Chapter 131 Chinese New Year
As dawn broke on the first day of the Lunar New Year, Lu Mingyue tiptoed into the children's room and shook Yao Yao, who was still curled up in bed.
"Yaoyao, wake up! Today we're going to wish Grandpa and Grandma a Happy New Year and wear new clothes."
Yao Yao groggily opened her eyes, and upon hearing about the new clothes, she immediately jumped out of bed.
Leilei was also woken up by Huo Zheng. The two children surrounded Lu Mingyue, chattering excitedly about wanting to wear new clothes.
Yao Yao was wearing a pink floral jacket with white rabbit fur trim on the cuffs.
Leilei was wearing a navy blue cotton-padded jacket with a small five-pointed star embroidered on the chest.
Lu Mingyue helped them button up their clothes and comb their hair. The two little ones stood in front of the mirror, looking at each other and smiling broadly.
"Let's go wish Grandpa and Grandma a Happy New Year."
Huo Zheng walked in, followed by Huo Li'an, and the children immediately ran out after him.
Zhong Yulan and Huo Zhenping were already sitting on the sofa in the living room, while Huo Feng and Wen Yuexian sat to the side, holding prepared red envelopes in their hands.
"Happy New Year, Grandpa and Grandma."
Yao Yao ran the fastest, jumped into Zhong Yulan's arms, and shouted loudly with her little face upturned.
Leilei and An'an also bowed and said, "Grandpa and Grandma wish you a Happy New Year. We wish you good health."
Zhong Yulan smiled so hard her eyes narrowed into slits, and she quickly stuffed the red envelopes into the children's hands: "Good, good, our darlings are so good. Eat well in the new year and grow tall."
Huo Zhenping also handed red envelopes to the children, patted their heads and said, "Happy New Year, children! I wish you a happy and joyful new year."
Leilei and Yaoyao excitedly ran to Lu Mingyue's side with their red envelopes, showing them off: "Mom, look, these are red envelopes from Grandpa and Grandma."
Lu Mingyue nodded with a smile: "Quickly thank Grandpa and Grandma."
The children ran back and said in unison, "Thank you, Grandpa and Grandma," which made everyone in the house laugh.
At this moment, Zhong Yulan said to Lu Mingyue and Huo Zheng, "You two come too, here are your red envelopes."
Lu Mingyue was surprised, "We have that too."
Huo Zhenping: "Of course there are. You are all children in front of us, so naturally you will receive red envelopes. Take them. Your older brother and sister-in-law will also receive red envelopes."
Wen Yuexian smiled and held up the red envelope in her hand.
The children, holding red envelopes, ran and played in the yard.
Yao Yao carefully stuffed the red envelope into her pocket, then took Lei Lei's hand and said, "Let's hide the red envelope so we don't lose it."
Leilei nodded, and the three children squatted down by the stone mill in the corner of the yard, whispering about where to hide the red envelopes.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the gates of the Huo family courtyard were constantly open.
First, Aunt Zhang from next door came in, smiling as she wished Zhong Yulan a Happy New Year, but her eyes couldn't help but dart towards Lu Mingyue.
Next came Political Commissar Li, a colleague of Huo Zhenping, who came to visit with his child. As soon as he entered, he said, "I've heard that Huo Zheng married a capable wife, so I came to see her today."
Lu Mingyue was a little reserved at first, standing next to Zhong Yulan and helping to greet the guests.
Most of the people who came to visit were neighbors from the family compound. They had seen her once or twice before, but they were not familiar with her. Now, under the pretext of paying New Year's visits, they all wanted to take a good look at this new daughter-in-law of the Huo family.
Some people asked her where she was from, some praised her for her beautiful paper-cut window decorations, and an aunt held her hand and said with a smile, "I've heard from Yulan that you're skillful, and seeing you today, I can see that you are indeed a very capable person."
Yao Yao and Lei Lei became little helpers, carrying a plate of melon seeds and handing them to the guests, while An An also ran around doing errands.
Huo Zheng was busy pouring tea for the guests, occasionally giving Lu Mingyue an encouraging look.
Lu Mingyue gradually relaxed and chatted with everyone about everyday things, from the vegetable patch in the yard to the children's homework, and the awkwardness in their conversation slowly dissipated.
The guests gradually dispersed as evening approached.
After seeing off the last neighbor, Lu Mingyue returned to the house, where Zhong Yulan handed her a cup of hot water: "You must be exhausted. Everyone in the courtyard is curious about you; you'll understand once you get to know them."
Lu Mingyue drank her hot water, looked at the remaining melon seeds and peanuts on the table, and nodded with a smile.
Wen Yuexian deeply sympathized and comforted them, saying, "They're just joining in the fun. Once the novelty wears off, they'll be bored. That's what happened when Huo Feng and I first got married."
On the morning of the second day of the Lunar New Year, the Huo family courtyard was bustling with activity in two separate groups.
Wen Yuexian and Huo Feng took An'an back to her parents' home early in the morning. Zhong Yulan smiled and helped them pack their luggage: "Take care on the road, and give my regards to your mother."
After Wen Yuexian's family left, Huo Zheng turned to Lu Mingyue and said, "Let's get ready too, and take the kids ice skating."
Huo Zheng had already found the ice skates and cleaned them thoroughly.
When Yao Yao and Lei Lei heard that they were going ice skating, they had been circling around the ice skates non-stop, and Lei Lei would even pick up the ice skates and try them out from time to time.
"Brother, is it really that fun?" Yao Yao tugged at Lei Lei's clothes, her eyes full of anticipation.
Leilei patted his chest and said, "Of course! The ice is so slippery, like walking on a mirror. Dad will even push me around."
The family got ready and headed to the ice rink.
There were quite a few pedestrians on the road, mostly people with their children out to play, carrying candied hawthorns and windmills, making it very lively.
When we arrived, the ice surface was already crowded with people, including adults speeding around in ice skates and children being pushed around in ice sleds.
Huo Zheng first helped Lei Lei put on his ice skates and helped him stand up steady: "Do you still remember how to skate? Take your first steps and lower your center of gravity."
Leilei nodded, tried gliding a couple of steps, and although he wobbled a bit, he quickly got the hang of it and slowly glided forward. He even turned back to Yaoyao and called out, "Little sister, come quick!"
Next, Huo Zheng helped Yao Yao put on her ice skates. Yao Yao clung tightly to his arm, her little face a little nervous: "Daddy, I'm afraid of falling."
Huo Zheng smiled and patted her back: "Don't be afraid, Dad will support you. It won't hurt if you fall, the ice is soft."
He held Yao Yao's hand and slowly moved her across the ice. At first, Yao Yao tucked her feet in, but after skating for a while, she became bolder. She let go of Huo Zheng's hand, took a few steps forward, and immediately smiled with her eyes crinkling: "Mom, I can skate now."
Lu Mingyue also put on her ice skates and went down to play with the children.
After playing for most of the day, the children's foreheads were covered in sweat. Huo Zheng called them over to rest: "Are you tired? Let's go get something to eat."
Yao Yao and Lei Lei immediately gathered around, nodding vigorously: "Tired, but so much fun!"
Lu Mingyue pulled them toward a roadside stall and bought two strings of bright red candied hawthorns.
Leilei took a skewer, took a bite, squinted his eyes because it was so sour, but immediately smiled and said, "It's so sweet."
Yao Yao held the candied hawthorn and first offered it to Lu Mingyue's mouth: "Mom, you eat it first."
Lu Mingyue took a bite and said with a smile, "It's so delicious, Yao Yao wants some too."
Huo Zheng looked at the mother and daughter, then at the lively scene on the ice in the distance, and said with a smile, "Let's come again next time we have time."
Yao Yao nodded vigorously, with a hawthorn in her mouth, and mumbled, "Okay, I'm going to skate faster than my brother."
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