Li Yuemei dusted off her hands, got up and went to the kitchen to see if the water had boiled.
The local custom is that you cannot wash your hair, take a bath, or wash clothes on the first day of the Lunar New Year, because people believe that the first day of the Lunar New Year is the first day of the new year, which represents bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new. Washing your hair and taking a bath will wash away your good luck such as "wealth" and "blessings".
So everyone quickly boiled water to wash their hair and bathe before it got dark. Li Yuemei brought a basin of water to the yard and called Yu Ge'er over to wash first. Yu Ge'er stood bent over the basin while Li Yuemei scooped water with a gourd ladle and poured it over his hair. Lin Yan helped rub bath beads into his hair.
"Brother Yan, don't worry about him. Wash yourself too. I'll help you scoop out some water." Zhao Shiyun also brought out a basin of water. Hearing this, Lin Yan stopped and scooped up some water to rinse the foam in his hands.
I have to stay up all night to celebrate the New Year, and drying my hair by the fire will help it dry quickly. It's just that the hot water is out, otherwise I would have to wash my spare clothes.
As the night progressed, everyone had eaten early in the afternoon and were feeling a bit hungry. Lin Yan heated up some leftovers, and everyone ate a few more bites.
It's easy to feel sleepy after eating. Yu Ge'er rubbed his eyes and felt sleepy. Li Yuemei advised: "If you are sleepy, go to sleep first, we will watch over you."
Yu Ge'er couldn't bear it any longer, "Dad, Mom, Brother, Brother-in-law, I'm going to sleep first."
Lin Yan pushed him into the room and said, "Go to sleep. I'll send you a red envelope tomorrow morning." Yu Ge'er yawned again and spoke vaguely, "Then I'll be waiting."
Seeing that his father and mother were also feeling sleepy, Zhao Shiyun said, "Father and mother, you should go to sleep too. Yan Ge'er and I will watch over you. We'll call you when it's almost midnight."
Li Yuemei nodded: "Okay, let's go to sleep first. Brother Yan, if you really can't stand it anymore, go to sleep and let Shi Yun watch over you."
"Oh, I understand." Lin Yan responded.
It was especially cold at night. Zhao Shiyun moved the brazier into the room and brought in some melon seeds and candies. "Brother Yan, it's cold outside. Let's go inside and keep watch."
The two returned to the room and sat on the edge of the bed. Zhao Shiyun pulled the quilt over them and handed Yan Ge'er a handful of melon seeds. "I'll peel an orange for you." The orange was small and it was gone in two bites. There was no need to worry about eating too much.
Lin Yan had eaten too many melon seeds tonight and didn't feel like eating anymore. He pulled the quilt closer and watched Zhao Shiyun peel an orange. Zhao Shiyun peeled it, broke it in half, and stuffed it into Lin Yan's mouth.
Lin Yan chewed the orange and muttered, "It's so sweet." Zhao Shiyun smiled and said, "If you like it, I'll buy some more. I don't know if they will still be available after the New Year." After that, he fed the remaining half petal to Lin Yan.
The two were silent for a while, and then Lin Yan suddenly spoke up: "Brother Shi Yun, I saw the sesame cake vendor making sesame cakes the other day, and I thought of something to eat. I just haven't tried it yet, so I wonder if it tastes good."
Zhao Shiyun was surprised and said, "What kind of food is it? Tell me quickly."
Lin Yan swallowed the orange and said, "Fry the tofu in oil and brush it with chili sauce. It will be crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It should be delicious."
Zhao Shiyun touched his chin and thought: "It's a good way to do it, but I haven't tried it yet. Why don't you try it when I start making tofu?"
"It's just a little fuel-consuming. Business is all about making money. Too much fuel consumption and no profit is not good enough." Lin Yan shook his head. "Let me think about it."
Zhao Shiyun had no talent for cooking, so he couldn't give Lin Yan any good advice. He could only comfort him: "Think about it slowly, don't put too much pressure on yourself."
"Hmm!" Lin Yan thought about it and agreed. It was New Year's Day, so he didn't want to think about these things. He ordered, "Peel another orange for me."
"Okay." The lackey Zhao Shiyun came online.
As they were eating, they heard the sound of firecrackers in the distance. Zhao Shiyun looked outside and said, "Yan'er, it's almost midnight." So the two of them hurriedly woke up their father, mother, and Yu'er.
The family arrived in the courtyard. Zhao Qiming directed the fireworks while Zhao Shiyun lit the firecrackers. The crackling sound exploded in the quiet night, and red confetti danced in the air, seemingly dispelling all the gloom. Yu Ge'er covered his ears excitedly, but he couldn't bear to miss this lively scene, his eyes sparkling.
The villagers were also setting off firecrackers. The sounds of firecrackers came one after another, interspersed from time to time with the barking of dogs and the crying of children, perhaps frightened by the sound of firecrackers.
The family stood together, looking at the hazy scene outside the door. There were so many firecrackers that they couldn't see clearly.
When the sound gradually stopped, Zhao Qiming and Li Yuemei took out the red envelopes they had prepared long ago and distributed them to their family members. Lin Yan took it with surprise and said, "Thank you, Dad and Mom. Happy New Year."
Zhao Shiyun stuffed his share into the hands of Lin Yan, saying, "Keep it for me," and then he took out a red envelope that he had prepared long ago and handed it to Yu Ge'er, "Here, this is for you." Lin Yan also quickly took out his share.
Yu Ge'er was extremely happy holding the red envelope, and kept saying sweet words: "Thank you, Dad and Mom. I wish you a happy New Year and a long life. I also wish my brother and husband good health and a baby soon."
The others were infected by Yu Ge'er's cheerful expression and started laughing too. Everyone's face was filled with happy smiles, and laughter filled the whole room.
With the joy of the New Year and beautiful expectations for the future, everyone went back to their rooms to rest, and fell into a deep sleep in this warm home to welcome the new day.
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