The first day of the Lunar New Year is the day when everyone greets each other. After getting up in the morning, Shen Anning prepared peanuts, melon seeds and some fruit candies to give to the aunts and children who came to pay New Year's greetings.
No one sleeps in or sweeps the floor on New Year's Day, so Shen Anning woke up her younger brother and sister at seven o'clock, put on new clothes, and the three of them sat on the kang together to crack walnuts. The dumplings that had been wrapped before were cooking on the coal stove, emitting white steam and making gurgling sounds like boiling water.
After breakfast, Shen An Ning packed some candies and melon seeds and peanuts for her younger brother and sister, and asked them to go out to find their friends. She was a younger generation, and there was no reason for the elders to come to her house to wish her a happy new year. So she wrapped Shen Zixi tightly, protected her in her arms, wrapped her in a military coat, and took the little guy to the homes of several aunts next door.
"Aunt Sufen, we are here to wish you a happy new year." When Shen Anning arrived at Aunt Sufen's house, a group of people were already sitting on the kang in the north room. After all, she was the village accountant, and Aunt Sufen usually got along well with the people in the team, so it was normal to have so many people.
"Hey, An Ning, come in quickly and get on the kang." Geng Sufen pulled Shen An Ning and pushed her onto the kang. This is how they greet each other during the New Year. A group of people would go to someone's house and sit down to chat and wish each other a happy new year, which saved them the trouble of running around the whole village.
Shen Anning looked at some people he knew and some he didn't know. There were also a few children who looked three or four years old sitting on the kang. He took out a handful of fruit candies from his pocket and gave one to each of them.
"Oh, Shen Zhiqing, thank you so much for giving my grandson some candy." Aunt Wang grabbed a handful of peanuts and stuffed them into Shen Anning's hand.
"Hey, Aunt Wang, what do you mean? An Ning has always been nice to the children in the village."
"Yes, my little grandson and granddaughter used to exercise with them. Now they're staying at home for the winter and doing sit-ups and jumping around every day. They say they exercise for an hour every day. You see, they look much stronger. They used to get sick all the time in the winter, but this year they're much better."
A bunch of aunts gathered together to talk about the neighbors' affairs, what they had eaten today, how much food was left at home, which mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were having conflicts again, and which child was disobedient. Shen An Ning held her little niece for a while and joined in their conversation. Don't say it, this morning's chat really broadened Shen An Ning's horizons. She never knew there were so many things going on in the village.
Before lunch, she took some New Year gifts to pay New Year's greetings to the village heads and party secretaries of the two villages, thanking them for taking care of them in the past six months. In the geographical society, interpersonal communication is a must. Shen Anning, who has lived for more than 50 years, sees this very clearly.
Because almost all the leftover dishes from yesterday were taken to the cowshed, at noon, Shen An Ning braised two pig's trotters, fried some spinach and eggs, a portion of cabbage with oil residue, cooked a pot of porridge, and steamed six buns.
The whole day was spent in busyness. In the afternoon, the educated youth came to visit Shen An Ning to wish her a happy new year. The male educated youth sat for a while and then left. After all, the most powerful man in Shen An Ning's place was Shen Anyu, and she couldn't chat with them. The female educated youth went straight to the kang, and everyone started chatting about all sorts of things.
The yard was filled with laughter and joy, giving it a festive feel.
The twins were reading picture books with their friends in the east wing. One room was for adults, the other for children, which was quite harmonious.
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