Eat dumplings on the first day of the Lunar New Year.
Lu Ci's dumplings are stuffed with sauerkraut and pork. The custom of eating dumplings is a legacy from my grandfather, who grew up in the countryside in northern China. When he was little, he had nothing to celebrate Chinese New Year, except dumplings.
The sauerkraut was brought by Cheng Ge.
The dumplings are shaped like big-bellied gold ingots. The kids like to eat them dry. A small bowl of white, clean big-bellied dumplings with a little vinegar is very appetizing.
I ate early, and just after eleven o'clock, the door of the shelter rang.
Lu Cijiu figured no one had called him, and since the gate was closed, ordinary people couldn't get in, so he went to open it. When he saw the person outside, Cheng Ge and Xiao Hong, he immediately smiled. "Brother Cheng, why are you back? Have you eaten yet?" He looked down and saw a child there.
The little girl had twin ponytails and wore a bright red coat that looked almost identical to the one on her tail. She wore small leather shoes and was pretty, especially her eyes, which were particularly bright and lively. Whenever she saw someone, she would obediently call out, "Hello, uncle. My name is Heidan."
Not shy either.
The little girl's name is Heidan——
Lu Cijiu asked, "Hello, little friend. My name is Lu Cijiu. Come in first. Why are you bringing a gift?"
"My aunt fried some New Year's goods and made some dumplings. When she heard that I was coming, she asked me to bring some." Zhou Cheng replied.
This is not just a few.
Xiaohong was holding a large box, looking fierce, as if someone owed him money. Lu Cijiu didn't hesitate to accept the gift—it looked very heavy. They were all family, so he invited them in and said with a kind smile, "Heidan has brothers and sisters in the yard. Don't be polite at your uncle's house. Have you eaten?"
"Uncle, I had the sugar-fried eggs grandma made this morning, so I'm not hungry anymore." Heidan shook her ponytail while speaking, looking innocent and cute.
Lu Cijiu: I want to have a daughter. But when he thought of Gong Xichao, he thought, "Forget it, forget it. I can't have one. There won't be a next time."
"I had dumplings for breakfast this morning. Don't worry, I'll make some noodles." Zhou Cheng said, while telling Heidan, "There are younger brothers and sisters in the yard. We can play together."
The three chinchilla cubs with big tails were holding Dudu and were looking at the new girl curiously.
My sister is really tall. Dalong hopes that if I eat more, I will be tall in the future.
His sister's coat was as beautiful as his. Tail thought happily that he was also very beautiful, and he and his sister had the same good taste.
The kitten also likes his sister very much. Holding the little black cat, he asked his sister first: "Do you want to touch it?"
"Okay, I have Xiaobai. You can touch it if you are not afraid. It won't hurt anyone." Heidan rolled up his sleeves, revealing his white wrist with a thin white snake coiled on it.
The little snake glowed with a bright white light and was very beautiful.
But no matter how beautiful it is, it's still a snake! ! ! ! Lu Cijiu was really shocked and glanced at Brother Cheng. Zhou Cheng smiled and said, "He's my brother's son. He's brave, about the same as the kids. I heard some kids want to come over and play."
Lu Cijiu:??? What does that mean? And Heidan with twin tails is a boy?
The children had already sensed the magnetic field or something from their brief interaction, and they were able to play together. Dalong came over and asked if he could go to the kindergarten. Lu Cijiu heard that these four children all liked Heidan.
In the minds of the kids, kindergarten is almost like an amusement park. However, because of the cold weather and snow, the kids have been playing in the yard during this period. Now that a beautiful new sister has come, of course they will go to their "secret treasure place".
"Okay." Lu Cijiu nodded happily and asked Hu Sanniang to follow him.
Hu Sanniang glanced at the little girl with twin ponytails, but couldn't tell what she was talking about. She felt a little strange and annoyed, but she didn't think much about it and went to the kindergarten first. The kids were holding toys, and Tail wanted to hold Sister Heidan's hand, saying, "Sister, let's go to kindergarten. It's so fun."
"I've heard of the kindergarten, but I've never been there." Heidan was also very excited.
Dalong started talking about how fun kindergarten is.
The chirping of the children faded into the distance. Zhou Cheng also entered the kitchen, rolled up his sleeves, and began to make noodles. Lu Cijiu saw that Xiaohong had not come in, but had come into the house with a sullen face.
???
"Brother Cheng, did you have a fight with Xiaohong?"
Zhou Cheng shook his head, "It's not with me, Xiaohong is sulking on her own."
Lu Cijiu was shocked. The main reason was that after Xiaohong came to the courtyard, she always acted like she was the best in the world, looking down on everything and taking whatever she wanted by force. In any case, she was not a good person.
I'm still sulking.
Perhaps Lu Cijiu's expression was too obvious. Zhou Cheng said while making the noodles and toppings, "I took him back on New Year's Eve. He wanted to see my father and aunt. Fortunately, I told him in advance that Xiaohong was not a human being."
!!! Brother Cheng can even say this.
"Auntie and uncle are not scared, right?"
"It's okay. My brother's situation is also complicated. He found a city lord in a horror game. He can travel freely and is not human. Hei Dan is their son. With my brother in the lead, my father was a little uncomfortable when he heard that I found a monster, but he didn't say much. Auntie did some ideological work on him."
"The New Year's Eve reunion dinner was pretty good. This morning, a relative visited and asked about Xiaohong when he saw her. I've already come out, and everyone in my family knows about it. When they heard he was my boyfriend, the elders asked a few more questions."
How old are you? Where do you work? Do you own a house? Do you have a car? What are your parents like?
Lu Cijiu doesn't have the worry of relatives and elders urging him to get married, but every Chinese New Year he can see jokes online about urging marriage and asking about concerns. He nodded to show his understanding, mainly because he is still trying to digest the fact that Cheng Ge's younger brother is with the horror game city lord.
"Age is what humans say, and after that—" Zhou Cheng wanted to laugh. He was quite 'bad'. This was the first time he saw Xiao Hong get humiliated. "He had no car, no house, no job, and he lived and ate with me. I was the one supporting him. At that time, my relatives couldn't even find a way to praise him. The atmosphere was awkward. He just said something like, 'The young man has a nice muscular body, he's tall and big, he can earn money even moving bricks at a construction site, how can he let Chengcheng support him?'"
Lu Cijiu: ...It’s not impossible for Zhe to go and carry bricks.
Xiaohong has such a bad temper, she deserves to be taught a lesson!
I didn't work before.
Zhou Cheng actually meant the same thing. He loved Xiaohong, and it didn't matter who made the money to support the family. Plus, Xiaohong had been seriously injured and couldn't work. But now that Xiaohong was well and they were together, Zhou Cheng wanted her to curb her temper and adapt to society.
"I can support him for his entire life, but I hope he can have his own friends, career, and ideals, and be himself, rather than being my pet lover," Zhou Cheng said.
Gong Xichao's voice rang out from the doorway: "Po Zheng, what are you eavesdropping on at the doorway?"
"What do you care!" Xiaohong's voice died down.
Lu Bijiu: ...
Zhou Cheng: ... "I'll go check it out. Don't move here, I'll come back and cook. Xiaohong didn't eat breakfast, so I want to make him some noodles."
"Okay." Lu Cijiu thought that Brother Cheng was still soft-hearted and loved Xiaohong.
Brother Cheng is really a great man.
After leaving the kitchen, Lu Cijiu saw Gong Xichao wearing a new set of clothes, which looked familiar. It seemed to be the spring men's haute couture of a big brand that was on the hot search on Weibo last night. Of course, Gong Xichao didn't have the money to buy it. Besides, this kind of clothes required fame to buy it.
It should be Gong Xichao's wings.
"Why are you dressed so nicely?"
"Happy New Year, wife, shall we go on a date?"
Lu Cijiu: ...The dating suit is too impressive.
But no, "There are kids coming over, and there's no one to look after the kids. We also have to pack tomorrow, but after the kids fall asleep, we can go play."
Gong Xichao's face was originally unhappy, but he immediately became happy when he heard that the two of them could secretly go out and play at night without Zizi's knowledge.
"Also, don't be so critical of Xiaohong in the future. We are all friends." Lu Cijiu knew how to please Gong Xichao. He took Gong Xichao's hand and asked with a smile, "Is that okay, Brother Gong?"
If Gong Xichao could withstand this, he would not be Gong Xichao anymore.
Gong Xichao agreed very readily and promised to be nicer to Xiaohong in the future and not let her get into trouble.
It was indeed a little better. Lu Cijiu did not force anything else.
Cheng Ge and Xiao Hong didn't come out for a long time, and Lu Cijiu didn't wait for them. The kids went to kindergarten to play, so he went back to the living room hand in hand with Gong Xichao to watch TV and eat melon seeds. It was New Year's Day.
About an hour later, Cheng Ge and Xiao Hong came out and asked them if they wanted to eat noodles.
Lu Cijiu ate dumplings at around eleven o'clock. He wasn't actually hungry, but for some reason he was craving hot and sour noodles. Cheng Ge's topping was really amazing. He immediately left Gong Xichao and said, "I want a small bowl. I'll do it myself."
"It's okay, it's just something I do."
Lu Cijiu originally wanted to help, but seeing that Xiaohong still looked like a fierce boss, he immediately said, "Thank you for your hard work, Brother Cheng," and left.
When I went out, I saw Xiaohong picking vegetables.
Xiaohong is still able to learn and make progress. Lu Cijiu was relieved and continued to eat melon seeds and watch TV.
After a while, the powder was ready and I started smoking in the yard.
"It's delicious, sour and spicy, and it's appetizing." Lu Cijiu was absorbed in eating noodles. Zhou Cheng also gave him a bowl, saying, "It's mainly because Auntie saved up some good pickled cabbage."
Lu Cijiu: "I always feel that the pickled cabbage this time is particularly fragrant, more fragrant than before."
"Really?" Zhou Cheng took another bite, then thought of something and hummed, "My brother's boyfriend brought back a bucket of water a while ago, claiming it can prolong life and strengthen the body. Auntie should use that water to dilute the sauerkraut."
Lu Cijiu was happily attracting fans, and suddenly realized, "Oh, I knew it was so delicious." After taking a bite or two, he realized, "Wait, you just said brother's boyfriend? But brother, boyfriend, Heidan, this??? Men having children???"
"That's what you think."
Gong Xichao, who was standing next to him, listened attentively, glancing at Lu Cijiu, who was stunned by the pink wine in his hand. He thought for a moment, but still didn't say anything.
Lu Cijiu has been trying to digest it, but he can’t.
She took one last bite, glanced at Cheng, took another, and then looked at him with a troubled expression, "Can men and men really have children? How, how do they do that?"
"...I can't ask, or you'd better forget about it." Zhou Cheng felt tired for Xiaolu.
Lu Cijiu thought so too, otherwise the powder wouldn't be fragrant. But wait, is it because Cheng Ge's brother's body can have children, or is there some other factor? He thought of himself and Gong Xichao——
No, no.
Gong Xichao is Kunpeng, not Hu Qingqing, the nine-tailed fox, who has natural advantages. I have never heard that Kunpeng can make a man pregnant.
Lu Cijiu finished a bowl of rice. The initial deliciousness turned into a storm in his head later, and he couldn't taste anything. After the meal, he cleaned up and brewed a pot of tea. Everyone watched TV and ate snacks in the living room. Cheng Ge's aunt brought a lot of New Year's goods, especially the fried ones they made at home, which were all very delicious.
There are things like eggplant boxes and lotus root dumplings, and a type of dumpling filled with red sugar bean paste. Cheng Ge said this can be fried or steamed, and after steaming, it can be sprinkled with coconut flakes or chocolate and rolled with matcha powder. The texture is soft and glutinous, and the red bean paste is ground in-house.
When fried, the shell is crispy and the filling is juicy when you take a bite.
Lu Cijiu sounded great, so around four o'clock in the afternoon, we fried a plate and steamed a plate. The adults tasted a few, put them in a box, and took them to the kindergarten to see the kids.
We've been playing this all afternoon.
Zhou Cheng said that it was getting late and he would drive back because he had relatives and guests at home.
Lu Cijiu gave Cheng Ge the key to the courtyard house. Although the door was closed and outsiders could not find it, they were going to the United States, which was so far away, and they were afraid that Gong Xichao would be out of reach.
What if the formation fails?
As soon as I reached the kindergarten gate, I heard the excited cries of the puppies - if it weren't my own, I might have found it really noisy. But Lu Cijiu rarely saw puppies so happy, and since there were no pedestrians or residents around the kindergarten, it didn't matter.
Before I even got in to see it, I heard a cute voice: "Wait a minute, I can do this, it's really scary."
"Sister Heidan, wait a moment, I'll be hiding right away."
"Okay, I'll cover my eyes." Heidan's voice hinted, "I'm very scary~"
Big Dragon Voice: "It's okay, we are not human."
Lu Cijiu:...you still know!
Everyone walked in quietly, wanting to see what the children were playing. As soon as Lu Cijiu saw the playground, he saw the black-faced kid with twin ponytails floating in the air. Not only that, his clothes had changed into the style of an elementary school student uniform. He was dripping with blood, his face was pale, and he had dark circles under his eyes. As he floated, he dubbed to himself: "Woo woo woo woo~~~"
That spooky sound.
Lu Cijiu: ...turned to look at Cheng-ge. "Is this okay?"
"His specialty is that he once participated in a horror high school game and played the role of a ghost in the toilet." Zhou Cheng said with a smile.
He's gay and came out early. Later, his half-brother also found a boyfriend. The elders felt lonely and gave up on raising grandchildren. Then, unexpectedly, his younger brother gave birth to a son, Heidan. Heidan is adorable and mischievous, with a big heart. He loves to tell his stories, and everyone in the family hears them. They always applaud Heidan and praise his amazing talents.
Lu Cijiu thought of Hanako in the toilet. Looking at Heidandan's appearance, it was indeed quite shocking.
Heidan was floating around, and when she saw them, she picked up the corners of her skirt and turned around obediently, her little face still looking like a ghost doll, and said, "Uncle, I'm going to find my younger brothers and sisters~"
"Go ahead. There are fried dumplings and steamed ones. Call your brothers and sisters to come and eat." Zhou Cheng said.
Heidan had been so impatient that he floated away, but upon hearing this, he turned around and floated back, twitching his little nose and tilting his head as he said, "Uncle, can you give me some dumplings? They won't taste good if they get cold. I'll give them to my younger brothers and sisters."
"Can you lift it?" Lu Cijiu gave the box to Heidan, thinking that he was also a legitimate Taoist priest who had caught ghosts before. This Heidan's tricks were more terrifying than a real ghost.
Heidan smiled sweetly and nodded, remembering his ghost doll character, and hummed again. The little white snake in his hand held the box. Lu Cijiu was afraid that the box would crush the little white snake, but the little white snake gently wrapped its body around Heidan and flew to Heidan, its shadow disappearing.
Can snakes fly? Lu Cijiu was stunned for a moment.
Gong Xichao said beside him, "It's not a snake, it's a dragon. But it's very strange."
"What's strange?"
"It's not within the Three Realms." Gong Xichao said.
Zhou Cheng said: "Heidan is not from this world."
Lu Cijiu nodded and said nothing. He was surrounded by many things that science couldn't explain, and Gong Xichao, who was only 4,800 years old but had the ancient divine vein of Kunpeng, was very receptive to the black egg.
It’s not mainly about my own children.
Gong Xichao seemed to be thinking about something.
There was still the whining sound, and Heidan was like he was using an external voice. "Hey, there are some sweet and delicious fried dumplings. Do you want some, Dudu?"
Dudu swallowed his saliva with a gulp, then flapped his wings and came out first.
It will be easier to find after that.
The children were found and Hu Sanniang helped wipe their hands. Lu Cijiu and the other adults began to occupy the swings and slides. Soon, the children came out with dumplings in their hands.
After the children finished sharing and eating the fried dumplings, they knew that they were made by Heidan sister and grandmother, and they all exclaimed in praise, "Wow! Heidan sister and grandmother are so amazing!"
"You guys are great too, fried so deliciously." Heidan said.
Still the type who brags nonsense.
After finishing the meal, it was already late. Lu Cijiu said to the kids, "Brother Heidan is going home. Say goodbye to him."
The four of them are still reluctant to part with Sister Dan. Everyone knows that Hei Dan is a boy, but he is very special. We have never seen a boy like his sister before. Wei Ba is especially fond of him and thinks Sister Hei Dan is very beautiful.
"Next time my dad brings me back, I will definitely come back to see you!" Heidan waved his hand and promised, then followed his uncle into the car.
The cubs had a lot of fun and were still thinking about their sister Heidan when they returned home. Weiba asked Jiujiu, "Can I be like Sister Heidan?"
"You are the tail. If you were wearing a little skirt, you would have already worn it." Lu Cijiu touched the tail's head.
Tail nodded his little head and said, "Yes, that's right," and soon he was happy. Children tend to admire "adults" more, even though Heidan is a year older than the four.
In the evening, we prepared a rich meal for the Luci old age, as it was Chinese New Year. There were dumplings that Cheng brought, rice noodle toppings that Cheng made at noon to cook rice noodles, and steamed buns with thin skin and large fillings that Cheng's aunt made.
Two plates of dumplings, a small bowl of rice noodles to share, and various fried foods.
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, I packed my bags and took the kids to do some housework. Since the weather was cold, they would be gone for about a week. They would eat all the fresh vegetables in the refrigerator, and the remaining buns, dumplings, and glutinous rice balls could be put in the freezer.
There is another luxurious lunch at noon.
"Wow! Chuchu New Year is so great."
“I love Chinese New Year so much.”
The kids love the Chinese New Year because they can buy their own clothes and eat candy relatively freely. Although the food they eat on other days is good, they always like the atmosphere of the Chinese New Year and the fried dumplings, lotus root boxes and other things that they can’t eat on other days.
The most important thing is that you can also set off firecrackers and fireworks.
Firecrackers and hand-held fireworks sticks.
There are also red envelopes to save. That's awesome! I wish I could celebrate Chinese New Year every day.
Tail was also very happy. He nestled in his father's arms at night and asked expectantly, "Dad, is the New Year celebration at our other home so far away also so fun and happy?"
Sang Jinghong recalled how, when his elders were still around, they had New Year traditions, advocating for not forgetting one's roots. But many customs have vanished, including the New Year's Eve dinner, which has become a party. He used to often miss them, feeling they were unnecessary.
Now, seeing my son's anticipation, I assured him, "Of course it's very interesting."
"Wow~~~" Weiba is so excited that he can't wait to go to his father's house far away to celebrate the New Year tomorrow.
After Weiwei fell asleep, Sang Jinghong called home, "What are the Spring Festival customs? Forget it, you don't have to tell me. Just prepare them in detail. Make sure they are fun and lively. Just tell me what I mean."
Sang Jinghong is now the head of the family.
Once someone gives the order, someone will naturally take over. Of course, the butler was confused when he first heard the order, but his good professional ethics made him follow his master's orders without any objection.
The kids slept at night.
Lu Cijiu promised to go on a date with Gong Xichao. The kids went to bed early, and as soon as they fell asleep at eight o'clock in the evening, Gong Xichao changed into formal clothes and started to urge them. It was just after eight o'clock when the two arrived in the city.
They lived in a remote place. Some couples chose to go to the mountains for a date to watch the stars and snow, but these two just wanted to go to the city - Gong Xichao even wanted to show off openly that they were a couple!
The shelter has boasted about everything it should, and now that it can't drag Xiaohong down, Gong Xichao's demon life has lost all its fun. It can only target humans. Happy.
Lu Cijiu had a golden scarf around his neck - yes, it was that scarf.
The city is still bustling with people during the Spring Festival, with lantern parades and performances. Most of these activities are watched by families with children. There are also some less crowded ones suitable for young couples, such as the Hanfu Market on the city wall.
Girls dressed in Hanfu (Chinese traditional clothing) and cloaks gathered in groups to guess lantern riddles, holding paper lanterns. It felt like stepping back into ancient times. Most of the people here were young men and women, and it was rare to see two men in casual clothes holding hands.
"Wife, do you want lanterns? I can guess." Gong Xichao saw that other couples and girls were holding lanterns in their hands.
Lu Cijiu: ...My wife was yelling too loudly, and many girls nearby were looking at him. But he pretended to be calm, making a small scene, and said, "Okay, I want the little white rabbit paper lantern."
"Okay, I will definitely guess it." Gong Xichao vowed.
Then he suffered three consecutive Waterloos, which led to the female stall owner selling lanterns seeing that Gong Xichao was getting darker and darker, but his handsome face was still intact, and she repeatedly offered to give them one without having to guess.
"No, this is my wife, I'll take her home." Gong Xichao challenged, "Come again!"
Stall owner: It’s true that my face was hit.
There were little girls nearby taking photos and videos. Lu Cijiu hid half his face in his golden scarf and smiled at the stall owner, saying, "It's okay, we'll keep guessing. It's fine."
But in fact, Gong Xichao really can't do that.
Just when the stall owner thought that this long-haired man was going to overturn the stall in anger, he felt in his pocket, took out a gourd with golden carvings and handed it to her.
"Hey, let's buy a little bunny lantern, okay?"
"Okay, okay." The stall owner knew it couldn't be gold, but it didn't matter. If she kept guessing, she felt like she was going to suffocate. She looked like a smart and domineering CEO, but she couldn't even guess a simple riddle. Her filter was about to be gone.
Lu Cijiu did not stop Gong Xichao from giving money. They had been wasting a long time in front of this stall. Besides, it was the festive time of the New Year, and Gong Xichao was willing to give money in exchange for a paper rabbit lantern like this one, which was also great.
"It looks nice, white and cute." Lu Cijiu said while holding the little rabbit lantern.
Gong Xichao's originally sullen expression, which had caused him to lose face because he couldn't guess the answer, slowly melted away, revealing a hint of joy. "I think this lantern is beautiful too. Wow, honey, our aesthetics are a perfect match."
Lu Bijiu: ...
OK.
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