Today is Lunar New Year's Eve, the last day of the year. Su Xingran hasn't even stepped outside the door in the past few days since she returned. The snow outside is so thick it's difficult to walk. Su Xingran's family doesn't need to go to town to buy things for the New Year; they have everything they need in their space, and the gifts for tomorrow's New Year's visits and the items they brought back from the capital are more than enough.
After having breakfast, Su Xingran helped her parents in the kitchen. This year's Lunar New Year's Eve was different from last year's. Last year, Huang Zhenhua and Duan Yuming also spent the holiday with the Su family, but this year it was just Su Xingran and her family of three.
No matter how difficult life is on New Year's Day, the villagers will try their best to get some meat so that their families, who have worked hard all year, can have a good meal to welcome the New Year.
After noon, the village was filled with the aroma of fried meatballs. Those who could afford it fried meatballs, while those who couldn't would fry vegetarian ones. Whether meatballs or vegetarian ones, anything fried was a favorite among the children.
Zeng Huilan prepared fried meat and vegetarian meatballs; Su Xingran preferred the vegetarian ones. Actually, Su Xingran loved her mother's cooking; it tasted like home.
Su Xingran took a small stool and sat in front of the stove to help with the fire. Just like when she was a child, her parents were busy preparing dishes for the New Year, and Su Xingran was responsible for adding firewood to the fire.
Zeng Huilan looked at Su Xingran sitting in front of the stove, tending the fire, and a smile unconsciously appeared on her face. Year after year, the little dumpling from back then had grown into a young adult. What remained unchanged was the child's unwavering love for her parents.
Su Xingran added firewood to the stove, the firelight making her face flushed. Su Xingran remembered what her master had told her: to visit her elder brother in Tai'an and Uncle Xiao Dingyu on the first day of the Lunar New Year.
Su Xingran thought for a moment and said to Zeng Huilan, who was frying meatballs, "Mom, tomorrow is the first day of the Lunar New Year. I'm going to visit Brother Tai'an in town and Uncle Dingyu. Before I came back, my master told me that Brother Tai'an has helped me over the years, so it's only right that I visit him since I'm home for the New Year."
"Uncle Dingyu's family, Master said that Uncle Gu and Aunt Gu are very kind to me, and asked me to go and wish Sister Xiaoxue's parents a Happy New Year."
Zeng Huilan understood what Su Xingran was saying. In previous years, those same people would come to wish Uncle Huang a Happy New Year, and Ranran would also wish them a Happy New Year when she went to wish Uncle Huang a Happy New Year. Now that Uncle Huang had returned to Beijing, it was only right for Ranran, as a junior, to wish them a Happy New Year.
Zeng Huilan said to Su Xingran, "You should go. Call them elder brother, elder sister-in-law, uncle, and aunt. As for what gifts to bring for the New Year, I'll ask your father to go to town early tomorrow to buy some for you."
Su Xingran shook her head and said, "Mother, there's no need to buy them. Some of the things I brought back from the capital were what my master was going to tell me to take when I went to pay New Year's visits. He told me to give some gifts and sweets to Uncle Village Chief and Uncle Brigade Leader tomorrow."
"Mom, tomorrow you can have Dad deliver these to Uncle Village Chief and Uncle Brigade Leader! I need to go to town to pay New Year's visits, and I'm afraid I won't make it in time."
While scooping up the meatballs, Zeng Huilan said, "Okay, I'll have your dad deliver them. He'll be too busy to accompany you to visit relatives tomorrow, so I'll have him take you to town after breakfast tomorrow morning, and then pick you up in the afternoon."
Su Xingran knew that her father was going to pay New Year's visits to her great-grandfather's house, her second great-grandfather's house, and the old village chief's house tomorrow. "Mom, there's no need for Dad to run around. You can pay your respects in the village, and I can go to town by myself."
"We'll talk about tomorrow's problems tomorrow," Zeng Huilan said, not continuing the topic. She took a few meatballs that she had just scooped out of the pot, put them in a small bowl, and handed them to Su Xingran. "Ranran, come and try the meatballs that Mom just scooped out."
Su Xingran took the bowl, grabbed a pair of chopsticks, picked up a meatball, blew on it to cool it down, and took a bite. Her eyes narrowed in delight. These freshly fried meatballs were just too delicious. Su Xingran picked up another meatball, blew on it to cool it down a bit, and fed it to Zeng Huilan, who was still busy.
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