But that was all the information she could get.
Gong Qiming never looked for Yue Jiannan again, and naturally, Yue Jiannan didn’t know the other party’s background or address.
Yue Qingqing scratched her head, feeling particularly worried.
She had identified the person, but how could she possibly find him?
During her classes, Yue Qingqing learned that the world is very vast, and the city she lived in is just a drop in the ocean.
How difficult would it be to find her junior fellow apprentice again amidst the vast sea of people?
Yue Qingqing’s little face was scrunched up in thought, feeling incredibly heavy-hearted.
Before she could come up with a solution, the New Year’s Festival arrived as scheduled.
Lin Chunju planned to take the whole family back to Daye Village for the celebration.
"After all, we come from the village, and it’s been quite a while since we’ve seen Second Brother and the others. Xingxing has been missing her parents too, so we should go back and celebrate this year,"
Everyone at home agreed. Although living in the city was clean and convenient, they always felt that going back home brought the real spirit of the New Year.
Time flew, and it was the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. The Yue Family in Daye Village was extra busy.
There’s a folk saying, "On the twenty-eighth of the twelfth month, make cakes, steam buns, and paste the decorations."
Yue Xiaohu, who had grown a lot taller, stood on a stool and pasted the couplets and window decorations one by one.
His head kept twisting towards the entrance of the courtyard.
Seeing this, Wang Xiaoni couldn’t help but chide, "Your grandma and the others won’t be back for a while, you’re so distracted. Be careful not to fall off the stool."
Before her words ended, Yue Xiaohu, who was anxiously turning his head, suddenly fell to the ground with a yelp.
Wang Xiaoni tossed aside her broom and quickly came over to check.
Yue Xiaohu rolled up from the ground and boasted with pride, "Heh, it doesn’t hurt!"
He wasn’t much talented in studies but had the patience to train as Yue Qingqing had instructed him to do.
His body had become much tougher than before, and he was used to falling and bumping around all the time.
Nonetheless, Wang Xiaoni slapped him on the head and said, "Always so fidgety, fortunately, you didn’t tear the window decoration. Go on and finish pasting the rest!"
Yue Jianxi returned home by bicycle, with firecrackers and meat hanging from both handlebars.
Yue Xiaohu couldn’t care less about his chores and eagerly picked up a pig’s hind leg, taking the initiative to carry it to the kitchen.
"Is mom not back yet?" asked Yue Jianxi, looking around the house.
"Not yet. She called before leaving. It should be about fifteen minutes more."
In the past six months, the Yue family’s old house had also been furnished with many modern amenities.
With the mediation of Yue Jiandong, they had installed a telephone line, making them the second household in Daye Village to have a phone after the village store.
There was no longer the need to walk to the store every time they wanted to make a call.
"Okay, then I’ll go catch a few more fish from the pond and catch a duck to bring back."
Mother often said that the first dish for the New Year should be fish, to ensure prosperity throughout the year.
With great anticipation from Yue Jiannan’s family, Lin Chunju and the others finally returned home.
Although they hadn’t seen each other for a long time, there was no feeling of estrangement.
Zhang Ying put down her things, rolled up her sleeves, and went to the back kitchen to help make noodles.
Wang Xiaoni looked at Yue Xingxing and Yue Qingqing, squatted down, and hugged the two children close, kissing them on the left and right.
"You’ve both lost weight. You need to eat well during the New Year! Eat more meat!"
Yue Xingxing and Yue Qingqing exchanged glances. Their diets had been good these days, and they had gained a few kilos since leaving Daye Village.
But in the eyes of their elders, it seemed that if they hadn’t seen the children in a long time, they must have lost weight.
Daye Village was filled with New Year’s cheer, and Yue Xiaofang made new clothes for each family member. Yue Jiannan wore his and went out to show off.
Soon it was New Year’s Eve, and the family gathered together in front of the television to watch the Spring Festival Gala.
Speaking of which, this TV was ordered by Yue Jiandong in advance, initially intended as a wedding gift for his brother, but now it conveniently served the whole family for watching the Gala.
The Spring Festival Gala was a national event. As long as a household had a TV, nobody would miss it on New Year’s Eve.
The highlights were naturally the skits and comedies, and between these, the song and dance numbers were also quite popular.
Many pop stars gained nationwide fame and skyrocketing value after performing a song at the Gala.
Having eaten his fill, Yue Jiannan patted his belly and nestled comfortably in his chair, staring at the TV screen. Suddenly, he sat bolt upright.
"Hey, hey... How come that kid is on TV?"