Chapter 111: New Year’s Celebration

From noon onwards, the sound of firecrackers rang out one after another.

It was a tradition to offer tributes and burn incense during the New Year. Although government policies now discouraged extravagant ceremonies, these customs had been passed down from the ancestors and were not so easily abandoned. As a result, the authorities mostly turned a blind eye, as long as things were not taken too far.

This was Shen Yiyi’s first time managing the household, and she was not very familiar with all the responsibilities. Just as someone from the old house came over to urge her, she had just finished making two large bamboo baskets of dumplings.

There was no time to cook any other dishes, so she took a generous amount of peanuts and candies over instead.

The crackling of firecrackers signaled that the festive atmosphere was reaching its peak.

At three in the afternoon, Li Chen finished putting up the Spring Festival couplets and New Year paintings before coming over to help with the New Year’s Eve dinner.

Meanwhile, Da Bao and Er Bao took Xiao Bao to clean themselves up properly.

By five-thirty in the evening, Shen Yiyi and Li Chen had finally completed the New Year’s Eve feast. The dishes included steamed perch, taro pork ribs, fried meatballs, stir-fried potatoes with beef, braised pork bones in sauce, and chestnut chicken soup—six dishes in total, symbolizing good fortune and smooth success in the coming year.

After everything was ready, Shen Yiyi took a plate and carefully selected a portion of each dish, placing them all onto one plate. She also brought along the new clothes she had bought for Father Li and Mother Li a few days earlier and carried everything over to them.

Mother Li was so delighted that she could not stop smiling. They had been staying with the main family, and since the village had distributed a generous portion of pork this year, they had been able to use a full jin of pork to make dumplings. They had also prepared another jin of pork with dried vegetables for a meat dish, while the rest of the meal consisted of vegetarian dishes.

Compared to previous years, this was already a decent spread. However, when Jiang Ailing found out that they would not be having New Year’s Eve dinner together this time, she immediately guessed the reason. Ever since the pork was distributed, she had been eating meat every day. She even took Jiang Wanrou’s meat tickets and went into town to buy half a chicken.

Before she had even started cooking, she had already begun boasting about it in the courtyard, proudly announcing that their family would be eating chicken that night—implying that their portion of the distributed meat had been well worth it.

Mother Li rolled her eyes.

Now that Shen Yiyi had sent over more meat and even new clothes, Mother Li could not help feeling smug. Mimicking Jiang Ailing’s boasting tone, she too started showing off in the courtyard.

This time, Jiang Ailing lost the competition once again.

Meanwhile, on Shen Yiyi’s side, they finally began their own New Year’s Eve feast.

The staple food was dumplings. As soon as Da Bao took his first bite, he spat out a coin.

Shen Yiyi immediately played along, exclaiming: “It’s a tradition to put coins in dumplings on New Year’s Eve! Whoever gets one will be blessed. Wishing our Da Bao good health and success in the coming year!”

Da Bao beamed with joy.

Er Bao and Xiao Bao, who had been gnawing on braised pork bones, suddenly lost interest in their meat. Hearing Shen Yiyi’s words, they hurriedly stuffed dumplings into their mouths. Shen Yiyi quickly urged them to slow down, afraid they might accidentally swallow the coins.

Li Chen’s gaze flickered slightly. While his wife was busy coaxing Er Bao and Xiao Bao, he quietly started eating the dumplings in his own bowl.

Shen Yiyi had prepared a total of five dumplings with coins, placing one in each person’s bowl. Before long, Er Bao and Xiao Bao also found their coins and were overjoyed. Shen Yiyi repeated the same blessing for them.

Just as she finished speaking, Li Chen nudged her lightly.

“Wife.”

“Hmm?” Shen Yiyi turned her head, only to see the coin in Li Chen’s bowl. He was looking at her expectantly.

“… Childish man.”

Shen Yiyi held back her laughter and deliberately teased him. “Oh, you got one too? That’s great!”

With that, she turned away and continued chatting with Er Bao.

Li Chen was still waiting. “Wife, that’s it?”

“What else do you want?” Shen Yiyi feigned innocence.

“…” Li Chen instantly saw through her teasing and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

Shen Yiyi couldn’t hold it in anymore and finally gave in. “Alright, alright! Wishing our Brother Chen a loving marriage, a happy family, peace, and abundant wealth in the coming days!”

A loving marriage. A happy family…

Li Chen was satisfied.

But Er Bao had objections. “Mother, why did you say so much more for Father? And it’s completely different from ours!”

Before Li Chen could respond, Da Bao held him back and said calmly: “Er Bao, you really need to read more books in the future.”

“Why?” Er Bao was confused.

Da Bao sighed. “Because you’re too dumb.”

Er Bao: “…” Utterly devastated.

Li Chen and Shen Yiyi: “…”  

Shen Yiyi picked up a meatball and placed it into Er Bao’s bowl. “Eat, eat.”  

That New Year’s Eve dinner lasted for more than an hour. With Er Bao, the little troublemaker, around, the atmosphere was nothing short of lively and joyful.  

By the time they finished eating, the sky had already turned dark. After tidying up and washing up, the family of five headed to the old house to stay up late and welcome the new year.  

A large group of family members sat around the fire, warming themselves. Meanwhile, Jiang Ailing, feeling excluded, hid in her room and refused to come out.  

Mother Li and Shen Yiyi, on the other hand, were thoroughly enjoying themselves. Especially Mother Li, who, feeling a bit idle, began telling stories to the children.  

The little ones were completely captivated, begging her to tell one story after another.  

Shen Yiyi had long outgrown such stories and wasn’t particularly interested. Instead, she leaned against Li Chen’s shoulder, absentmindedly playing with his fingers.  

At 10:30 PM, the Three Baos started getting sleepy. Shen Yiyi took them back home to sleep, while Li Chen stayed at the old house to continue the vigil.  

The sound of firecrackers continued sporadically until midnight, quieted for about four hours, and then resumed again at three in the morning.  

Shen Yiyi woke up at six o’clock to find that Li Chen had returned. She poured out the warm water from the kettle to help him warm his hands and feet before sending him to the neighboring room to get some rest. Meanwhile, she started preparing breakfast.  

As dawn broke, the Three Baos also woke up. They changed into their new clothes, and Shen Yiyi filled their pockets with candies, peanuts, and sunflower seeds.  

At this moment, Er Bao suddenly became unusually sharp-witted. “Mother, Happy New Year! Wishing you prosperity~”  

Xiao Bao immediately followed suit, mimicking him. Da Bao’s eyes sparkled with excitement.  

Shen Yiyi found it both amusing and exasperating. She handed them the red envelopes she had prepared in advance.  

The children instantly cheered, but Shen Yiyi quickly hushed them. “Not so loud! Your father is catching up on sleep next door.”  

Er Bao immediately quieted down, then grabbed his older and younger brothers, preparing to head to the old house to collect red envelopes from their grandparents. However, to their surprise, their grandmother was even more impatient than them. She had already dressed in the new clothes Shen Yiyi had bought for her, styled her hair neatly, and tidied herself up before coming over.

Right in front of Shen Yiyi, Mother Li twirled around once and eagerly asked: “Does it look good?”  

“It looks great!” Shen Yiyi responded enthusiastically.  

Mother Li grinned even wider. Looking at the Three Baos, who were fair and chubby like little lucky dolls, she hugged them affectionately for a while before taking them out for a stroll.  

Not long after they stepped outside, they ran into Wang Yan.  

Mother Li’s heart skipped with joy, and she discreetly adjusted her clothes.  

The moment Wang Yan saw the four of them, dressed festively and appropriately for the occasion, her eyes lit up. It wasn’t surprising for the Three Baos to be wearing new clothes—after all, their mother had money.  

But in all these years, Wang Yan had never seen Mother Li wear anything new. Even if she did, it was always made from poor-quality fabric. Yet now, Mother Li was dressed in a fine Dacron outfit.  

Dacron wasn’t cheap at this time. Most people couldn’t afford it, and those who had even one or two pieces would brag about it for a long time. It was usually reserved for important occasions.  

“Well, well, Aunt Li, your family must be doing really well this year! Even wearing Dacron now.” Wang Yan said, her tone laced with curiosity.  

Mother Li lifted her chin proudly, her voice full of satisfaction. “Of course! This was bought for me by my second daughter-in-law. She got one for her father-in-law too—both are Dacron!”  

“Your second daughter-in-law treats you two elders really well.” Wang Yan remarked.  

“That’s right!” Mother Li beamed with pride.  

That day, Mother Li strolled around the village with the Three Baos for a long time. Everywhere they went, people praised them. The more compliments she received, the more she felt like she was floating on air.  

In the end, it was only when Shen Yiyi, having prepared breakfast and noticing the Three Baos still hadn’t returned, went out to look for them that she finally called them back home.