Since his two eldest sons were not at home, Xu Lei did not abandon his four nephews to the camp this time. He just asked a few of them to look after their younger sister at home.
Although my aunt was urging me to do it, it was the end of the year and the art troupe had to prepare for the New Year's performance, so she was very busy and had no time to accompany me.
Xu Manman did go with them once, but everyone was busy rehearsing and everything was bustling with activity. She didn't want to cause trouble and never went again.
However, Chen Ming and his brothers, who had nothing to do at home, actually went to the sea to try winter swimming.
Young people are hot-tempered, so nothing happened at first. But after a few days, Chen Feng developed a high fever at home.
Although Chen Ming was so angry with his younger brother that his teeth were itching, he was still the most anxious as his older brother because he was sick.
Seeing that the fever had not subsided, they carried the person on their backs and ran to the military hospital. Xu Manman, Xu Jianmin and others didn't have time to pack up their things.
Fortunately, it was just a cold caused by the cold, not a viral cold. I took some medicine and covered myself with a blanket and sweated, and I recovered quickly.
Because Chen Feng had a cold, his aunt came back and scolded his two brothers.
"Do you have any idea? You're swimming in the ocean in the middle of winter, and you haven't received any professional training. How can you just do that? A cold or fever is fine, but what if you get cramps in the water and can't get out? Have you considered the consequences?"
Not only Chen Ming and Xu Jianmin were being scolded, but also the brother and sister Xu Manman and Xu Jianan who were standing next to them were as obedient as quails.
Li Fang played the villain, and Xu Lei played the hero.
"Okay, the two older brothers know they are wrong, so don't go to the beach during this period.
Your aunt and I are busy with work, so since you are idle at home anyway, why not help us buy the New Year's goods for the family?" After saying this, he handed the prepared banknotes to Chen Ming, the oldest person present.
Buying New Year's goods is indeed a big event before the New Year, and it also gives children something to do so that they don't have to make trouble at home all day.
In the next few days, several people ran around several nearby villages, just like ants moving, and bought a lot of food and daily necessities.
The uncle gave the money and left it alone, and the aunt did not say a word, letting the children play freely.
Although everyone has the experience of buying New Year's goods with their mothers, they basically just follow behind and act as porters. They have an impression of what specific things to buy, but they don't have a clear concept.
In the end, Xu Manman took the lead. She first counted the inventory in her uncle's kitchen, and then asked her aunt if there were any guests who needed to be entertained during the New Year. How many people would there be and how many times would they be divided into?
We grow vegetables in the yard at home, so there is no shortage of vegetables. My aunt Qiuli also stored a lot of dried vegetables and pickles. From time to time, my family and comrades would send some things over, so there was really a lot of things.
However, the New Year's goods need to be prepared until at least the Lantern Festival, so there is still a lot of shortage. The approximate amount needed is calculated and a list is made. Then several boys go to the village to exchange them. Xu Manman is mainly responsible for purchasing for the supply and marketing cooperative.
In just two or three days, a lot of things piled up in the kitchen. Moreover, with their numbers, they had great strength and managed to snatch a lot of popular goods from the supply and marketing cooperative. If they really couldn't buy them, they could only make a list and ask my uncle to ask the logistics department to help bring them back.
The ten days passed quickly. I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to buy a train ticket near the New Year, so I had to set off back to Hai City after the Little New Year. At this time, my eldest brother and his friends had not yet had their holiday.
My uncle has been really busy during this period. He came back early on New Year's Eve to have a small reunion dinner with us, and then had to rush back to be on duty at night.
I didn't have time to send them off the next day, but luckily they were not children anymore, so they packed up and took the boat, bus and train by themselves. I added clothes one by one on the train and finally arrived home before the New Year.
The happiest person when they came back was Xu Jianguo, because he was finally not the only one at home.
They didn't have to buy New Year's goods for the house as they had already been prepared early, but the adults who were busy at work still assigned the children a task - spring cleaning.
Fortunately, the house is small now, so even if there are a lot of things, it won’t take too long if it takes some effort. However, as a result, Xu Manman didn’t leave the house until the first day of the new year. After all, she still had the important responsibility of being the chef of the New Year’s Eve dinner.
This meal is the most important in the year. The adults unanimously opposed a few half-baked people to be the head chef, so after finishing the general cleaning, she had to be busy preparing the food. Fortunately, everyone could help, so no one was tired enough to make her tired.
The house was particularly lively on the night of the 30th. We had a sumptuous reunion dinner. While keeping vigil, Xu Manman even arranged for everyone to make dumplings together.
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