"Dad, Mom! We're here!" Li Xunli carried Shen Hong into the house.
When they arrived, it was only a little past four in the afternoon, and Li Yuxing was preparing vegetables in the kitchen.
Zhang Mingfang and Li Xunjin carried an octagonal table down from upstairs and set it up in front of the screen at the main entrance, preparing to worship their ancestors.
A carpet was laid out in the living room, and Li Chun Chun was sitting on it, setting out playing cards, waiting to play with the Shen Qing Qing and Shen Yang Yang sisters.
Li Yuxing looked out from the kitchen window facing the screen and said with a smile, "You're here? Come in, come in!"
A whole, glossy black braised goose sits on the table, emitting an enticing aroma at all times.
After setting up the octagonal table, Li Yuxing and Zhang Mingfang began placing offerings on it. When they were almost finished, Zhang Mingfang went to fetch the incense burner.
Li Yuxing lit the slender incense sticks and candles, held them in her hands, and knelt down before the octagonal table, chanting, "Ancestor, Ancestor, Ancestor, Ancestor, please keep everything going smoothly..."
Li Xunjin sat at the coffee table making tea, while Li Xunli and Shen Rongzhou chatted and drank tea. CCTV was on, and they were waiting to watch the Spring Festival Gala that evening.
After paying her respects, Li Yuxing went back into the kitchen to prepare the New Year's Eve dishes.
Li Yuxing is the best cook in both families. When she was young, she even ran her own food stall. Whenever the two families have a big holiday gathering, she is always the one in charge of cooking and she doesn't let anyone else interfere.
Just as it was time to clear the table, Li Yuxing called out, "Children, come and offer your prayers!"
There were two generations of children in the living room. Shen Qingqing took her two younger sisters over first, while Shen Hong was held by Li Xunli.
Then it was Li Xunjin and his group's turn.
When they knelt down to pray, Li Yuxing stood beside them, speaking up for them, offering blessings for their studies, their careers, and all sorts of other things.
After going through all the procedures, it was almost six o'clock.
Li Xunjin and Shen Rongzhou carried the braised goose to the side, where the cutting board and knife were already prepared.
"Sister, do you want half or just the hind leg and wing?" Li Xunjin asked Li Xunli before chopping the braised goose.
Li Xunli carried Shen Hong over and looked at him: "The hind legs and wings are enough, we can't eat that much."
"Okay." Li Xunjin agreed, and with a "snap," he chopped the goose in the middle with a knife.
The cracking sound of the blade striking the goose bone made Shen Qingqing feel extremely hungry.
With a dull thud, the cleaver struck the cutting board, and the goose was split in two.
The half without the neck was set aside. Li Xunjin chopped at the base of the goose's neck, and with a swift stroke, he chopped the goose's neck into seven or eight pieces, giving one piece to each of Shen Qingqing, Li Chunchun, and Shen Yangyang, who were squatting in front of the chopping board watching the goose being chopped.
Held in Li Xunli's arms, Shen Hong saw that her sisters had food and immediately protested, pointing with her finger from inside Li Xunli's arms: "I want some!"
This reaction amused Li Xunjin, who quickly grabbed a piece and handed it to him, saying, "Oh, no, no, I forgot about you!"
Li Yuxing, who was simultaneously preparing crabs and fish in the kitchen, laughed when she saw this scene.
Li Xunjin chopped all the goose meat and put it on a plate, while Zhang Mingfang prepared the garlic and vinegar dipping sauce.
Braised crab noodles, mandarin fish, lotus seed and lily bulb sweet soup, pickled cabbage and pork tripe soup...
One fragrant dish after another was served on the table, and the children who had been sitting around the table for a while were already staring at it with great anticipation.
Normal home-cooked meals never amount to this much!
After Li Yuxing brought the last stir-fried vegetable dish to the table and sat down, Li Xunjin picked up his wine glass and said, "Come, come, let's raise a glass!"
Adults held up beer, children held up drinks, and the crisp clinking of glasses reflected the smiles on everyone's faces.
Halfway through the meal, we heard the sound of fireworks exploding outside.
The lights of every household are nothing more than this.
Children have small appetites; once they're full, they get off the table and go play.
Because it was Chinese New Year, the parents didn't insist on a specific time for their children to go to bed.
After finishing a round of formal meals at the dining table, everyone turned to the coffee table and sofa to brew and drink tea.
The Spring Festival Gala finally began. The adults watched it while drinking tea, and the children played their own games, paying no attention to the Gala.
A new round of fireworks began outside, and Zhang Mingfang took the children to the alley entrance to watch them.
Because the fireworks display was not far from home, the huge fireworks exploding above the dark blue dome could be clearly seen from the alley entrance.
Circular fireworks in green and red, a fan-shaped display of fiery blossoms, and fireworks that explode and scatter into countless tiny stars...
The bright lights shimmered in the eyes of the children watching the fireworks.
At the other end of the alley, some children were playing with firecrackers and pig-shaped firecrackers.
Shen Qingqing hadn't played this game in a long time, and now she was rediscovering some of the joy of childhood. She turned around and hugged Zhang Mingfang's leg, pleading, "Father-in-law!! I want some too!!"
Zhang Mingfang always granted Shen Qingqing's every request, so she told Shen Yangyang and Li Chunchun to go back first and come back to play with the firecrackers after they bought them.
The sow stepping on the black spider required lighting a fire, but Zhang Mingfang refused, so she could only buy a dozen boxes of firecrackers to play with instead.
However, a box of firecrackers only contains about 80 or 90 pieces. Once you throw one down and it explodes, the whole box is gone.
It was the first time Shen Yangyang and Li Chunchun had ever played with firecrackers. They were both terrible at it but loved to play. They screamed in fright as each of them threw one, but they refused to let go and insisted on throwing it themselves.
The dozen or so boxes of firecrackers were gone in no time. Although the children were still a little reluctant to play with them, they all obediently went inside and did not ask to have more bought.
As the clock struck ten, Li Yuxing steamed another basket of black rice cakes and took them out.
The black rice cake skin is made by washing and boiling cudweed and mixing it with rice flour, hence the name cudweed rice cake. The fillings are mostly sweet.
The hosts of the Spring Festival Gala finally started the countdown. Li Xunjin was the first to start counting down with the TV, and everyone else followed suit, influenced by his excitement.
"five!"
"Four!"
"three!"
"two!"
"one!"
"Happy New Year!!!"
Happy New Year, Grandpa and Grandma!
"Happy New Year, Mom and Dad, Uncle and Aunt!!"
The children smiled brightly and shouted to their parents, then received a large red envelope prepared in advance by each parent.
Even though I usually go to bed early, I was already feeling a bit tired after midnight, but I still waited until the Spring Festival Gala ended with Li Guyi singing "Unforgettable Tonight".
Shen Hong and Shen Yangyang were already drowsy, and Shen Rongzhou drove the family home slowly.
Shen Qingqing squinted as she leaned over the car's fuel tank, a sweet, happy smile on her face.
The happiness of childhood was pure joy, but now, when she relives that joy, it carries an added layer of precious happiness.
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