The entire family was busy preparing the New Year's Eve dinner. Since Shen Pandi arrived, she hadn't been allowed into the kitchen, seeing Shen Xue's slightly bulging belly.
This girl was so quick and efficient at work that even Shen Xue admitted she was no match, no wonder she was favored by her mother-in-law.
Shen Pandi had started calling her godmother, and Liu Chunmei's relationship with her grew even closer. The two were working enthusiastically in the kitchen, like mother and daughter.
The New Year's Eve dinner was always the most grand meal of the year. Even the poorest families would prepare a good meal on this day.
Roast chicken, preserved vegetables with steamed pork, braised pork, braised fish, preserved tofu with braised pork. The mother-in-law also killed a chicken and stewed it for soup, stir-fried four kinds of vegetables, and steamed a pot of dumplings, all filled with pork and cabbage.
Ten dishes, both meat and vegetables, were considered extremely grand for that era.
In the past, there were no conditions. As the lives of the Chinese people improved, New Year's Eve dinners would only become more elaborate.
However, a few dishes on the table were indispensable. The fish, of course, was a must, with the saying "every year there is fish, every year there is abundance," signifying prosperity and lasting blessings for the family.
In the north, dumplings are essential for the New Year, while in the south, it's rice cakes.
When the dishes were served, Shen Xue and her mother-in-law covered the ears of the two little ones as they watched Chen Yang light the firecrackers.
Amidst the crackling firecrackers, the two little ones excitedly followed them to the table. Everyone eagerly helped the two little dumplings pick up food, and then they all enjoyed the feast.
Neither Shen Pandi, nor her father-in-law and mother-in-law, nor Shen Xue and Shen Rong had ever eaten such a lavish New Year's Eve dinner in their lives.
Chen Yang had a drink with his father-in-law, but he still had to stay up late. The father-in-law and son-in-law didn't drink much, just enough to be merry and warm themselves up.
This year, their family celebrated joyously.
In Shenjiaba Village, every household was joyful this year, with most tables featuring meat dishes.
After hunting wild boars twice and distributing the meat, many people had cured bacon, waiting to feast during the New Year. Even those who didn't cure bacon had earned some money selling fish and were willing to buy a jin or two of meat for the New Year.
The next morning, after Chen Yang stayed up late, he napped for a while. As soon as it was light, he got up, washed his face, and woke the two little ones to get ready.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, they had to visit relatives. Visiting relatives within five generations was an old tradition in Shenjiaba Village.
The village was not large, and if you traced back, most people were related in some way. Therefore, Chen Yang took the two little ones out to pay New Year's visits early in the morning.
In previous years, everyone would offer New Year's greetings, symbolically taking a few melon seeds, and that would be it. There was no way around it; daily necessities were too expensive. If each person took a handful, no one could afford it.
This year, the villagers of Shenjiaba had all earned a bit by selling fish with Chen Yang. Without a doubt, the amount of melon seeds and sugar crisps at each household was much more than usual.
"Third Uncle, I wish you a Happy New Year, and may you have good health and a long life."
"Yanyan, Haohao, wish Grandpa a long life."
Chen Yang knew the generational titles for these relatives in the village by heart, as it wasn't his first time paying New Year's visits.
"Grandpa, I wish you a long life."
It was the first time the two little ones had accompanied him to pay visits. Last year at this time, they couldn't even speak clearly, so Chen Yang naturally didn't bring them along.
"Fugui's grandson is truly well-behaved. Old woman, quickly get some sugar crisps for the child."
"Here, take them to eat on the way."
The young people were the ones who paid New Year's visits on the first day. The older generation stayed home to receive guests, otherwise, there would be no one to host visitors.
Chen Yang's father-in-law and mother-in-law were also at home today, waiting for visitors. Shen Rong and Shen Pandi were helping Shen Xue at home to receive guests.
If there was any family that received the most visitors this year, it would be Chen Yang's.
In addition to the relatives within five generations of his father-in-law's lineage, everyone in the village would likely pay a visit to Chen Yang's home.
New Year's visits weren't just limited to relatives of the same lineage; friends would also visit each other.
The villagers of Shenjiaba Village had all received favors from Chen Yang. During the New Year, for the sake of good fortune, people would also visit Chen Yang's home.
Chen Yang was well-prepared for this. Before the New Year, he had bought a lot of daily necessities. Peanuts and melon seeds were a given. He also bought sugar crisps, fried sweet potato chips, and even many White Rabbit milk candies and raisins.
People only came to pay New Year's visits once a year. Now that their family was a bit better off, they had to maintain appearances.
It was like giving some benefits to the children who came to pay their respects.
Chen Yang had also been a child. Children looked forward to the New Year all year round, precisely because on the first day of the New Year, they could openly visit other people's homes and eat snacks.
They could go from house to house eating snacks, and the hosts would happily invite them to eat. This was the greatest joy for children during the New Year.
Before, Chen Yang had thought that when he had money, he would buy all sorts of snacks that children liked, so that the children who came to visit could eat to their heart's content.
He had hoped for someone to be so generous when he was a child, but he had grown up before that happened. However, this did not prevent him from helping other children realize their dreams.
Indeed, Chen Yang had truly captured the hearts of these children this time.
Many parents who brought their children to Chen Yang's house for New Year's greetings almost couldn't take their own children back home.
Seeing so many snacks at Chen Yang's house, the children were completely lost in the moment, and who cared about going home?
Chen Yang's house was their paradise!
Paying New Year's visits was a strenuous task. To visit all the relatives of the same lineage, one would have to walk at least two or three laps around the village. It had also snowed on New Year's Eve, and walking in deep snow made it even more tiring.
However, no one complained about the timing of the snow. As the saying goes, "A timely snow promises a good harvest."
Snow on the first day of the Lunar New Year was a good omen, indicating that the village would be more prosperous in 1979 than in the previous year. Everyone was happy.
Chen Yang carried the two little ones and, along with his second uncle Shen Guangfu's children, made a large round before finishing the visits to relatives of the same lineage.
Afterwards, he took the children to visit the elder respected figures, the former village secretary Shen Fuguo and Mr. Tu. Although Chen Yang's father-in-law was of the same lineage as them,
these two elders had taken good care of him from the beginning. When he was injured and hospitalized, they had visited him. Chen Yang naturally had to pay them a New Year's visit.
The two little ones were very eloquent. Chen Yang only had to recite it once: "Good health, long life, wish you prosperity, and a red envelope..."
Cough, cough, this wasn't popular yet. However, Chen Yang's two lively and adorable children left a deep impression on everyone.
Many relatives sighed in their hearts, marveling at Chen Yang's good fortune. He could make money from his business, build a new house, and even his children were so clever. It was truly infuriating.
The children were just over two years old, still a few months shy of three, and their little mouths were as sweet as honey.
ps: My morning update struggled and failed. I got up at seven in the morning to feed them. While there was sunshine, I washed the bed sheets, duvet covers, pillowcases, and pillow towels, and also did some cleaning. I'm really confused. I shower and wash my hair before going to bed every day, so why are my bed sheets and pillowcases yellowing? Is it because men are too oily? I really don't want to wash the duvet every time I have a holiday. It's painful.