The first day of the New Year was spent in a lively atmosphere. We had lunch at my parents' house at noon. After lunch, Gao Mingcheng stayed there and chatted with people for a while. When little Xuxu was waking up for sleep, Xuanyuemei took little Xuxu to grandma's house and let little Xuxu and little Yuanyuan take a nap together.
By the afternoon, the guests gradually dispersed and Gao Mingcheng went to visit his grandmother.
When he went over, He Xiuman was cooking in the kitchen, Xuanyuemei was helping out, and Xi Nainai was playing with the two children. As for Gao Zhuang, he was sitting on a small stool with a pile of straw in front of him. He was twisting the straw into a rope, but it was not an ordinary rope.
Gao Mingcheng stared at it for a while before he realized it was in the shape of a dragon.
Obviously, Gao Zhuang was planning to make a simple version of the dragon dance.
He was not wrong, because after Gao Zhuang made a simple version of the dragon with straw, he fixed the dragon head, body and tail with a wooden handle each, so that people could hold the wooden handle and dance the straw dragon.
Gao Mingcheng smiled and said, "Why did you think of making this?"
Gao Zhuang grinned and said, "Xiao Yuanyuan and Xiao Xuxu complained that they had no toys to play with, so I thought about making them something new."
After taking a closer look, Gao Mingcheng commented: "This straw bunting looks good, but it doesn't look good if it's bare."
Gao Zhuang had already found a solution to this problem.
As he walked towards his room, he said, "There are some red scraps of fabric at home. I can just decorate them!"
Soon, Gao Zhuang took out a handful of red cloth strips and began to decorate the straw dragon.
Such a simple thing, even if decorated with red cloth strips, is just so-so, but at least it adds a bit of festiveness. The two children are still young and have never seen the world, they just think that the dragon made by Gao Zhuang is particularly beautiful.
"Why don't you try to dance? Brother Mingcheng, you are taller, so you dance the dragon's head and I'll dance the dragon's body. Grandma, you dance the dragon's tail!" Gao Zhuang greeted them enthusiastically. Gao Mingcheng and Xi Nainai naturally would not refuse, and they each took a position as he wished.
The three of them held wooden handles and began to dance, but unfortunately they had no tacit understanding at the beginning and there was no drum accompaniment, so they couldn't dance well.
Gao Mingcheng saw this and said, "There are only three of us. We can't do these moves and routines well. Let's just keep it simple. I'll count to three, and we'll dance first to the left and then to the right to make the dragon move first. How about that?"
"Okay, let's listen to Brother Mingcheng." Gao Zhuang agreed immediately.
Grandma also smiled and had no objection.
They are not professional dragon dancers, and they cannot perform those complicated dragon dance movements at all, but if they can make the dragon move to entertain children, then they will consider it a success.
So under the command of Gao Mingcheng, the straw dragon was finally able to move, swimming in the yard like flying through clouds and mist, attracting cheers from the two little kids.
"Dad is so awesome! Longlong is flying!" Xiao Yuanyuan said clearly, making the clear laughter unique to children.
Little Xuxu was not to be outdone, but unfortunately he spoke unclearly. Apart from the word "dad", the rest of his words sounded like gibberish and were completely incomprehensible.
But Gao Mingcheng was still very happy to hear his son's cheers. He wanted to make the straw dragon dance more majestic and domineering, but neither Gao Zhuang nor Xi Nainai could keep up with his rhythm, especially Xi Nainai. Although she was still strong, she was old after all.
The hustle and bustle in the yard attracted many beauties and He Xiuman.
The two of them looked at them, both with smiles on their faces.
After all, she was the person beside her, and Xuanyuemei saw that Gao Mingcheng wanted to perform but couldn't, so she said, "Grandma, I want to dance the dragon too, let me dance the dragon's tail!"
The young lady naturally would not argue with the young man, and smiled as she gave the wooden handle of the dragon's tail to Mei.
Many American and North Korean Gao Mingcheng winked and smiled, and said, "Let's start!"
Gao Mingcheng understood what he meant and immediately said to Gao Zhuang behind him: "Let's try something more difficult. You have to keep up with my pace!"
Gao Zhuang was also a young man, and had been a follower of Gao Mingcheng since he was young. He immediately guessed what Gao Mingcheng wanted to do. He was also excited and said loudly: "Okay!"
So the three young men in the field began to try difficult moves. Gao Mingcheng designed several moves that they could do and were entertaining to watch.
From the initial adjustment to the final tacit understanding, this simple straw dragon was actually danced with some momentum.
They stopped only when everyone was tired.
It was such a cold day, but the three of them were sweating while dancing!
But this kind of refreshing feeling also makes people very happy. Only by letting the mind fly occasionally can we continue to move forward with heavy burdens and live hard.
"Brother Mingcheng, if we practice a little more, we can go to the village to perform!" Gao Zhuang said with a smile.
Gao Mingcheng said: "We are just playing around, it's far from a performance! This dragon is not well made! Other people's dragons are made of bamboo strips, wrapped in silk cloth, and decorated with dragon scales. Candles can be placed inside the dragon's body, and it dances at night with sparkling lights."
"In addition, there must be cloud lanterns, dragon beads, drum accompaniment, and a large dragon dance venue, so that the momentum will be magnificent!"
After hearing what Gao Mingcheng said, Gao Zhuang's swollen heart shrank back to its original shape. He smiled embarrassedly and said, "No one taught me the skill of making dragons. I figured it out on my own."
Gao Zhuang had seen other people dancing with dragons before. Just now, when Xiao Yuanyuan and Xiao Xuxu said that there were no new toys, the idea of making a dragon himself suddenly came to his mind. So he did it right away. He picked up a bunch of clean straw and started to make a straw dragon.
This straw dragon is indeed crude, but it’s pretty good that Gao Zhuang could make it by himself.
Therefore, Gao Mingcheng said, "You have done a good job. We have been dancing for such a long time and the straw has not loosened. Gao Zhuang, you can think about it when you have time and make more interesting little things. When the kindergarten opens in the future, you can give them to the children in the kindergarten to play with. At that time, we can make a smaller dragon for the children to play with."
Gao Zhuang was very happy with Gao Mingcheng's affirmation. He nodded like a chick pecking at rice, just like a child in his twenties, and accepted the task.
"Brother Mingcheng, I'll take care of these little gadgets!"
"Dad, uncle, I want to play too." Xiao Yuanyuan ran over, and Xiao Xuxu followed happily behind. He walked unsteadily, so his grandmother held his hand and brought him over.
However, after coming to the straw dragon, he couldn't wait to let go of his grandmother's hand and started playing with the straw dragon with his hands.
Xiao Yuanyuan was older and tried to lift the wooden handle, but unfortunately she couldn't do it.
Although it was a dragon made of straw, the wooden handle and the straw dragon were still quite heavy. She could pick it up but could not lift it.
As for Xiao Xuxu, he couldn't even pick it up.
"Want to play, right? Go inside and play, it's cold outside!" Gao Zhuang said with a smile. He motioned Xiao Yuanyuan to go back into the house, and he took the straw dragon into the main room.
Gao Mingcheng picked up the unsteady little Xuxu and brought him into the main room in just two or three steps.
The snow stopped at noon, but the wind was still very cold. It would be very cold to step on the snow if your shoes got wet.
Xuanyuemei was walking at the end. She shook her arms. She was a little excited when dancing the dragon just now and exerted too much force in her arms. Now her arms were a little sore.
After the joyful occasion, a sumptuous dinner soon arrived.
The New Year's Day is all about eating, drinking, chatting and laughing.
My grandmother and her family had decided to move to the county after the spring, so they asked Gao Mingcheng about the opening of kindergarten.
Gao Mingcheng said, "The house you live in has been renovated and can be occupied at any time, but the kindergarten may have to wait a little longer before it can open. The weather is cold this year, and it may be colder for a while after the spring. Our kindergarten is not like elementary and junior high schools, which must start on time. I plan to start school later and let the children go to the kindergarten when the weather is better. It will be easier to take care of them this way."
Children are prone to getting sick in winter. This is a new kindergarten and he has no experience in managing a kindergarten. The teachers and childcare workers he hired also have little experience. He will definitely be panicked when school starts, and if something happens, it will be difficult to deal with.
Although children at that time were not as precious as those in later generations, they were all from wealthy families in the county. If one of them took drugs or got hurt and got sick, it would be difficult to deal with him.
Therefore, before school starts, he has to gather everyone together, train them in advance and familiarize them with the kindergarten environment, so that everything can be organized when school starts.
But this means the start of school will have to be postponed, and he estimates it will have to be April or May.
When Grandma Xi heard this, she looked thoughtful. After a while, she said, "Then we should go to the county later. We still need to plant the fields and land at home. It won't be too late for us to go when Mingcheng's kindergarten is ready to start!"
Grandma Xi didn't want to leave the familiar village, but for Xiao Yuanyuan's future and to be able to help Gao Mingcheng, she agreed to live in the county.
But if the kindergarten is not open, she will have nothing to do, so she might as well stay at home!
There are a lot of things to do at home at the beginning of spring, including plowing the fields, raising seedlings in advance, transplanting rice, turning the soil, applying fertilizers, sowing seeds, etc.
Gao Mingcheng knew the character of his grandmother, so he immediately said, "Okay, then let's go live in the county a week before school starts!"
Now that this matter has been settled, the grandmother feels relieved.
We had dinner early, and after dinner, it was just after five in the evening, but it was already dark, and it started snowing outside again.
If it were someone else's house, Gao Mingcheng would have been ready to say goodbye, but this was at his grandmother's house, and he felt as comfortable here as if he were at home. He could play with Xiao Xuxu and Xiao Yuanyuan, and chat with Xuanyuemei and He Xiuman. As for himself, he talked with his grandmother and Gao Zhuang from time to time, and was also very happy and comfortable.
It was not until eight o'clock in the evening that I prepared to go back home.
After returning home, Gao Mingcheng found that there was not much snow in the yard and the path in front of the yard, obviously having been cleared by Maozi.
It's just that the snow has started falling again, and by tomorrow morning the ground will be covered with snow again.
There was the sound of a radio in the room. Following the light, Gao Mingcheng saw Maozi making a broom in the living room. He was making a broom made of thin bamboo twigs. He first arranged the twigs into bundles and then tied them tightly. After making a few bundles, he put them together to make the prototype of a broom.
Next, take a thicker nylon rope, tie the broom tightly, cut off the extra branches with an axe, and finally insert a bamboo pole of appropriate size.
Gao Mingcheng was a little surprised by his skillful technique.
This technique of making brooms is mostly known by people in the village. After all, if they live in the county and lack raw materials, the skill naturally cannot be passed on.
Most people in the county buy brooms with their own money.
Every time there was a market, people from the village would carry brooms of different sizes to the county to sell. The big brooms were made of bamboo branches, while the small brooms were made of broom grass. They had different uses and prices.
"Maozi, you can also make a broom? It's New Year's Day, why don't you take a break?" Gao Mingcheng said in surprise.
Most people are busy all year round, and only during the New Year holidays can they relax, eat and drink, visit relatives and friends, and keep in touch with family and friends.
There aren't many people who choose to work.
Maozi looked up and saw Gao Mingcheng, and smiled, "I have nothing to do. When I was sweeping the snow during the day, I used too much force on the broom and it became a little loose. I thought I might as well make a new one."
"I didn't know how to make a broom before, but Uncle Chen taught me! Now I can not only make a broom, but also weave a bamboo basket!"
Maozi spoke with pride, looking for praise.
Gao Mingcheng praised him a few times as he wished, and Maozi smiled with satisfaction.
But Gao Mingcheng's mood was still quite complicated. He sent Maozi to his home with the intention of hiding Maozi from Du Hongyu's people. As for whether Maozi would work for him or not, he didn't care much.
But obviously Chen Dasong will not let this labor force sit idle!
Seeing that it was getting late, Gao Mingcheng said, "We'll do the rest tomorrow. It's already past eight o'clock, so you should go to bed. After you wash your hands, you should apply more clam oil, otherwise your fingers will become rough."
Maozi laughed and said, "I'm a grown man, so I can be rough!"
But he still listened to the advice. After all, even if he didn't sleep, Gao Mingcheng and the others would also have to sleep. If he worked here, it would definitely affect their rest.
So he put down what he was holding and said, "There's already hot water in the pot, you guys can use it first."
"Okay." Gao Mingcheng did not refuse and took Xuanyuemei and Xiaoxuxu to the kitchen to get hot water.
He saw that there was a full pot of water boiling in the pot, enough for everyone. After all, they only needed to wash their faces and feet, and there was no need to take a bath.
After washing up, they prepared to go back to their room to sleep.
At this time, Maozi also took his younger brother Yangyang to wash his face and feet.
It is very cold on snowy days, but after soaking your feet in hot water, your body will become warm.
If you are not afraid of the heat, soak your feet in hot water until your feet are thoroughly soaked. When your feet are still warm, go to bed and sleep quickly. This is the best way.
So they go to the toilet to pee first, then soak their feet, pour out the footbath water, and immediately get into bed.
Winter is cold, but brick and tile houses help people to keep out the cold, and quilts provide warmth, allowing people to have a good night's sleep. (End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
