I had a leisurely day at home on the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month.
By the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month, which is also the last day of the year, things became a bit busy.
After getting up early in the morning and eating the dumplings cooked by his wife, Chen Wang moved the table to the door and pasted up the Spring Festival couplets with the little girl.
Then, the two of them helped Lin Xiuqin to prepare ingredients for the New Year’s Eve dinner in the afternoon.
Lin Xiuqin had to prepare a large table of sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner by herself, and she was pregnant, so Chen Wang and the little girl naturally helped as much as they could.
Time passed quickly and it was already afternoon. The sound of firecrackers could be heard from various places in the village.
Some people have gone to worship their ancestors, and some families have already started eating the New Year’s Eve dinner.
Generally speaking, several families have New Year’s Eve dinners, with relatives visiting each other and eating and drinking together.
Chen Wang’s only relatives are his uncle’s family.
However, after my parents passed away, my uncle took the initiative to cut off contact with them, and from that year's Spring Festival onwards, he never invited them to have New Year's Eve dinner with him.
Nowadays, Chen Wang doesn’t care at all. His family of three, plus the unborn baby, is not lively enough!
After the ingredients were almost prepared, chicken soup was stewed in the pot.
Chen Wang took firecrackers, yellow paper, candles, incense and some paper money, and went out with his wife and the little girl.
They are going to sweep the graves and pay homage to their parents.
They soon arrived at their parents' grave. The couple were buried together. The graves of Chen Wang and the little girl's grandparents were just behind them.
Grandpa and grandma didn't have much happiness either. They were always in poor health and both died of illness when Chen Wang was still young.
Lin Xiuqin brought a broom and a sickle.
There were a lot of weeds and dead branches around. Chen Wang cut them all down with a sickle, while Lin Xiuqin cleaned the area around the grave.
Afterwards, Chen Wang first used a match to light a candle in front of his parents' grave, and then lit three incense sticks and inserted them on it.
After burning three more pieces of yellow paper, he knelt down and kowtowed three times.
Finally, I clasped my hands together, closed my eyes and said to my parents some words in my heart that only I knew.
No matter what the reason was, he traveled to this era.
And now he has completely integrated into this role. Silly Awang is him, he is that Silly Awang, and those who are worshipping at this moment are also his parents.
Standing up, Chen Wang looked at the little girl and his wife and said, "You should also say a few words to your parents!"
The little girl pursed her lips and nodded, then walked up to her parents' grave, knelt down, and kowtowed three times.
"Mom, Dad, we are here to see you. You don't have to worry about us. We are living well now. My brother has become smarter and has made a lot of money. He buys delicious food and new clothes for me and my sister-in-law..."
The little girl clasped her hands together and talked incessantly.
As he spoke, his voice suddenly became hoarse and his eyes became red.
Lin Xiuqin stood quietly behind, her eyes also turning red.
After the little girl finished speaking, Lin Xiuqin also knelt down, bowed, kowtowed, and closed her eyes to mourn.
Two or three minutes later, Lin Xiuqin slowly opened her eyes, gently touched her belly which was already beginning to show signs of pregnancy, and stood up with the help of Chen Wang.
Then, Chen Wang followed the same procedure and burned incense in front of his grandparents’ graves.
It was obvious that my uncle's family had not arrived yet.
Chen Wang couldn't do anything about it. He just had to do what he was supposed to do.
After the three of them bowed and paid their respects, they burned the paper money they brought for their parents and grandparents, and finally set off firecrackers before leaving.
I had not walked far when I saw my uncle's family coming over, including my cousin Chen Ying who had returned two days ago.
This cousin is one year older than Chen Wang. She is not married yet. She started working in the south two years ago and will only come back during the Chinese New Year.
The two families passed each other without any intention of saying hello.
Lin Xiuqin glanced at Chen Ying, then at her husband, with an expression as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
There are four people in her uncle's family, and there is only this cousin. Lin Xiuqin has no complaints.
In the past two years, only Chen Ying would take care of their family every time he came back and bring them some local specialties.
I came back a few days ago this year and brought some things to their house.
It’s just that maybe after hearing about some conflicts between the two families this year, he felt even more guilty and didn’t come to visit often.
Chen Wang and the little girl didn't actually hate this cousin. If they met her alone, they would still say hello.
However, in this situation, both the brother and sister chose to remain silent.
"Awang, Xiaoyu, Xiuqin!"
Chen Ying suddenly stopped, turned around and shouted to them.
Chen Wang and the other two stopped and looked back, and saw that his uncle and cousin were still walking forward, while his aunt tugged at Chen Ying, trying to pull her away.
"Mom, we are blood relatives, why are we making such a fuss?"
Chen Ying shook off her mother's hand, looked at Chen Wang and the other two and invited them, "Um...Awang, come to my house later and have New Year's Eve dinner together!"
Seeing this, the eldest aunt also smiled and nodded in agreement, "Yes, Awang, come and have dinner later!"
Now everyone in the village knows that Awang is a capable person. Thanks to his hunting, his family's conditions have improved again.
From the perspective of the aunt, she actually hopes that the two families can reconcile, but she just can't bear it.
Since her daughter had asked, she decided to give it a try.
She had even begun to fantasize that once the relationship between the two families improved, her family would be able to benefit from the good things Chen Wang got while hunting.
Or their own sons can also go hunting with them!
My aunt and cousin Chen Feng, who were walking in front, also stopped at this time, but did not look back.
"No need, sis."
Chen Wang smiled and shook his head to refuse.
"Awang..."
There was a pleading look in Chen Ying's eyes, but he didn't know what to say for a moment.
After returning, she also learned from the villagers, including her family, about what had happened between the two families in recent months.
She was both surprised and sincerely happy that her cousin Chen Wang had become smart and could hunt to support his family.
However, when she heard about the unpleasant things that happened between the two families, she became angry and anxious, and even lost her temper at home.
In the past two years, she would persuade her parents and brother every time she came back, and even mentioned it in every letter, hoping that they would not be so stupid and would not sever the family ties.
But it was of no use, the parents were too stubborn and spoiled their son too much.
"Sister, come to our house for dinner later. We have prepared a lot of dishes."
Chen Wang invited with a smile.
Chen Ying's eyes dimmed, then she forced a smile on her face and nodded, saying, "Okay, I'll go over and have a meal and chat with you guys later."
Chen Wang’s words have been made very clear.
It's you, not you guys!
It means that she is the only one invited and no one else is welcome.
Even so, she decided to go alone, not to get a free meal, but just to chat and try to ease the relationship between the two families.
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