In two days it will be New Year's Eve. It is the beginning of the new year and the end of the old year. On this day, people are preparing to say goodbye to the old and welcome the new . They need to put up the couplets on the door, clean the house inside and outside, and prepare a New Year's Eve dinner for the whole family.
This day has passed, and tomorrow is the arrival of the new year.
The rising sun in the east shone into the yard. After breakfast in the morning, they set up a table at the door, put out pens, ink and red paper to write couplets.
A group of children stood inside and surrounded them. There were adults standing outside. Even Dr. Huang joined in the fun. Xiao Le'er, who was lying on the small bed, babbled. Everyone went out, leaving him alone in the room.
The little white fox next to him jumped into the small bed, and the man and the fox stared at each other.
Xiao Le'er stared twice, then yawned with his mouth open, rubbing his eyes with his hands. He slept when he was full, and ate when he was full. He lived a carefree and happy life.
"Baishu, you write it." Cao Xiangnan pulled him over and said.
"Okay, okay, I'll do it." Liu Baishu stepped forward, picked up the brush and dipped it in ink. He was a little embarrassed to be surrounded by so many people. He had thought of several couplets in his mind when he went back yesterday. He picked up the pen and wrote it. After the first stroke, the pen moved like a dragon, and soon a couplet was ready.
The handwriting was neat and elegant. This was probably the case of the handwriting reflecting the person. The elegant handwriting was just like him.
The people watching the excitement clapped their hands and said that the handwriting was good.
After writing two pairs of couplets, Liu Baishu asked the people around him who wanted to write. Ershun encouraged his master to write, because his master's handwriting was not bad at all. "Zi Yu, go ahead, write one for us to see." Qi Wanfeng also urged Fang Ziye to write, and he was happy today.
"Don't laugh if I don't write well, I'll be embarrassed." Fang Ziye didn't refuse, but he had never done these things in the past years. It was also fresh to spend the New Year with Cao Xiangnan, and it also made him feel like the past when his father and mother were still there, when their family celebrated the New Year.
Liu Baishu stepped out and gave his seat to Fang Ziye.
Fang Ziye thought about it before picking up the pen, and then he wrote on the red paper. A pair of words was completed in one go, and everyone around him applauded.
This calligraphy is not worse than Liu Baishu's, but each has its own merits, and both are good.
"You little ones have also been writing big characters for so long, and there are still some red characters here. Let's write some blessing characters and paste them on the windows." Cao Xiangnan did not miss the little ones, and asked each of them to write a big character, and the children were also happy.
The written couplets were pasted up very well, and the family was pasting the couplets enthusiastically. The children took the blessing characters they wrote and pasted them on the windows, and they also joined in the fun. After they pasted the couplets here, everyone went to Cao Gang's place to paste the couplets. A group of children followed behind and ran in and out. They were the happiest.
After staying outside for a while, Fang Ziye also went back to the house and did not go out with him. The evening breeze went out, and he stayed in the house to help watch over the sleeping Xiao Le'er. He was happy in his heart and smiled.
After working for a long time, the couplets were all pasted up.
This was the first New Year that Cao Xiangnan had spent in this world. He was surrounded by his beloved, children and friends. He was no longer alone to celebrate the New Year. He had a lover and family to be with.
The two families were also very lively when celebrating the New Year together. Everyone from Cao Gang's family came to his place to eat the New Year's Eve dinner.
At noon, Cao Xiangnan began to prepare the New Year's Eve dinner, and Cao Gang and his family also stayed here to help. They had a lot of people, so they had to prepare a lot of food, so this New Year's Eve dinner had to start earlier.
One of the two chickens was made into a braised chicken, and the last time the sheep was killed, there was mutton, which was stewed mutton. Cao Xiangnan also made a pot of braised pork, all of which were quite a lot. There was a lot of meat at this time, and they had the most meat here.
Cao Gang rushed to the dock in the town to buy a big fish early in the morning. Fish was indispensable for the New Year's Eve dinner, so the fish was made into a steamed fish with some soy sauce and sesame oil. It was delicious.
After noon, the meat stewed in the pot began to emit a fragrant smell.
The children who had been sleeping in the house woke up, and Sun Bailian also came over with two children. It was
cold in this weather, so Cao Xiangnan didn't want to cook too many dishes. It got cold after a while, and the stewed meat in the pot was almost done. He made a stewed vermicelli dish, with layers of tofu, mushrooms and meat underneath, and a layer of vermicelli on top.
He remembered that when he was young, his grandmother made this New Year's Eve dish for him. The grandmother and grandson sat around the small table, with only two or three dishes. His favorite dish was the mushrooms in the stewed vermicelli dish. His grandmother knew that he loved mushrooms, so she would scoop all the mushrooms from the pot into his bowl.
Now he has no shortage of mushrooms, and he quickly sent the good ones to Yipinzhai in the town, and kept some for himself at home. There are
many people eating at home, and many people working, and with so many people working, this New Year's Eve dinner is quickly prepared.
"I'm going to the village." The lunch box contained several kinds of meat, and Cao Xiangnan was going to deliver a bowl of meat to the courtyard. Qi Wanfeng adjusted the hat on his husband's head, and knowing where his husband was going to deliver food, he said, "Go quickly and come back soon."
"Okay." Cao Xiangnan replied.
There was a lot of stewed meat, and he did not forget to send a portion to the courtyard, and another portion was to be sent to Li Zheng. The academy had already sent a lot of pork there the day before yesterday, and he thought someone would cook it for them today, so he didn't go there to check.
It was a pity that the third uncle also went there and was not in the village. The third uncle liked to eat a bowl of meat made by him the most.
At this time of year, every household in the village is preparing for the New Year's Eve dinner, and smoke rises from every household. In the past, meat was only available during the New Year and other festivals, and the children loved the New Year and other festivals the most.
"Dad, I'll bring you a bowl of meat, and give you another bowl of meat." When Cao Xiangnan came, it was his father who opened the door for him. He followed him in, opened the lid of the lunch box, and asked his father to pour the meat into the bowl. He took the empty bowl.
No matter how many conflicts there were between them, he could not deny that this man was the father of this body, and his mother, the one who gave birth to him. He could sever family ties, but he could not sever this blood relationship.
"Are you not staying?" Cao Ashan handed over the empty bowl and asked.
"I won't stay. The evening breeze and the children are waiting for me to go back home. I'm leaving first." Cao Xiangnan took the bowl and put it back in the lunch box. When he came, his mother and second brother were cooking in the kitchen.
The compound was divided into families, and he did not miss his eldest brother when he sent things. Since he sent things, he would send two portions. Cao Ashan also understood that his fourth son had been divided, and even the old family had been divided, and they no longer lived together. The smile on his old face disappeared, and he looked a little sad.
"Mom." Seeing his mom coming out, Cao Xiangnan called out.
"Yeah." Chen Zhu responded indifferently.
Wang Yan didn't come out from inside either.
"Dad, Mom, I'm leaving first. My family is still waiting for me to come back, so I won't stay any longer." Cao Xiangnan didn't stay in the compound any longer. He put down his things and left. He sent a piece of meat to the inside and went back home.
The sun set in the west, and their New Year's Eve dinner was ready. The dishes were placed on the table, still steaming. The children ran over when they smelled the food, and they gathered around the table and stared at the food on the table.
"Brother." Xingxing pulled his brother, with an excited smile on his little face.
Xiangzi responded with "Adi". He took Adi with him in that small house during the cold winter last year. It was cold and hungry. When Adi was hungry, he would hold his hand and cry and shout about being hungry. He went out to beg for food from some families in the village in the snow and wind. The good families would give him some food, while the bad families would not even open the door. This year, they came to their uncle's house and no longer had to endure the cold and hunger.
"What are you standing here looking at? Sit up and eat." Cao Xiangnan came in from outside and saw several children standing here and watching without knowing how to find a seat like before. Can they be full just by looking? This is really amazing. "Everyone, come and eat. Don't just sit there. If you sit any longer, the food will get cold."
"Okay, okay, we're here."
No one knows when this family started to cook for the men. A few brothers were waiting there for food.
All the dishes were served on the table. Seven dishes and a soup just made for a good omen. Everyone sat around the table, enjoying the meal.
Cao Xiangnan opened a jar of white wine, and the mellow aroma of the wine emanated, which aroused the appetite of the people around him. In addition, he opened a small pot of red wine for Wanfeng and the others to drink. "Come on, have a sip too. Ziyu, don't drink." Even on such a festival, people should drink a little to celebrate. He did not forget to remind those who cannot drink.
"Haha, yes, Ziyu can't drink." Qi Wanfeng echoed her husband's words and said with a smile.
Fang Ziye glanced at the two of them with a smile. Didn't he know that he couldn't drink? The baby in his belly has been a little restless recently. Now he feels uncomfortable even sitting or lying down. Doctor Huang said that the baby in his belly will be born soon, and the days are almost here.
After waiting for so long, this day has finally come.
Aning looked at everyone laughing and playing together, and a faint smile appeared in his eyes. At this time last year, he was still hungry and cold with his child outside. If he hadn't met Xiangnan and Wanfeng, he didn't know what would happen to him and his child outside. Thinking of that person in his heart, he couldn't help feeling a little lonely.
But now his child is by his side, and he and the child are doing well. This makes him happier than anything else.
"Come on, let's have a drink, for our better and better lives next year, cheers!"
"Let's not go home until we are drunk today." "Not going home until we
are drunk!"
"Everyone, feel free to drink and eat meat, there is still meat stewing in the pot, we will add more when we are done." There
were many people eating at home, and there was a lot of meat cooked. Several children had their mouths full of meat. They had never had such a good life in the past. Xiangzi ate the meat in silence, and did not forget to put some into A-di's bowl. From now on, he and A-di would no longer have to suffer from the cold and hunger.
"Mom, I want it."
"Okay" Qi Wanfeng saw the smile on her husband's face, he reached out and touched the child beside him, and a smile appeared on his face. The candlelight hits people's faces, reflecting smiling faces...