on TV, but there wasn't. Xia Ruzheng felt very strange. Could it be that the Spring Festival Gala hadn't started yet?
What Xia Ruzheng didn’t know was that the Spring Festival Gala will not be broadcast until next year!
For those who have colorful lives, the Spring Festival Gala is certainly boring and formulaic, and they like to plagiarize jokes from the Internet. But for Xia Ruzheng, who is almost out of touch with society, it is extremely exciting and lively. Sometimes she watches the replays with gusto. Only during the Spring Festival Gala will Huang Zhong not beat her in order to get good luck.
Although there was no Spring Festival Gala, the TV was still lively. Many leaders wished everyone a happy holiday and a prosperous New Year, and that company wished the people of the country a happy family reunion and good luck. The sound of "dong dong qiang" never stopped, making the house even more festive and joyful.
After dinner, Xia Ruzheng helped Grandma Liu put away things, and the four of them sat there watching TV.
There were still a few episodes of TV series on TV, and it was rare that the TV didn't turn into snow early in the evening.
We stayed up until the early morning, set off firecrackers, ate dumplings, and then went back to our rooms to sleep.
Xia Ruzheng sighed comfortably. Life now was really comfortable and pleasant.
Wen Zhichao stretched out an arm and embraced Xia Ruzheng.
Xia Ruzheng said, "Let's buy a TV next year."
Wen Zhichao nodded and agreed.
Xia Ruzheng added: "We still want to have children."
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
