New Year’s Eve is the day for families to reunite. This year’s New Year’s Eve became a reunion festival for the entire village.
On the day of slaughtering the New Year pig, the old captain had already planned to have a good New Year this year to get rid of bad luck and hope for a good harvest next year. He specially kept a pig for New Year's Eve.
Inside Zhangjia Village's public dining hall, the village's wives, both young and old, bustled about the kitchen. Each one revealed their unique skills, deciding to combine the four essential ingredients: pork elbow, carp, spare ribs, and chicken. If pork elbow wasn't enough, they'd use pig's trotters; if the hen wasn't big, they'd chop it into small pieces and add mushrooms; if the spare ribs weren't big, they'd add radish.
The fragrance wafted out, attracting all the children in the village to gather around and sniff, none of them willing to leave, eagerly waiting for the night to fall.
The old captain, holding his long pipe, walked around the village, inhaling the fragrant air. He nodded with satisfaction. But he was thinking that the dumplings would be served later tonight, so everyone could fill their stomachs first. Otherwise, there wouldn't be enough for everyone. The few remaining bean buns and steamed buns would be shared with the children, while the adults would make do with steamed corn bread.
Looking at the group of children drooling in front of him, he raised his head and looked behind him, then slowly left the cafeteria. He still had to discuss the important matter of ancestor worship with the old patriarch and others.
Say goodbye to the old and welcome the new, and after today it will be a new year. The people in Zhangjia Village do not understand the old captain's worries. Every household is happily putting up New Year pictures, door couplets, hanging money, and pasting window paper, celebrating the festival in every possible way.
Zhou Jiao was particularly amused. She happily taped a piece of red paper with the words "Full Barn of Grain" on the granary. Seeing it was completely empty, she ingeniously placed a basket of multicolored grains inside. She also put up a sticker on a bicycle with the words "Safe Travels" and a chicken coop with the words "Full of Eggs." She put up whatever she could think of.
Standing in the yard, Zhou Jiao looked at the red characters for "Fu" (blessings) on the walls and doors, the red window paper on the windows, and then at her son playing in the snow in the yard in a red outfit - the strong New Year atmosphere was filled with joy.
Zhang Guoqing came out of the kitchen and looked at Zhou Jiao, who was beaming with joy, and smiled knowingly.
"Son, stop playing. Let's pack up and go to the old house."
Ping An saw him and threw himself on him with joy.
Zhang Guoqing happily spun around with his son in his arms, then walked into the living room with his wife in his arms. "We're going to the village to have New Year's Eve dinner tonight. Should we bring anything with us?"
"I'll ask Mom and Dad later to see how the eldest and second sons will handle this. We'll add a little to their gifts, but don't go too far. Do I really not have to keep Mom and Dad awake tonight?"
"I always feel something is wrong if I'm not at home to keep watch during the New Year. I'll ask my parents if they want to come over later. If they don't, forget it. The old village leader also asked everyone to eat the New Year's Eve dinner early, and each family should take a bowl of dumplings back to keep watch."
Zhou Jiao brought out the new clothes and four-colored gifts she had prepared for Zhang's father and mother, and said with a smile, "We won't be at the old courtyard tonight, so I guess they'll come to our house. Let's go and take a look first."
"Have you prepared your New Year's gift money for your parents?"
"It's a package deal. Nine dollars and ninety-nine per person. It means everlasting, so it should be related to longevity, right?"
Zhang Guoqing saw her blinking and hesitating, so he rubbed her head and said, "Very good, just right."
Zhou Jiao said proudly: "In addition to this, I also prepared ten yuan in new bills for my mother, ranging from one cent to ten cents, to give her as New Year's money in the first month of the year."
Zhang Guoqing wiped the child's face, applied Harry Oil, picked him up, and said with a smile, "Yeah, it's good. Let mother give ten cents to whoever is comfortable, and one cent to whoever is not pleasing to the eye."
The couple took their child and slowly went to the nursing home.
Before I even reached the main room, I heard Zhang Laoer's loud laughter.
"As expected, here comes the Cao Cao. Xiaowu, you two came at the perfect time. I gave my parents New Year's money, but they didn't want it."
"Mom, you and Dad, take it. It's for good luck, as a New Year's gift, to reduce your age, and to bless you two with longevity." After Zhou Jiao finished speaking, she put the things down and took the child.
Mother Zhang smiled and shook her head, "I'll give it to you when you're old. There's no need for it now."
Zhou Jiao saw that except for Zhang Laoer, no one else was there. "My brothers are filial to you and Dad, so you should happily accept it. It's just right to keep it with you, so you can buy candy to entertain the children."
After saying that, Zhou Jiao pointed to Zhang Guoqing's pocket and went out to the kitchen.
Seeing this, Zhang Guoqing touched his pocket, smiled and put Ping'an on the kang, took out a bundle of new banknotes and two red envelopes from his pocket, and pushed them to Zhang's mother along with the gifts.
"What are you doing, Xiaowu?"
"Mom, stop pushing it. Didn't you see Jiaojiao was scared away? She exchanged these new banknotes at the bank for your New Year's money. Those two red envelopes are for good luck, they don't have much money, you and Dad keep them."
Father Zhang reached out and picked up a bundle of money, then handed it to his wife with a smile, "Here, this is quite rare to give out as New Year's money to the children. You can use this when you go back to your parents' home in the first month of the year."
Zhang Laoer joked, "Mom, go to your uncle's house and give more to whoever you like. If you run out, ask Xiaowu and the others for more. Xiaowu, why did you decide to exchange for new money without notifying me?"
Zhang Guoqing smiled and didn't answer. Zhou Jiao didn't go to exchange the banknotes specifically, but just happened to receive New Year's money from relatives in Beijing and went to the post office to withdraw the money.
He couldn't say that. His son's New Year's money was still with his father-in-law, and if he wasn't afraid of attracting attention, he would probably scare the people at the county post office.
Zhang Guoqing changed the subject and asked what gifts his family would bring back to the village tonight. Otherwise, it would be awkward to have so many people there.
Zhang's mother laughed when she heard this. She had already prepared food rations and delivered them to the village, and this silly child had even forgotten that her family had donated a sow and many chickens.
The dinner bell rang early, and Father Zhang led the whole family to the cafeteria.
The cafeteria was extremely lively at this time, just like the ancestor worship ceremony in previous years.
Dozens of tables were crowded together, with four major items placed on each table: pork elbow and pig's trotter stew, braised carp, pork ribs stewed with radish, hen and mushroom soup, pork and sauerkraut stewed with vermicelli, and three fresh vegetables.
The rare and sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner makes everyone forget their worries, and everyone, young and old, smiles with joy. Even if the pork ribs and radish stew are full of radish, even if the hen and mushroom stew has only one or two pieces of meat, even if the braised carp cannot be eaten for symbolic reasons, it still can't stop everyone from celebrating the New Year.
The only jar of wine left in the village was offered to the elders at the table. The playful young people poured hot water as wine, trying to make the most of the hardship.
The aunties and grannies working in the kitchen carried out several wooden trays containing the staple foods of steamed cornbread and corn tortillas. Five steamed cornbreads and two corn tortillas for the adults; two steamed cornbreads and two corn tortillas for the children. Fortunately, the corn porridge was sufficient for dinner, and at last there was a hint of New Year's cheer.
The happiest thing was that the children got an extra steamed bun and two sticky rice dumplings.
Suddenly, the children rushed to each other and shouted, afraid of missing out. Their anxious appearance made people around them laugh.
If Zhou Jiao were to say, this wasn't as good as the old pig-killing dishes. But everyone was just looking for happiness, reunion, and the joy of celebrating the New Year.
One advantage of hunting before the Lunar New Year in Zhangjia Village is that, compared to other places, families living near the mountains are not as short of oil and water. Therefore, everyone tries to give all the meat and bones on the table to the children.
None of the adults were willing to reach in. Even some of the best people in the village would not risk the world's disapproval and arouse everyone's disgust on this day.
This day is a festival for children and a reunion day for the elders with their children and grandchildren for thousands of years.
When there are elders in the family, saving a piece of meat and watching their children and grandchildren happily is also a kind of love.
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