Lu Yuan was delighted. It seemed that everyone liked this place, which put his mind at ease. This time, he was going to let his grandparents and parents settle here, instead of just staying for two days and then leaving.
It was almost 7 p.m. when Xiao Shan finally got off work and returned to the villa. However, when she saw her future in-laws and Lu Yuan's grandparents, she gave Lu Yuan a good scolding.
"Why didn't you tell me beforehand? I could have gone to the supermarket to queue up and buy some fruit!"
"Why do you need fruit? Aren't the ones we grow at home delicious?"
...
As the Lunar New Year drew closer, the frantic buying of food and water finally subsided. On the morning of Lunar New Year's Eve, Lu Yuan took his family to the supermarket to buy some things for the holiday. Although he had said that everything needed for the New Year was readily available, his family still liked to join in the fun, after all, it was the New Year, and they should share in the festive atmosphere.
Lu Yuan, carrying large and small bags, finally decided to buy a car after leaving the supermarket. Although he had obtained his driver's license in college, he had never driven a car. After all, buying a car wouldn't be very useful. Qingshui City wasn't very big, and riding his electric bike between his rented apartment and the company saved him the trouble of finding parking spaces. But now things were different.
The New Year's Eve dinner was of a very high standard, at least according to Lu Yuan's standards over the years. It consisted of four meat dishes, four vegetable dishes, two cold dishes, a stewed pork rib dish, and a braised carp, filling the entire table.
Lu Yuan spent the whole afternoon helping out, but of course, his skills were really not up to par; he could only do odd jobs like peeling garlic.
Grandpa and Grandma's side will be making dumplings. Pork and scallion dumplings are Lu Yuan's favorite. He'll be able to eat them on the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, which he's looking forward to.
Lu Yuan originally planned to use the large dining room on the first floor, but his grandfather said that the room was too big and empty, and the table was too big for the whole family to sit and talk. So they sat down in the small room next door to eat their New Year's Eve dinner.
The big yellow dog lay quietly beside the dining table, seemingly uninterested in the food on the table, as if it had already eaten its fill. However, some scales on the corners of its mouth betrayed its hunger.
Grandma gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, praising Lu Yuan repeatedly. She added, "If only my granddaughter-in-law were here, it would be best if she had a baby. I can help take care of the child while I'm still old."
The grandfather standing to the side kept hinting to Lu Yuan to get married and have children as soon as possible, which made him quite embarrassed. He hadn't even met his in-laws yet, and it was a bit too early to have children!
When Lu Yuan was in school, his father always forbade him from drinking. But tonight was different. In their eyes, Lu Yuan was already an adult and couldn't drink less alcohol.
However, under the persuasion of his mother and grandmother, the grandfather was only allowed to drink a small cup. Since the old man had no more wine to drink, he also prevented his son and grandson from drinking more. So, the three of them drank a pound of baijiu and then stopped.
On New Year's Eve, the TV, as usual, presented a variety of programs, but Grandpa watched for a while and then put down the remote control and stopped watching.
"Ugh! What is this? It's neither male nor female! I thought it was a girl dancing, but it turns out it's a boy! It's so indecent!"
Lu Yuan smiled and changed the news channel. His mother, who had just finished tidying up the table, sat on the sofa and started knitting.
Meanwhile, Dad was holding his laptop, frowning deeply.
"The old computer at home is still much better. This laptop doesn't even have a mouse! Sigh!"
Lu Yuan turned his head and saw that his father was looking for work on a real estate agency website. After all, he was going to settle down here in the future. He had been scared by all the doomsday rumors he had spread all over the country, so he decided to find a decoration company in Qingshui City to take some work.
“Dad! Do you remember Du Heng? He’s my friend. He works for a renovation company. Maybe you can find a job with him!” Lu Yuan said after hesitating for a moment.
They say you shouldn't let good things go to outsiders. He knew his father's skills well. He wasn't particularly famous, but his carpentry skills were definitely among the best in his knowledge. Moreover, Du Heng's decoration company was just starting out. He called a while ago to say he had taken on another job. He wondered how it was going.
"Of course I remember. The young man seemed quite nice. Does he work for a renovation company?" Dad put down his computer and quickly asked.
"Okay! I'll ask you after the New Year!"
...
The next morning, Lu Yuan was awakened by the sound of firecrackers going off one after another. It was just getting light, and the room was very warm. He stayed in bed for a long time and was reluctant to get out.
However, at his grandmother's call, Lu Yuan quickly put on his clothes and rushed downstairs.
"Wow! Dumplings! Here I come!" Without even brushing his teeth or washing his face, he reached into the plate, grabbed a dumpling, and stuffed it into his mouth. Then his mother came running over with chopsticks.
After washing his face, brushing his teeth, and getting ready, his father took firecrackers and went to the front door to set them off. With a series of loud "bangs," Lu Yuan stood at a distance, watching his family and smiling.
After eating dumplings, it's considered Chinese New Year.
Although it's already 2026, and the Spring Festival no longer feels the same as it did when I was a child, I'm still very happy that my family can get together.
Early in the morning, Grandpa squatted by the pond, watching the koi carp grin from ear to ear. The old man had three great hobbies: herding sheep, fishing, and playing chess. Herding sheep was out of the question, as Lu Yuan hadn't planned to get the sheep out yet. Playing chess? No way, it was the dead of winter and the New Year, and no old man would be sitting idly by the roadside setting up a chessboard. It seemed that fishing was the only option.
"Ahem, Grandpa, I have a fishing rod here, why don't you try?" Actually, Lu Yuan didn't intend to let his grandfather fish. The fish in this pond were not just ordinary ferocious, but also much larger. They were all taken from the spatial pond and were extremely wild. He was afraid that his grandfather might accidentally get hurt again.
"Haha! My grandson really understands me! Give it to me!" The old man immediately beamed with joy.
Before taking the fishing rod, Lu Yuan repeatedly warned the old man to be careful, but the old man didn't seem to listen and was only looking at the fish in the pond.
However, after his grandfather caught the first fish, Lu Yuan was no longer worried. He had underestimated his grandfather's skills. When it came to big fish, his grandfather was better at playing them, exhausting their energy before reeling them in. Lu Yuan was dumbfounded and gave him a thumbs up.
Around 7 or 8 o'clock, it's usually the time when younger generations of each family come to pay New Year's visits. However, Lu Yuan is in Qingshui City, which is hundreds of kilometers away from his hometown. In previous years, his home was always bustling with people coming and going to pay New Year's visits, but this year it was unusually quiet.
A family visiting relatives for the New Year passed by the door. A toddler who had just learned to speak greeted the grandfather sweetly, "Happy New Year, Grandpa!" This made the old man happy for a long time, and he insisted on giving the child a red envelope.
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