Chapter 37 Winter (Part 5) New Year's Eve
Lunar New Year's Eve has arrived.
It didn't snow that day, and the people happily swept away the snow, cleaned the tables and chairs, and put the tables together in two close rows.
The goddess bestowed food upon them.
Pots of piping hot hot pot, bowls of fragrant meat and vegetable dishes, and basins of white rice.
The aromas of oil, spiciness, and meat linger in the air.
The villagers sat around the "big round table," and the outgoing women or men took the initiative to get up, pick up rice scoops to serve rice to those around them, and pick up wine jugs and beverage bottles to pour wine for those who drank and beverages for those who did not.
A child, with a craving for spicy crayfish, stretched out his chopsticks to grab some, only to have his chopsticks tapped against the parent's chopsticks, who said, "Eat it later!"
The other adults around couldn't help but laugh, "Oh dear, if he wants to eat, just give him one. There are so many."
This would have been unthinkable a year ago.
Look, when resources are plentiful, everyone becomes a good person.
The village chief raised his glass with great joy, "The old year has passed, and the new year is about to begin. I hope that under the guidance of the goddess, our lives will get better and better!"
He proclaimed loudly, "The first cup is to the goddess!"
The men, women, and children of the entire village raised their cups and chanted in unison, "To the Goddess!"
They tilted their heads back and drank the alcohol or beverage.
The village chief continued, "The second cup is for ourselves! In the new year, we must continue to work hard and obey the goddess's command to build our homeland!"
Immediately, a village chief shouted, "Let's toast ourselves!"
The other villagers then joined in, shouting, "Let's toast ourselves!"
They drank a second cup.
The village chief laughed and said, "Let's begin our meal!"
After he finished speaking, he sat down and picked up his bowl and chopsticks.
Everyone happily put down their cups and picked up their chopsticks to eat.
The younger generation served the elders easy-to-chew meat, while the parents served the children chicken feet, ribs, shrimp, crab, and the like. Everyone happily ate.
Chinese New Year is so wonderful! The goddess bestowed many dishes that I had never eaten before, especially various kinds of meat hot pot, which smelled incredibly delicious!
Moreover, on such a cold day, eating hot pot makes you feel warm and cozy.
This hot pot also allows you to add kelp, bean curd sheets, tofu, meatballs, and leafy greens to cook, so you don't have to worry about not having enough food after cooking one pot. It's fantastic!
The more people ate, the happier they became.
They ate and chatted, talking about what they had done in the past year, their children's studies, their plans for the coming year, gossip they had heard, the hardships they had endured in the past, how delicious the sorghum liquor was, how tasty the pork ribs were, and so on...
People who enjoy drinking left their seats with their glasses in hand to toast their elders, siblings, and friends.
The children picked up food quickly and ate quickly. After they finished eating, they left their seats and gathered together to play.
The goddess was very thoughtful, and in addition to the feast, she also bestowed dried fruit, nuts, and candy.
The children who finished eating first were very happy. Each of them grabbed a handful of candy and played games while eating.
They played cat's cradle, hopscotch, cockfighting, jacks, and jump rope.
After the adults finished eating, they conscientiously cleaned up the pots and pans, wiped the table clean, and cleared the area.
The performance begins.
Some people danced with homemade, simple dragon lanterns; some performed puppet shows; some went up and performed a set of martial arts; even the children were pushed forward to recite long poems;...
It was very lively.
He Qinglan did not participate in the New Year's Eve banquet held by the people of Yunhe County.
She sat alone on the city wall, watching the bustling crowd.
After everyone finished eating, she raised her hand and made a hand seal, and fireworks exploded in the night sky over all the villages that nominally belonged to her.
These are not fireworks made with modern technology, but rather fireworks from later generations, dazzling and diverse in style.
Dazzling and beautiful.
"Wow! It's so beautiful!" Countless people couldn't help but exclaim.
Some young men and women, blessed by the goddess, mustered their courage and confessed their feelings to their beloved under the beautiful fireworks.
The battle in Anling County was not over yet, but because it was New Year's Eve, the two sides sent envoys to communicate and reached an agreement: a truce on New Year's Eve, to continue the battle the next day.
The goddess naturally bestowed upon them a sumptuous New Year's Eve feast.
Fish, beef, cured pork ribs, and mutton are cooked in an iron pot until they smell delicious. In the bowls, there are delicious dishes such as Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, fish head with chopped peppers, braised sea cucumber with scallions, and braised pig's trotters. There are also mouthwatering roasted whole lamb and roasted suckling pig.
The only regret was that, fearing a surprise attack early the next morning, the two strategists forbade everyone from drinking alcohol, so everyone had to toast with various beverages.
...But both black water (Cola) and white water (Sprite) taste great, I drank it all!
Considering that everyone was tired, the military camp didn't call anyone out to perform; instead, they started singing together.
The soldiers ate sunflower seeds and fruit, and took turns singing.
Singing folk songs from their hometown, operas, military songs, and songs taught by a goddess (using a light screen).
The melodious singing pierced through the night and reached the ears of the soldiers and civilians in the city.
That sounds so happy.
Some people couldn't help but wonder what the other side of the table would be eating tonight.
Are they also steamed buns with meat inside?
Or did they actually get to eat fresh meat and vegetables, as they claimed?
Fireworks suddenly exploded overhead, one after another, illuminating the night.
Ning Huai'an took a bite of the apple and said, "The goddess is quite romantic, setting off fireworks for us."
Fang Qin cracked sunflower seeds. "Romantic?"
Ning Huai'an smiled and said, "I learned this word from a fairy tale book."
"You're such a grown-up, why are you reading fairy tales?" Hu Dazhu found it unbelievable. "You seem like the type who reads military and historical books."
Ning Huai'an: "..." He took another bite of the apple with a "crunch" sound, "Brother Hu, you have a misunderstanding about me."
Hu Dazhu smiled and said, "Oh? That's true. After all, even the strongest man will yearn for a beautiful love story." He had read many fairy tales that his son had borrowed from the school library in order to teach his child.
Ning Huai'an's eyelids twitched when he heard this.
Sure enough, Fang Qin seemed to understand something, "I had forgotten that you've reached this age, you could consider settling down."
Ning Huai'an said helplessly, "Second Uncle Fang, I'm not in a hurry, we're so busy right now..."
Fang Qin interrupted him, "Your father entrusted you to me, so naturally I have to consider your life's important matters! After we take Anling County, I'll have someone look for a suitable girl for you."
Ning Huai'an's brow twitched upon hearing this.
Hu Dazhu, indifferent to the matter, happily popped a red date into his mouth.
He turned to Xiang Yuesheng and said, "There are quite a few single men in our army. If there is an opportunity, we can organize a matchmaking event for them."
Xiang Yuesheng laughed and said, "You've also read Xiao Mo's practice questions book?" He's always organizing events.
Hu Dazhu: "?"
Xiang Yuesheng nodded, "We can hold matchmaking events, but we'll have to wait until later. For now, if they want to get married, they should rely on their own abilities to win the hearts of the girls."
Hu Dazhu: "?"
distance.
Xingzhou City. The palace was brightly lit, and the emperor hosted a banquet for his officials.
Prime Minister Lu Wei raised his cup to toast the young emperor. The young emperor held the cup with trembling hands, glanced at Lu Wei cautiously, and drank it down with trepidation.
Lu Wei raised his wine cup, and his son-in-law Xue Rang filled it for him with wine. Lu Wei smiled, his dangerous gaze sweeping over the imperial relatives, civil and military officials present, and said loudly, "I toast to all of you. I hope that next year you will join me in serving our Great Wei, suppressing the rebels and bringing peace to the world!"
Regardless of whether they feared, respected, or hated Lu Wei, everyone raised their glasses and shouted, "To the Prime Minister!"
With a smile on his face, Xue Rang poured himself a glass of wine and joined the others in toasting Lu Wei.
Ganzhou.
Lu Hong and his men were drinking.
The melodious sounds of string and wind instruments filled the air as dancers gracefully swayed in the hall.
Lu Hong drank a cup of wine, and the woman in his arms poured him another cup from a wine pot. Lu Hong laughed and raised his cup, "Thanks to everyone's support, I have already occupied Ganzhou and Chuzhou. It's a pity that Chaozhou next door has fallen into the hands of that scoundrel Luo Boyuan. I have always been unwilling to accept this. Next year, I hope that everyone will join me in defeating that scoundrel Luo Boyuan and taking Chaozhou."
The crowd replied, "We will obey our lord's command."
Lu Hong nodded in satisfaction and said, "Everyone must drink to their heart's content tonight! We won't leave until we're completely drunk!"
Someone then raised their glass in agreement, "We won't leave until we're drunk!"
The others shouted in unison, "We won't leave until we're drunk!"
Chaozhou.
Luo Boyuan and his strategist Chi Xi stood on the city wall, overlooking the myriad lights of the city and its surroundings.
Luo Boyuan was lost in thought for a moment, and he suddenly asked, "Zhongming, why do you think there has never been a successful example of a commoner rebelling throughout history?"
Chi Xi jolted awake, looking up in alarm. "My lord... why do you ask such a question?"
Luo Boyuan laughed and said, "Probably because I'm worried that I'll let down the brothers who followed me in the rebellion."
He looked up at the night sky and said in a deep voice, "If Zhongming can't give me an answer, is there anyone in this world who can answer this question for me?"
This is the unsolved mystery of his life. "If I hear the truth in the morning, I can die content in the evening."
Ningzhou.
Cao Ruheng, the head of the Cao family, was not in good health. After drinking two cups of wine, he said he felt unwell and asked someone to help him down to rest, leaving his wife, Ye Hui, to host a banquet for everyone on his behalf.
Ye Hui smiled and drank with everyone present, chatting about everyday matters, asking about the engagement of one family's grandson, whether another's daughter-in-law had given birth, whether the family had recently encountered any hardships, and whether the previous conflicts within the clan had been resolved...
She smiled gently and dignifiedly, like a virtuous matriarch, showing no sign that after tonight she would draw her sword against certain incompetent officials.
Maozhou.
Sun Yannan did not arrange any singing or dancing; he and his men drank and talked about recent important events.
"It seems Ye Hui has discovered our pawns in Ningzhou. We should notify them to evacuate immediately, so that we can leave Ningzhou before Ye Hui makes a move."
"That woman Ye Hui, tsk."
"It's pointless to incite the young emperor to cause trouble; he wouldn't dare. It would be better to bribe Yuan Yang, who has always disliked Lu Wei."
"Xue Rang? If this guy is willing to betray Lu Wei, it would be a good move, but we can't find his weakness. He's neither greedy for money nor lustful."
"We can instigate Lu Hong and Luo Boyuan to fight first. The question is, should we help Lu Hong fight Luo Boyuan, or help Luo Boyuan fight Lu Hong?"
"I suggest assisting Luo Boyuan in attacking Lu Hong, as Luo Boyuan's forces are far inferior to Lu Hong's."
...
Sun Yannan took a sip of wine, then looked down at the map on the table, the entire country laid out before him.
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Author's note: Goodnight~
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