As the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches, the mine seems to be shrouded in a strong festive atmosphere.
People from many surrounding villages rushed to the streets early in the morning with baskets on their shoulders. Some were selling vegetables and chicken and duck eggs, while others were queuing in front of the big stores waiting for them to open to buy things. Every day on the way to school, adults would walk together with happy smiles on their faces.
Huang Wenrong looked at the lively scene and asked curiously, "Are every festival in this mine so grand? It's almost like Chinese New Year."
Xu Mengyao shook her head, also feeling a little confused: "Let's go back and ask Grandma Qiu or our dad and see what they say."
Back in the classroom, the classmates were also enthusiastically discussing the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival. Zhao Huihui took out a mooncake from her schoolbag and prepared to taste it. When Dou Yingdi saw this, he whispered, "Huihui, it's not even Mid-Autumn Festival yet, and your family is giving you mooncakes?"
Zhao Huihui smiled proudly. "Of course, I'm our family's precious granddaughter. My eldest aunt bought this from the city as a special gift to my grandparents. Look at this mooncake, it's different from the ones sold at our mine."
Dou Yingdi looked at the mooncake with envy and exclaimed, "No wonder, it looks delicious. I really envy you. I haven't even been to the city yet."
Zhao Huihui enthusiastically described the city's prosperity to Dou Yingdi: "The city is great! There's a tall department store, five stories high! There's also an amusement park and a library. Every year I get to stay at my aunt's house for a few days..."
Dou Yingdi was fascinated by what he heard, his eyes gleaming with longing. Xu Mengyao was also attracted by Zhao Huihui's description and decided to go to the city to take a look if she had the chance.
She turned around and asked Chen Chen next to her, "Is there anything fun to do at the mine during the Mid-Autumn Festival?"
Chen Chen thought for a moment and replied, "Every Mid-Autumn Festival, the mine hires people to set up large lanterns at the mine gate. In the evening, there are people playing suona, singing opera, and beating drums. The surrounding villagers come to watch, and it's very lively. There are also more vendors setting up stalls on the street, selling all kinds of delicious and fun things."
Xu Mengyao listened to Chen Chen's description and was filled with anticipation. She thought that in those days when TV tickets were scarce, only a few high-ranking officials in the mine had access to television.
The surrounding villagers, apart from daily labor and simple entertainment, have almost no chance to contact the outside world. This Mid-Autumn Festival is undoubtedly their grand gathering and one of the festivals they look forward to most.
Under the bright sunshine, Zhao Huihui and Dou Yingdi were discussing the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival in the classroom. They were both excitedly planning to go out early to get a good seat to watch the show.
When Wenxia got home at noon, he saw pomegranates and apples on the table. He excitedly ran over to Huang's father, who was reading the newspaper, and asked, "Dad, you bought some fruit! Can I have some?"
Huang's father put down the newspaper with a smile and said, "This is the Mid-Autumn Festival benefit given by the company. Wait a moment, I will break the pomegranate open and you and your sister can eat it together."
The family sat together enjoying the fruit, and Xu Mengyao took the opportunity to ask, "Dad, is there any show at the mine gate on Mid-Autumn Festival night?"
Father Huang nodded and said, "Yes, the scaffolding has already been set up at the mine entrance today. It will start at 6:30 pm on the 15th, but we have to go early to reserve a spot. Many people went there at 4 pm to reserve a spot. If you want to go, you have to prepare early."
As they were talking, they heard voices in the yard. It turned out to be Uncle Wu who had returned from fishing. He brought two fish to Huang's mother and said, "Sister-in-law, I caught a lot of fish today. Take these two and give them to the children."
Huang's mother declined, "No need, Xiao Wu, you can keep it for yourself."
Uncle Wu insisted, "Hurry up and take it, sister-in-law. I have to take it to Aunt Qiu. This is too much for me to finish."
Father Huang stood up and went out to greet him: "Xiao Wu, we have another great harvest today."
"Yes, Brother Huang, you are off work." Uncle Wu responded with a smile.
Huang's father asked, "Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon. When will you bring your family over?"
Uncle Wu scratched his head and said, "Isn't Mid-Autumn Festival a holiday? I'll go back to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with my parents that day, and bring her along the next day."
Father Huang nodded and said, "It's good that you're here. From now on, you'll have a hot meal to eat after get off work. If you need any help, just let me know."
Uncle Wu said with a smile, "Hey, Brother Huang, I'm not going to make a big fuss like you. I'll just bring her here. She can only bring some clothes. The rest of the things have to be left at home for my parents."
Father Huang patted Uncle Wu on the shoulder and said, "Don't bother with lunch. Your sister-in-law will prepare the meal. I'll have the children bring you a plate."
Uncle Wu happily agreed and said, "That's great. I'll go take the fish to Aunt Qiu first."
Father Huang waved to him and watched him leave. A moment later, Wenxia and Chengxin, carrying their own plates, walked towards Uncle Wu's house. The two little guys huddled together, giggling and whispering, their faces filled with happy smiles.
On Mid-Autumn Festival, the family rose early and headed to the streets to buy festive goods. Huang's mother took Huang Wenrong to a large store to pick out mooncakes, while Huang's father took Wenxia to buy groceries, not forgetting to ask her and her eldest brother to buy firecrackers. With clear divisions of labor, the family moved independently, following the bustling crowds.
The streets were bustling with activity. Xu Mengyao and Huang Wenbin, after much effort, finally managed to buy some firecrackers from the crowd. Huang Wenbin handed them to her and quickly disappeared into the crowd. Carrying the firecrackers, she followed the flow of people home, looking at the dazzling array of lanterns around her. An urge to make a Kongming lantern welled up within her.
As expected, she was the first one back in the yard. She put down her firecrackers and began to think about how to make a Kongming lantern. After searching around the house, she found some thin draft paper and some thin wire that Huang's father had brought back from the mine. She decided to try making one.
First, she glued the paper together with glue to form a lampshade. Then, she wrapped thin wire around the bottom hem, completing the frame of the lantern. However, she struggled with how to make the candle base. After pondering for a while, she suddenly had an idea: she found a scrap of fabric and cut it into thin strips with scissors.
Next, she twisted two thin wires together into a cross shape. Then, she lit a candle and let the wax drip onto the cloth strip. After the wax solidified slightly, she wrapped the cloth strip around the center of the cross wires and secured them with candle wax. Finally, she secured the cross wires to the lampshade, and a simple Kongming lantern was ready.
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