The Xu Family was bustling and busy.
Meanwhile, the Gu Family in South City was facing misfortune at every turn, with not a hint of the New Year atmosphere at home.
Their son, Gu Mingcheng, was nowhere to be found, and there was no word from him.
Since their daughter, Gu Mingzhu, fell ill last time, she’s been running a low fever off and on. The Gu Family’s business plummeted, and whenever Gu Hai returned home and things weren’t right, he blamed Fang Yue, and the two of them would argue as soon as they met.
On the twenty-ninth of the lunar month, Gu Hai made inquiries all around but still couldn’t find out where Gu Mingcheng was, so he went home in a rage and had a big fight with Fang Yue: "What kind of mother are you? If not, why wouldn’t Mingcheng be coming home for the New Year?"
"Is it because of me?" Fang Yue, unable to find her son and with a sick daughter to care for, felt wronged when Gu Hai blamed her, saying, "Aren’t I doing this for the family?"
"I’ve worked hard for this family all my life, gave birth to three children, and now, it’s all my fault."
While wiping away her tears, Fang Yue said, "I didn’t want to lose our daughter either, but if I hadn’t, could I have given birth to a son?"
"Mingcheng has been upright since he was a child. You used to praise him too. Now, he’s misunderstood us. Once he cools down, he’ll definitely come home. I also want to find our son. He’s flesh and blood from my own body."
Crying as she spoke, Fang Yue made Gu Hai even more agitated. He stood up and said, "Stop crying. It’s the New Year. Are you wailing like someone died?"
Gu Hai turned and walked out.
Fang Yue shouted towards his back, "It’s the New Year, where are you going?"
...
The Xu Family had a very sumptuous lunch. The soup made from freshly hunted pheasant was golden, the winter bamboo shoot and cuttlefish pork rib soup was full of fresh flavor, and the braised pork belly, both fatty and lean, was glistening. The fish Xu Qinghe caught from the river was turned into braised fish by Ji Ying, looking appetizing.
Besides the big fish and meat, there were also Stir-Fried Baby Bok Choy, bean sprouts, and the like. The table was full of dishes, with a balance of meat and vegetables, making it a feast for the senses.
On the morning of New Year’s Eve, Xu Nianji visited the Zhou Family and brought back a bunch of things.
Mr. and Mrs. Zhou no longer had their old attitude, as Zhou Qiang was now delivering goods by car, earning more money each month than he did working in the factory. The changes in Zhou Qiang were evident to Mr. and Mrs. Zhou, making them extremely grateful to Xu Nianji. Knowing that Zhou He was pregnant, they even gave Xu Nianji a chicken to take home to nourish Zhou He.
Originally, Xu Qinghe’s family planned to invite Du Chang’s family over for the New Year, but Du Chang said they had already celebrated there yesterday and planned to have them over to the county to celebrate at noon today.
With Pei Yicheng, Ling Dong, and Du Chang, the three of them could make a table of edible dishes, but preparing a New Year’s feast was challenging.
So, Pei Yicheng and Ling Dong specially hired a chef from a nearby restaurant to come to their home and prepare a sumptuous New Year’s Eve dinner.
Ji Ying and Xu Nianhua arrived early at Du Chang’s house, intending to help, but seeing that the chef had already prepared the dishes and started stewing them, Ji Ying gave up.
New Year’s Eve was lively. In the evening, after the Xu Family finished their New Year’s Eve dinner, they began setting off fireworks. The brilliant fireworks painted vibrant colors across the dark night sky.
Not only Xu Qinghe’s family but also Xu Yuchun’s family and several other households in the village had bought fireworks to set off, with the splendid fireworks filling Shuanghe Village with children’s joyous laughter, symbolizing the increasingly prosperous lives of Shuanghe Village’s residents.