Liu Ye was helping her mother with chores at home when she heard voices at the door and knew that Xiao Weiguo had arrived.
She quickly wiped her hands on her apron and rushed out.
"Wei Guo, what brings you here?"
When Liu Erzhu saw his daughter come out, he went into the house without saying a word.
"Come in and have a seat."
Liu Ye stood at the door, smiling like a plum blossom blooming in winter.
Looking at his own delicate willow leaves, Xiao Weiguo swallowed hard; his little face was too tempting.
"Well, I just came to see you. It's the New Year, so I won't bother my parents by going in."
Xiao Weiguo took out the things he bought for Liu Ye from the car and handed them to her.
Xiao Jiang jumped out of the car and waved to Liu Ye from a distance.
"Sister Willow Leaf, I miss you."
The little guy is small, but he has a very sweet tongue.
Looking at the adorable Xiao Jiang, Liu Ye realized that after this period of recuperation, he was now as cute as a porcelain doll. He exuded a strangely joyful aura.
"I miss you too. I'll be going back in a few days."
After teasing Xiao Jiang for a while, Liu Ye finally remembered Xiao Weiguo.
"If you're not coming in, you'd better go back now. There are a lot of people waiting for you at home."
After saying that, she floated into the door as lightly as the wind and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
"I'll come pick you up after the New Year."
Xiao Weiguo called out to Liu Ye's back, picked up his younger brother, and put him in the car.
Back in the county town, Xiao Weiguo didn't go home; instead, he went directly to Liu Changhe's house with Xiao Jiang.
Because of the old lady, the two families agreed to spend the New Year together in Xiao Weiguo's courtyard, which is more spacious.
The couple had already packed their things and were waiting for Xiao Weiguo to pick them up.
There's not much to pack, just some things to eat during the Lunar New Year.
Since they can't stay at Xiao Weiguo's place for long, there's no need for them to bring anything else.
Xiao Weiguo led them to the courtyard, where the whole family, plus Jiao Bai, were reunited.
The New Year's Eve dinner is no longer all dumplings.
Grandma and Xiao Shanshan started preparing early in the morning, washing and chopping all kinds of ingredients, including chicken, duck, fish and meat.
Xiao Weiguo would never miss such an opportunity to showcase his culinary skills to his family.
After his processing, each dish was a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate, and was quickly served. The dishes received unanimous praise, making Xiao Weiguo extremely proud.
Xiao Jiang and Xiao Yue each lit an incense stick, filled their pockets with disassembled firecrackers, and ran around the yard setting them off everywhere.
Xiao Yue was rather timid and only dared to set off small firecrackers, about the thickness of a pen refill, which were locally known as "bean stubble."
It means it's only the size of bean stubble in the field.
But Xiao Yue still enjoyed releasing them immensely.
As darkness fell, bright red lanterns lit up inside and outside every household.
The sound of firecrackers grew increasingly frequent, both near and far, like the occasional croaking of frogs in a pond suddenly erupting into a grand chorus. The whole world seemed to come alive with excitement.
The Dragon Kingdom's New Year officially begins from this moment.
The dining table in Xiao Weiguo's home was already laden with food. The round table, which was not usually used, was set up again and placed in the middle of the living room, where seven or eight people sat around it.
The Xiao Weiguo family, the Liu Changhe family, and Jiao Bai—they hadn't had such a lively New Year in many years.
The most important thing about Chinese New Year is the atmosphere; the more lively, the better.
The dumplings were served, and the New Year's Eve dinner officially began.
Those who could drink alcohol were given alcohol, and those who couldn't drink alcohol were given milk.
The television set emitted the steady and resonant voice of the renowned host, Mr. Zhao.
"Hello everyone, this is the live broadcast of the Spring Festival Gala from XX TV station. On behalf of all the hosts, I would like to extend my New Year's greetings to the people of the whole country..."
Since its debut in 1983, the Spring Festival Gala has topped the ratings charts for three consecutive years.
Gradually, eating New Year's Eve dinner and watching the Spring Festival Gala to stay up late on New Year's Eve have become a tradition for people all over the country.
As Jiang Dawei sang "Where the Peach Blossoms Bloom," the family started eating.
There aren't many rules for Chinese New Year. Just say whatever is festive and whatever the elders want to hear.
The old lady was delighted and gave everyone five yuan as a New Year's gift.
Back then, there was no such thing as red envelopes in the North; New Year's money was given directly in the form of banknotes.
Even now, in rural areas of northern China, it is rare for people to give New Year's money to younger generations in the form of red envelopes.
For Xiao Weiguo, this was just a small token of the old man's appreciation, and he was very happy no matter how much it was.
Liu Changhe and his wife also gave them New Year's money, including Jiao Bai.
As long as you're not married, you're still a child, and you must have lucky money in your pocket during Chinese New Year. This means that someone in your family loves and cares for you.
Jiao Bai was also infected by the joyful atmosphere of the family. After a few drinks, he was filled with enthusiasm. Despite the cold weather, he wore a vest and performed a set of his family's boxing techniques for everyone in the courtyard.
Xiao Weiguo couldn't understand what kind of boxing style it was, but it looked very powerful and imposing. If it were in later generations, winning a national martial arts championship would be a piece of cake.
Jiao Bai started the show, and everyone cheered, so Xiao Weiguo had no choice but to get up and perform a show for everyone.
After thinking for a while, he realized he didn't have any special talents, so he decided to sing a song. He then thought of "Come Home Often" which he often sang during the Chinese New Year in his previous life.
This song is by singer Chen Hong, and the lyrics, in particular, are especially meaningful when listened to during holidays and festivals.
Find some free time, find some time
......
Although Xiao Weiguo's voice was average, this song, "Come Home Often," sung by the famous singer Chen Hong in his previous life, had a beautiful melody and a simple, unpretentious rhythm. Without any fancy embellishments, it was very sincere and heartfelt.
It embodies care for the elderly and a longing for family reunion during the Spring Festival.
In his previous life, Xiao Weiguo had frequented karaoke bars and was a true karaoke king/queen. He had a lot of classic songs from his past life in his memory. He could pick any song at random and he would receive a round of applause from everyone.
As soon as Xiao Weiguo finished singing and sat down, his younger sister Xiao Shanshan leaned her head over.
"Bro, what's the name of this song? I've never heard it before."
He had been drinking and was a little tipsy, and he wanted to put on a show in front of his sister.
"This song, I wrote it myself, brother. What do you think? Is it good?"
Xiao Shanshan certainly didn't believe it. Could her older brother, who hadn't even graduated from junior high school, write lyrics of such caliber?
Seeing his sister's doubtful look, Xiao Weiguo slammed his hand on the table and stood up.
"Don't believe me? I'll sing you another one."
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