After eating the dumplings, Lin Mo got dressed and went out with Cheng Yan. As for the other people in the family, they also formed groups of three or four to go out and play together.
The Ice Lantern Festival has existed in Yuguo for a long time. At first, every household made an ice lantern and placed it in the yard. Later, it was placed in front of the gate for others to admire. On the second day of the New Year, the most beautiful one would be selected.
Now it has developed into an activity. The town will centrally place large ice blocks for carving ice lanterns, and also provide carving tools. Everyone can try it. After carving, you can choose to put it on display or take it home.
However, now the Ice Lantern Festival has the connotation of expressing love to lovers, and most of the people who come to play this are young people.
Lin Mo put one hand into Cheng Yan's pocket and took his arm as they walked. It was still morning, not many people were out, and there were only a few ice lanterns on display on the street. However, if you wait until night, you can see ice lanterns all over the street, with candles lit inside, and the light shining in the ice sculptures like starlight.
Cheng Yan walked beside Lin Mo, following the direction of his footsteps. To be honest, Cheng Yan didn't think these ice lanterns were that good, but he was happy to accompany Lin Mo to play.
"Want to play?" Cheng Yan saw Lin Mo looking at the ice cubes with eager eyes, and asked with his head tilted.
"Well, let's go carve one." Lin Mo turned his head, slightly raised his head and looked at Cheng Yan, saying with some anticipation.
No matter what it is, as long as it is what Lin Mo wants or his request, Cheng Yan will not refuse, perhaps because he does not want to let him show a disappointed expression.
Cheng Yan nodded in agreement, and went over with Lin Mo to pick out a suitable piece of ice, and took the tools to the other side to carve.
"What shape do you want?" Cheng Yan squatted in front of the ice, looked up at Lin Mo and asked.
"Let's make a hollow palace lantern." Lin Mo also squatted down, thought for a while and said.
"Okay." Cheng Yan nodded, thought for a few seconds and started knocking the ice.
Palace lanterns? Some fragments flashed through Cheng Yan's mind. In his memory, the child next to the boy had begged him to carve a palace lantern, but unfortunately he went to the military camp before he could learn how to do it.
Cheng Yan didn't let Lin Mo start, and he carved quickly by himself. Since his memory recovered a little, Cheng Yan also knew how to mobilize his internal strength and how to use his martial arts correctly.
However, using your strong inner strength to carve ice lanterns and then turning off the lamps while lying in bed at night without getting up seems like a waste of talent no matter how you look at it.
Lin Mo squatted aside, feeling bored, so he used the small ice cubes that Cheng Yan knocked off to carve a lotus. Cheng Yan glanced at him but didn't stop him.
After the carving was completed, Cheng Yan moved it to the display area and placed the candle inside the ice lantern. When night came, someone would naturally light the candle inside.
"Let's come back and take a look at it in the evening and move it back home tomorrow." Cheng Yan placed Lin Mo's carved lotus lantern next to the palace lantern and also placed a small candle in the middle of the lotus.
Lin Mo glanced at the ornately carved palace lantern, then looked at Cheng Yan, feeling somewhat puzzled. However, he did not show it on his face, and nodded in agreement when he heard Cheng Yan's words.
Afterwards, the two went to see other things. On the first day of the new year, in addition to the ice lantern event, there were other festive activities. When it was almost noon, Cheng Yan and Lin Mo went back to eat.
When they got home, Lin's mother and sister-in-law had already prepared the ingredients. The thick soup in the big hot pot in the middle of the table was bubbling up, and the aroma of the thick soup filled the whole house. Lin Mo smelled the aroma as soon as he walked in.
Cheng Yan and Lin Mo were the first to come back. The others were probably still playing outside or were just starting to rush home.
Cheng Yan went to the kitchen to help bring the prepared ingredients over, while Lin Mo stayed in the house to warm himself up. Lin Mo stretched out his hands close to the charcoal fire under the hot pot, and when his hands were almost warm, he picked up the plate and put some hard-to-cook meat in to cook first.
When everything was almost ready, Lin Mo heard the voices of several children coming from outside the house.
"Eh? Fourth brother, you're back so soon." As soon as Lin Xing entered the room, he saw his fourth brother sitting at the table. He thought his fourth brother and elder brother Cheng would play outside for a long time.
"Well, go soak your hands in hot water and get ready to eat." Lin Mo glanced at them, then continued to stir the meat in the pot with a wooden spoon, and then picked up the lotus root and yam cubes on the side and put them in.
"I smell the delicious meat!" Xiaoya, who was carried into the house by Lin Xiu, turned her head and looked at the steaming pot with bright eyes.
"This meat tastes delicious. Let's go to the kitchen and soak our hands before we eat it." Lin Xiu said with a smile as he carried Xiaoya out.
By the time everyone was seated, the meat and other dishes in the pot were cooked. Cheng Yan sat next to Lin Mo and scooped him a few pieces of the meat that was a little soft and some soft lotus roots with a wooden spoon.
A warm house, a family with smiling faces, a table full of food, and the man beside him. Lin Mo listened to their somewhat cheerful conversation, and the knot in his heart finally untied.
This is his home, they are his family, and everything in the end of the world will eventually be let go by him, buried deep in his heart, and locked up.
"What's wrong? Don't you want to eat these?" Cheng Yan asked in a low voice when he saw him holding the chopsticks but not moving.
"No, I was just thinking about something." Lin Mo came back to his senses, shook his head and smiled.
Cheng Yan nodded, and continued to help him pick up other dishes while eating. He seemed to have sensed the fleeting sadness on Lin Mo just now, but seeing that he was in a good mood now, Cheng Yan thought that it must have been his illusion just now.
After lunch, the children at home pestered others to go out and play, and Lin's father, mother and sister-in-law began to prepare for tonight's New Year's Eve dinner after lunch. Lin Mo had already gone for a walk on the street with Cheng Yan in the morning, and he didn't want to go out in the cold wind now.
Lin Mo and Cheng Yan stayed at home. Lin Mo went back to his room and lay on the bed to read a book. After Cheng Yan turned on the floor heating, he went to the kitchen to help. However, not long after, he was pushed out by Lin's mother, who told him to go and accompany Lin Mo.
After Cheng Yan returned to his room, he stayed on the bed with Lin Mo to read. In the end, Cheng Yan half-lay on the bedside reading, while Lin Mo lay on him and slept soundly.
On the first day of the new year, as soon as it got dark, fireworks outside began to be set off one after another. Inside the house, it was a little dim without lights on. Cheng Yan hugged Lin Mo who was lying on him and closed his eyes to rest.
The fireworks outside rose into the sky and dispersed, and the bright light of the fireworks shone through the window, flickering. Lin Mo, who was lying on Cheng Yan with his face on his side, was stimulated by the flashing fireworks. He tilted his head and buried his face in Cheng Yan's chest, trying to block out the light outside.
The light was blocked, but the sound of fireworks rising into the sky reached his ears. Lin Mo, who had not yet fully woken up, frowned because of the noise.
Cheng Yan had already opened his eyes when Lin Mo moved, squinting to adapt to the alternation of the dimness in the room and the bright lights of the fireworks outside. Cheng Yan touched Lin Mo who was woken up.
"Momo, are you ready to get up? Let's get ready for dinner. We still have to go out to see the ice lanterns tonight." Cheng Yan put the five fingers of his right hand into his hair and straightened his long hair with his hands.
“Hmm…” Lin Mo raised his head and rubbed his palm, half-opening his eyes and responding vaguely.
When Lin Mo woke up completely, Cheng Yan turned on the light. Lin Mo sat on the bed covered with a quilt, Cheng Yan stood beside the bed and combed his hair, and went out after Lin Mo got dressed.
By the time the two of them got there, almost everyone had already arrived. They found a seat and sat down, waiting for Lin's father and mother to bring everything over. After they sat down, everyone picked up their chopsticks and started eating dinner.
"Your third sister is about to give birth, so it's not convenient for her to come over for the New Year's greetings tomorrow. Our whole family will go over tomorrow." said Lin's mother.
The others nodded in agreement. Mrs. Lin hadn't been back to her parents' home for the New Year for a long time due to some issues, and this year was no exception. She had no objection to going to the Yan family to pay New Year's greetings.
"Are we going to Third Aunt's house tomorrow?" Xiaoya scooped the meat from the bowl and was about to put it into her mouth when she heard her grandmother's words and looked up in surprise.
She had been to her third aunt’s house before. Her third aunt’s house was very beautiful. There were many beautiful young ladies in it, as well as many delicious cakes and fun things.
"Yes, Xiaoya, don't stay in bed tomorrow, otherwise Xiaoya will be left alone at home to look after the house." Lin's mother said with a smile.
"Xiaoya gets up early every day, and it's Uncle Five who stays in bed. Let Uncle Five stay at home to look after the house tomorrow!" Xiaoya said.
Lin Xing, who was chewing meat with his head down, heard this and looked up in confusion, "When did I stay in bed?"
"Today, when I woke up, Uncle Five was still sleeping." Xiaoya said.
When Lin Xing heard this, he recalled the time when Xiaoya climbed onto the bed and lifted the quilt this morning. "That was because you woke up early. When I woke up today, your fourth uncle didn't wake up yet. Why didn't you let your fourth uncle stay at home to look after the house?"
Lin Mo was chewing meat when he heard the topic shift to himself. He looked up in confusion. Before he could say anything, Xiaoya spoke for him, even though it sounded a bit rogue.
"No, Fourth Uncle wants to go to Third Aunt's house with Xiaoya!"
"What about your second uncle? He gets up the latest, so you should let him stay at home, right?"
When Lin Xiu heard this, he raised his head and looked at Lin Xing with a gentle smile. When Lin Xing met his gaze, his heart trembled. Oh no, he forgot that the second brother was the only one in the family who should not be messed with.
"Okay, I just told Xiaoya that it was just a joke, but you took it so seriously." Mother Lin said with a smile.
The dinner time on the first night of the New Year ended with the laughter of the family. After Cheng Yan and Lin Mo got dressed, they went out to see the ice lanterns at night.
At night, the ice lanterns with candles lit appear even more dazzling. The candles are white and red, and a small number are of other colors. The ice lanterns also reflect different colors of light under the light of the candles.
Lin Mo took Cheng Yan to the place where they had placed the ice lanterns in the morning. Just as Lin Mo had thought before, red candles were lit in the gorgeous palace lanterns, and the candlelight seeped out from the hollows, making the hollow ice lanterns look even more exquisite.
After wandering around other places with Cheng Yan for a while, Lin Mo returned to the original place and asked Cheng Yan to take their ice lanterns and leave, while he followed with the lotus lantern he had carved.
Lin Mo didn't plan to come back tomorrow to take it away. Tomorrow they would go to the Yan family to pay New Year's greetings and might not be back until the evening. Lin Mo was worried that after they came back, the ice lantern that Cheng Yan carved for him would have been taken away.
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