In modern times, Xu Han's mother would prepare extra steamed buns every year to eat during the Lunar New Year, which also symbolizes abundance year after year.
In the evening, after a busy day, the group didn't cook dinner.
There happened to be some freshly steamed buns, so everyone made do with them for dinner.
Xu Han was worried that everyone wouldn't be full from just eating steamed buns, so she also made a big pot of hot and sour soup, so that everyone could have a bowl and feel warm and cozy.
Yunhua slurped down the soup, saying repeatedly, "This soup is just right, sour and spicy, so delicious."
Xu Han explained, "I put some shredded cured pork, mushrooms, and tofu in this hot and sour soup. It tastes fresh and delicious."
Zhao Yunyun also praised, "The taste is really good, even better than the hot and sour soup I had before."
Grandpa Zhao added some more hot and sour soup to Yunyun's bowl, saying, "Drink more if you like it."
Although dinner was simple tonight, everyone still enjoyed it very much.
That evening, everyone stopped chatting. Tomorrow was New Year's Eve, so everyone should go to bed early. There was a lot of work to do tomorrow!
The next day, Xu Han was woken up by Lu Chuan at the crack of dawn.
Today is Lunar New Year's Eve, so I can't sleep in until the sun is high in the sky like I did yesterday, otherwise I probably won't be able to have New Year's Eve dinner.
"Honey, get up quickly, I'll go boil some water so we can wash up later."
Xu Han was still half asleep, but she didn't forget to remind Lu Chuan, "Use the big iron pot outside the yard to boil water, we definitely won't be able to wash things without water later."
"Okay, I understand. Get up quickly. Judging from the sounds, Yunhua and the others should have already gotten up."
Xu Han sat up abruptly, forcing herself to wake up, and immediately got dressed and got out of bed.
Before leaving, she didn't forget to tuck Mu'er and Ze'er in.
However, before Xu Han left the room, Mu'er had already woken up. After waking up, Mu'er sat up immediately, and all sleepiness vanished instantly.
Xu Han had to admire her eldest son's willpower. His biological clock was so punctual, and he had no morning grumpiness at all. He would get up immediately when told to.
"Mu'er, Mother is going out first. Get dressed before you come out. Remember to close the door when you leave, your little brother is still asleep."
The clothes Xu Han made for Mu'er were very simple; Mu'er could just slip them on and put them on herself.
Moreover, Mu'er is now over three years old and can dress herself without any problems. In addition, Xu Han has been deliberately cultivating Mu'er's self-care ability since she was a child, so Mu'er can now handle most things by herself without the help of adults.
"Okay, Mother, you can go out now."
Seeing that Mu'er had agreed, Xu Han then left the room.
As soon as I stepped out of the house, a cold wind hit me in the face. It was only about six o'clock, and it was still dark.
Xu Han rubbed her hands together, resisting the urge to turn back, and walked towards the kitchen.
When Lu Chuan saw his wife coming over, he asked, "Is Mu'er awake?"
"I'm up. I was getting dressed when I came over."
Lu Chuan then asked, "Ze'er hasn't woken up yet, has he?"
"He's not awake yet, he's sleeping soundly. Let him sleep for now, someone will need to watch over him when he wakes up."
Lu Chuan agreed with Xu Han's idea and changed the subject, saying, "I've already added water and rice to the pot. You can just stir-fry a couple of simple dishes later."
Xu Han took the spoon from Lu Chuan's hand. "Okay, I understand. You can go do your thing."
Although it's breakfast, it can't be too simple. Usually, the few of us might just have simple porridge and pickled vegetables, but now that Yunhua and Zhao Yunyun are at home, we need to cook some dishes for breakfast.
Just as Xu Han was getting busy, Zhao Yunyun came over from the backyard.
"Sister Xiaohan, I overslept. Is there anything I can help you with?"
Xu Han smiled and looked at Zhao Yunyun, saying, "It's not late, I just got up too. Could you wash and chop the scallions for me? I'll make some scallion and egg stir-fry later."
"Okay, I know how to do this." After saying that, Zhao Yunyun skipped out with the green onion in her hand.
After everyone finished a simple breakfast, Zhao Yunyun and Xu Han began preparing for tonight's New Year's Eve dinner together.
In the morning, the two of them washed the vegetables that needed washing and blanched them. After processing them, they put them in the kitchen for later use, so they could just cook them in the afternoon.
Lu Chuan and the others didn't sit idle either. They took advantage of the time to write and paste up the couplets for their home, and also hung new lanterns in the courtyard.
After lunch, Zhao Yunyun even pulled Xu Han to cut some paper-cut window decorations and stick them on the window.
Yunhua patted her clothes, which had been soiled by hanging lanterns, and said, "Haha, once all these things are decorated, the feeling of Chinese New Year instantly comes out."
Zhao Yunyun chimed in, "Yes, look how festive this courtyard looks after it's all decorated. It's all red. It's so vibrant and prosperous."
"Haha, this year's Spring Festival is so lively with so many people! After we finish our New Year's Eve dinner, shall we play some mahjong?"
Xu Han was the first to answer, "Of course we'll play mahjong. We haven't played much all year, and there's nothing much to do after the New Year's Eve dinner. It's a good time to stay up late and play mahjong together."
The Taoist priest slowly said, "Then you'd better prepare the money in advance, or you can't renege on your debt later."
Xu Han waved her hand and said, "With Yunhua here, I'm definitely not the one who will lose the most."
Yunhua was displeased upon hearing this. "What? Am I really that unlucky this year? Let me tell you, I came prepared this year. I exchanged some silver coins and copper coins on my way back, just so I could play mahjong."
"Haha, then you better not lose too quickly later."
Everyone burst into laughter. Finally, Grandpa Zhao spoke up, "Alright, alright, let's go help make the New Year's Eve dinner. We can play mahjong after we eat."
Upon hearing this, everyone stopped arguing and immediately rushed into the kitchen.
When Xu Han saw this, she knew things couldn't be allowed to continue. The group quickly blocked the kitchen, making the large kitchen feel extremely crowded.
Xu Han smiled ingratiatingly, "Daoist, why don't you take Yunhua and go out to look after the children? We can't stay in the kitchen all the time; the children need someone to look after them too."
Seeing Xu Han's reaction, the Taoist priest understood immediately. He waved his hand and said, "Come on, you're just afraid I'll ruin this year's New Year's Eve dinner."
Grandpa Zhao joked, "Then you should have some self-awareness and get out of here already."
Everyone burst into laughter again, and the Taoist priest said unconvinced, "Come on, we're both equally bad, so let's not argue. Let's go out and play chess, and let the kids keep busy."
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