The pork lard was fried on the same day, sprinkled with sugar, and shared among the five children.

The sausage is actually stuffed pork intestines. After it is made, it needs to be tied tightly with white ropes and hung on a bamboo rack to dry in the sun for two days.

Sun Aiju built a rack in the yard and hung the sausages on it. Da Wa and his friends would come to check every two hours, for fear that wild cats or dogs would take away the sausages they coveted.

Two days later, the sausages were dried and New Year's Eve was here.

Early in the morning, Ning Tang was awakened by the sound of firecrackers. She yawned and looked up, seeing two little heads standing in front of the bed.

Sanwa said, "Mom, you are so shameless. Don't get up."

Erniu said, "Yes, grandma has already braided my hair for me."

These days, Sun Aiju has been braiding her hair in different styles, making the little girl look so beautiful that she shows off everywhere.

Ning Tang glanced at the sky and estimated that it was not even seven o'clock yet. "It's so early, I might as well sleep a little longer. Oh, where's Da Wa?"

Shen Lie: "Dawa and Dezi were setting off firecrackers in the yard, saying it was the loudest on New Year's Eve."

...So she was just woken up by the firecrackers set off by the eldest child.

Ning Tang tried to take a nap, but the continuous sound of firecrackers, not only in her own yard, but also in the whole village, was deafening. She couldn't sleep anymore, so she got up.

I was holding a toothbrush and an enamel cup and was about to go to the yard to wash up. As soon as I lifted the cotton curtain, I saw red firecracker shells all over the floor.

Looking again, Ningde was holding a stick of incense in his hand, and Da Wa was squatting next to him, screaming and yelling. There were several kinds of firecrackers placed at their feet, some of which were not even opened.

The eldest child saw her and said, "Mom, you finally got up."

"Today is the earliest day I get up, okay?" Ning Tang said, "It's all thanks to the sound of your firecrackers. I can still hear them even with my head covered with a quilt."

The eldest child nodded and said, "Then you should thank me. I woke you up."

Ning Tang really wanted to beat him up, and rolled his eyes, "I shouldn't thank you, these sausages should thank you. The smoke from the firecrackers you set off must have smoked the sausages again."

The eldest boy realized it later and suddenly jumped up, jumping three feet high, "Oh! My sausage!"

Ning Tang smiled at his back and nodded with satisfaction, "You little bastard, you're fighting with her."

Of course the sausages were fine. When Sun Aiju saw them starting to set off firecrackers, she put the bamboo rack back into the house. Da Wa was just frightened for a moment.

By the time he found it, the sausages were already out of the pot.

Sun Aiju stood in front of the stove, staring at Da Wa. The smell of fried sausages filled the air.

The sausage was cut into small pieces and fried in a pan. It turned golden in color, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Big Boy couldn't help swallowing his saliva.

Originally, the sausages could have been steamed, but oil is expensive after all, and steamed sausages are definitely not as delicious as fried ones. In addition, pork fat had been fried two days ago, so there was still plenty of oil at home. Sun Aiju gritted her teeth and chose to fry the sausages.

Seeing how hungry he was, Sun Aiju couldn't help but laugh. She put a few pieces of sausage on the plate and gave them to him, "Eat something to fill your stomach first."

The eldest child took it and said in a crisp voice, "Thank you, grandma."

"Hey." Sun Aiju laughed so hard that the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes burst open. She reminded him again, "Remember to share some with Erniu and Sanwa."

She only said that she would give it to Erniu and Sanwa, and as for the twins, she would let Zhou Yin take care of it.

From outside the house came the eldest child's response, "Okay, grandma."

Sun Aiju almost lost herself in the sound of "Grandma" and wished she could give the whole pot of fried sausages to her eldest son.

Da Wa brought the sausages to the main room and shared them with Er Niu and San Wa.

Ning Weiguo was sitting aside smoking a cigarette. Seeing the three children gathered in the main room, he put out his cigarette silently and went to light the stove.

Soon, the room became warm.

Sanwa glanced at the stove, took a piece of sausage and put it close to Ning Weiguo's mouth, then stood on tiptoe and said, "Grandma, eat some sausage."

Ning Weiguo's eyes flashed with a hint of smile, and he pretended to take a bite, "Hey, grandma ate it."

It was easy for him to fool Sanwa with his fake moves. As expected, Sanwa thought he had eaten the sausage and ate it happily.

Ning Tang passed by, pinched a piece and put it in his mouth. It was plump but not greasy, and juicy. "Hmm, delicious." After saying that, he pinched another piece.

The eldest boy saw that half of the fried sausage on the plate was missing and pouted, "Mom, you are really good." He snatched the food from the kid.

Ning Tang patted his head and said, "See? You are so capable that you are now lecturing me."

Ning Weiguo coughed and said, "How can you just pat the kid on the head? What if he becomes stupid?"

Big Baby made a face at her and smiled at Ning Weiguo, saying, "It's so nice to have grandma to take care of you."

In Shangang Village, with the support of grandma and grandpa, he is not afraid of Ning Tang, let alone Shen Lie.

Ning Tang took advantage of Ning Weiguo's inattention and pretended to raise his fist. His meaning was obvious: he would settle the score with you when he returned to the island.

Da Wa's expression changed instantly. He had been so comfortable in Shangang Village that he had forgotten to go back and say this. He quickly gave Ning Tang a smile, picked up the last piece of sausage, and put it close to Ning Tang's mouth, "Hey, Mom, you eat it."

That's right.

Ning Tang ate the sausage under the drooling and greedy gazes of the eldest, second, and third children. He patted the eldest child on the head and praised him, "Good son."

Big Brother really wanted to ask her, have you washed your hands?

But he wisely swallowed his words. He was afraid that Ning Tang would beat him up. Besides, he still owed Shen Lie a beating. What if he pissed off Ning Tang and instigated Shen Lie to beat him up? What would he do then?

In the blink of an eye, it was night and the New Year’s Eve dinner began.

Outside the house, there was a constant sound of firecrackers, and inside the house there was a lot of noise.

There were nine dishes and one soup on the big round table, including braised pork, pot-wrapped pork, braised chicken with oysters, steamed sea bass, baby cabbage with garlic, corn with pine nuts, cold pig ears, stir-fried potato shreds with basil, stir-fried vegetables, plus a tomato, enoki mushroom and tofu soup. Everything was delicious and there were even more meat dishes than vegetarian ones, which showed that a lot of thought and money was spent.

These nine dishes and one soup symbolize perfection. They are even more sumptuous than the first meal Ningtang and his friends had when they returned to the village. After all, it was the New Year's Eve dinner.

In addition to rice wine, there was also orange soda on the table, which made the three eldest children very happy.

We bought five bottles of orange soda. Ning Xue was afraid that the twins would get hungry and have stomach problems, so she didn't let them drink it. So the two extra bottles were shared by the three little ones. How could they not be happy?

Ning Tang looked at the sky outside the house which was almost illuminated by the fireworks and couldn't help but sigh that it would be even more perfect if there was another TV to show the Spring Festival Gala.

Unfortunately, the first Spring Festival Gala was not held until 1983, and it has only been seven or eight years now. There are still five years left, and I guess I will have saved enough money to buy a TV by then.

No one can resist the aroma of the New Year's Eve dinner, as it is a rare meal in a year. Soon, the whole table of New Year's Eve dinner was eaten up.

After dinner, the three eldest boys wiped their mouths and went to find Ningde to set off firecrackers.

Shen Lie couldn't help but complain, "These few days? They? The artillery fire is enough to blow up the yard back and forth."

He just said this casually and went to help Sun Aiju and Zhou Yin clean up the dishes.

The New Year's Eve dinner was sumptuous, and the bowls and chopsticks used by the whole family could form a small mountain. They were smelly and difficult to wash, unlike the light food we usually eat, which can be cleaned by just rinsing them under the faucet. These bowls and chopsticks had to be washed carefully for a long time while squatting in front of the basin with loofah pulp.

The weather was cold and it was difficult to work. It would take at least half an hour for Sun Aiju and Zhou Yin to wash the clothes alone.

Shen Lie went to help.

He rolled up his sleeves, held a dirty bowl in one hand and loofah pulp in the other, squatted on the ground, and worked more skillfully than Sun Aiju.

Sun Aiju couldn't help but look at him again and again, nodded secretly in her heart, and asked, "Shen Lie, do you wash the dishes when you are at home?"

Shen Lie kept moving, "No, Ning Tang can wash at home, but I wash more. Her hands are tender and mine are rough, so I wash more. For the masters, it's not dirty to do housework."

Su Junyan happened to pass by and rolled his eyes. "You, Shen Lie, are the only one who loves his wife and helps her wash the dishes, right? Now you come to help wash the dishes, are you showing off? You're amazing."

Ning Xue saw Shen Lie helping to wash the dishes, and seeing that her mother looked unhappy, she nudged Su Junyan with her elbow, "Hey, why don't you help wash the dishes too."

Su Junyan had never done this kind of work before. He was treated like a master by Ning Xue on Hailang Island. He said impatiently, "Why should I go?"

Ning Xue sighed, "Shen Lie went, he's also a son-in-law, why don't you go?"

"Then why don't you go?" Su Junyan said, "Washing dishes is a woman's job."

Ning Xue opened her mouth to retort, "If Ning Tang doesn't go, I won't go either."

Before she married Su Junyan, she helped with the housework at home out of necessity. But it is different now. She is married, and married well. She stands straight. If she is asked to wash dishes again, she will not be happy.

Neither of them could convince the other, and they couldn't come to an agreement. They became fed up with each other and simply went their separate ways.

Ning Xue went outside to get some fresh air, while Su Junyan was smoking in the main room.

Shen Lie came over with a rag to wipe the table. Su Junyan deliberately said, "Shen Lie, you are a grown man, why do you do housework and wipe the table? Aren't you ashamed?"

Shen Lie glanced at the rag in his hand. What was there to be ashamed of?

He can hold a rifle, and he can also hold a rag.

The one who can be big or small is a dragon; the one who can only be big is a tapeworm.

So he just ignored Su Junyan's words and laughed it off, "Mom and aunt are too busy to handle this, so I can finish the work I'm helping out with sooner, so they can relax sooner."

Su Junyan didn't hear Shen Lie was perfunctory, he just felt that Shen Lie was deliberately provoking him, feeling unhappy, he said, "Then why don't you see Ning Tang lend a hand? You are a man and she is a woman, women should do more housework. She doesn't wash the dishes, it all comes down to uncle and aunt not teaching her well."

They say he can do it, but Ning Tang can’t.

Shen Lie threw the rag on the table and said, "I don't think my parents-in-law taught me badly. A capable man would not blame his wife for not washing the dishes. He would only blame himself for not being capable and not being able to make money and hiring a maid to wash the dishes for his wife."

She openly and secretly insulted Su Junyan for being lazy, not doing housework, and being incompetent and unable to afford someone to help with housework, which is why Ning Xue had to wash dishes on the island until her hands cramped.

After hearing this, Su Junyan's face turned blue and purple, which was more beautiful than the fireworks outside. Ning Tang couldn't help but burst out laughing.

It seemed that Su Junyan was not convinced and was about to speak ill of him again.

Ning Tang quickly pulled Shen Lie out, "Alright, alright, it's New Year's Day, don't argue with him."

Shen Lie looked down at Ning Tang, "Who am I speaking for, you heartless little bastard?"

Ning Tang pulled his hand and shook it left and right, "Okay? Okay? Okay? It's my fault, my fault." She pointed at the fireworks in the sky, "Look? Are they good? Are they good? Look?"

"It looks good." Shen Lie responded.

"Shen Lie, thank you for accompanying me home for the New Year."

"Um."

The two of them leaned against the door, looking at the sky, the exploding fireworks reflected a glow in their pupils.

"Another year."

"Well, another year."

In the main room, Ning Weiguo and his grandson Aiju gathered the three children together and gave them New Year money.

Let’s start with the youngest, the third child.

Sanwa took a step forward, a smile spreading across his round face, "I wish grandma and grandpa good health and safety."

This year he learned his lesson and prepared a blessing speech in advance, unlike last year when he made a joke like "May you be blessed as far as the east sea and my home is everywhere".

If he really wished Ning Weiguo like this in front of him, then Ning Weiguo's cigarette pipe would not be knocking on the doorstep, but on Xiao Sanwa's hand.

Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju smiled and pinched his little face, "Hey, Sanwa, be good. Here's some New Year's money for you."

After saying that, he gave him a thick red envelope.

Sanwa put the red envelope into his pocket and motioned his second sister to go up and receive it.

Sun Aiju helped Erniu tie a festive braid today as usual. She and Erniu both thought it looked nice, but according to Ningtang, this braid, with the red ribbon tied around it, looked like a firecracker that had come to life.

Erniu also said in a crisp voice, "I wish grandma and grandpa a happy Spring Festival and all the best."

"Good, good, good." The old couple said good words in unison.

Sun Aiju was just about to give Erniu the red envelope that she and Ning Weiguo had prepared, when she suddenly remembered that Erniu would also go to school this year, so she asked her, "Niuniu, how did you do in the exam this year?"

Erniu said very loudly, afraid that the old couple didn't hear her, "Grandma, Grandma, I got 98 points in Chinese and 95 points in math in this exam."

Sun Aiju's eyes widened. "Ah, she scored so high? Oh, my, our second daughter is so amazing."

Erniu puffed out her chest proudly and said without any humility, "I am the third in our class."

Mom was right. She went to school and studied hard, and she did very well in the exams. Not to mention that Dad showed off to others every day that their daughter did well in the exams. Even her grandparents praised her highly. So, she must study hard!

Sun Aiju took out another two cents from her pocket without thinking and stuffed it into the red envelope. Today? This red envelope must be increased in price!

Erniu took the red envelope, looking very proud and confident, and walked as fast as a little rooster that had just grown a comb.

It’s the eldest child’s turn to receive the red envelope.

The old couple still smiled, "Big boy, how many points did you get on the exam this year?"

This year, the eldest child still scored 100% in math. After Ningtang’s tutoring, his Chinese score improved a bit, but he still didn’t get full marks, only 75%.

Compared with Erniu, his grades were not good enough. He said dejectedly, "Chinese 75, Math 100."

As he spoke, he stared at the red envelope in Sun Aiju's hand.

After hearing his test score, grandma wouldn't take out two cents from the red envelope and put it back into her own pocket, right?

It’s no wonder that Big Boy thinks this way.

There were five children in the family this time, including the youngest, Sanwa, who was attending the Yuhong class, and the other four were school-age children.

Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu still performed at a stable level, scoring 200 points again, which really proved their reputation of bringing glory to the family.

Erniu also did very well in the exam, with nearly full marks in both subjects.

In comparison, the eldest child’s grades are not that impressive.

Anyway, he is already prepared to get the red envelope.

Unexpectedly, Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju were not angry at all after hearing his results. Instead, they smiled and said, "Good, good, good, you did very well. Like Erniu, I will give you an extra two cents as a reward."

The eldest boy opened his eyes wide and didn't react until the red envelope was in his pocket.

How could he know? Ning Tang and Ning Jun had been bringing two red lanterns home every semester since Ning Jun started school, and Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju were no longer surprised by it.

Ningtang is better, he is hovering around the passing line. If he gets a question wrong occasionally, he still has to go home with a red lantern.

The old couple, they have been counting red lanterns until their hands are tired.

So the eldest child's score was not a big deal. In fact, in the eyes of the old couple, 75 points in Chinese was very good! As for the 100 points in math, the old couple wanted to announce it to the whole village.

Of course, it's with a smile.

The eldest child didn't understand, so he was moved to tears, "Wow, wow, grandma, you are so kind."

He announced that from now on, the old couple would be his, Shen Dawa’s, biological grandmothers!

The three kids ran out of the house, watching the fireworks and opening red envelopes. Ning Tang saw them holding red envelopes and asked casually, "How much did grandma give you?"

The eldest child was counting the money, smiling so hard that his eyes couldn't open. "Grandma and grandma gave us one yuan each. Erniu and I did well in the exam, so grandma and grandma rewarded us with an extra 20 cents each."

That means that the eldest and second daughter got 1.2 yuan, and the third child got 1 yuan.

Shen Lie raised his eyebrows, "This is too much."

Which child can afford so much money?

He estimated that it must be the New Year's red envelope plus the meeting gift to reach this amount.

When Da Wa heard Shen Lie say this, he looked at him warily and protected the red envelope behind him, "Dad, you don't want to take it away, do you?"

Shen Lie had this idea. This amount of money was a huge sum for three kids and he was afraid they would lose it.

After hearing what the eldest child said, the second and third children quickly protected the red envelopes. The three little ones all looked at Shen Lie vigilantly.

Shen Lie was speechless. He was his biological father, and them? Was this to prevent thieves?

Ning Tang said, "You're overthinking it. Your dad and I don't lack that little money. Why would he take your money? Your dad just wants to tell you that you should keep the red envelopes well and don't spend them recklessly. After saving the money, let's go to Xinhua Bookstore in Jiang City to buy books."

That's right!

The three little ones just then remembered that there was such a thing as buying books.

One by one, they received the red envelopes carefully, played with them for a while and then looked at them twice, for fear that they would be lost and unable to buy books. They looked at them more seriously than Shen Lie did when he took them.

Shen Lie smiled. Ning Tang still had the idea. To deal with Da Wa and the other three, it still depended on her.

As for the Ningwei Party, he saw the two old men and three children happily giving out red envelopes, and moved Zhou Yin, and his meaning was obvious: it was time for them to give red envelopes to Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu.

Zhou Yin curled her lips, went into the room she and Ning Wei were staying in, fumbled around for a long time, and then came out slowly, calling Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu, "Come here, both of you."

The twins looked at each other and could see from each other's eyes that they didn't want to go.

Children are the most sensitive. The twins noticed early on that Ning Weidang and Zhou Yin disliked them.

Ning Xue, however, didn't notice anything at all. She pushed the twins towards Ning Weidang and Zhou Yin with a smile on her face, "Go quickly, grandma is calling you."

Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu moved slowly to the front of Ning Weidang and Zhou Yin, and called out softly, "Grandma, Grandpa."

"Yeah." Ning Weidang put on a serious face and imitated Ning Weiguo and Sun Aiju, asking the twins, "How many points did you two get in the exam this time?"

The twins looked at each other and said in a muffled voice, "100% in math, 100% in Chinese."

Ning Weidang's eyes flashed with surprise, and then joy. He didn't expect that the twins would score so high.

Ning Xue continued, "They both score 100 points in exams every year. They are so smart. They are born to be good at studying."

Having said that, Ning Xue still felt in her heart that the twins' perfect scores were largely due to her hard work in studying.

Zhou Yin curled his lips, "He scored high in the exam? So what? He's not your biological child."

A trace of embarrassment flashed across Ning Xue's face, and she hurried to look at the twins. As expected, she saw resentment on the twins' faces.

Ning Wei thought, yes, so what if he got high scores in the exam? He is not his biological grandson. Even if he is his biological grandson, he is still an outsider, not to mention not being one.

So does Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu's good performance in the exam have anything to do with him?

Ning Weidang thought of what Sun Desheng said two days ago. He wanted to praise the twins, but his face fell. "Smart? What's so smart? You are just in the lower grade. Didn't you get 100 points in the exams every year before? And didn't you still not get into college?"

There is contempt in both his words and his tone.

Not going to college is a big worry for Ning Xue, and it’s not her fault.

Her face turned blue. Zhou Yinyi saw that something was wrong and quickly tried to smooth things over. "Oh, it's New Year's Day. Why are you talking about this? Come, come, grandma will give you some New Year's money."

She wanted to pull Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu's hands, but she was too anxious and used too much strength. The twins screamed at the same time, "Ah! It hurts!"

He just rubbed my wrists without even saying a word of blessing.

Zhou Yin laughed twice and took out two old red envelopes from his pocket. The paper had turned white and the edges were rolled up. It was obvious that they had been used for many years. "Here, these are your red envelopes."

The twins took the red envelopes, put them in their pockets without even looking at them, and ran out of the house.

The red envelope was very thin and was not as attractive to them as the beautiful fireworks.

Ning Xue followed them closely and asked the twins for red envelopes.

The twins were unhappy. Even though the red envelope was very small, it was for them. What would happen if Ning Xue went there?

Ning Xue was not so stingy as to covet the red envelopes from Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu. She just wanted to see how much money Ning Wei Party and Zhou Yin had given to the twins.

The twins reluctantly took out red envelopes from their pockets. Ning Xue took them one by one, opened the seal and took a look. Two one-cent bills fell out of it.

There were two children, each of whom was given a penny.

Ning Xue wrinkled her hair as she squeezed the two old red envelopes. They were too stingy!

She originally thought that the Ningwei Party and Zhou Yin would at least give each of the twins a dime for her sake, but she didn't expect it to be only one cent!

In fact, Ning Wei, the party and Zhou Yin, intended to seal it at five cents.

But Ning Weidang was in a bad mood because he was stabbed by Sun Desheng, and Zhou Yin was in a bad mood because Ning Xue did not bring back any money or special products this time, and she also took away a lot of things from the house due to her stuttering. They felt that they were at a loss, so they were tight-fisted. Both of them were stingy and did not want to give more money, so they only gave 1 cent.

Su Junyan came over and took a look. It was only one cent. He sighed and said, "Only one cent. You're giving money to a beggar."