Lin Wei stuck out her tongue and cocked an eyebrow at Lin Yuan beside her, clearly disbelieving Lao Fan’s words.
Lin Yuan secretly smiled to herself, knowing that Lao Fan simply had trouble sleeping due to his age. But the stubborn old man just wouldn’t admit that he was getting old.
It was almost dawn when Lin Yuan and the others went to bed for a quick nap. They didn’t get up until some households began setting off their homemade firecrackers, dressing up in their new clothes, and then went to pay New Year respects to Lin Jiaxin, his wife, and Lao Fan.
Even Xiao Linshuang, who had been too lazy to dress himself since winter began, hurried into his clothes that day.
The new clothes worn by the three sisters were designed by Lin Yuan herself and made by Mo Sanniang. They consisted of a bright red cotton skirt inside, and on the outside, a red vest of the same color but with noticeable embroidery. The collar and shoulders of the vest were trimmed with white rabbit fur, making it look both adorable and lovely.
The sight of the three sisters dressed identically was especially striking, and it brought a sparkle to the eyes of Lin Jiaxin and his wife. The sisters had fair complexions, and the red cotton garments made their little faces appear even whiter and more charming.
Upon rising, Lin Jiaxin set off the family’s firecrackers in the courtyard. Their firecrackers were different from the homemade ones in the village, which were simply bamboo filled with sulfur and ash. They were not only unsafe but also not very loud. However, these were free to make, and the men of the household usually did so.
In the whole Lin Village Ravine, there weren’t many households that could afford to buy firecrackers like those at Lin Yuan’s house.
After Lin Jiaxin’s firecrackers went off, they woke up the entire Lin Village Ravine.
"Remarkable, these firecrackers really make quite a bang, they’ve left my ears buzzing," Lin Jiaxin said while digging at his ear, laughing as he entered the house.
Lady Liu came out of the inner room with Xiao Yongyan in her arms, and seeing him , she couldn’t help but snicker and tease, "Oh, you—people say the older you get, the harder of hearing you become. Could it be your ears are getting sharper with age? To be left buzzing by the firecrackers, they must have actually cleared up your hearing."
"Ah, so you’re hinting that I’ve gotten old?" Lin Jiaxin said, playing with his youngest son, who was not only unafraid of the noise of firecrackers but was also happily waving his little fists. Seeing his son so pleased, he became even more delighted, took the boy from his wife’s arms, and sat down to amuse the child.
With her hands now free, Lady Liu hastened to the kitchen to help her daughter boil dumplings. In the past, they would eat noodles on New Year’s Day, but for some reason, her eldest daughter decided to make a good number of dumplings the day before, and there she was, cooking dumplings early in the morning.
Dumplings were quite a rarity and had not been eaten before, but their taste was indeed delightful. Especially the stuffing—meat-filled, vegetarian, anything could be wrapped inside.
There weren’t any special traditions on what to eat on New Year’s morning here, but as long as the daughters were happy, it didn’t matter if it was dumplings or porridge; they were content.
On New Year’s Day, there had to be plenty of dumplings, and everyone made sure to leave one in the pot on purpose after eating, signifying abundance that couldn’t be finished and wishing for a home with plenty of food and drink in the coming year. It was also a form of blessing.
Lin Yuan held a large spoon and stirred slowly in the pot, where big, white, round-bellied dumplings floated on the surface. After boiling the dumplings three times, Lin Yuan scooped up a dumpling, pressed her fingertip against its slick belly, and saw the skin bounce right back—instantly indicating the dumplings were cooked through.
"Time to scoop out the dumplings!"