Chapter 153 Happy New Year
"Happy New Year, Happy New Year, I wish everyone a happy New Year..."
A simple nursery rhyme was quickly sung and received warm applause from everyone.
"Mom, we have to learn too."
"Yeah, I need to learn."
Lu Yao smiled and said, "Okay, I'll sing it for my aunt and the others then."
The game continues.
I don’t know if it was because of bad luck or for some other reason, but the purse fell into Lu Yao’s arms again.
Lu Yao: “…”
Well, her solo concert is also a unique experience.
She thought for a moment and sang "All the Best", "The red lights illuminate the family portrait, and the swaying red candles bring good news", which is also everyone's expectation and blessing.
When the song was halfway through, Lu Mingxiu picked up the jade flute and started playing along, without going out of tune at all.
Lu Yao was surprised for a moment, thinking about how her brother couldn't go out in the past and could only rely on these to pass the time every day. Moreover, the doctor said that playing the flute would help with breathing, so he never stopped doing it all these years.
When Rong Yanhui saw his elder brother like this, he was not willing to be outdone. He covered his lips with his hands and made pleasant sounds in rhythm with the music. This was ventriloquism.
Lu Yao knew that her man had this unique skill. They were all in similar situations. Although the reasons for this situation were slightly different, they could be said to be in the same boat.
Rong Yanhui was alone in the side yard, with no servants, no playmates, and even no one to talk to. Apart from secretly exercising and practicing martial arts and reading the books he had hidden before, when he had nothing to do, he would learn to make various sounds, such as the sound of wind, rain, insects chirping, music and lyrics, horses neighing and tigers roaring... In this way, the yard would seem lively. Gradually, he actually became quite good at it, and was no less than those artists outside who made a living from this line of work.
Rong Yanhui and Lu Mingxiu worked in perfect harmony, neither of them stealing the limelight from the main character's singing. Lu Yao felt that if this were to happen in modern times, it would probably draw the admiration of countless people.
It’s not that she is not humble, but that she has a fresh and accurate understanding of her own songs.
You know, when she was in school, she often represented the school in various singing activities and competitions, and she always got good results. At that time, there was even an agent in the entertainment industry who approached her to sign a contract. If it weren't for her clear goals and determination, she might have become a shining star in the entertainment industry, famous all over the country, and even went abroad to make it to Asia... Ahem, Lu Yao felt that she was a little too proud.
After the song was finished, warm applause rang out again, among which the two little ones were the most excited and excited.
Lu Yao chuckled. There were only a few of them, but they managed to create the momentum of a huge army.
What's that word called?
There was thunderous applause.
Haohao and Yueyue had switched seats at some point and were now sitting on Lu Yao's left and right, looking at her with stars in their eyes.
"Mom, what's the name of this song? It's so beautiful."
"Mom, we have to learn too."
"Okay, let's learn them all." Lu Yao smiled. As long as the children were interested, she was willing to teach them.
The two little flatterers praised their mother and then looked at their father and uncle with starry eyes, saying that they were also very capable.
"Daddy, what are you hiding? Why are you making so many noises?"
"Uncle, did you learn this secretly from mother?"
Rong Yanhui and Lu Mingxiu were waiting for the two children to praise them: ￣□￣｜｜
Rong Yanhui coughed lightly to hide his embarrassment: "You all think that Daddy is hiding something?"
Xiao Xinyue nodded. Otherwise, how could there be so many noises? Or, Daddy hired someone to hide in the corner, and those were the people playing just now.
Thinking of this, the little guy got up, ran to the pavilion, and looked around outside to find where those people were hiding.
Although Xiao Yunhao thought it was unlikely, he still followed his sister to look for it. They also put on a thick coat and went to search in the yard.
This afternoon, Lu Yao gave the servants a day off. At this moment, there was no one in the house except them. The two of them searched around but couldn't find any trace, so they had to return in shame.
Lu Yao chuckled: "Did you find it?"
The two children shook their heads, very frustrated.
"Daddy hid it so well, Yueyue couldn't find it."
Xiao Yunhao suddenly thought of something and looked at his father with a burning gaze: "Dad, can you teach me?"
Whether it's hiding someone in the yard or hiding things on your body, these are all skills. If I can learn them, maybe I can help my parents do a lot of things.
Rong Yanhui didn't refuse: "What do you want to learn?"
"Just..." Xiao Yunhao just opened his mouth, and then he thought of something, his eyes rolled around, and then he smiled, "I will learn whatever my father teaches me."
It’s best to learn everything daddy knows, hehe.
Lu Yao glanced at her son. This little guy has grown up.
Xiao Yunhao looked at his father expectantly, waiting for him to agree.
How could Rong Yanhui not see what this kid was up to? But if the child wanted to learn, he would be happy to teach.
Just ventriloquism...
He was a little hesitant.
These are all testimonies of the low points in his life. He will not forget them, but he also does not want his children to inherit them.
Lu Yao could probably guess what her man was thinking. She rubbed Xiao Yunhao's head and said, "Let's talk about studying later. Today is New Year's Eve, let's continue."
Changing the subject, they chatted and laughed for a while. As the sky gradually darkened, they went to light the lanterns one by one.
When the lanterns are lit, the whole house is filled with joy and vitality.
Lu Yao took out a lot of fireworks again. How could we say goodbye to the old and welcome the new without fireworks and firecrackers to liven up the atmosphere?
There are many types of fireworks, such as spray-flower fireworks, bead-spitting fireworks, and flying fireworks... As long as you can name them, she has them here.
She first distributed a few fairy wands to Yueyue and Haohao, and then distributed some to the boys, and told them how to play with them. Mo Zhu was eager to try, while Rong Yanhui and Lu Mingxiu twitched their lips at the same time. This thing was not something that grown men like them could play with.
Although he thought so, he didn't show it on his face. He lit one like his younger sister Yao/little sister and started playing with everyone.
Before, when they saw Xiaomei/Yaomei playing with the two children, they thought it was childish. Now it’s their turn to experience it for themselves, and it’s really interesting.
Lu Yao couldn't help laughing when she saw the two of them being awkward, but she didn't say anything. After being serious for too long, there would always be a process of letting go.
The family played with fairy wands for a while, and Lu Yao took out a few small spinning tops. For Rong Yanhui and Lu Mingxiu, these were more interesting than fairy wands.
When they came back, they played with iron tree silver flowers, colorful chrysanthemum fireworks, etc. Each kind of fireworks was so beautiful. Haohao and Yueyue came over to clap and cheer, they were so excited.
Not only the two children, but even Mo Zhu couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
Lu Mingxiu and Rong Yanhui stopped being so reserved and even lit the fireworks themselves.
Lu Yao raised her eyebrows. This is how people’s bottom line is constantly being broken.
After everyone played with the small fireworks for a while, Lu Yao brought out a few bigger ones.
To set off fireworks, one must run fast enough. These tasks are usually done by men, but no one present had done this before. Lu Yao was worried and finally decided to do it herself.
Using the burning incense to light the fuse, Lu Yao hurried to the side of Rong Yanhui and others.
With a "bang", something rushed straight into the sky, and with a loud bang, it exploded directly. The gorgeous fireworks grew from small to large, instantly lighting up the sky.
"Bang" "Bang" another one, two more, the fireworks scattered in the air, colorful and brilliant.
Several people who had never seen fireworks exclaimed in surprise.
"Wow, these are fireworks!"
"Mom, these fireworks are so beautiful."
“It’s so beautiful.”
“…”
In the palace, there was a loud bang, and then the sky suddenly became brighter. This strange scene made the imperial guards feel like they were facing a great enemy.
The commander of the imperial guards immediately arranged for people to investigate the situation and mobilized more personnel to guard the surrounding area. He himself stayed close to the emperor, ready to respond to any possible crisis at any time as a protector.
The emperor is currently entertaining his ministers.
He was sitting high up, and the moment the sky suddenly brightened a little, he saw the brilliant light spreading in the distant sky.
What is that?
There were firecrackers in the Dayong Dynasty, but no fireworks. This was the first time he saw it. Besides the novelty, he also felt fear of the unknown, even though he was the emperor.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
With the sound of explosions, colorful flowers in the sky continued to bloom, which was so beautiful that the king and his ministers almost forgot the potential danger.
Fortunately, the imperial guards were quite capable, and soon someone came to report that it was the younger generation of the Rong family who were setting off fireworks to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new year, wishing Dayong good weather, peace and prosperity, and that it would become increasingly powerful.
After hearing this, the emperor felt relieved.
There is no danger, and it is even more beautiful to appreciate this thing called fireworks.
Rong family?
The emperor thought the other party was talking about Rong Binwen's family, and was thinking about whether to find an opportunity to ask Rong Aiqing about the fireworks, when he heard the people below saying that it was the younger generation who changed his surname to Rong.
There was only one person who changed his surname to Rong, and the emperor immediately knew who it was.
He couldn't help but chuckle: "They are thoughtful."
Then, he said to the ministers below: "To bid farewell to the old and usher in the new, let us enjoy a feast of fireworks. I wish my Great Yong a prosperous new year with good weather and peace for the country and the people."
All the officials knelt down and shouted in unison: "I wish Dayong good weather, peace and prosperity for the country and the people!"
The emperor's lips curled up slightly, looking very satisfied.
"Get up and watch the fireworks together."
This time, the fireworks did not go off in Rong's residence, but on the Imperial Garden Hill of the Imperial Palace, where people all over the capital could see them.
On this side, Rong Yanhui and others couldn't help but pat their chests and breathe heavily after seeing off the imperial guards.
How could they forget that fireworks had not yet been invented in this era? What they set off tonight was the first of its kind in the world. They made such a big noise right under the nose of the imperial palace, it would be strange if they didn't get caught.
Several people couldn't help but feel scared. They were careless.
Fortunately, the current emperor is kind and particularly tolerant towards the Rong family, so he did not blame them.
"Is there anything wrong with handing these things in?"
Lu Mingxiu was a little worried. Many of these things were not suitable for the current era, and he didn't want his younger sister to be targeted.
Rong Yanhui was also very worried.
He knew better than his elder brother-in-law where these things came from. Because he knew this, he knew that if he met a petty emperor, he would be in danger of being held accountable.
Lu Yao assured them that she had already made a foolproof plan by taking it out.
Firstly, she tore off all the exposed parts of the fireworks shell. Secondly, the recipe and method for making fireworks were already available in the space.
If she really wanted to investigate, she would be able to provide the source. The foreign merchants she had contacted before were the best excuse. Their village had been producing various products in the past two months, so naturally they could also research fireworks.
I believe that we will hear good news soon.
The two of them breathed a sigh of relief when they heard her say this. They didn't worry about whether the emperor would ask further questions later, so they decided to be prepared.
Lu Yao and the others did not set off any more fireworks. Instead, they looked towards the direction of the palace, waiting for the people in the palace to light them.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Tudor fireworks rose in the direction of the palace, lighting up almost half the sky.
She hadn't noticed when they were setting off the fireworks themselves before, but now she heard faint exclamations coming from afar. The corners of Lu Yao's mouth curled up slightly. Tonight, the fireworks might leave an indelible impression in the hearts of everyone who saw them, beautiful and brilliant, just like their future.
The fireworks in the palace were over, but the enthusiasm of the people in the capital did not diminish in the slightest. They all discussed the grand and unique fireworks feast that had taken place before.
Lu Yao and the others did not stay in the yard anymore, but went to the warm room.
This is not entirely true to say that there is a warm room. It is a place that is warm in winter and cool in summer and is specifically designed for leisure and relaxation.
This place, from the inside out, was the result of a plan that Lu Yao and Rong Yanhui discussed and studied for a long time before finalizing.
The greenhouse was lit in the afternoon and now the whole room is warm.
After they entered, they took off their shoes and coats, walked on the warm and soft carpet, and sat in the room.
Here, there are sofas, coffee tables, pillows and cushions, as well as some fun things, such as Gobang, checkers, musical instruments, playing cards, and a mahjong table. These were all prepared by Lu Yao in advance.
To stay up all night to celebrate the New Year, naturally everyone should participate together.
There were six of them together, which was just right for them to play checkers. Each person attacked one side, and whoever reached the other side's position first won.
Lu Yao really enjoyed playing this game. It was even more fun with six people. You set a trap for me, and I block your way. You try to block others' path, but you don't know that others have already seen through it and thought of the follow-up response...
It's so lively with people coming and going.
As you walk, all the beads are blocked in the middle. The only way to move forward is to give in or build a bridge for yourself.
This wasn't the first time everyone played checkers, but it was the first time six people played together. Lu Yao, with the advantage of two lifetimes, was the first to reach the opponent's high ground.
Next came Lu Mingxiu and Rong Yanhui, followed by Mo Zhu, Haohao and Yueyue.
Little Yueyue arrived last, feeling rather glum. She asked aggrievedly, "Is Yueyue really stupid?"
But before anyone could comfort her, she cheered herself up again: "Yueyue will work hard."
Xiao Yunhao agreed: "I will also work hard."
He doesn't think that he should lag behind others just because he is a child, and he can do better.
Seeing the two children like this, several people couldn't help but smile. Lu Yao rubbed their heads happily, "Haohao and Yueyue, how can you be so unpopular?"
Yueyue thought for a moment, serious, and said, "I'm cute."
Haohao also said: "I am well behaved."
"No matter what you are like, you are the best and the pride of all of us."
Although this was a bit embarrassing, it was what everyone really thought. After hearing it, the two children smiled happily. To them, getting recognition from their family was better than anything else.
After the first round ended, they started the second round. This time, everyone summed up the experience and lessons of the first round and changed their battle strategy.
This time, Lu Yao's advantage was gone. Lu Mingxiu was the first to break through the others' defense and completed it first, followed by Rong Yanhui, and then Xiao Yunhao, who was unexpected to everyone, followed by Lu Yao and Mo Zhu.
Little Xinyue blinked and waved her hand: "Let's do it again."
This time, the difference between her and the previous Uncle Mozhu was only a few steps. In this round, she could definitely narrow the gap.
As expected, this time, although Yueyue was still the last to reach the finish line, she was only two steps away from the previous person, which was already quite impressive.
After all, Yueyue is still a child under four years old.
Before they knew it, it was already very late. The two children opened and closed their eyes, obviously feeling sleepy.
"Do Haohao and Yueyue want to go to bed first?" Lu Yao asked.
The two little guys forced themselves to be alert and shook their heads. They wanted to stay up all night with everyone and couldn't go to bed early.
Lu Yao didn't force it anymore, but said, "Then let's play something else?"
The two children suddenly looked at her with starry eyes.
My mother is the most amazing. She always has a lot of ideas that others don’t have.
Lu Yao thought for a moment, then took out several copper coins, silver coins of varying sizes, silver melon seeds, gold melon seeds, etc., and placed them on the ground in an orderly manner, from cheap to expensive, from near to far, in a certain order and interval.
After everything was set up, Lu Yao nodded in satisfaction. Hmm, it looked and felt like street ring-tossing.
She quietly took out a circle of unknown material from the space, introduced the rules of the game to them, and demonstrated it.
Trapped a golden melon seed.
She cheered, perfect!
Unfortunately, it’s not the official start yet, and the golden melon seeds don’t belong to her.
The ring-tossing game was very simple. Lu Yao demonstrated it once, and the others were eager to try it.
Adhering to the fine virtue of respecting the elderly and loving the young, the youngest Yueyue tried it first, followed by Haohao.
It was the first time for Yueyue and Haohao to play this. Once they were excited about the novelty, they forgot about their sleepiness.
Xiao Yueyue held the ring, hesitating which one to throw. She looked at her brother, but Xiao Yunhao didn't point out which one to throw. Instead, he let her decide for herself, "First, you have to put the ring on it."
Only when you trap it can it be yours.
Little Xinyue nodded obediently. She did not greedily try to catch the silver ingots and gold melon seeds in the distance, but set her sights on the silver pieces that were closer to her. She took aim and threw it over. The circle landed next to the silver pieces and then bounced gently, and finally landed on the edge of the copper coin next to it, just a finger's distance away from entering the circle.
"Oh~" Everyone felt a little sorry.
Little Xinyue sniffed, "It's okay."
This time it was just an attempt. Even if she succeeded, it would not belong to her. She remembered it very clearly.
Next it was Xiao Yunhao's turn.
Xiao Yunhao is now practicing martial arts with Mo Zhu and the men in the family. His control over strength and accuracy is obviously much better than Yueyue's. He threw the circle and it accurately landed on a piece of silver. Unfortunately, the material of the circle was special. It fell to the ground, bounced up, fell again, rolled a few times, and finally landed on three copper coins.
"Wow, brother won!"
"Brother is awesome!"
Little Xinyue cheered and applauded.
Lu Yao coughed lightly and said, "Although I don't want to discourage you, I have to remind you that you are completely trapped."
In other words, those who suppress half of it will be judged as failures.
Xiao Xinyue's bright smile froze in an instant. Yes, is that so?
Lu Yao chuckled and motioned Lu Mingxiu to continue. The latter chuckled, thinking that he probably couldn't do it either.
Because there is no expectation, there is no pressure. Just throw it casually. If you can catch it, that's great. If not, don't be disappointed.
With this mentality, Lu Mingxiu threw a golden melon seed.
The circle fell to the ground, bounced, and finally calmed down.
"Is this... a hit?"
"Uncle is so awesome!"
“Golden melon seeds, golden melon seeds!”
Lu Yao poured cold water on the two little guys, "This is an experiment."
So, don’t be happy, there is no prize even if you win.
"Uncle will definitely be able to do it next time."
"Yes, silver ingots, to buy candy."
Lu Yao looked at Lu Mingxiu and said, "Come on, uncle."
Lu Mingxiu carefully recalled the strength and feeling just now, and chuckled: "I will continue to work hard."
Whether it works or not is all up to fate, just go with the flow.
After a round, Mo Zhu and Rong Yanhui also hit their targets. Lu Yao covered her chest in pain, but then she thought that it was just an attempt and it didn't count, and she felt happy again in an instant.
"I hope you guys keep up the good work and become this awesome too."
Rong Yan curled his lips and said, "We will do our best. You should be as happy as this later."
Lu Yao: “…”
This man is so boring, he keeps bringing up things that are not related to the topic.
It officially begins, and Xiao Xinyue starts first. She can throw three times in each round.
Little Xinyue went on the court full of confidence, but left the court dejected and feeling aggrieved, tears streaming down her face.
Quanquan is so naughty.
She had clearly hit the target, so why did she jump? And she jumped so far.
Xiao Yunhao patted his sister's shoulder and said, "Look at your brother!"
Little Xinyue responded, "Come on, brother!"
There is a skill to putting a ring on the ball, and of course it also depends on luck. Xiao Yunhao was a little off the mark the first time, and the second time he hit the copper coin. The third time, he was not in a hurry. He summed up his previous experience and feeling, and succeeded in one go, hitting a silver melon seed.
"Wow, brother is so great!" Little Xinyue was happy this time, especially when her brother gave her the silver melon seeds in the set, her eyes were shining.
The frustration of failing three times in a row is gone.
Then, the people who came on stage one after another finally made Lu Yao understand what a heavy loss meant. Seeing that all the prepared items were almost cleared out by them, she said with a sad face: "I haven't thrown it away yet."
Although it is transferred from one hand to the other, the feeling of winning something with one's own ability is quite different.
Lu Mingxiu and Rong Yan smiled back, and tacitly contributed their silver, copper coins and other valuables and placed them in the empty space. In an instant, they became more valuable than before.
Lu Yao curled her lips, "Put it away."
She just said it casually, how could she ask them to pay money?
She picked up everything that belonged to Lu Mingxiu, and under strong pressure, Lu Mingxiu had no choice but to take it back.
The few of them played ring toss for a while. Haohao and Yueyue became more and more excited and waited until midnight.
When the time was up, Lu Yao took out a string of firecrackers with a capacity of 1,000 bangs and asked Rong Yanhui to light them.
Amidst the sound of "crackling", Mo Zhu brought over a large plate of dumplings and said, "Eat dumplings."
Eating dumplings at twelve o'clock in the morning is a custom in the north when the old year turns to the new. When their parents were still alive, they would eat a bowl of hot dumplings at this time. Even during those particularly difficult years, they persisted in this habit. Now that life is better, they are even less likely to abandon it.
"oops!"
"What's this?"
Little Xinyue felt something pop out of her mouth. When she looked closely, she saw it was a copper coin that Lu Yao had secretly put in there.
Finding a copper coin in the New Year's dumplings indicates good luck and fortune in the coming year. Everyone envied Yueyue's good luck. Little Yueyue grinned with joy. She always lost before and it was definitely not her fault that she could not make the shot. She was still so young, and it was amazing that she did not fall too far behind when playing with adults.
Everyone envied Yueyue's good luck and some of them were eager to poke at the food in their own bowls.
Lu Yao found it funny, but she didn't pour cold water on them. She told them that she had packed three copper coins in total, three sweet things, and it was a good omen if they could eat them.
In the end, the sweet one was eaten by Lu Mingxiu, Rong Yanhui and Xiao Yunhao, and the remaining two copper coins were eaten by Mo Zhu and Lu Yao.
After all the calculations, none of the six people present escaped empty-handed, and everyone was truly happy.
Lu Yao nodded with a smile. She had made the dumplings and distributed them to each small bowl, but so what? Everyone was happy, and that was what mattered most.
After eating dumplings, it was getting late, so they would rest in their own yard.
Lu Mingxiu and Mo Zhu stayed here and went to the courtyard reserved for them.
Maybe they were in a good mood, or maybe they were tired after a day of play, and now it was his turn to play, so everyone went to bed and fell asleep as soon as they touched the pillow.
Have a good night.
The next day, they got up a little later than usual.
Then I cooked the dumplings.
Eating glutinous rice balls on the first day of the Lunar New Year represents reunion and fulfillment, a custom in the south.
Lu Yao is from the south, and everyone has lived in Xin'an for several months, so there is no such thing as too much good meaning.
They had also wrapped the glutinous rice balls in advance, and Lu Yao followed suit, adding three copper coins and three red dates.
As usual, everyone was late. The adults understood this tacitly, but the two children were overjoyed.
After breakfast, they went out shopping and to see the temple fair.
Dayong holds temple fairs from the first to the fifteenth day of every lunar month. The busiest day is the fifteenth day, the Lantern Festival, also known as the Lantern Festival. Many girls can go out of their boudoirs on this day to watch the lantern festival. If they are lucky enough to meet their lover, they will tell their elders at home, and then after discussion, the man will go back to find the ice man to act as a matchmaker.
In the era of blind marriages, parents' orders and matchmaker's words became a kind of dogma. The Lantern Festival was one of the few days when women could find their ideal husbands, so this day was also called Valentine's Day.
After hearing the introduction to the Lantern Festival, Lu Yao couldn't help but yearn: "Let's go and see it together then."
It would be great if my brother could seize the opportunity and find his true love on this day.
She looked at her man, who smiled at her, obviously understanding what she meant, and said, "We'll be together then, so we can look after each other."
Lu Yao nodded and looked at her brother: "Brother, you can come with us. Yueyue and Haohao have never celebrated the Lantern Festival before. With you and Mozhu here, we will feel more at ease."
Lu Mingxiu's first reaction was to know what his younger sister wanted to do, but after hearing what she said, he was a little uncertain. Thinking of what he had heard before, that there were many beggars at the temple fair during the past half month, he nodded in agreement.
yeah!
Lu Yao made a "yeah" gesture in her heart.
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