In Northeast China, the fifth day of the Lunar New Year is an important day.
This is commonly referred to as "breaking the fifth day".
This means that many taboos during the Spring Festival, such as not sweeping the floor or taking out the trash, are usually broken and lifted on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year.
Although many customs are no longer popular in the new century.
However, Ji Qingqian's family still welcomed the God of Wealth and ate dumplings together.
"I see many people complaining that the New Year's atmosphere is not strong enough."
Old Man Ji said to Comrade Xiao Lu, a young man of the new generation, "Actually, I think it's pretty good. When we were young, we always looked forward to the New Year because we could wear new clothes and eat delicious food during the New Year. Now, we have meat every day and can buy clothes every season—I think it's a good thing that we lack these so-called rituals."
Lu Yibei felt that what his Uncle Ji said wasn't entirely correct, but he still had some thoughts on it.
Every year and every generation is different.
In the past, people emphasized visiting relatives, but now that the internet is so developed, you can send greetings anytime you want—and if you want to invite someone over for a meal, you can eat home-cooked food every day.
That's why this year doesn't seem so precious.
"However, it is still extremely important for the whole family to sit together," Old Man Ji added.
He seemed extremely satisfied with his philosophical remarks, and even raised an eyebrow at his wife with a smug look.
He was hoping his wife would praise him.
But his wife completely ignored him.
Mrs. Ji kept staring at her phone screen.
Helpless, Old Man Ji could only place his hopes on his son-in-law, who was skilled at praising people.
The son-in-law was about to speak when his wife said:
"Xiao Lu, I think this one looks good—"
So they called their son-in-law away.
Which one?
"This one."
When Ji's mother looked at her phone, she was actually flipping through a photo album.
She swiped through a selected image and said...
The two grandparents have taken the two children to visit many places these past few days.
Originally, I planned to take Lu Yibei, a newcomer from Jiangnan, on a tour to see the northern scenery of Northeast China.
Once outside, the young man from Jiangnan, who was supposed to be entertained, became the tool, picking up the Nikon camera hanging around his neck and snapping away.
It has to be said that taking good photos is extremely easy to please middle-aged women of the auntie generation.
That's how it was with Ji's mother.
After Lu Yibei took a picture of her standing against a vast, white backdrop, Ji's mother exclaimed, "This is an artistic photo!"
Everyone loves beauty, and so does Mrs. Ji.
But she didn't leave behind any particularly formal photos—meaning photos taken with a camera and then meticulously edited—given Lu Yibei's somewhat shrewd financial resources, he could easily hire a hundred or so photographers to take pictures of his wife without breaking the bank.
Unfortunately, Ji's mother is a straightforward Northeastern auntie at heart, and she always felt that it was pretentious to have to pose awkwardly in front of the camera and find the right angle according to the photographer's instructions.
So I haven't taken any pictures yet.
But Lu Yibei is different. These are just tourist photos taken by the family on a trip, so Aunt Ji wouldn't feel that way about the hassle.
After the filming was completed.
Mrs. Ji was overjoyed and exclaimed, "Xiao Lu, those photos are amazing!"
Lu Yibei smiled modestly: "My dad used to be—"
"Stop always talking about your dad," Ji's mother scolded him. "You're amazing because of your own abilities. Come on, take a picture of Old Ji too."
Old Ji waved his hand dismissively: "What are you grown men doing taking pictures! It'll just make you a laughingstock!"
Mrs. Ji: "Okay, then I'll share one with my daughter."
Old Ji exclaimed anxiously, "Hey! But then again, wouldn't not taking pictures make us seem out of place?!"
Lu Yibei then found his place as a photography tool and snapped photos of Uncle Ji as well.
When Mrs. Ji looked again, she burst into laughter like a young girl:
"It's not that Xiao Lu is good at taking pictures, it's that I'm good-looking—Old Ji, you don't look good in this picture either. Your head is more reflective than snow, I told you to put on a hat."
Old Man Ji: ...
I wanted to cry but couldn't.
He quickly put the knitted hat on his head.
…
Now, let's get back to the present.
Lu Yibei looked at the photos that Ji's mother had selected. These were all JPG preview images; the original RAW images were still on his memory card.
"Okay, I'll go and refine it now, and I'll send it to you right away."
Lu Yibei immediately stood up and went into the study.
He spent half the day chatting with the elderly couple in the living room, while his girlfriend, who was also the couple's biological child, spent the whole time playing games on the computer.
Only when Lu Yibei entered the room did she lazily raise her eyes.
"Here you are."
Lu Yibei was speechless: "...Not a heroine, so you're saying I've taken over the job of chatting with your parents?"
“That’s wrong.” Ji Qingqian said, though her argument was weak, “You didn’t take responsibility for me—I would never have chatted with them like that in the first place.”
Lu Yibei poked his girlfriend's fair forehead with one finger.
My girlfriend exaggeratedly let out a painful "uh-uh," and leaned back strategically, but quickly straightened her supple body and smiled gently.
"But I found them such a likable son-in-law. Even if I didn't do anything special, I certainly put in a lot of effort, right?"
Lu Yibei sat down next to her and glanced at her lightly: "You must have had a lot of trouble."
Ji Qingqian peeked out her cool and aloof face, her eyes narrowed like a cat's: "How about a little reward?"
Lu Yibei gave her a quick kiss on the corner of her mouth.
Ji Qingqian chuckled softly, "Sweet, isn't it? I just ate some candy."
Lu Yibei rolled her eyes slightly, then thought for a moment and said, "The sweet thing isn't sugar, it's people."
Ji Qingqian looked at Lu Yibei with disdain: "You called me Tang, huh? You're so nasty!"
Lu Yibei smiled, ignoring his girlfriend's nitpicking, and turned on his computer.
Ji Qing swiped the mouse lightly: "Finally, we can fight side by side? Without you feeding kills, I feel like we won too easily, bro."
Lu Yibei: "Wait a moment, I'll edit a few photos for Auntie."
Ji Qingqian was silent for a moment:
"...Abei, why do I feel like you've spent more time with my parents than with me these past few days?"
Lu Yibei smiled and said, "Who told you to find them such a likable son-in-law?"
Ji Qingqian: ...
She tilted her squinting, narrowed eyes.
"Soon, you can play by yourself for a while." Lu Yibei skillfully opened LR.
Then find the image that Aunt Ji needs and import the source file into it.
Ji Qingqian snorted: "It's the younger sister who's disturbing the older brother's work."
Lu Yibei didn't even look up, simply replying, "You're not the younger sister, you're the older sister..."
At this point, he looked at his girlfriend and said, "So, please be a little more considerate of your younger brother, okay?"
Facing her boyfriend's affectionate eyes, Ji Qing pursed her lips: "Bad man, trying to seduce me? Do you think I'm some shallow woman?"
Before Lu Yibei could speak, Ji Qingqian continued, "..."
"Yes, that's my sister. Keep it up."
Lu Yibei chuckled.
He quickly started editing the photos.
Then, a familiar WeChat video call rang on Ji Qingqian's end.
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