They chatted until eight or nine o'clock. Li Du got up to leave.
The old man, who was sitting on the sofa by the fire, laughed. "It's so late and cold. Why are you going back? Sleep here. We still have to open Christmas presents tomorrow. "
Li Du was so excited that he said, "That's not good, is it? Sophie and I are just holding hands. "
Sophie, who was teasing Ah Meow, understood what he meant. She looked up and said, "What do you mean? I mean, what does it matter if you say two sentences? "
Mrs. Martin smiled. "We have a lot of guest rooms here."
Li Du realized that he had misunderstood and quickly added awkwardly, "I know, I mean …"
He was racking his brains to think of a reason to explain, but he really could not think of any good one. He could only say that the praise that the old man had given him during the day had made him feel smug.
Ah Ow saved him from his embarrassment. The wolf cub, who was dozing off with her eyes closed, suddenly jumped up and looked warily at the yard outside.
Li Du changed the topic. "Ah Ow, what's wrong?"
Ah Ow looked back at him, then trotted all the way to the door. She leaned against the door and tried to look outside through the window.
The old man looked at his watch and laughed. "The good news must have arrived. Ah Ow heard it, right?"
Ah Ow opened her mouth and let out a low howl. "Woo woo!"
"You still know how to answer me? What a good child. "The old man was surprised.
Good news was an important part of Christmas Eve for Christians.
According to legend, on the night of the birth of Jesus, a group of shepherds who were watching their flock in the wilderness suddenly heard a voice from heaven telling them the good news of Jesus' birth.
The angel told the shepherds that Jesus was coming to be king of the world. They asked the shepherds to spread the news to more people.
Later, people followed the example of the angels and spread the news of Jesus' birth everywhere on Christmas Eve. Now, the good news segment had changed. People no longer reported the news of Jesus' birth, but reported the good news in the church.
After a while, there were footsteps outside. Li Du went to open the door and called Ah Ow back at the same time to prevent her from scaring the people, because there were children in the good news team.
Mr. and Mrs. Martins rose to greet them, and about twenty young men came in, dressed simply and neatly, with turbans and hard boots, like the shepherds of old.
At the back of the group was a little girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. She wore a spotless white down jacket with two small wings on her back. Her face was smeared with gold powder, making her look like a little angel.
What was different from tradition was that there was a cheerful Santa Claus in the team.
After entering the villa, a group of people gathered in the living room. The little girl opened her mouth and sang in a crisp voice, "A ray of hope, flickers-in-the-sky, A tiny-star-lights-up-way-up-high …"
As her voice rang out, the young people also sang, "All-across-the-land-dawns-a-brand-new-morn, that's comes-to-pass-when-a-child-is-born …"
Then the whole family sang along. It was a very famous song called "When a Child-Is Born," or "The Birth of the Son of God."
They sang a few lines together and then stopped. Mrs. Martin greeted the crowd and said, "Please sit down, Good Tidings Group. I have prepared hot tea and rye gingerbread for you."
The little girl licked her lips and asked expectantly, "Can we have hot apple juice instead? I have been drinking hot tea all the way here. I want hot apple juice. "
"This is a tradition, my little angel," Santa Claus, who was about to go hang the presents, said with a smile.
Mrs. Martin waved her hand and said, "Although this is a tradition, I think the angel's request is also in line with tradition. When the shepherds told good tidings, who said that they only drank hot tea and not hot juice?"
Mr. Martin nodded and said, "Yes, especially the apple juice. This is very historical. In fact, 300 years before the birth of Jesus, the Romans were already planting and grafting apples."
Sophie went to the kitchen to pour a glass of juice, heated it up, and handed it to the little girl. The little girl cheered and happily drank the juice.
The others were either sitting or standing, eating wheat cakes and drinking hot tea, taking the opportunity to replenish their energy.
Good tidings were a test of endurance. They had to go to all the homes of the church members, starting after the Christmas Eve feast and continuing until three or four o 'clock the next morning.
Mr. and Mrs. Martin chatted with the young people. The young people talked about interesting things that happened in the church during this period, and the Martins told some interesting stories about their own lives and the teaching process.
Li Du listened obediently from the side. He felt that these people were not sharing good news, but spreading gossip.
"Uncle Zickman spent Christmas with Aunt Susan this year. I think they will be together next year …"
"The female Samoyed in Gregor's family gave birth to five puppies. One of them is black. His male dog is whining. I guess that guy thinks he has been cuckolded …"
"Duron is going to sell his house. Looks like he is determined to go to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of being a star …"
These people chatted while scanning Li Du and Sophie, their eyes like radars.
Li Du could guess what they would talk about when they went to the next house: Dr. Sophie of the Martin family had found a Chinese boyfriend …
After chatting for a while, when Santa Claus hung the presents, they said goodbye and went to the next house.
For the Martins and the others, Christmas Eve was over and they could sleep.
Mrs. Martin prepared the most spacious guest room for Li Du. Sophie said, "We don't have air-conditioning in our house, so it will be cold."
Li Du said, "No problem, I have three little kids here."
"Two," Sophie said.
Li Du did not understand what she was talking about, but Sophie carried Ah Meow away.
Seeing this, Mr. Martin added, "One."
He went up to carry Ah Ow, but Ah Ow was too heavy, so he dragged her away.
Indeed, in the end, only one little kid was left. Crispy Noodles raised his head and stared at him.
After a good night's sleep, he woke up early and took Crispy Noodles out for a jog.
When he came back, sweating profusely, Mr. and Mrs. Martin were already up. Seeing him go to the gym early, they were even more satisfied with him.
Working in the university, they had seen many university students' irregular lifestyle of going to bed late and waking up late. Therefore, they particularly appreciated this kind of lifestyle of going to bed early and waking up early to exercise.
Next, the most important part of Christmas began: exchanging Christmas presents.
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