249 New Year's Money
Every household put up red couplets and hung red lanterns.
The sound of firecrackers started at noon, and the crackling noise spread throughout the village.
Remind everyone, it’s Chinese New Year!
An atmosphere of joy enveloped everyone. No matter how the past year went, the whole family gathered together at this moment and felt only happiness.
In previous years, the other four families would come to Jiang Baohai's house to have New Year's Eve dinner together, and Jiang's mother would cook for three tables of food by herself, working herself to death.
Jiang Yu loves her mother dearly and has helped prepare the New Year's Eve dinner since she was a child.
Over the years, I have had a psychological trauma every time New Year's Eve comes. When I see the pile of vegetables to be washed in the kitchen, the backs of my hands feel cold and itchy.
This year, no one suggested spending the New Year together at Jiang Baohai's house.
In the morning, the second and fourth wives brought a fish and two bowls of egg rolls to pay tribute to the two deceased elders.
The children from both families followed over, and Gao Qinghe gave red envelopes to each of them.
Five dollars each, for good luck.
It was also the first time that Gao Qinghe met his cousin and his wife from the fourth family who worked in the city, as well as Jiang Fang's younger brother Jiang Cong.
The little boy was spoiled and was held in his mother's arms the whole time.
Jiang Fang disliked her younger brother very much and refused to share her candy with him. She was scolded by her parents and felt even more wronged, so she ran to find her grandparents.
Not close to mom and dad at all.
They agreed to come to Jiang Baohai's house to keep watch after the New Year's Eve dinner, and then they went back to their respective homes.
The third and first wives also brought things to worship the old man and brought their children with them.
Gao Qinghe gave red envelopes to several younger people, each with a sum of five yuan.
In this regard, she will not give less just because she dislikes adults.
However, when Qian Qiaolan brought her son Jiang Ziqiang over, Gao Qinghe did not give her a red envelope.
We are all peers, so there is no rule of giving red envelopes.
Qian Qiaolan deliberately left her child with Gao Qinghe and went to pay her respects herself.
When I was leaving, I asked the child if he had received a red envelope. When I found out he hadn't, I got so angry that I cursed him outside the door:
"What kind of person is this? He's a big boss, but he doesn't even give any of his children New Year's money!"
Jiang Yu came back from the vegetable garden picking garlic sprouts and heard it all.
When Qian Qiaolan turned around, she saw the little girl staring at her with her black eyes, without blinking.
She was frightened because she felt guilty.
Jiang Yu glared at her and strode into the house.
Qian Qiaolan's face was full of surprise. She was actually glared at by Jiang Yu?
This little girl is as easy to control as her mother. When did she ever get the guts to glare at her elders?
Jiang Yu only dared to look back when he heard the footsteps behind him fading away.
Looking at Qian Qiaolan's back as she left cursing, her heart was still pounding.
Today I did something that I wanted to do before but didn’t dare to do.
So exciting and enjoyable!
A red object appeared in front of me.
Jiang Yu looked over in surprise and saw his sister-in-law's smiling face.
"New Year's money." Gao Qinghe put the red envelope into his sister-in-law's shirt pocket and turned around gracefully.
Jiang Yu was surprised and said, "Thank you, sister-in-law!"
He excitedly ran into the kitchen, put down the freshly picked vegetables, washed his hands, and opened the red envelope.
Jiang's mother came over to take a look out of curiosity. It was eighty-eight yuan.
Jiang Yu said happily: "Mom, this is the biggest New Year's money I have ever received."
Jiang's mother thought about the time when other families celebrated the New Year at her home, the elders would give the younger generations New Year's money as usual.
All the children who were not in school and not married received some New Year's money, except Jiang Yu.
What year was it? The eldest brother and his wife suddenly remembered Jiang Yu and gave her a lucky money gift, which contained only 20 cents.
In the 1980s, everyone's life had improved, but her family was still poor.
Her son is still an apprentice in the mine, but she always gives him at least one dollar as New Year's gift.
But they only gave Jiang Yu two cents.
Jiang's mother is not stupid. She knows that people are doing this because they look down on you, because she knows that you will not ask about this matter directly.
So I can only swallow this loss.
Thinking of this, Jiang's mother couldn't help but feel sad.
But when I see my daughter has grown into a beautiful young lady, I feel relieved.
Turning around and seeing the freshly picked vegetables on the stove, Jiang's mother said angrily:
"You didn't go out earlier or later, but waited until they came to pay their respects. Now you don't get your New Year's money anymore."
Jiang Yu was stunned. Yes, how could she be so stupid!
"It's okay." Jiang Yu patted the red envelope in his pocket and smiled lightly, revealing his two small canine teeth. "I have big red envelopes from my brother and sister-in-law. I don't care about theirs."
"Two different things." Gao Qinghe appeared outside the door at some point.
Jiang Yu happily called out, "Sister-in-law."
Gao Qinghe said, "Whether you want it or not is up to you. They must give it to you."
"Here." Gao Qinghe handed over four small red envelopes. "Since you're not here, I asked your brother to collect them for you first."
The four small red envelopes are all wrapped in red paper. Buying a single piece of red paper is much cheaper than selling red envelopes, so the villagers like to wrap them this way.
Jiang Yu and her mother looked at each other, and both mother and daughter felt inexplicably ashamed.
Gao Qinghe had never seen such a funny mother and daughter. They were ashamed to receive red envelopes?
Jiang's mother said embarrassedly, "It's me, as a mother, who has wronged my child."
Gao Qinghe: "I'm very pleased that you have this awareness. Just correct your mistakes and don't let your children suffer in the future."
Jiang's mother: "......"
Patting her mother-in-law on the shoulder comfortingly and looking at her sister-in-law with sympathy, Gao Qinghe walked into the kitchen and asked:
"What are we having for New Year's Eve dinner today? There are only four of us at home, so please cook less."
That being said, he ordered fish and chicken with his fingers, and named no less than eight dishes.
Mother Jiang took a deep breath and waved her hand, saying, "Go away!"
Gao Qinghe immediately left the kitchen, and Jiang's mother felt a pang in her heart again.
Jiang Yu used to think that her mother would never lose her temper, but now she realizes that her ears turn red when she is angry.
It's good to be angry occasionally. It makes you look more lively and younger. Jiang Yu thought secretly in his heart.
Fortunately, Jiang's mother didn't know what her daughter was thinking, otherwise she would have been furious.
Jiang Baohai pasted couplets on all the doors of his house, hung red lanterns he bought under the eaves, and pasted window decorations with the words "Abundance every year" on the windows.
After doing all this, he clapped his hands and stood in the yard to appreciate it for a moment. He felt that this year was the most comfortable and happy one in his entire life.
Only the closest family members were around. The family members understood each other and no one made a fuss. They sat around the table, watching TV and eating a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner.
The New Year’s Eve dinner was eaten early, and was finished at five or six o’clock.
The Spring Festival Gala had not started yet, but the second and fourth families came over with playing cards and mahjong. Everyone was playing cards and chatting, and the atmosphere was very good.
The adults stayed indoors, but the children couldn't.
Everyone held a lit incense stick in their hands, dug out unexploded firecrackers from the ashes of the burned firecrackers, and set them off in the yard and on the roadside.
Xiao Hei lay in his doghouse, looking at the playful human children, and his fierce eyes softened.
However, the children all knew that Xiao Hei was a very vicious dog, so no one was so mean as to deliberately use a cannon to provoke it, and it was difficult for the two sides to get along harmoniously.
At exactly 8 o'clock in the evening, the live broadcast of the Spring Festival Gala on CCTV began. Everyone gathered in front of the TV and watched the Spring Festival Gala performance attentively.
As Teacher Li sang "Unforgettable Tonight", the clock struck midnight, fireworks bloomed, and people welcomed the new year.
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