Dumplings on the first day of the New Year, noodles on the second day.
After eating dumplings, Zhang Guoqing's aunt-in-law brought out small bowls of noodles for the second day of the New Year.
The thin noodles made Zhang Guoqing unable to help but glance at everyone.
The taciturn elder uncle, the gentle and cheerful younger uncle, the two smiling aunts, and a room full of kind cousins. These are his maternal family and also his relatives.
They entertained the Zhang family with the best food and warmed the cold room with simple and honest words.
The Zhang family, especially Zhang's father, knows his in-laws' personalities too well.
He smiled and told the children to eat quickly. He had learned to accept this annual visit calmly, unlike the younger generation, who were as anxious as he was. As he ate his bowl of noodles, he thought of his father-in-law.
It wasn't just Father Zhang who was lost in memories; Zhou Jiao was the one who felt the most deeply.
Compared to this family, the Lin family seemed even worse than scum. Personality and upbringing had nothing to do with status and knowledge; the most honest and sincere people were the common people who walked on the land.
After confirming the date for the return visit, the Zhang family dropped their gifts and hurried home as if fleeing for their lives. Halfway through, they could no longer see their two uncles. The family looked at each other and couldn't help but burst into laughter.
It is rare that a gift would cause the Zhang family to be so embarrassed.
On the first day of the New Year, people pay homage to their ancestors; on the second day, they pay homage to their aunts; on the third day, they "sweep away the poor ghosts"; and on the fourth day, married women visit their parents' home.
The fourth day of the Lunar New Year is the day when the three branches of the Zhang family gather together. This day is also the day when the daughters of the Zhang family return to their parents' home. This custom has become a tradition of the Zhang family since Grandpa Zhang was alive.
The daughters-in-law of the Zhang family wanted to return to their parents' home on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year at the earliest. According to Zhang's mother, the old man once said that no matter what happened on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, they had to put it aside and come to the family gathering.
Therefore, on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, everyone rushed to Uncle Zhang's house. Fortunately, the yard of the eldest brother Zhang Qingshan was large, and before noon, the main hall and the east and west wing rooms were full of people.
No matter how hard life had been in previous years, this day was the Zhang family reunion, and even with the combined resources of the three branches, they could still afford several tables of food and wine. Especially when Grandpa Zhang was still alive, no matter how much staple food was lacking, there was always flying dragon soup from the mountain, roasted venison, and stewed wild boar. But now, Uncle Zhang could only smile bitterly.
He was the deputy captain, so he took the lead and set an example. If the Zhang family all went to the cafeteria, the remaining food in the team would probably be gone in one meal.
How could anyone say that the Zhang family's sons were good if it weren't for outsiders? Zhang Qingshan, the eldest son, led his brothers and began to act separately. Soon, several families gathered game, dried vegetables, and other food and began to cook.
The unique family gathering was perfectly enhanced by the young generation of the Zhang family. Two large stoves were gurgling in the yard, and the aroma was so tempting that everyone swallowed their saliva.
Early in the morning, Zhang Meili's four cousins, accompanied by their husbands and children, returned to their parents' home one after another, bringing a bag of candy.
Today, the four sons-in-law unanimously brought kaoliang porridge, making the Zhang family men laugh with joy. The candies brought by Zhang Meili and her four sisters were distributed by Zhang's mother and three sisters-in-law to the elders of the clan and the neighbors. The children were also happy to receive their lucky money and started playing with firecrackers everywhere.
It was not until noon that the Zhang family finally welcomed the arrival of Zhang Dani, the aunt of the Zhang family, and Liu Dazhuang and his wife, along with their two grandsons.
Four tables were set up in the main room. As the stew was served, bursts of firecrackers rang out from outside. No one needed to be invited. As soon as the men took their seats, the women and children began to find their places and wait for Uncle Zhang to speak.
Sitting at the main table in front of the kang in the main hall were Zhang's three brothers, his uncle-in-law Liu Dazhuang, four uncles-in-law, and Zhang Qingshan, the eldest grandson of Zhang who was in charge of pouring wine.
In the Zhang family, the eldest son and grandson held a special position during gatherings of the third branch of the family. For example, Zhang's father and uncle never got to speak first. For example, no matter how much more capable Zhang Guoqing was than Zhang Qingshan, he had no right to bypass the eldest grandson and take his place in the first ancestral offerings. After the father's death, the son took over, and in the Zhang family, Zhang Qingshan was the undisputed eldest son.
As Uncle Zhang picked up his chopsticks and called out "Eat!", the clinking of bowls and chopsticks began to clatter. The adults looked over and smiled knowingly.
Zhang Guoqing's generation, the Qing generation, had plenty of brothers, but the next generation, the Ming generation, had even more. Two tables filled with the Zhang family's grandchildren, along with their great-grandchildren, were crammed together. This family was truly prosperous!
Uncle Zhang saw that the group of carrot heads were restless and stopped, so he quickly said with a smile: "Eat if you want to, then go out and play after you finish."
The children looked at their parents' faces and stood up happily to pick up the food.
From this moment it is easy to see the children's personalities and the education their parents give them.
Amidst the bustling crowd of children, Xizi and Ziwen calmly looked after their younger siblings, demonstrating their elder brotherly demeanor. The younger siblings also behaved well by not competing for food, but quietly sitting in their seats, nibbling at the food they had picked up.
Uncle Zhang looked at them with envy, but he couldn't blame his own grandchildren. He knew that children from different families received different educations.
Many people watched this scene, and everyone had different thoughts. But on New Year's Day, no one was willing to say a word to their children.
The children were delighted, and so were the adults, and the conversation soon turned to family matters. Honest and loyal son-in-law Liu Dazhuang, after being warmly entertained by a dozen or so nephews and their husbands, finally collapsed from the alcohol.
After half of the drinking, the children had eaten and drunk their fill and began to run out clutching their New Year's money.
Ping'an could no longer control himself in Zhang Guoqing's arms. He grabbed his father's arm, smiled ingratiatingly, and pointed at the group of brothers and sisters who were leaving.
Seeing this, Zhang Guoqing quickly grabbed his son, slipped out of the yard, and called a group of children home. He had bought a lot of firecrackers and fireworks just to play with his son. Now he had finally got his chance.
An older child, holding a baby, played with firecrackers with a group of younger children. This spectacle attracted a large crowd of children from the village. It finally ended when the older child accidentally blew up his family's wooden barrel with his crossed legs.
After the family banquet, the fifth day of the New Year arrived.
On the morning of the fifth day of the New Year, Zhang Guoqing and Zhou Jiao began to clean up the garbage, set off firecrackers, and ate dumplings. From that day on, Zhou Jiao no longer had to worry about the New Year taboos.
The constant coming and going of guests caused the family to suffer from severe sleep deprivation.
She ignored her mother-in-law's urging to start sewing, and she paid no attention to anyone else. After closing the door, the family lay on the kang, fast asleep.
When they woke up again, it was already the sixth day of the Lunar New Year. In the morning, the three of them started to rush to the provincial capital with their luggage and gifts, all packed up and packed.
In the provincial capital, there were Zhao Chuangguang and his four uncles' families, the Huang family and the Zhao family. They were busy going back and forth from one house to another, attending early dinners and late banquets.
Two days later, the family of three returned to the county town with a bag full of red envelopes. Without taking a break, they immediately visited various elders and units for group greetings.
Before we could even enjoy the holiday, we had to go back to work. This busy Spring Festival is coming to an end for Zhang Guoqing, but for Zhou Jiao and Ping An, every day is Spring Festival.
Clan members gathered for reunions, and friends and relatives gathered. Amid the sound of firecrackers and laughter, time passed day by day, and the Spring Festival of 1959 quietly passed away.
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