In the end, Grandpa Zhao and the Taoist priest played chess, Yunhua played wildly with the children, and Xu Han, Zhao Yunyun, and Lu Chuan were busy preparing the New Year's Eve dinner in the kitchen.
This year, the family was the most complete they've ever had, and the New Year's Eve dinner was much more lavish than in previous years, with a full 20 dishes, plus fruits and all sorts of candies and nuts—enough to fill one table.
Finally, Lu simply brought over a small table, specifically to place fruits, snacks, and other food on the side.
After everyone was seated, the Taoist priest spoke first, saying, "We've finally managed to get together to celebrate the New Year this year. Let's all have a drink first."
The others picked up their glasses and said in unison, "Happy New Year."
After sitting down, Grandpa Zhao continued, "It's our first time celebrating the New Year together. I hope that every year from now on, we can get together and have a lively and joyous New Year."
Yunhua was the first to say, "I'll be back next year."
Zhao Yunyun also raised her glass, "I'm back too."
Xu Han and Lu Chuan raised their glasses at the same time, saying, "Welcome home for the New Year, both of you."
That's right, this place is now home for Yunhua and Zhao Yunyun.
This is where the two of them are closest to each other, as well as Xu Han and Lu Chuan; it's the place they most want to return to when they're wandering far from home.
"Okay, let's go home for the Chinese New Year."
Grandpa Zhao urged everyone to eat, "Today's meal is especially plentiful, so eat it while it's hot. After we finish eating, we can go play mahjong."
The Taoist priest joked, "Hahaha, with so much food and wine, you're still thinking about playing mahjong."
Grandpa Zhao retorted, "It's not like you don't want to play mahjong."
Even so, tonight was still New Year's Eve dinner, and the atmosphere was different. Everyone ate and chatted. We didn't finish our New Year's Eve dinner until after 7 p.m.
Xu Han asked, "Are you all alright? Have you had too much to drink? Do you want to lie down for a while?"
Yunhua clearly had drunk quite a bit; her cheeks were flushed, but her eyes were still relatively clear. "No need, I'm not drunk."
The others also said they hadn't drunk too much and could continue.
Zhao Yunyun picked up Ze'er and said, "I'll go wash them up first, you guys get ready."
Seeing this, Xu Han quickly said to Mu'er, "Mu'er, go and wash up with Aunt Yun. Keep an eye on your little brother and don't let him play in the water."
As Mu'er ran, she replied, "I know, Mother."
Xu Han, Lu Chuan, and Yun Hua quickly cleared the dishes from the table and washed the pots and pans used in the kitchen.
After everyone finished their work, the Taoist priest and Grandpa Zhao had already set up the mahjong table and thoughtfully prepared tea and snacks.
Mu'er and Ze'er couldn't fall asleep, so they played by themselves on the side, and Xu Han didn't pay any attention to them.
Xu Han and Lu Chuan did not participate, and the remaining people sat at a table, making it a complete group.
As soon as Yunhua sat down, he loudly proclaimed, "I came prepared this year. Let me show you the silver coins and copper coins I specially exchanged."
After saying that, he opened the small box he used to store money and showed it to everyone.
Zhao Yunyun teased, "You don't have much, is it enough for tonight's fun?"
Yunhua slammed the box shut and pulled it close to his chest. "Hey, how dare you talk like that? I'll win all your money tonight."
The Taoist priest impatiently interrupted the two bickering, "Alright, alright, let's get started."
As soon as the words were spoken, a mahjong game that everyone had been looking forward to officially began.
In the first round, the Taoist priest won by himself; in the second round, Yunhua discarded a tile that allowed Grandpa Zhao to win; in the third round, Zhao Yunyun discarded a tile that allowed the Taoist priest to win…
After three rounds, Yunhua barely managed to win two.
However, this did not discourage Yunhua. On the contrary, he became more determined and kept shouting, "Hahaha, who said I had bad luck with cards? Didn't I win?"
Everyone noticed that the silver in Yunhua's box was dwindling, and ultimately, they all tacitly chose to remain silent. After all, the money had already been won by him, and they couldn't be so heartless as to discourage him further.
What if they quit playing and run away? How will I win money then?
However, everyone plays on a small scale, with money being just an extra bonus, but that doesn't stop everyone from enjoying the feeling of winning money.
It has to be said that after several rounds, Yunhua did win a few times, which is much better than last year. Last year, he was losing all the time and hardly won a single game.
"Hahahaha, we won, we won again!"
Anyone who didn't know better would think he'd won a lot of money! But it turns out he'd only won a few rounds.
As we played, the New Year quietly arrived, and in the blink of an eye it was already past midnight.
Zhao Yunyun stretched and rubbed her sore shoulders, saying, "Time flies when you're playing cards. Before we knew it, it was already the New Year."
Xu Han chimed in, "Yes, another year has passed."
Grandpa Zhao slowly said, "Oh dear, my old bones are getting stiff from sitting for so long. I can't take it anymore. I need to go to sleep. You guys have fun."
The Taoist priest also stood up, saying, "I'm not playing anymore either. You should all go to sleep early."
Xu Han looked at everyone and suggested, "Why don't we continue playing tomorrow? It's getting late, let's rest for today. Anyway, we don't have anything to do tomorrow, and we can't work on the first day of the Lunar New Year, so we can continue tomorrow."
Yunhua yawned. "Alright, alright, go to sleep first, we'll continue tomorrow."
After a bit of coaxing, everyone dispersed, washed up, and went back to their rooms to sleep.
The next day, the first day of the Lunar New Year, everyone got up later than usual because we stayed up late the day before.
Early in the morning, Xu Han dressed Ze'er and then took the two of them to the backyard to pay New Year's respects to their elders.
As soon as Zhao Yunyun saw the two children, she immediately smiled and took Ze'er from Xu Han's arms. "Oh my, whose little prince is this? He's so handsome!"
Ze'er, who had already become familiar with Zhao Yunyun, started calling her "Auntie~ Auntie" incessantly whenever he saw her, which made Zhao Yunyun even happier.
Today is New Year's Day, and Xu Han dressed both children in red clothes, making them look especially festive. The tiger hats they wore made them look particularly adorable and endearing.
As for the others, they were all wearing new clothes that Xu Han had made in advance. The whole family was dressed in red, creating a festive and joyful atmosphere, full of the traditional Chinese New Year ritual.
The Taoist priest sat upright in a high position and said, "Hahaha, it's almost time to pay New Year's greetings. My red envelopes are all ready."
Upon hearing this, Xu Han took the lead and pulled Lu Chuan to wish the two elders a Happy New Year. Mu'er and Ze'er also wished all the elders present a Happy New Year and said auspicious words.
After bowing all around, the two of them were so full of red envelopes that they couldn't hold any more.
Xu Han took the child from the child and entrusted it to the two of them for safekeeping for the time being.
Yunhua couldn't resist joking, "You can't refuse to give them to them, we're all watching."
Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter again. It was wonderful; the laughter in the courtyard hadn't stopped on the first day of the new year.
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