Chapter Thirty: New Year's (Part One)

  On the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, the day before New Year's Eve, is called "Little New Year's Eve". Every family sets up wine and feasts, people visit each other to bid farewell to the old year. Because tomorrow Dad and Mom will take Fang Mengnan and others back to Grandpa's house in the city for the new year, they won't be able to return until the second day of the new year, so Grandma treats this day as New Year's Eve. The spring couplets and door gods have also been posted early.

  At noon, Fang Mo Nan rarely took out the fruit wine from the space, of course, nominally bought by Grandma, and set up a table of reunion dinner for the whole family (six flavors cold dish), round and round (wine-braised glutinous rice balls), grand exhibition (white steamed prawns), auspicious new year (stir-fried crab with rice cakes), Kunpeng's ambition (scallion oil sea bass), good fortune shines (braised old duck with bamboo shoots), red and fiery (Mao blood clam), inviting wealth and treasure (red-braised pork trotters), wealth source widely advancing (earth-shedded fragrant snow bucket), steaming hot every day (special mixed grain roll), year-end just arrived (oil-stewed spring bamboo shoots), spring returns swallows come (spinach floating wonton noodles pot), happiness is endless (chicken silk dragon beard noodles), and their favorite braised pork belly was not to be missed.

  After lunch, everyone sat around the table and wrapped dumplings together. The leek and pork filling was adjusted in the space, grandma kneaded the dough, little aunt rolled out the dumpling wrappers, old mom, old dad, grandma, Lin Lao Ye Zi and Fang Mo Nan worked together to wrap the dumplings. Mo Bei slept, without her disturbance, everyone chatted and laughed while working together.

  "Wow! Nannan can also wrap dumplings." Dad said in surprise.

  Only saw Fang Mo Nan skillfully pick up the dumpling wrapper, fill the filling, pinch the edge, and squeeze it into a round and plump dumpling like a yuanbao.

  "Wow... you're really good at wrapping." Xiaoyi exclaimed. "More skilled than me."

  "Oh my goodness! Our Nannan, the buns she wraps and the pleats she pinches look just like a chrysanthemum flower, so beautiful!" Grandmother boasted.

  Grandma thought that Fang Mo Nan only knew how to cook in a kitchen with space, but she didn't expect to see her wrapping dumplings and realize that her hands were also skilled. It turns out that when she said she could cook, she wasn't just talking nonsense.

  By doing so, Fang Mernan is also giving everyone a preventive shot in advance, preparing for the future when they will personally cook and make food. After all, they can't always use the space kitchen and abandon their own craftsmanship.

  Many hands make light work, and soon the three-cup dumplings were wrapped up.

  Of course, Fang Mengnan also prepared: one is hot pot and the other is fish. The hot pot was boiling, steaming hot, warm and inviting, indicating a prosperous and thriving year; "Fish" and "surplus" are homophones, symbolizing "auspicious surplus", also implying "year after year of abundance". There's also radish, commonly known as "vegetable head", wishing for good luck; lobster, fried fish and other stir-fried dishes, wishing the family fortune to be prosperous like "hot oil"; of course, there's also the dumplings wrapped together with everyone, cooked well, in many styles, so not too much.

  When the dishes were served, they even asked their aunt to sing the names of the dishes, just for fun. As they listened to the auspicious names of the dishes, while eating, they couldn't help but guess what each dish was made of. The atmosphere was joyful and warm, with a sense of happiness. After finishing the meal, they cleaned up neatly. Since it was still early, and no one had to get up early on this cold winter day, everyone had a bit too much to drink and was in high spirits. Fang Mennai suggested that each person tell a joke or sing a song, just for fun, to pass the time, and everyone agreed.

  Little aunt sang two red songs excitedly, "My Motherland" and "Song of the Motherland", sounding great, everyone sang together.

  My mom also sang two red songs, then it was my dad's turn. He sang a model opera "Wisdom Takes Tiger Mountain" and even stood up, with quite some flair. I've heard him brag about this before - he performed in high school, so he can still pull it off. His singing skills? Just amateur stuff.

  As a result, Dad's loud voice attracted Liangzi and Grandma Liang from the backyard.

  "Liáng jiā mèi zi, lái de zhèng hǎo! Kuài kuài zuò." Yí zǐ lè de hǒu dào.

  Translation: "Sister Liang's daughter, you've come just in time! Hurry up and sit down," Grandma said happily.

  Xiao Yi quickly fetched two small stools. Liang Zi took them over and the two sat down. "It's so lively, I could hear Zheng Ping's shouting from far away."

  "Hehe... after dinner, we have nothing to do, let's have some fun!" Fang Mo Nan said with a smile.

  Dad had a few drinks to liven things up, and the atmosphere was lifted again. Then came another segment of Sha Jia Bang's Wisdom Duel, this time with Mom making a guest appearance as Ah Qingsao, while Dad and Liangzi played their respective roles. They were sinister, cunning, and full of tricks, just like the traitor Hu Chuanwei.

  From that era, model operas were probably recited fluently, regardless of whether they could sing or not, basically everyone could shout a few lines, and no one cared about singing well or not, just for the sake of having fun.

  Grandma told a joke, remembering a small joke that said the private school teacher taught the landlord's son to recognize characters, and he learned one character in three days. The old landlord didn't believe it and wanted to test him, so he picked up a branch and drew a line on the ground. The landlord's son looked at it and said, "A carrying pole!" Although the joke seemed a bit stale to Fang Mo Nan, she also laughed in this atmosphere.

  There are countless jokes in Fang Mo's belly, and she told a classic crosstalk, Ma Sanli's "Tease You". Especially when she deliberately lowered her voice and imitated it intentionally. The whole family burst out laughing.

  "Oh no! Nannan, don't say any more. I'm laughing so hard my stomach hurts." Little Aunt tightened her legs, "No way, I have to rush to the bathroom."

  "Look at your little temper." Grandma said with a smile.

  Everyone laughed enough. "Come on, let's have some fun, Grandma Liang and Brother Liang, don't be shy." Fang Mo Nan said with a smile.

  "Come on! We're all family, and no one is keeping track of who's good or bad. It's just for fun during the New Year." Grandma said.

  Grandma Liang smiled and replied, "Okay, I'll go first." She sang a Henan Opera excerpt from Mulan, "Who says women are inferior to men?" with a clear and bright voice that was quite convincing for an amateur.

  Liangzi clapped his hands hard, he hadn't seen his mother so happy for a long time. He also sang a segment of "The White-Haired Girl", singing the part where Yang Bailao bought a red scarf for Xi'er, making everyone laugh. Liangzi's tone was off, even if he went to Beijing to learn it, no one would care, the more lively the better, he sang with great enthusiasm, and unexpectedly brought out a comedic effect.

  Enough laughter, it's Lao Lin's turn. He went back to his room and fetched an old but clean cloth bundle. Inside was a small violin that had apparently not been played for a long time.

  Mr. Lin was rarely so delighted, with wine to aid the excitement, he also came up with enthusiasm and took out the treasure that had been hidden for a long time, the only one who followed him here. He opened it, carefully stroking it, the bright pearl was dusty, having been hidden for a long time.

  He stood up, struck a pose, and carefully tried out the sound. A lively Bazzini piece, a mischievous sprite of a dance tune, floated out.

  This piece of music Fang Mengnan had heard before, is a very technically demanding piece. The old man may not have played for a long time, at the beginning there were some glissando, wrong notes, and even out-of-tune sounds. Soon he found his feel, the music was like a group of little elves dancing happily, his technique was so skilled that it seemed effortless to make the bow fly on the strings, plus the cooperation of the left hand plucking the strings, it was as if seeing the little elves jumping around, without a moment of stability and calmness. Giving people a happy and vividly interesting feeling.

  Fang Mo Nan didn't expect to hear the sound of a violin here, it seems that old man isn't a simple person after all. Just by listening to the timbre of the violin, I can tell it's not an ordinary instrument.

  The modern violin has a history of over 300 years and is one of the most important instruments in Western music since the 17th century. Its manufacture is an extremely delicate art. The violin has a beautiful tone, close to the human voice, with a wide range and strong expressiveness, and it has held a prominent position among instruments since its birth, being loved by people. If the piano is the "king of instruments", then the violin is the "queen" of instruments.

  When the song ended, Fang Mo Nan applauded vigorously, and Mo Bei followed suit, saying repeatedly, "It sounds good, encore... encore."

  Everyone else was stunned, they had never even seen a violin before, only knew it sounded good, and also started clapping.

  Mr. Lin couldn't get around Mo Bei again and pulled it off once more. The little girl still didn't think it was enough and wanted to hear a third time, but was stopped by Fang Mo Nan.

  "It's time for bed." Fang Mo Nan said with a smile.

  Mo Bei looked at her with an evil smile, "Oh! Sleep. Mommy I want to sleep." Mo Bei climbed onto his mother's lap.

  In Meng Bei's mind, although this sister was good to her and gave her delicious food and fun things, as long as she wasn't obedient and cried loudly, she would be frozen in place by her sister's big hand. What's more, her sister would deliberately eat the tasty food in front of her, and she could only watch with wide eyes, the tempting aroma making her swallow saliva nonstop, yet not a single bite could she take.

  For a long time, she silently endured her husband's words and did not dare to resist.

  "Alright, since everyone is tired, let's wash up and go to sleep! We still have to rush back to the city tomorrow." Grandma said. "Laugh enough, play enough!"

  Liang Zi and Grandma Liang also stood up to bid farewell and leave. They walked far away, but the laughter of the mother and son could still be heard from time to time.

  "Mo Bei and others are back from town, Grandpa will tell you again, okay?" Old Man Lin said affectionately, stroking Mo Bei's head.

  Happy times always pass especially quickly, wash and go to bed, sleep with a smile full of happy laughter, very sweet.

  The next day was New Year's Eve, Fang Mo Nan emerged from his room on time and went jogging with Old Man Lin and Little Aunt. His biological clock had already woken him up at the right time.

  After finishing breakfast, Fang Mo Nan quietly took the things in the room to the kitchen and told Grandma that she wouldn't be around for these two days, so they could only cook and eat by themselves. Grandma looked at her nagging like an old mother, saying "I've cooked meals for over a decade, what's there to worry about?"

  After finishing the reminder, Fang Mengnan and his family of four hurriedly took the bus back to the city. After an hour of "clattering" and swaying, they arrived in the city and got off at the side of the road. Walking for a few minutes, they soon reached home. They lived on the outskirts of the city, which was actually very small, with only one north-south road and three east-west streets surrounding it. Although it was called the outskirts, it was actually just over ten minutes' walk from the city center.

  Arrived at the family courtyard, facing two rows of neat red brick houses, each with one or two rooms. Most of the residents here were recruited from the city in the late 1970s and worked in service industries such as restaurants, barbershops, bathhouses, sales clerks, etc. Everyone belonged to the same unit and had one room per person. Later, after getting married and starting a family, they privately added floors, making the originally spacious road somewhat narrow. Because of the New Year, everyone returned to their hometown or parents' home for the holiday, so the family courtyard looked deserted.

  Fang Mo Nan walked in, very familiar, having lived here until elementary school graduation, later this land was developed, so the residents scattered everywhere.

  Dad walked behind with a big bag on his back, which was filled with food. He also held Mengbei in front of him and walked to the door, put down the bag, took a breath, feeling tired, and then opened the door. As he pushed open the door, cold air rushed towards him.

  "Big Yan is back from her mother's home." Old mom pulled Fang Mo Nan, walking at the end, greeting neighbors who were passing by and hadn't returned home for the new year.

  "Yes! Tomorrow is the first day of the Lunar New Year, I have to go to my child's grandfather's house." The old mother smiled and said to that person, "You haven't gone home for the new year either. Later, go to your house, add some coal balls, light up the stove, and drive out the chill in the room."

  "Okay! Come on in a bit! First put the kid inside, it's quite cold."

  "Then I'll go in first." The old mother pulled Meng Nan into the house, put her and Meng Bei together on the bed, reminded Meng Nan to take care of his sister, and then went to light the stove.

  There was only one room, and later a front extension was added, making the house look extremely narrow. The house had been uninhabited for a long time, and it felt cold. Fang Mo Nan grasped Mo Bei's icy hand, circulated his energy, and soon her small hand warmed up, and her face turned rosy. There wasn't much furniture in the house, and the room felt somewhat empty. A metal double bed, a desk, and a heavy wooden wardrobe were all that was there. At the entrance, a washbasin stand held a basin, with towels hanging from it. The stove was placed right in the center of the room, with the chimney extending over the doorframe and out into the open air.

  Dad and mom were busy cleaning the house, with a thin layer of dust inside, and they still had to paste couplets and door gods. There was a lot to do. Fang Mo Nan watched them busily, and the temperature in the room gradually rose. She took out a pencil and drew simple sketches on paper, teaching Mo Bei to speak.

  "Oh no! Da Yan, your kid is going to be the death of you! Look at that!" A middle-aged woman who also hadn't returned home for New Year's exclaimed loudly as she walked in and stood in front of Fang Mo Nan.

  Fang Mo Nan looked up at her, his impression already vague, and asked: "Auntie, are you okay?" Then he lowered his head again.

  "What's wrong?" Mom said casually, having experienced two daughters before, this was just a small matter, and she had already been immunized.

  "What's so special about that?" The middle-aged woman stared at the old mother with wide eyes, "My youngest son is going to attend a prestigious kindergarten and doesn't even know how to hold a pen properly. Your eldest daughter can already paint." Her face was filled with envy. "Not at all like a country bumpkin." Although her words were rough, they didn't contain any malice. "When I get back, I'll have to scold my own little rascal for not studying hard and just playing around like a mad kid, unlike your child."

  Although in this era, adults are more permissive towards children and education is not as emphasized as it was in the past, who doesn't want their child to study well and gain face in front of others.

  A middle-aged woman hurried back home and soon heard her loud, trumpet-like voice scolding the children, which could be heard from a distance.

  Dad and mom were busy, the house was swept clean, lunch was already hot on the stove, they brought semi-finished dishes, just heat them up for a few minutes, the meat fragrance had filled the whole house.

  After lunch, it's time to wrap dumplings. Dad, Mom and Fang Mengnan are busy wrapping dumplings for the 30th night and tomorrow morning with laughter. Mo Bei is playing with a card drawn by Fang Mengnan and doesn't disturb them from wrapping dumplings. The three of them work together seamlessly and finish quickly. Since there's still time, Dad goes out to play cards with the men in the residential area who haven't returned home for the New Year. Meanwhile, Mom takes off their coats and washes them in the yard, preparing for new clothes tomorrow.

  Fang Mengnan and Mo Bei were sleeping soundly under the thick quilt, but when they woke up, it was already dark outside, and they could also hear the sound of firecrackers.

  The old mother put the well-packed dumplings on the dinner table after cooking, and then lit firecrackers. The whole family happily finished eating the dumplings. After cleaning up, the old mother took out new clothes and let Mengnan and Mengbei try them on - red long-haired woolen coats and red velvet pants. Wearing these clothes, Fang Mengnan felt very helpless. At that time, when his mother made them, she had a face full of black lines, but he couldn't bear to disappoint her. Fortunately, there was some leftover red woolen fabric, which Fang Mengnan asked her to make into a red beret. It looked spirited and refreshing, but unfortunately, he was too young to have that feeling, and only felt cute. This way, he wouldn't look like a walking red lantern when wearing it, and people, especially children, love festive clothes during the New Year.

  On the eve of the Lunar New Year, it was just their family, without the hustle and bustle of yesterday. Compared to yesterday, it felt a bit deserted. Meng Bei said: "I want to hear Grandpa..." She didn't know how to say it, so she opened her arms and made gestures, still looking quite similar.

  "The day after tomorrow, you can hear it when you go back." Dad said, hugging her.

  In the era without TV or entertainment, New Year's Eve passed very slowly. Just then someone came to invite them. It turned out that some people who stayed in the family courtyard gathered at one house to make merry together. Upon hearing this, Father and Mother took some small dishes to go with wine and went too. However, Fang Mengnan and Mo Bei didn't want to go. Several families gathering together, drinking, smoking, and the air was thick with smoke - it wasn't suitable for children after all! In the end, they persuaded Mother, so the two of them didn't go.

  After watching Dad and Mom leave, Fang Mo Nan and Mo Bei stared at each other with wide eyes, looking at the light bulbs in the house and the alarm clock that was just over 7 o'clock. Thinking they shouldn't be back soon, the house was still not as warm as Grandma's house. With Mo Bei, he slipped into space.

  The little girl, Bai Miao, suddenly came to life as soon as she entered the room. Fang Mo Nan had no choice but to bring her to the study room. She gave Bai Miao some large pearls that looked like pigeon eggs for her to play with. Seeing Bai Miao sitting on the long-haired rug playing happily, he didn't disturb her and sat at his desk reading a book, listening to the commotion outside, the atmosphere was warm and natural.

  Fang Mo Nan saw Mo Bei rubbing her eyes, knowing she was sleepy, and took her to soak in the hot spring. After washing up, they went to sleep. Just after eight o'clock, Fang Mo Nan was surprised to see his parents return, "You're back so early?"

  "Oh! Xiao Bei has fallen asleep." The old mother said: "They just smoke and drink, gossip, brag, and are very boring, so your father and I came back first."

  "Not as happy as playing at home yesterday." Mom muttered to herself, "Go to sleep quickly! Tomorrow we still have to get up early to visit Grandpa's house for the New Year!"

  Fang Mo Nan slipped into bed, watching as his dad and mom brushed their teeth and went to sleep. The whole family soon fell asleep.

  The New Year's Eve at Grandma's house became extremely quiet after the Fang Mernan family left, and Liang Zi came over to ask if there was any heavy work that could be done.

  "Grandma said, 'It's already this time, what else can we do? Alright, since it's just you and your mother at home, why don't our two families spend New Year's Eve together? It'll be more lively that way.' She sighed again and said, 'Without Nannan, it's really quiet.'"

  Liangzi also felt that something was missing, especially last night when they parted ways and it wasn't lively, without hearing her husband's words of advice, it really didn't feel good. "Ah! That night we'll bother Dama."

  The New Year's Eve at grandma's house was lively and bustling, but it still felt like something was missing.