He remained silent, his arms still tightly around her, his legs wrapped around hers.
Su Xueli deliberately asked in a fierce tone, "Why did you call me? Do you want some water?"
The person behind me remained motionless, and I could hear his snoring as he slept soundly.
Su Xueli wondered to herself: Was he talking in his sleep? Calling my name in his dream?
She was half moved, then woke herself up. So what? It's just that I'm by his side, and he's used to calling me.
The sound of firecrackers on New Year's Eve hadn't even subsided when the sound of firecrackers on New Year's Day started again, with every household vying to be the first to cook dumplings and set off firecrackers.
Su Xueli and Wei Mingshen were woken up by Cao Maizi, who told them to get up quickly, eat dumplings, and set off.
Actually, it was still dark outside.
The two reluctantly got up and dressed. The yard was littered with firecracker scraps, and the air was thick with the smell of gunpowder.
Cao Maizi had already cooked the dumplings, and Wei Tiezhu had set off firecrackers. They were just waiting for their son and daughter-in-law to finish eating so they could catch the carriage to worship the gods.
Seeing his son and daughter-in-law getting up lazily, Cao Maizi chuckled and coaxed them, "Wait until you get back to sleep. Everyone else stayed up all night to welcome the New Year. We've all slept, so we won't miss much sleep. Eat quickly and come back early. It shows our sincerity, and even the gods will like that."
The dumplings were made with tofu, vermicelli, and dried shrimp filling, but Su Xueli had no appetite when she woke up. She forced herself to eat a few, while Wei Mingshen, who never seemed to have no appetite, devoured a bowl of dumplings in no time.
Cao Maizi took a baked bun from the stove, broke off a piece and handed it to the young couple, saying, "Each of you should have a bite. Eating this baked bun will cure all your illnesses and drive away all your misfortunes."
The young couple obediently accepted and ate the food. Cao Maizi gave his wife a bite and ate a bite himself. Then he took the half-eaten steamed bun to his daughter's room and brought it to her.
Muttering to herself, "She's still sleeping in on the first day of the Lunar New Year, I don't even want to care about her..."
After finishing their meal, before dawn, Wei Mingshen harnessed the mule cart, loaded the offerings, and the family of three quietly went to his second aunt's house.
My second aunt was already at home, dressed in a new outfit, waiting. Today, she was very relaxed, completely unlike her tense and conflicted self yesterday.
The offerings she prepared were very simple: a bunch of bananas, a few oranges, a few apples, and incense, candles, and paper money.
Wei Mingshen sat on the carriage shaft driving the cart, while three women sat in the quilts inside the carriage. The smell and sound of firecrackers filled their nostrils and ears, and the air was filled with the festive atmosphere of the New Year.
As dusk gradually faded and the surrounding scenery became clearer, the fiery red sunrise rose from the east. The four walked towards the sunrise without uttering a word, their hearts filled with reverence.
Even though they got up so early, the Longwangfang Temple Fair was already packed with people. The smell of incense, candles, and paper money mingled with the smell of firecrackers in the air, making people dizzy.
Cao Maizi was right. Su Xueli saw that there were indeed many cars and vans parked outside the Dragon King and his wife's temple, with license plates from all over the country.
“Look, these are all devout men and women who have come to worship the gods with sincerity. They come from all over the country. When we enter the temple, we must sincerely ask the Dragon King and Dragon Queen for blessings. Tell the two gods what you want in your heart.” Cao Maizi instructed the three of them.
Wei Mingshen said softly, "Mother, I'll watch the mule cart outside. You three go inside."
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