For children, celebrating the Lunar New Year is always a joyous occasion. Eating rare meat and fish, donning long-awaited new clothes, making paper lanterns, and setting off individual red firecrackers ensure that happiness continues throughout the year.
The next morning, Ping'an woke up early. Zhang Guoqing had already agreed with him to take the children of relatives and friends to the street to buy firecrackers.
Opening his eyes, Ping An realized he was the only one who had slept late again. He rolled his eyes, climbed down from the kang, and with great effort, finally put on his coat and pants. He hugged the fur collar of his sweater, which had made him helpless, and rushed out of the bedroom to Lin Lishan and her husband's room.
As soon as he opened the door, Ping'an was happy - his grandma was indeed a lazy bum.
"Oh, little darling, why did you come here by yourself? Are you frozen?" After saying that, Lin Lishan stuffed him into the quilt.
"Grandma, Xiaowu and his wife are going to exercise with grandpa."
Lin Lishan laughed heartily, all sleepiness gone. "Good boy, don't call your dad like that. Do you want to go out? Wait until grandma takes a day off to take you to Lao Mo."
Ping An glanced outside with a smile, "Lao Mo, Lao Gui, grandma can just buy me a popsicle. I can't let mom know I ate a popsicle, she'll be angry."
"I wouldn't dare to do that. What if you have a stomachache? Grandma will still invite you to Lao Mo for ice cream."
"I'll just try it."
Lin Lishan happily bargained with the child and helped him put his clothes back on. She was very impressed by her grandson's intelligence, and many times she had to admit defeat.
"Do you want to go to the group with grandma? Those aunties have prepared a lot of small gifts for you."
Ping An immediately shook his head when he heard this. "You can't ask for other people's things randomly. It will cause trouble for Grandma. Dad said that we have everything at home and I can't use all my things, so I save them for my son."
Lin Lishan, who was getting dressed, fell on the bed laughing.
After the grandparents and grandchildren washed up and went out, Zhou Jiao was already preparing breakfast in the kitchen.
Ping An chuckled happily when he saw this—after eating, he could go out. He left Zhou Jiao and her daughter in the kitchen and walked to the front door on his own.
People passing by would smile at him. This Zhou family baby was really polite. He would greet everyone he saw and was always smiling. He really took after his father. It was especially interesting to see such a young child running around to ward off the cold.
When Zhang Guoqing and his father-in-law returned, they saw several babies gathered at the door. He knew without anyone telling him that Ping An must be among them.
Zhou Xiaozheng glanced at his son-in-law with a smile in his eyes - like father, like son. Ping'an has started to make friends at a young age, and the family will be more lively in the future.
The father-in-law and son-in-law deliberately slowed down their pace to enjoy the children playing.
"Xiao Ping'an, a string of firecrackers has 100 bangs. My dad bought me a string last year. I can put 10 in my pocket and set them off from the first to the fifteenth day of the lunar month. It's so exciting."
"You're lying. I only played 100 rings for five days last year."
"What are you doing playing with firecrackers, little girl? Go... go, I'm talking to my buddy, it's none of your business."
"You little brat, I'm older than you. I'm six years old and can be your sister. You're unreasonable and not a good kid. I won't play with you anymore."
"Rare! We boys don't play with those girls. Xiao Ping'an, Xiao Maruko is a tigress, don't play with her."
"Sister, give me some candy."
"Then...then I'll give you a chocolate. This is secretly given to me by my aunt. I'll treat you well, okay?"
"Two! I'll play with you in the morning and with my sister in the evening."
"Don't bother with his crappy chocolate, Ping An. It's bitter and tastes terrible. I have money, let's have popsicles together."
Seeing that the two children were getting angry and starting to fight, Zhang Guoqing quickly quickened his pace to stop them.
"We are all good children. We can't fight. Go home to your mother first, and come back this afternoon. Uncle will help you make lanterns, one for each of you, okay?"
"I want a rabbit."
"Uncle Xiaowu, can you make lanterns? Even my grandfather can't."
Zhang Guoqing picked up his son and touched his little hand. He was glad he wasn't frozen. He smiled and nodded at the children, promising them they would definitely have lanterns.
As for paper lanterns and ice lanterns, no matter how good the craftsmanship is, it’s no problem to fool a few little kids.
After breakfast, before the Cheng children came home, Zhang Guoqing took out a pile of cans, dyed them with paints, poured water of various colors into the cans, and cut several large candles into small pieces to make simple lanterns.
Ping An was so excited that he didn't want to move an inch, his eyes shining as he looked at his father. When he heard Zhang Guoqing say that they could put them in the yard, freeze them in the afternoon, and then there would be colorful lanterns in the evening, he was overjoyed.
If it weren't for the overwhelming temptation to go out on the street, Ping An really wouldn't want to leave. Before leaving, he glanced at Zhou Jiao reluctantly several times and even told her to keep an eye on his lantern.
This year was a happy one for Ping An. There were colorful, crystal-clear ice lanterns, paper lanterns shaped like animals, the crackle of firecrackers lit by his father's hand, the joyful singing and laughter of the New Year's Eve dinner, and song and dance performances in the auditorium.
All this allowed Ping'an to empathize with the pain of others, and finally understand all the hard work his parents put in for him. Compared to his peers, he had a warm family. Even when he was exhausted, the thought of his grandfather and parents, who had nurtured him with such care, stirred within him endless courage.
Compared to Zhou Jiao's family's happy New Year in Beijing, Zhang's father and mother in their hometown in Northeast China did not have a very happy New Year.
In the small courtyard of the county town, except for Zhang Guoqing and his family who were not in the Northeast, the Zhang family's children and grandchildren gathered together on the laps of Zhang's father and mother to celebrate the New Year's Eve.
Their affluence made Zhang's parents happy and plump, appearing even younger. Life seemed to be getting better and better. Though their three sons and two daughters lived on simple food, they were never far from home. Without their eldest son needing to dig into their savings, Zhang and his wife were secretly delighted.
However, the happiness did not last long. Just after the fourth day of the Chinese New Year, when the third branch of the Zhang family had a big gathering, trouble came.
The Zhang family compound began to be crowded with people, and distant relatives came to pay New Year's greetings every day, and the enthusiastic Zhang mother couldn't bring herself to ask them to leave.
As a result, many relatives who were slightly related to Zhang came to the door one after another after hearing the news, asking their nephew to stay in the county town and not leave, which gave Zhang's father a headache.
In just two or three days, the whole grain in the rice jar was quickly empty. Not only was the east wing locked, but the study was also not spared. Every night, a row of heads were piled on the kangs.
After the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, Zhang Laoer, a scoundrel in uniform, took Zhang Guofu and sent Zhang's father and mother away. As soon as his parents left, he went straight into the kitchen, rolled up the remaining rations, and carried them home, leaving his so-called relatives looking at each other in bewilderment.
Zhang Laoer hired two ox carts, picked up the children and threw them on the carts, and finally sent away the cousins who were clinging to the gate of the yard and had no connection with him in their entire lives.
Fortunately, there was the wicked Zhang Laoer, otherwise Zhang Guoqing would have had to rush home to deal with it. This move made Aunt Wang next door applaud.
Aunt Wang had long been dissatisfied with Zhang's mother's behavior. Whoever had food to give to others was lucky enough to have enough food at home. If Zhang Guoqing hadn't sent back food coupons from time to time, how could Zhang's mother and her husband live so comfortably?
Not to mention the arrival of distant relatives, she herself didn't even dare to go back to her parents' home. All this trouble only made the children suffer.
Faced with lice and fleas on the bedding and many empty cabinets, from then on, Zhang's father and mother hung up their keys every day and ran to their two sons' homes during the day. Even at home, they never dared to open the door at will.
When it comes to survival, face means nothing. Sympathy, no matter how much, was worthless during the Spring Festival of 1960. Zhang Guoqing only learned of the incident years later, accidentally, from his nephew. Back then, sympathy aside, not even a hint of sympathy was considered goodness.
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