"Of course, it will look even better when the lanterns are lit up after dark," Grandpa Zhao added.
"You guys should go change your clothes quickly, we'll be having New Year's Eve dinner soon," Xu Han urged.
"Alright, there's still a little bit left to do in the backyard. We'll go change it once we're done, otherwise it'll get dirty again," Lu Chuan said.
"Alright, I'll put Ze'er inside first. Be careful and stay safe." Xu Han said, then turned and went back to the main room.
"Mu'er, why don't you stay here and watch over your little brother? Mother will go and prepare some wine for Great-Grandpa," Xu Han said after putting Ze'er down.
“Okay, look at your little brother.” Mu’er said obediently.
Fortunately, Ze'er is still young and can't make any big movements while lying on his crib. He can't walk or crawl, so as long as he doesn't roll off, it's fine.
Otherwise, Xu Han really wouldn't feel comfortable letting a two-year-old child take care of a baby who was just over a month old.
They can still keep Ze'er confined now, but once he can crawl and walk, given his current personality, he'll definitely need someone to watch over him, otherwise he'll be covered in injuries.
After settling the two of them in, Xu Han took two wine jugs to the storeroom, filled them with some fruit wine and herbal wine, and returned.
After setting out the wine, we also prepared a set of wine dishes and tableware. Since we only have the New Year's Eve dinner once a year, we still need to maintain a sense of ritual.
After arranging everything neatly, Grandpa Zhao and Lu Chuan had already hung up the lanterns, and Xu Han immediately laid out the food.
Xu Han presented each dish beautifully. Although they were all home-style dishes, the exquisite plating made them look instantly more upscale.
After changing his clothes, Lu Chuan immediately noticed the large fish displayed in the middle when he came out and said, "This fish looks so beautiful, I almost don't want to eat it."
"Thanks to the wooden fish plate you made, otherwise it really wouldn't have been able to hold it," Xu Han praised.
Many of the plates in my house were bought from a general store before. Most of them look similar, and there aren't any particularly exquisite bowls, chopsticks, or plates.
When our quality of life improves and we have no worries about food and clothing, we should still buy more exquisite plates. Otherwise, they won't be worthy of the food we cook and the effort we put into plating it.
If conditions permit, it's not impossible to fire them yourself, but Xu Han has never done this before, so it seems a bit difficult.
Grandpa Zhao also came in wearing new clothes and praised Xu Han's plating once again.
Seeing this, Xu Han laughed so hard her eyes were almost closed, and everyone enjoyed a lively New Year's Eve dinner.
After finishing their New Year's Eve dinner, everyone sat together chatting. Xu Han said, "We don't have enough time this year, so let's each make a new red outfit next year. It will definitely look great."
"Alright, I'll be waiting. And you know what, this red color looks really good. Hahahaha," Grandpa Zhao laughed.
"With the Taoist priest away this year, we can't even get enough people to play mahjong," Lu Chuan joked.
"I wonder what the Taoist priest is doing now, whether he's had his New Year's Eve dinner or not. I haven't received a letter from him in a long time," Xu Han asked doubtfully.
"Don't worry, he's definitely fine. But he probably won't have New Year's Eve dinner. Maybe he's thinking of us right now," Grandpa Zhao explained.
“It’s quite possible. The Taoist priest is all alone in the capital. Yunhua and Yunyun aren’t in the same place as him, so there’s definitely no one to have New Year’s Eve dinner with him,” Xu Han said.
“I reckon the Taoist priest will write soon, and we’ll send him a letter too,” Lu Chuan said.
“Yes, I can draw portraits of you and send them to him together,” Grandpa Zhao suggested.
Upon hearing this, Xu Han immediately perked up and said, "That's a great idea. We're staying up all night to welcome the New Year, and we have nothing to do anyway, so why don't we draw today?"
Xu Han had never had her portrait drawn before, so she was very interested in Grandpa Zhao's suggestion and couldn't wait to see what her portrait would look like.
"You wait here, I'll go get the tools ready," Grandpa Zhao said, immediately becoming interested.
“Okay, let’s put away the rest of the New Year’s Eve dinner first. Once you’re ready, we can start painting,” Lu Chuan said.
With something to do, everyone's attitude changed. They were so lazy just now, but now they're all like they've been injected with adrenaline, quickly getting ready.
Lu Chuan brought a desk from the room, and after arranging the things, the family of four sat down neatly, waiting for Grandpa Zhao to draw their portraits.
Waiting is always long. Before she knew it, Xu Han's back was aching, and she gradually stopped straightening her back as she had at the beginning. Lu Chuan was the same.
Mu'er, on the other hand, was completely unaffected and not in a hurry at all, cooperating quite well.
Just as Xu Han was about to give up and call for a stop, Grandpa Zhao said, "That's enough."
Xu Han immediately walked over and quickly came to Grandpa Zhao.
What catches the eye is a colorful family portrait, with each person looking lifelike and exquisitely beautiful.
"Wow, this is so beautiful! Look how much Mu'er looks in the portrait!" Xu Han said, pointing to the portrait of Mu'er.
"They do look quite similar. Grandpa Zhao's paintings are really good. Everyone in the paintings looks very much like the real person," Lu Chuan said after taking a closer look.
"What should we do? I don't want to send it to the Taoist priest anymore. Why don't we keep it?" Xu Han said to Lu Chuan with a reluctant expression.
"That's what I think too." Lu Chuan also really liked the portrait of the family of four and said reluctantly.
After all these years, this is the first portrait of the family of four, and the two of them are very reluctant to part with it.
"Hahaha, if you like it, then keep it. I'll paint another one for you when I have time tomorrow," Grandpa Zhao said with a smile.
Xu Han thought about it and realized that it made sense. The artist was right there, so he could paint whenever he wanted.
"Why don't we just paint another one tomorrow and send it to the Taoist priest?" After hearing what Grandpa Zhao said, the two nodded in agreement.
Grandpa Zhao couldn't stop laughing at Lu Chuan and Xu Han's expressions. He really hadn't expected that such a simple portrait would be so precious to them.
It's understandable, really. Nowadays, many families still take a family photo every year and often use their phones to take pictures to record their lives.
But it was different in ancient times. There were no such things to keep as mementos, so if someone had a portrait, they would definitely cherish it.
However, after this incident, Grandpa Zhao would paint a portrait of Lu Chuan and Xu Han's family for every subsequent item, keeping it as a memento.
In her daily life, Xu Han also draws portraits of children, including those of them eating and playing, and compiles them into booklets.
Later, Xu Han would often take it out and look at it when she had free time.
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