The night is long...
The next day, the sound of firecrackers continued incessantly.
The sound of firecrackers started early in the morning.
Lu Rong got up early to prepare the New Year's Eve dinner.
Life got better, and smoke started billowing from the chimneys of every household in the morning, filling the air with a delicious aroma.
Qiao Wanyue was the head chef for the New Year's Eve dinner.
Her cooking skills were better than those of the people in the state-run restaurants. In the past, she didn't have time to cook at home, but she was in charge of cooking the New Year's Eve dinner, with Lu Rong and Lu's sister-in-law helping out. They prepared everything from chicken and duck to fish and meat.
She also simmered several pounds of meat in the pot and braised more than a dozen chickens.
Each household has a fixed quota of roast chickens; any extras are bought by Qiao Wanyue's older brother from other villages.
After the roast chicken was cooked, Lu Hui carried the steaming hot roast chicken to the cowshed.
The cowshed is no longer the leaky, drafty place it once was. The brigade leader led the repairs, and the cowherds all have their own houses now, so they no longer have to live in fear every day.
Some of them work as teachers in the village primary school, while others work as workers in the village workshops.
Although there was no salary, the food was very good every day.
"Xiao Hui, what brings you here?" Old Hu looked at Lu's little grandson, who was so chubby and adorable, and even seemed to like him.
Lu Hui grinned and said, "Grandpa Hu, my second aunt made some delicious food and asked me to bring it to you. There's roast chicken, braised chicken heads, and lots and lots of other delicious food. She said you've worked hard this year."
The little guy dragged a small wooden cart and placed it in front of Old Hu.
Old Hu and his colleagues also had a kitchen, but these intellectuals never cooked. They used to just cook porridge and go hungry one day and then eat at the production team's communal canteen.
It's almost Chinese New Year, so they asked someone in the village to buy cooked food from the supply and marketing cooperative.
The captain and secretary sent some over; they were all fried goods.
Several teachers received steamed buns and dumplings from their students' parents.
The kitchen was fully stocked, enough to feed them for a while.
Mo Li came out and saw Lu Hui. "Little Huihui, did your second aunt send you to deliver the New Year's gifts?"
Lu Hui nodded. "Grandma Mo, your second aunt made you some braised chicken, it's still warm."
Mo Li's eyes lit up, and he chuckled as he took Lu Hui's toy car. As soon as he opened it, a fragrant aroma wafted out. Lu Hui's toy car was specially made for Lu Hui by Lu Yunqi, and the blueprints were drawn by Mo Li.
The little wheels even have covers, so the little guy can pull them without much effort. They can be used as seats or for carrying things.
Mo Li took out two red envelopes from his pocket. "Little one, Happy New Year. Take this big one back to your second aunt and tell her to thank her for taking care of you over the past year."
Old Hu stared wide-eyed at the red envelope.
"You old codger, when did you prepare the red envelope?"
She offered him a red envelope, but he refused. Wasn't that a blatant way of telling others that Hu Bin hadn't prepared a red envelope?
He honestly hadn't thought of it. He'd had such a hard life before; he barely had enough money for himself, let alone for a child...
But now—
Mo Li rolled his eyes. "What an naive guy."
Hu Bin...
That old woman is no good.
Old Hu quickly took some change, grabbed a few red envelopes from Mo Li, and then made more than a dozen red envelopes, intending to give them to the children in the production team tomorrow.
Lu Hui returned home with the red envelope and relayed Mo Li's words to Qiao Wanyue verbatim.
Qiao Wanyue patted the little guy's head. "I saved you a big chicken leg. Go and eat it."
The little guy chuckled as he stuffed the red envelope into his pocket and went to the kitchen.
At noon, Qiao Wanyue and Lu Hui had lunch at Lu Xingxing's house.
I will definitely be spending the family reunion dinner with Lu Rong tonight.
Fearing that Lu Xingxing and her daughter would be lonely, she brought Lu Hui with her.
Before they even entered the door, they saw Yang Lin leading two little kids, squatting at Lu Xingxing's door.
She twitched her lips.
Yang Lin is really persistent.
Yang Lin was leading two children who belonged to the Geng family; they were two boys.
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