After Xu Damao left, Wang Dabao tidied up the house a bit and prepared to make some porridge on the stove.
Since she had declined other people's invitations, she figured she should prepare herself properly and make it look like she was spending the New Year alone.
After eating a simple meal and drinking some tea, Wang Dabao finally felt full. He put on his cotton-padded coat and strolled out the door.
He hadn't taken two steps after descending the steps when Liu Haizhong called him back.
"Brother Da Bao, Brother Da Bao, wait for me, let's go together."
Liu Haizhong usually leaves with his hands behind his back, but now he's jogging over and his two chubby arms are swinging quite nimbly.
Wang Dabao waved his hand, signaling the other person to slow down: "Alright, I'll wait for you here. Just walk over. You're so fat, don't run."
Liu Haizhong jogged over, one hand on his stomach, panting heavily.
"Come on, let's take a stroll around the yard, you don't have to go to work today, Da Bao, right?"
"I'm on duty at night, and I'll spend the Lunar New Year at an elder's house at noon."
The two chatted as they strolled toward the central courtyard.
As Liu Haizhong passed by Xu Damao's house, he was still muttering to himself. Every year during the Spring Festival, Xu Damao would frequently go to the countryside, so why was there so little work at the beginning of this year?
Upon entering the courtyard, a glance to the left revealed Sha Zhu standing at his own doorstep, chirping with a cricket.
Seeing Wang Dabao and Liu Haizhong looking over, Sha Zhu was taken aback for a moment, then patted Bang Geng's little shoulder: "Alright, go ahead, just remember to get up early."
Banggeng ran off, and Shazhu, with his hands in his sleeves, also came over to Wang Dabao and the others.
"Hey old man, you actually look quite smart today, but this outfit looks a bit out of place on you. The problem is that it's too tight!"
Sha Zhu drew out the "la" sound and chuckled.
Liu Haizhong's face immediately turned half red, and the other half was frozen white because of the cold: "Shazhu, don't be so disrespectful to me. You're making trouble for me during the New Year. If you can't speak properly, go stay somewhere else."
"Hey, you don't know how to make a joke, do you?"
Sha Zhu didn't care about being scolded by Liu Haizhong, and his sly smile remained. "Alright, then I'll wish you a Happy New Year. May the New Year bring you a new beginning, and may you have another son next year."
As soon as Sha Zhu said that, even Wang Dabao, who was watching the commotion with his hands in his pockets, couldn't help but laugh and almost spit out his breakfast.
Should we give Liu Haizhong another son?
Liu Haizhong probably wouldn't even be willing to eat the eggs.
Liu Haizhong's remaining half of his face flushed red. He pointed at Sha Zhu, but his eyes were on Wang Dabao: "Dabao, look at him. Do you think I can let him off? This guy can't say anything nice."
"Alright, alright, Lao Liu, calm down. Zhu Zi, say less. It's the New Year, let's all be happy and not get angry."
Wang Dabao patted Liu Haizhong on the shoulder, then turned to look at Sha Zhu, "By the way, Zhu, you were just talking about Lao Liu, why don't you change your clothes for the New Year?"
Sha Zhu was still wearing the same greasy green cotton-padded jacket, loose dark blue pants, and black cotton shoes that he usually wore to and from get off work.
"Sigh, I still have to go to the factory to cook lunch. The canteen really can't function without me."
Sha Zhu waved his hand and said seriously, "Even if I don't cook, I still have to go and keep an eye on things today. It's the New Year, so those kitchen lads don't take anything back with them."
"Showing off like that? You've already taken quite a bit of stuff!"
Liu Haizhong muttered to himself from the side.
Sha Zhu smiled mysteriously: "Hey, old man, you know the old saying, 'If the cook doesn't steal, the grain won't be harvested.' We have to believe what he says."
Liu Haizhong finally smiled and pointed at Sha Zhu: "Sha Zhu, Brother Da Bao is now the head of the security department. You're really something to talk about this in front of him."
Sha Zhu suddenly realized something and slapped his forehead: "Oh dear, how could I forget about that? Da Bao, don't mind me. I was just being cheeky. I've hardly ever taken anything from the government. At most, it's just leftovers."
After saying that, Sha Zhu immediately reached into his pocket and took out a cigarette.
The three lit cigarettes, and Wang Dabao finally spoke up: "Zhuzi, I'm not saying this to be mean, but if you keep doing this, you'll get into trouble sooner or later. Here's what we'll do: bring more good food and dishes for the next couple of days of the New Year, and you'll have to know when to stop in the future."
"Yes, yes, Brother Da Bao, you're right, I understand."
Sha Zhu lit a cigarette and agreed.
"I'm going for a stroll in the front yard with Lao Liu, wanna come along?"
“One by one, Yan Bugui should be writing couplets over there. Uncle Yi next door went there a long time ago. I’ll see if there are any duplicates and pick one up.”
The three of them walked towards the front yard, talking and chatting.
When I got to the front yard, wow, there were quite a few people in front of Yan Bugui's house.
“Old Yan writes some couplets every year, and he doesn’t charge anyone for them,” Liu Haizhong explained to Wang Dabao.
Sha Zhu chuckled, "I don't charge money, but I have to take a small tip, like peanuts or melon seeds. But I should have left over a lot of melon seeds from showing movies and setting up stalls this year. I wonder how the tip will be calculated this year?!"
As they were talking, Yi Zhonghai and Xu Damao came out of Yan Bugui's house.
Xu Damao held a couplet in his hand, while Yi Zhonghai held a bowl of cooked porridge.
"Hey, you've come at the right time! Come on, let's go to the front gate and put up the couplets together. Keep an eye on them so they don't go crooked," Yi Zhonghai said with a smile, greeting Wang Dabao and the others.
"Hey, Uncle San is so generous. He's not stingy at all during the New Year. He even knows to write a couplet for the front door."
Sha Zhu chuckled and followed.
Wang Dabao and Liu Haizhong exchanged a smile and walked towards the door.
When I arrived at the door, wow, Yan Bugui's self-proclaimed nickname "Old Master of the Courtyard" wasn't just a random choice; his handwriting looked quite neat and tidy, and it made sense.
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