frightfiction Chapter 207 It's Chinese New Year! The Nostalgic Chinese New Year Atmosphere
Chapter 207 It's Chinese New Year! The Nostalgic Chinese New Year Atmosphere
The second aunt called to her son, saying, "Shut up."
Li Wei knew that if he continued to argue, his mother would get angry, so he could only wink at Li Ju'an and ask his cousin for help.
Li Ju'an pretended not to see anything, hurriedly shoveling food into his bowl and stuffing it into his mouth. He picked up a piece of braised pork knuckle with his chopsticks and ate it with relish. Women's affairs are always so troublesome. His aunt and stepmother's problems were too much for his mother to handle, and he didn't want to get involved in women's business either.
Seeing that Li Ju was pretending to be clueless, Li Wei had no choice but to wink at Li Xiao, then smiled and took out a fountain pen from his pocket, handing it to her and saying, "Sis, do you like it? Never seen a fountain pen before? Your brother is a rough man and never buys you one. Here, take it."
It was the first time Li Xiao had ever seen a fountain pen. He excitedly held it in his hand, fiddling with it and examining it. Li Wei took out a bottle of ink and, as if to curry favor, said to Li Xiao, "This is an Eagle brand fountain pen. We brought it from the city. Your classmate wanted one but couldn't get one."
Just then, Lu's two chubby grandsons came to deliver the meat.
Li Ju'an helped the Lu family slaughter their New Year's pig. After finishing, he went back to his own home to slaughter a pig and left early. The old man of the Lu family asked his two chubby grandsons and Lu Wenqian to bring Li Ju'an a pot of stewed pig.
The two boys from the Lu family were the children of the eldest son of the Lu family patriarch. They lived in the county town all year round. This was their first time visiting the Li family. They followed behind Lu Wenqian, peeking out and looking around curiously at all the hunting dogs.
"Brother Li, Grandpa called us to deliver the vegetables."
Mother Song Lanhua warmly welcomed the three children of the Lu family into the house.
Lu Wenqian immediately spotted the Eagle brand fountain pen twirling in Li Xiao's hand, and excitedly exclaimed, demanding that Li Xiao show it to her.
The two chubby boys from the Lu family flanked Li Xiao, looking on with envy and admiration. Although they studied in the city, Eagle brand fountain pens were still a rare sight, making them quite attractive.
The two chubby boys didn't stand on ceremony. Under Song Lanhua's warm invitation, they sat down at the table, picked up their chopsticks with their right hands, and grabbed a large piece of meat from the plate, stuffing it into their mouths. Their eyes were fixed on the pen, staring at it so intently that their eyes seemed to bulge out.
Li Wei laughed heartily and said, "The Lu family kid has some sense. Eat your food properly, or you'll get a beating."
The children knew that they had to eat quietly. If they talked nonsense at the table or just played with their pens instead of eating, they would still get a beating even if they finished their meal.
The three Lu children ate their rice quietly, and after finishing, they pestered Li Xiao to look at the Eagle brand fountain pen. The four children surrounded the bottle of ink, fiddling with the pen and having a great time. Their eyes were filled with envy and longing as they looked at Li Xiao.
Children love to talk about who uses bottled ink and who uses what kind of pen. The sensible kids in the class won't mention it to their families, but that doesn't mean they don't want it. Li Xiao is smiling brightly, and seeing his sister happy makes Li Ju'an feel content too.
After finishing their reunion dinner, the family gathered around the black-and-white television to watch the Spring Festival Gala.
Only the Zhang and Li families in the village have black and white TVs now, and the two families happen to live right next to each other. So many relatives from the village gather around, bringing homemade snacks such as Northeastern sticky rice cakes, sticky bean buns, and fish stew with tofu, etc., to chat and watch the Spring Festival Gala on TV, all for the sake of creating a festive atmosphere.
Li Ju'an glanced at the kang table and saw that in just a short while, a large piece of Northeastern-style sticky rice cake had appeared. The method was not simple; a steamer basket had to be placed in the pot, topped with kidney beans, red dates, or small red beans. Then flour was sprinkled on top, layer by layer. This was done every time the pot was opened, until all the flour was used.
The Northeastern Chinese rice cake, made with many steps, has a wonderful texture. It's incredibly sticky, and the whole house is filled with a rich aroma of rice, which brings a sense of happiness.
Li Xiao inhaled the aroma of the steaming rice and begged her mother for a piece. She took the sticky rice cake; the yellow millet cake was sweet, soft, and chewy. Dipping it in white sugar made it even more delicious, and she didn't want to let go.
The TV signal was also strong. Li Ju'an adjusted the antenna twice, and the Spring Festival Gala skit played very clearly without any snow or static, and the sound was loud.
The villagers gathered around the television, listening to skits and crosstalk performances while chatting, creating a warm and happy atmosphere.
By midnight, many of the younger children couldn't stay awake any longer. They went home, put the lucky money given to them by their parents under their pillows, and went to sleep. This was when the New Year's greetings truly began. The mother brought out a brazier to welcome the God of Wealth, and Li Xiao and several other children of the same age paid their respects to their elders, observing all the proper etiquette.
Just as midnight struck, firecrackers went off one after another in the village, creating a deafening roar. Li Ju'an remembered that when he was a child, his father would place large pieces of wood on a brazier to support the gods during the annual welcoming of the gods. He would then carry the firecrackers outside and use small pieces of burning wood to light fireworks. Now that he's grown up, he's taken over his father's job, and he performs the welcoming of the gods every year—a kind of tradition.
After welcoming the gods to each household in the village, everyone cooked and ate dumplings before going to bed on their kang (heated brick bed).
The next day was the first day of the Lunar New Year, and a new year began.
When Li Ju'an was a child, he loved getting up early to visit neighbors for the New Year because he could wear new clothes and eat dumplings. Visiting neighbors was a joyful experience for him and everyone, adults and children alike, and they would receive lots of candy and fruit from their neighbors. Now that he's older, he's the one giving out all sorts of candy and fruit to the children who come to visit.
Sun Hao, the chubby boy from the Sun family, was the most uncouth. After eating his candy, he would ask for more after leaving, stuffing it into his pocket and taking it home to eat.
Li Ju'an smiled and patted Sun Hao's head gently, calling out, "Your floral clothes are pretty, hurry up and go out, wear your floral clothes and get together with the children to show off."
The children went out noisily to compare their new clothes, showing off and seeing who was the most dazzling kid in the village.
At this point, the mother quickly locked the remaining candy in a cupboard or put it in a basket, hanging it on the highest point of the roof with a hook so that the children couldn't reach it.
The Li family children couldn't reach the candy. Under their mother's watchful eye, they could only eat it in moderation, otherwise it would have been all gone long ago. Before the New Year was even over, the candy would be gone, and they would all have cavities. Perhaps it was because there was less candy that the New Year's atmosphere was stronger, and the candy tasted even sweeter and more unforgettable.
The Spring Festival is also the coldest time of year in the Xingan Mountains, with temperatures dropping to minus forty degrees Celsius. The little boy had a snowball fight and built a snowman in the snow, and skated and rode an ice sled on the frozen river.
As soon as the first day of the Lunar New Year was over, the Yangko dance troupe arrived. Just then, everyone in the same clan in the village had finished exchanging New Year's greetings, and the children ran around shouting, "The Yangko dance is coming! The Yangko dance is coming!"
The brigade leader, Yang Dezheng, spent money to hire a Yangko dance troupe from another village. Actually, the village also had a Yangko dance troupe, but during the Spring Festival, the village's Yangko dance troupe would not perform in the village because it didn't make money; they could only earn money by performing in other villages.
Therefore, the Yangko dance teams from different villages have a tacit understanding to perform in other villages. They were originally people from the commune, and were cultural propaganda teams composed of cultural activists from various villages. Now, they provide paid services, and hiring a Yangko dance team requires payment or some equivalent.
Li Ju'an could hear the band playing gongs, drums, and suonas from a distance. When the children in the village heard the music, they ran up to them in groups, creating a lively scene.
Li Ju'an couldn't help but sigh, "When it comes to the festive atmosphere of the New Year, it was definitely more intense in the 80s. The festive atmosphere of the New Year has gradually faded in later generations, and now it's the festive atmosphere of the Xing'an Mountains that I miss."