This year's New Year's Eve dinner was prepared entirely by Du Yu alone. It had chicken, duck, fish and meat, and was much more sumptuous than last year. The three little girls ate with their mouths full of oil and couldn't stop.
Moreover, because the whole family took gene-enhancing drugs, everyone had an alarmingly good appetite, which made the old Taoist Xuanjue grin.
He picked up the wine cup in front of him and said, "Jianguo, let's have a drink!"
Seeing this, Xu Jianguo hurriedly picked up his wine cup and clinked it with him, lowering his glass halfway.
The two men drank the white wine in the cups, and Xu Jianguo filled his cups again.
The old Taoist priest picked up the wine glass again, looked at Xu Jianguo with burning eyes, and said with some emotion: "Jianguo, thank you!"
"Master, it's too polite of you to say that! We are all family, there's no need to say thank you!" Xu Jianguo said with a smile and drank another glass with him.
"Okay, I won't say anymore, I won't say anymore, it's all in my heart!" said the old Taoist priest with a smile.
"How's your training going recently?" Xu Jianguo asked.
"Haha, I'm old now. No matter how much I practice, it will be like this." The old Taoist said with a sigh.
"It's normal. Don't be so stubborn. Just let things take their course!" Xu Jianguo said comfortingly.
"Don't worry, I can figure it out!" said the old Taoist priest with a smile.
Seeing that the old Taoist priest was in a good mood, Xu Jianguo felt relieved and put some vegetables into his bowl. He said, "That's good. Come, Taoist priest, eat some vegetables!"
As time came to eight o'clock in the evening, Xu Jianguo got up and walked to the chest of drawers, turned on the radio on it, and suddenly, a familiar melody sounded.
"Dear listeners, good evening! This is Longxia People's Radio Station. Another year of hard work and perseverance has passed, and Longxia is now full of vitality in the new era. Uniting our hearts and minds, we will forge ahead towards our common dream. Today is the New Year's Eve of 1962, a day of national reunion and celebration..."
As the host's enthusiastic voice rang out, everyone pricked up their ears. Even the three girls who were laughing and playing and the old Taoist priest Xuanjue, who was a monk, listened carefully to the content of the broadcast.
Xu Jianguo looked at them with a smile on his face. He then took out his digital camera and began to record this precious, beautiful and happy life.
After pressing the replay button and looking at the smiles on everyone's faces in the photos, Xu Jianguo couldn't help but smile.
After the reunion dinner, Xu Jianguo brought out a large box of snacks that he had prepared in advance from the space, and then the cheers of the three girls rang out in the room.
After giving each girl some fireworks, Xu Jianguo let them go to the yard to play by themselves. Of course, Xiao Hei followed them.
After placing the sugar, nuts and fruits prepared in advance on the coffee table, Xu Jianguo and the old Taoist priest made a pot of tea. They sat on the sofa and drank and chatted, while Wen Sitian and Du Yu started making dumplings.
This year's dumplings have two kinds of fillings, one is cabbage, pork and shrimp, and the other is sauerkraut and pork lard, both of which are the two fillings that Xu Jianguo's family often eats.
Next to the enamel basin containing the dumpling filling, there is a small bowl of unwrapped fruit candies and a dozen 1-cent coins. These are auspicious signs for the dumplings on New Year's Eve. Whoever can eat the dumplings filled with candy or money will have good luck in the next year.
Dumplings filled with money or candy are also the target of children's competition every year. Xu Jianguo remembered that when he was a child in his previous life, he would be happy for several days every time he ate lucky dumplings, and he would show off to other children when he met them.
These one-cent coins were new money that Xu Jianguo had exchanged with the quartermaster in advance. After he got them back, he gave them to Wen Sitian. Before wrapping the dumplings, she brushed them all with a brush, and then boiled them twice in boiling water. Only then did she dare to wrap them in the dumplings with confidence.
The old Taoist priest Xuanjue picked up the teacup and took a sip, then looked at Xu Jianguo beside him with a hesitant look.
Xu Jianguo felt something, turned his head and looked at him and said, "Master, you are Funiu's uncle, and we have been through a lot together. We can be considered friends regardless of age. If you have any ideas, just tell me directly!"
"Well, it's nothing serious. I just felt like I had reached a bottleneck in my recent practice, so I wanted to go out for a walk!" said the old Taoist priest.
"That's right. It is said that reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. Besides, we usually live outside, and it would be a bit boring to leave you alone in the space!" Xu Jianguo picked up the teacup, took a sip, and spoke.
"I don't feel bored. After all, I have lived in Mihun Pond for such a long time and I have gotten used to it! But I also want to go for a stroll outside occasionally." said the old Taoist priest.
Xu Jianguo thought for a moment and continued, "How about this? When the weather warms up after the New Year, I'll take you back to Qingyun Temple for a visit."
When the old Taoist heard this, his eyes lit up immediately and he said, "Okay, I've been wanting to go back and take a look for a long time!"
"Okay, then it's settled. I'll take you back when the time comes!" Xu Jianguo said with a smile.
"Haha, good!" The old Taoist priest also smiled.
At 11:30 in the evening, Du Yu picked up the curtain with dumplings on the table and walked towards the kitchen, while Xu Jianguo also found a plate of 2,000 firecrackers from the bottom of the big box of fireworks, then took a cigarette and put it behind his ear and went to the yard.
At this time, the three girls were still playing in the yard. This was the third time they had run out. If it weren’t for the cold weather, these three little ones would not have been taken back.
When they saw Xu Jianguo coming out with firecrackers, Funiu and Erya's eyes lit up and they ran over.
"Brother, do you want to set off firecrackers?" Erya asked.
"Yes!" Xu Jianguo said with a smile as he looked at their cute red faces.
"Can I order?" The brave Funiu immediately put on an eager-to-try look and asked.
The corner of Xu Jianguo's mouth twitched, then he looked down at the firecracker in his hand, which was almost as thick as Funiu's finger, and decisively rejected the girl's crazy idea.
Funiu was a little disappointed that she didn't get what she wanted, but she didn't force it. She was dragged under the eaves by Daya and watched her brother busying himself there.
After Xu Jianguo took apart the firecrackers, he hung one end on the wire used to dry clothes in the yard, and the other end with the fuse was dragged on the ground.
Taking the cigarette from behind his ear and lighting it, Xu Jianguo picked up the firecracker with the fuse on the ground, looked back at the three little ones standing under the eaves, covering their ears with their eyes bright, a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and turned back to light the fuse in his hand.
After letting go of the firecrackers in his hand, Xu Jianguo threw away the cigarette in his hand, and then ran to stand next to the three girls.
"Crackle... crackle..."
With the sound of firecrackers, the year 1961 officially ended for the Longxia people, and the new Lunar New Year of 1962 was ushered in.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
