Chapter 38: New Year’s Eve

Chapter 38: Chapter 38: New Year's Eve Not long after I fell asleep, it was just after midnight, when the sound of firecrackers started outside. Similar to the New Year's Eve in the future, when people would rush to light the first incense stick, here, everyone rushed to set off the first firecracker. Sёarch* The Nôvelƒire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

In the past, people ate New Year's Eve dinner early in the morning, and before the meal, when they offered sacrifices to their ancestors, they set off a string of firecrackers.

Nowadays, people get up very early on the morning of the 30th. Basically, they finish eating before dawn. Those who set off firecrackers after dawn to eat New Year's Eve dinner would be regarded as lazy.

Later, a decade or two later, these customs became less and less important. It was increasingly rare to have New Year's Eve dinner in the middle of the night. Occasionally, if someone did set off firecrackers at midnight to celebrate the New Year, most people would laugh. Most families did pretty much the same as usual, getting up a little earlier, at around five or six o'clock.

Feng Yiping hadn't slept for many hours. When his mother woke him up a little after five, he opened his eyes and saw that it was still dark outside.

But this early morning seemed markedly different from any other. Perhaps it was the sound of firecrackers, or the sound of the pot in the kitchen, or the smell of the New Year in the air, that made Feng Yiping feel a little tipsy.

It was cold, Feng Yiping shivered, dressed quickly, opened the kitchen door, and the aroma of steam hit him in the face. Although they had had a fight last night, there was no sign of it today. Feng Zhenchang was stoking the fire behind the stove, and Mei Qiuping was frying the food. The two of them were chatting in low voices, in harmony and happiness.

Feng Yiping had just washed his face when the Feng family next door started setting off firecrackers. It went on for a long time. Feng Zhenchang added a piece of firewood to the stove. 'At least 8,000,' said Mei Qiuping.

Mei Qiuping said, 'Even if there are, I don't think the Feng family will be outdone.'

During the New Year, people not only compete with each other in terms of the number of firecrackers they set off, but also the length of time they set off for. The longer they set off for, the better off the family is, and the more money they have. Feng Jiansheng and Feng Weidong, who live next door to each other, are both from well-off families, and have been competing with each other for many years.

After the dishes are cooked, Feng Zhanchang prepares to offer sacrifices to the ancestors.

He switched off the electric light in the main room and lit the candles. He set the table facing the front door, and Feng Yiping helped him serve the dishes, which at this time of year did not contain coriander or other seasonings. Feng Zhenchang then arranged the best chairs in the house neatly around the table, picked the tidiest chopsticks from the chopsticks container, arranged them on the table, and placed the wine cups with no chips in the mouth.

As he poured the wine, he whispered a prayer, then took the yellow paper printed with coins and burned it in the brazier next to the table. Then he called Feng Yiping from the kitchen.

When Feng Yiping came out, he went to the table, knelt down, and respectfully gave three loud nods. Feng Zhenchang muttered beside him, 'Bless him for a safe and smooth year ahead.'

After finishing burning the yellow paper, the father and son opened the door and went to set off firecrackers together. Then they came back in, moved the stool a few times, shook the chopsticks, and poured the wine in the cup onto the floor. The ritual was over, and they finally cleared the table.

Feng Yiping gave these three respectful nods willingly.

As for the custom of worshipping one's ancestors during the New Year, Feng Yiping doesn't know if this is also done in other places. It should be done in all parts of the country, although the form may be different.

He remembered arguing with a colleague about it later. The other person sneered at the practice, calling it typical superstition. Feng Yiping believes that mourning our ancestors during the New Year, remembering their nurturing and upbringing, and hoping for their blessings for peace in the coming year is a tradition that has been passed down for thousands of years and is an integral part of our culture. It has nothing to do with superstition at all.

He finally asked his colleague, who had always admired Western culture, 'According to what you say, when Westerners go to church for mass on Christmas Eve, the whole family goes, so that's also a typical superstition.' The Western-admirer was speechless.

The dishes that had been collected were taken to the kitchen, put in a pot to heat up, and seasoned with spring onion, garlic, paprika and monosodium glutamate.

Feng Zhenchang drank wine, Feng Yiping and his mother drank Coke, which was the first time the family had bought this foreign soft drink, and Mei Qiuping drank it with relish. The two kept serving Feng Yiping food from their own bowls, so he had to block his bowl and say, 'You eat, I know what to put in my own.'

Feng Zhenchang took a sip of wine contentedly, picked up a chopstick of beef, and said, 'It's just that Yu Xuan, who was supposed to come back, didn't come back.'

Mei Qiuping also said upon hearing this, 'She is spending the New Year's Eve alone again, I wonder how she is doing.'

Later, this only sister severely hurt Feng Yiping's heart. Although these things did not happen now, he always had a knot in his heart. He comforted, "Didn't the girl in the restaurant with her say that her godmother she recognised in the city insisted on keeping her in the city for the New Year?'

Mei Qiuping said, "I know that the conditions in the city must be better than in the countryside, but it is still better at home for the New Year, and besides, the family bought so many things this year.'

Feng Zhenchang also said, 'No matter how good someone else is, they can't compare to home.'

Feng Yiping thought, "My sister may not necessarily feel the same way. She still said, "If we work hard now, we can strive to settle down in the provincial capital in the future. How can we compare less favourably to others?'

Feng Zhenchang and Mei Qiuping laughed heartily. 'Come, let's have a sip. Yiping still has aspirations. Yes, let's work hard and settle down in the provincial capital in the future. You can also marry a daughter-in-law from the provincial capital.'

Feng Yiping also laughed heartily and drank a large bottle of Coke, thinking to himself that his daughter-in-law would definitely come from the county town, or even the one next door.

They were so busy eating and drinking that no one ate the large pot of rice that had been cooked. By the time the family put down their chopsticks, it was already bright.

It was actually snowing, falling lightly in the air. Feng Zhenchang said, 'Looks like next year will be a good year.'

Today, there is nothing important to do. In previous years, at noon, creditors would come knocking on the door, but this year, finally, there were none.

Feng Zhenchang has one more thing to do today: he has to write spring couplets. As a former landowner, he was not left with much wealth, and he only went to junior high school, so his beautiful calligraphy is one of the few things he can count on. Although there are many people in the village who can read and write, Feng Zhenchang is the only one who can write good calligraphy.

As in previous years, in addition to the family, today there are several other households that have asked him to write spring couplets.

Feng Yiping was called to help him cut the paper. After cutting it, he folded it once to make seven grids. Of course, he couldn't write the couplets, but he had a collection of couplets.

Everyone who came to collect the couplets was full of compliments, saying that he wrote well and that his couplets were even better than those bought on the street. Although he knew it was just empty words, Feng Yiping found that Feng Zhenchang was still very happy to hear them. It is also true that at their age, it is already rare for people to be able to read and write. Not many people can write such good calligraphy with a brush, and this is also something he can be proud of.

His belly was full of goodies, and he kept snacking and eating fruit. He didn't eat much at lunch, and unusually for him, he only ate half a bowl of rice. After setting down his bowl, he went looking for melon seeds again. He felt a little funny himself, and couldn't help but think of a phrase his son had said later on, which still applies today: 'I'm not hungry, my mouth is.'

It wasn't snowing heavily, and the ground hadn't yet accumulated any snow. Apart from some children who got even more excited when they saw snow, all the adults were at home. After eating and drinking his fill, Feng Yiping sat by the fire, feeling warm. Soon he felt drowsy, but there were many superstitions about sleeping during the day during the Chinese New Year. Feng Yiping simply took out his winter holiday homework and tried to finish the rest in the afternoon.

In the evening, there is the reunion dinner. Firecrackers are set off before dinner, and the front door is bolted shut to prevent any interruptions. At the reunion dinner, you must eat pig's feet. As usual, there is a large table of dishes, but in fact, you are already full after eating a bowl of pig's feet.

In the evening, CCTV has the Spring Festival Gala, and Feng Hongbing invites Feng Yiping to his house to watch it. Feng Yiping thinks that on New Year's Eve, the family should stay at home together, so he says that he wants to go to bed early and watch the broadcast tomorrow when he goes to his house to pay New Year's visits.

Feng Zhenchang stirred the firewood in the fireplace to make it burn more fiercely, and said, 'We should buy a TV this year.'

Mei Qiuping hadn't even said anything yet, but Feng Yiping jumped in and said, 'Next year, we won't be home much, so there's no point in buying one. Besides, TVs get better and cheaper every year. Next year, let's get a good one.'

It so happened that this year, the state had completely liberalised the price of televisions. However, a 14-inch black-and-white television still cost thousands of yuan, while a 17-inch colour television cost more than 2,000 yuan. Feng Yiping truly felt that buying a television at this time was not cost-effective.

Mei Qiuping did not object this time, 'We still need to buy a television, so that Yiping doesn't always go to other people's houses to watch TV.' There was no way around it; Mei Qiuping had always been generous with Feng Yiping.

Taking advantage of the good mood of both parents, Feng Yiping tactfully suggested that they rent a place near the school next year, where he could cook for himself. Now that he is growing, eating pickled vegetables is not good for his nutrition. Besides, living away from home would allow him to make better use of his time at night, whether it be studying or writing. Feng Yiping specifically pointed out that if he lived away from home, he would be able to write more articles.

This year he has earned more than 4,000 yuan, which is a strong reason, especially for Mei Qiuping.

In fact, the main reason is that he really finds it hard to get used to the current dormitory. He can't really accept the idea of having to stay there for at least another two and a half years.

Feng Zhenchang said, 'Now we can finally earn some money each year, unlike before when your main task was to study hard and not let your studies suffer just to earn some royalties.'

Feng Yiping said, 'I know, I definitely have to focus on my studies.'

Mei Qiuping said, 'Yiping is right. Look at him, he's always so thin. Pickling vegetables for the whole day at school is not good.'

Feng Zhenchang said, 'Why don't we talk to the Kaimings? Their house is right across the street from the school, it's very convenient.'

Feng Yiping objected first, 'It's convenient at my aunt's house, but it's okay to go there for a meal occasionally. Our two families aren't that close, and I'm afraid it would be bad if we had a fight. Besides, Lin Hui is a big girl, and if I keep going to her house, people will talk.'

In fact, Feng Yiping was mainly worried that if he was to eat at Lin Hui's house or stay at school, his wishful thinking would be dashed.

'Why don't we buy a bicycle and go to Meijiawan every day?' Feng Zhanchang said.

'It takes an hour each way, so not only will we not save time, we'll spend even more,' Feng Yiping said.

Mei Qiuping looked at him and said, 'Then let's go to the township and look. The school is close to the township, and it shouldn't take more than ten minutes to ride a bike.'

It was the Chinese New Year, and their son had done so well in school both this year and last year. The two adults couldn't object at once. Feng Zhenchang thought for a moment and said, 'Okay, but it's definitely not going to happen this semester. We'll wait until the summer vacation, when we'll have some money in our hands.'

Feng Yiping said, 'Okay, but you don't have to pay for this. I should be able to earn it.'

Mei Qiuping also said, 'Yiping, this year you have written articles for money to help the family. I know you are considerate of your parents, and I know that it is not easy to earn a living writing articles. Now that your father and I can earn some money, there is no need for you to work so hard to earn money by writing articles. You should focus on your studies and do well in your studies. That is your top priority now.'

Feng Yiping could only explain again, 'I know what is important. Writing something now really does not affect my studies.'

Feng Zhenchang said, 'That's good, we know you understand, you know what's important. We've told you again and again to study hard, so it's good that you've taken it to heart. Then let's say it's a deal, during the summer holiday we'll go to the countryside to find a house and buy a bicycle, okay?'

'Okay,' Feng Yiping was very happy, he had finally agreed! His biggest worry was that his parents wouldn't feel comfortable with him living on his own, and he had prepared several lines of argument, but he didn't expect them to mention it at all.

In fact, he didn't know that since Feng Yiping had shown his parents the way and earned three or four thousand yuan himself, his parents had already treated him like an adult. Rural children mature early. Generally, by the time they reach primary school, they have learned everything their families can do, and living alone is no problem at all. If it had been a girl, her parents might have worried a little. What problems could a young man have? Besides, Feng Zhanchang and the others had already decided that even if Feng Yiping lived away from home, they would definitely make sure that Mei Jianzhong and the others visited often.

'One night equals two years, and five o'clock in the morning is two years,' according to the old rules, one should stay up all night to welcome the New Year. Feng Yiping remembered that when his grandfather was still alive, the family really did that. But nowadays, no family can do it.

Sitting around the fire, they talked about the ups and downs of life. It was past eleven o'clock, and they were getting a little tired, so they went to bed.