"Old man, what are you standing there for? Go inside and change your clothes."
"Okay, I'll go right away."
"Xiao Chu, please have a seat. I'll take the things from the kitchen to the balcony."
"I'll help you."
It's said that a mother-in-law grows to love her son-in-law more and more the more she looks at him, and this is especially true for Ding's mother.
The old lady's smile was even wider than before.
"Mom, you wash your hands and go change your clothes. I can take care of these things."
"Okay, bring the braised pig's trotters and pig's head meat over later."
"I see we already took some from home, so let's just leave these here and eat them."
“There’s still some on the balcony. We can’t finish it all here. I was planning to have Jianguo send it over later anyway. Nannan had just finished the first batch when she came back the other day, so there wasn’t enough.”
"Then I won't stand on ceremony."
Everything was packed up quickly. Li Chu had just finished moving things out of the kitchen when Jianguo and his family of three arrived.
His son, Kai Kai, was so happy to be able to go back to the alley for the New Year that he couldn't sit still, as if he had thorns growing on his bottom.
The whole family changed into new clothes and unplugged all the electrical outlets in the house, ready to set off.
In previous years, people thought that it would be enough to eat meat dumplings during the Spring Festival, or at least make vegetarian dumplings. In the past two years, as living conditions have improved, people have tried every means to get new clothes for the whole family during the Spring Festival, whether they buy them or make them themselves.
As time goes by, people's needs are constantly changing, and the elderly who came from the old society understand this most deeply.
At that time, there was no large-scale population migration like it would happen more than ten years later, especially during holidays. Even if there was, it was only slightly more people returning to their hometowns in the south around the time of the Lunar New Year.
Honestly, I've been using Yeguo Reading to read and follow my favorite books lately. It has easy source switching, multiple reading voice options, and is compatible with both Android and Apple devices. (yeguoyuedu)
Starting this year, there seems to be a wave of people resigning to work in the south. At that time, it wasn't just factory workers; many civil servants couldn't resist joining this trend.
Some people take advantage of the times and rise to great heights, while others go out and try to make it for two years only to return dejected.
When they arrived home, the house became even more lively.
As soon as Kai Kai got off the car, he was ready to run to find his playmates. He grew up in this alley and had more friends here than the adults at home.
Luckily, his mother reacted quickly and grabbed him, changing his new clothes into the old ones she had brought. Otherwise, if he had been allowed to run around outside, his clothes would have been completely dirty in no time.
Qiu Nan first settled the accommodations for the night. Ding's parents would stay in the east wing of their backyard, while Jianguo's family of three would stay in the room in the front yard that Wenxuan used to live in. Clean mattresses and quilts were taken out from the large wardrobe, and a set of sheets and blankets would suffice. Having multiple rooms in the house was very convenient.
As darkness fell and the sound of firecrackers outside grew louder, Little Chou Bao couldn't stay indoors any longer. With his short legs, he would wobble and run out if we weren't careful. Luckily, there were a few dogs helping to keep an eye on him, otherwise he would have run off somewhere long ago.
He wasn't annoyed when the dog blocked his way; he would come back again after a while.
The kitchen was already cooking hot dishes. This year, Li Chu wasn't allowed to do anything. He went into the living room, picked up Chou Bao, took out two small firecrackers from the storage room, and went to the front door to set them off.
The little guy was so happy, but he wasn't satisfied with just watching his grandpa set the timer; he insisted on setting it himself.
As night fell, a dozen or so people sat in the pavilion in the back garden, chatting and laughing while eating, creating a lively atmosphere.
"Seeing Qiaoyun at home on New Year's Eve feels a bit strange," Li Qin said abruptly, looking at Li Qiaoyun sitting across from her.
Everyone was stunned for a moment before realizing that they had seen her on TV in previous years, but this year she was too pregnant to go on stage.
Actually, when the director was preparing for the gala in the second half of the year, he specifically contacted her, only to find out that she was pregnant, and he sighed for a long time.
"It's okay, she'll be able to perform on stage next year, so we'll just keep watching her on TV."
"Aunt Ding, it's really not that simple. I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to get back to my former figure." Li Qiaoyun looked down at her increasingly bloated body and felt quite helpless.
"Mom, what's there to be afraid of? Leave it to my Uncle Chu. He'll make sure you're back to normal in three months."
"Yueyue, you're really bragging without paying taxes. I wouldn't even dare to say something so sure, but you've already bragged about it for me."
"That's right, I trust Father Chu the most."
How could I not believe it? Li Chu was just being modest. After the women in his family gave birth, he prescribed medicine to help them recover. Now, none of them look like they've ever had children; they haven't changed shape at all.
"Qiaoyun, don't think too much. Just take good care of yourself. I guarantee you'll be able to perform on stage this National Day. I'll even dedicate a song to you then. After a year of rest, let them see your talent."
"Thank you, brother!"
"Don't be so polite!" Li Chu picked up the wine glass beside him: "Come, come, dear family members, let us drink this glass to the brim to celebrate this festival together. May we have many more such days to come, and may all our wishes come true. May our country become even more prosperous and strong!"
"Come on, cheers!"
The sound of firecrackers in the courtyard made the atmosphere even more lively.
...
After dinner, the activity moved indoors, with some making dumplings and others rolling out dough, and the annual Spring Festival Gala officially began.
However, since one of our own people is missing this year, everyone's expectations seem to have decreased a lot. They chat with each other while working, occasionally glancing at the TV.
"There seem to be more crosstalk and skit performances this year than in the previous two years, but they're all rather uninteresting. Look at the audience, they seem to be enjoying it. I just can't figure out what's so funny."
As Master Jiang's crosstalk performance of "Tiger's Mouth Reverie" came to an end, Ding's father couldn't help but start complaining.
"Have these people never heard of crosstalk? I don't understand what's so funny about it. Back in the days when people stood by the roadside and performed crosstalk at the market, that was real crosstalk."
"Old man, you talk too much. Just watch your TV."
"Hey, I can't give my opinion yet."
“Uncle Ding, those people’s crosstalk performances aren’t suitable for television. Goodness, this is such an important stage, with so many viewers across the country watching. If you go on stage and immediately put on some dark, white, bawdy, or otherwise vulgar material, the public might have enough fun, but the gala director will have to be mindful of the impact.” Wang Ziwen explained with a smile.
"Ziwen, what you said makes sense." Ding's father thought for a moment and nodded.
In the past two years, apart from Chen Xiaoer's comedy sketches, the language-based programs have not been very funny. However, since the general public doesn't usually see them, they find it quite interesting when they suddenly see crosstalk and sketches on stage.
If we wait another two years, once Lao Zhao from Northeast China takes the stage, there's no need to watch the other comedy sketches. Many people watch the Spring Festival Gala just for his sketches.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com