After pasting up the couplets and window decorations in the afternoon, Yunyu's mother took a small basket of dumplings she had made, some fried fish and meatballs she had prepared a few days ago, a leg of lamb and half a rib, and took the whole family to her grandparents' house.
As usual, the whole family will have dinner together at Grandpa and Grandma's house tonight, and then everyone will go back to their own homes to celebrate the New Year.
This year's New Year's Eve dinner was exceptionally lavish; in previous years, only two or three dishes were needed. However, this year Xiaoli had learned to hunt, resulting in a large quantity of meat, so more was brought over. The third branch of the family also made a small fortune this year, bringing four or five dishes as well.
Even the stingy eldest aunt, Madam An, was unusually well-behaved this year. After all, with so many dishes entering the eldest son's house, the rest would all be theirs.
In the countryside, families don't have the same elaborate customs as wealthy households. They also set up two tables, one for adults and one for children. Xiao Li sat at the small round table, watching her siblings all getting along harmoniously, and felt very fortunate. She didn't have so many difficult relatives.
"Cough cough..." Grandpa Mo picked up a glass filled with baijiu, which his fourth uncle, Mo Qinglin, had brought back from town. There was also a jar of fruit wine on the small table.
He cleared his throat; it was time for the patriarch to speak.
"This year has been a good year, with a bumper harvest, and everyone's lives are better now. I hope next year will be just as good. Everyone should work hard, and life will definitely be better in the future." After saying that, he downed his drink in one gulp.
Grandma Mo was startled. "You old geezer, drink slowly."
"I'm happy, hehe~" It was rare for Grandpa Mo to say such a thing. His children were filial and his whole family was together. That was the greatest happiness.
The whole family raised their glasses together.
May everything go well for you, and may all your wishes come true!
May you enjoy good health and all things go well!
May you have peace and good fortune every year!
...
Everyone spoke auspicious words and drank the wine. Laughter and cheerful conversation continued until 9 PM, when everyone dispersed and went home.
Little Jiu'er was already sleepy. Chen Niang looked at Brother Yunxiao carrying his sister on his back, then at Sister Li, and Aunt Yunyu and Uncle Yunyu holding his and Sister Li's hands. He felt so happy. The warmth that he thought he and his sister would never have again was now surrounding him.
The family returned home quietly.
Mo Qingshan and Mo Yunxiao moved the stove to the main room, then brought over a table and several stools. They piled snacks, dried fruit, fresh fruit, dried meat, melon seeds, peanuts, and candy onto the table. Then the family sat together, chatting, eating, and staying up all night to welcome the New Year.
“Xiao’er is 16 this year. We need to go on a blind date next year. We should settle things early so that all the good ones aren’t taken.” Yun Yu’s mother looked at Mo Yunxiao and asked for his opinion, “What kind of girl does Xiao’er like? Is there anyone you like?”
Mo Yunxiao glanced at her sister, whose face was full of teasing, and said, "Mother can decide for me. I don't have anyone I like..."
"Alright, we'll see when the time comes. Xiaoli is all grown up now, so we can start looking for her."
Xiao Li had no idea that she was being dragged into this mess. She quickly hugged Yun Yu Niang's arm and said coquettishly, "Mother, I'm still young."
Yun Yu Niang sighed almost imperceptibly. She didn't want to marry her daughter off either, but her daughter was growing up and needed to be matched with potential husbands. The older she got, the harder it would be to find a husband, since all the good ones had already been chosen.
Mo Qingshan also touched his daughter's hair. Since his daughter started cultivating, she has become more and more opinionated and more and more beautiful. Who else could be worthy of such a daughter?
He really couldn't bear to marry her off to someone from the village, but where could a family like theirs find someone worthy of her? This worried the old father to no end.
Mo Yunxiao also felt that no one was good enough for his sister. The family's martial arts skills were quite high, and although they were not afraid of outsiders' covetousness, they couldn't let his sister grow old alone.
"Don't worry about me. Everyone has their own destiny. Master said to follow your heart, and fate is predetermined. Father, Mother, and Brother, don't you believe Master's words?" Xiao Li saw her parents' and brother's worries and could only bring up her master to comfort them.
Several worried parents breathed a sigh of relief. "That's right," they thought, "there's even the magic of immortals." The atmosphere became lively again.
Little Squirrel Xiaoyuan was cracking sunflower seeds at the table, mentally complaining: "Our owner has us to keep him company, he'll never be lonely. Besides, do companions smell as good as sunflower seeds?"
At midnight, the younger children went out to set off fireworks and firecrackers, then washed up and went to bed, as they had to get up early the next day to visit relatives and friends for the New Year.
Xiao Li brought Xiao Yuan into the space and found Xiao Jiu watching the excitement by the river.
Since Shen Qi's jade pendant space and Xiao Li's ring space merged, Xiao Li often stayed by the river with Xiao Jiu and Xiao Yuan to watch the excitement, because Shen Qi couldn't see this side through the barrier in the middle of the river, nor could he come over.
Now there are many more things on the grassland in the jade pendant space. The most eye-catching thing is that pile of wooden boxes. It looks like they are someone's dowry, because many of the boxes are still decorated with the character "囍" (double happiness).
There was a large pile of food next to it, including various snacks, steamed buns, dumplings, pancakes... as well as rice, flour, oil, chicken, duck and meat.
There are also some pots, pans, spoons, clothes, and other daily necessities.
At this moment, Shen Qi was sitting alone at a small table in the space, drinking alone. There was a table full of fine wine and food, but unfortunately, he was all alone.
☆
"Snap out of it, stop watching the fun and let's celebrate too. We'll treat you to an extra meal today." Xiao Li clapped her hands and took out fried fish and meatballs that she had smuggled from the cellar from the warehouse. These were Yun Yuniang's specialty dishes, and Xiao Li brought them for Xiao Jiu and Xiao Yuan to try.
A table was set up with one person and two pets, and the table was filled with good wine and food. Today, they drank monkey wine to their heart's content, and Xiao Yuan was so happy that she jumped for joy.
"It's a pity we can't bring Xiao Hei, Xiao Hui, and Xiao Ban along, otherwise it would be so nice for us to celebrate the New Year together." Xiao Li said with a hint of regret.
"Master, how about I go call them over? They're fast, they won't take much time." Seeing that her master was unhappy, Xiaoyuan quickly offered a suggestion.
"It's getting late. Let's go to the mountains to find them in a few days. We'll just have to make do today." Xiao Li ate some fruit, drank a cup of monkey wine, and then quietly watched the two spirit pets eat and drink, listening to their chattering and bickering.
By the time they finished eating, it was almost 1:00 AM. Xiao Li didn't meditate or cultivate; instead, she went to bed to sleep.
After meditating and cultivating every night, Xiao Li's cultivation level has reached the fourth level of Qi Refining, and it is slowly improving. She is not in a hurry at all. She practices martial arts with her family every day, occasionally does some embroidery, goes to the river to catch and grill fish, takes her brother and Chen Niang hunting, and practices her aim at stones.
Or he would wander around the village, planting the peach, pear, cherry, and other trees that had sprouted in his space along the village paths. He would water the fruit trees and vegetables in the yard, visit Da Ya's house to see the rabbits, and feed them some diluted spiritual spring water.
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