Xiaoduo's return brought joy not only to her family but also to people from all over the neighborhood who came to visit.
The main reason is that Xiaoduo is studying abroad, so everyone thinks she's incredibly capable.
As soon as she returned, she was surrounded by onlookers.
Whether adults or children, all sorts of strange questions came one after another.
Since no one meant any harm and it was purely out of curiosity, Zhao Qinglan and the others couldn't very well chase them away.
It must be their house. Ever since Xiaoduo came back, they've had guests every day, and they've gone through so much tea.
And just like that, it was Lunar New Year's Eve.
Zhao Qinglan made dumplings with the children, while Li Huai went to the army base to have a New Year's Eve dinner with the soldiers and wouldn't be back until evening.
However, he doesn't eat much while he's in the army; he saves room to eat when he gets home.
Zhao Qinglan was in charge of wrapping the dumplings, Erwa and Xiaoduo rolled out the dumpling wrappers, and Sanwa was in charge of putting the dumplings on the steamer rack after coating them with flour.
The TV was always on, and the house was always lively.
After a simple lunch of dumplings and a short rest, Zhao Qinglan and her daughter prepared the New Year's Eve dinner together.
Erwa, because he loves to eat, always stayed in the kitchen, sometimes helping out and sometimes getting some food.
The third child just sat outside eating snacks, drinking soda, and watching TV, having a very leisurely time.
Xiao Duo brought back many gifts, and she gave some of them away while she was in the capital.
I sent out many more after I got home.
Although her older brother and future sister-in-law couldn't celebrate the New Year together, Xiaoduo still mailed the gifts she brought for them to the post office.
As for the provincial capital, my mother said that a few days before she leaves, they will go to the provincial capital together first, and then take a plane to leave. She can take the gifts with her then.
Back in the provincial capital, since her second sister's family was there, Zhao Qinglan wasn't worried about her mother and grandfather.
Zhou Jingsheng was allocated a house in the military region. Zhao Qingzhu usually lived in the military region's family housing building, but when the children were on holiday, she would bring them to stay at her eldest sister's house to keep their mother company.
While Zhao Qinglan was preparing the New Year's Eve dinner, the phone in the house kept ringing.
Only Sanwa was outside, so he was the only one who could answer the phone.
Some of the calls were from people with whom I had a casual relationship. Sanwa would just say that his parents were busy and we exchanged New Year's greetings to get through it.
Some of them are relatives or close friends, and Sanwa has to shout "Mom!" at the top of his lungs.
Zhao Qinglan could only wash her hands and run out to answer the phone from time to time.
As soon as it got dark, people outside started setting off firecrackers.
In fact, Zhao Qinglan had asked a few children if they wanted to buy some sparklers or similar items to play with in the yard, but all the children shook their heads.
Seeing that the children had grown up and no longer played with these things, Zhao Qinglan felt a little sentimental.
When her daughter muttered that fireworks were prettier, she took it to heart.
After visiting the soldiers at the grassroots level, Li Huai rushed back home and smiled when he saw the lights on in his house.
As soon as he entered the house, he took off his hat and exclaimed, "You've made so many delicious things!"
"Dad, you're finally back! We've been waiting for you to start the meal," Erwa said impatiently.
"You, how old are you? You still only think about food," he laughed.
After washing their hands and taking off their coats, the family sat down at the dining table.
Zhao Qinglan took out a bottle of red wine, a bottle of white wine, and several bottles of soda.
"Sanwa, you're still young, you're not allowed to drink alcohol. Erwa and Xiaoduo, you're both grown up, pour yourself whatever you want to drink."
Upon hearing this, Erwa glanced at his younger brother smugly.
Sanwa resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
They were just about to toast when the phone rang again.
Erwa ran to answer it, and after hearing just one sentence, he exclaimed happily, "It's my brother!"
The family immediately put down their cups and gathered around the phone.
"Dad, Mom, I'm wishing you a Happy New Year!" Da Wa's voice came through the microphone.
"Okay, all is well," Zhao Qinglan said with a smile.
"Aren't you on duty tonight?" Li Huai asked.
"I'm on duty, and they've invited us to New Year's Eve dinner, so I'll take a moment to call home."
"Brother, where's sister-in-law?" Xiaoduo called out.
"Little sister, how are you?"
"I'm fine, you haven't told my sister-in-law yet?"
"Your sister-in-law and the others have a show to attend, they're not here."
"Sister-in-law is amazing. By the way, brother, I sent you and sister-in-law some things. Remember to check them."
The second and third children each chatted with their older brother for a few minutes before hanging up the phone.
Although the eldest child wasn't home this year, this phone call made the family feel a little more at ease, and the food tasted even better then.
Zhou family.
Zhou Yunting's return made his grandfather and father very happy, but what the rest of the Zhou family thought was unknown.
The entire Zhou family ate together for the New Year's Eve dinner.
At the dinner table, someone asked Zhou Yunting why he hadn't found a partner and gotten married yet.
Zhou Yunting looked up at the other person. "My affairs are none of your concern, Auntie."
He is no longer the penniless child he once was, and he will not indulge anyone in the Zhou family.
The second wife was naturally unhappy about being humiliated, but her husband pulled her back, and she didn't say anything more.
Zhou Yunting was born in 1964, and many people think he is indeed quite old and should be settling down.
However, he wasn't close to the Zhou family, and after that scene where he confronted his second wife's aunt, no one else dared to ask any more questions.
After the meal, some people chatted, some watched TV, and some gathered together to play mahjong.
Zhou Yunting, bored, found a secluded corner to stay in.
His absence prompted the second wife, who was playing mahjong, to start complaining.
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