On Lunar New Year's Eve, every family would wake up early and start cleaning their yards, putting up window decorations, and Spring Festival couplets. There was another custom in Nanyang, which was to build a fire. Coal was piled up in a cone shape and lit at midnight on Lunar New Year's Eve, indicating that the fire would burn brighter and brighter throughout the year.
On this day, there were many things to do. After tidying up in the morning, they would bathe and change their old clothes in the afternoon. At that time, there was only one bathhouse in Nanyang County. All the people in the county, young and old, crowded there, as if they were queuing to buy train tickets. This was conditional. If not, they would use a big basin for washing clothes and pour a pot of boiling water with cold water. The whole family only had one basin of water to wash. After washing, there would be a layer of oil floating on the surface, which was very disgusting.
The southerners asked the northerners how often they bathe. The northerners would usually bathe once or twice in winter, but in order not to be looked down upon by the southerners, they replied, "A week." Then the southerners said in surprise, "Oh my god! I can't believe it, how dirty is that? I can't take it if I don't bathe for two days. "The northerners were shocked and did not know how to answer.
Actually, this was the difference between the north and the south. The weather in the north was dry, and the winter was cold. Families did not have the facilities to bathe, and some places did not even have enough water to eat. Bathing was a luxury, so it was normal to have a small bath once a week and a big bath once a month.
After bathing, the children put on new clothes and skipped out to play. And the adults sat on the kang, drinking a cup of hot tea and watching TV. They could finally rest for a few days. In the evening, after dinner, the family sat together again, making dumplings and watching the Spring Festival Gala, welcoming the New Year.
When the Lu family finished making dumplings, Li Haidong happened to be there, and they made a mahjong table. Lu Yiwei quickly set up the mahjong table, while Liu Cuilan helped cut the fruits and set the snacks. Li Haidong was rubbing his hands anxiously and shouted, "I'll pay for everything tonight." After saying that, he took out 10,000 yuan from his pocket and threw it on the table. Without counting, he divided it into four stacks and distributed it to everyone.
Seeing this, Lu Yiwei put away the money and threw it to Li Haidong. "Then I can use your money. I will pay for it. Save your money for your wife."
Lu Ling did not want to be outdone. He stood up and said, "Don't worry about it. I'll pay for it tonight. You two big men, go away!" After that, he took out money from his bag.
Lu Weiguo joined in the commotion. He sat there and gestured with his hand. "Stop arguing. It's New Year's Eve today. The elders should give the younger generation a red packet. I'll pay for it."
Everyone stopped moving and looked at Lu Weiguo. Lu Ling curiously went up to Lu Weiguo and put her arms around his neck. "Dad, tell me, how much money do you have?"
"Me? Hmph! "Lu Weiguo became spirited and said like an old urchin," I have a lot of money in my pocket! It's all for my grandson's future education, haha. "
When Lu Yiwei heard this, he lowered his head in shame and remained silent.
Liu Cuilan's heart bloomed with joy when she saw the happy family. In the past, she was afraid of being poor during the New Year. The money in her pocket was not even enough to buy food, let alone buy new clothes for her children. Now, her children were successful. Her hard work was not in vain.
Liu Cuilan had long regarded Li Haidong as her second son. She saw him as her own, no different from Lu Yiwei. But all three of her children were single. Every time she thought about this, she felt bad.
Under everyone's insistence, in the end, Li Haidong stubbornly insisted on using his money. The mahjong table started to play. Liu Cuilan stood by the side and watched for a while. Then she went upstairs to pray to Buddha.
Every time the family reunited, only her second son was absent. Liu Cuilan firmly believed that her second son, Lu Yifeng, was still alive. He was in some corner of the world celebrating the New Year with the whole family.
Kneeling down, Liu Cuilan held a candle and prayed silently. Tears were already flowing down her face. "Son, where are you? I miss you! "
After Liu Cuilan finished praying, she turned around and was shocked. She thought that the gods had appeared and mistaken Li Haidong for her second son. It was only when Li Haidong called out "Aunt" that Liu Cuilan returned to reality from the illusion. She quickly turned around and wiped away her tears. "Haidong, why aren't you playing cards?"
Li Haidong knew what Mama Lu was thinking. "Uncle went to the toilet. I came up to get my phone."
"Oh." Liu Cuilan said. "Then hurry down. I'll cut some fruits for you later."
Li Haidong suddenly knelt down. "Aunt, I lost my parents when I was young. I've never felt the love of a mother or father. I can only feel the warmth of a family when I come to your house. Just treat me as your son."
Liu Cuilan was shocked by Li Haidong's actions. She quickly helped him up. "Silly boy, get up. What are you doing? I've already treated you as my own son. Don't say such silly things."
Li Haidong smiled through his tears. He took out a stack of money from his pocket and stuffed it into Liu Cuilan's hands. "Aunt, this is my filial gift to you." With that, he turned around and ran downstairs.
Liu Cuilan held the stack of money and stood there in a daze.
After thinking about her second son, Liu Cuilan thought about her pitiful granddaughter, Xiao Yu. Her parents were divorced. Her mother was injured. In addition to that kind of environment, she really did not know how Xiao Yu lived. Liu Cuilan missed her and wanted to get Xiao Yu back many times. However, Lu Yiwei did not agree. Lu Yiwei said that the divorce had been decided in favor of Li Shu-man. Moreover, Li Shu-man was divorced. Asking for Xiao Yu back at this time was like asking for her life. Her son was right, so Liu Cuilan could only give up. But in his heart, he missed his obedient granddaughter all the time.
Hearty laughter came from downstairs, and the crackling sound of firecrackers could be heard from time to time outside the house. In another hour, it would be the millennium. A new year was about to begin …
"… 5, 4, 3, 2, 1" As the host of the Spring Festival Gala on TV counted down together, the bell rang for the New Year. The sky above Nanyang was dyed with colorful fireworks, which decorated the dark night sky with colorful lights. Li Haidong bought a lot of fireworks for Lu Yiwei's family. He stood in the yard like a child and happily set them off.
Lu Yiwei stood at the door and looked up at the sky, his heart filled with emotions. The phone in his pocket rang. Lu Yiwei took out his phone and saw that it was from Li Shu-man. He hurriedly answered the call.
"Happy New Year, dad!" Xiao Yu's childish voice reached his heart through his ears and blood vessels. It was transformed into a deep feeling of affection, and Lu Yiwei instantly melted. All these years, this was the first time Xiao Yu called him dad. He could not help but hide in a corner and say gently, "Xiao Yu, dad also wishes you a happy New Year!"
"Dad, I will visit you tomorrow. Have you prepared a New Year gift for Xiao Yu?" Xiao Yu lay on the bed, looking at his mother, Li Shu-man, with big watery eyes. He tried to touch Lu Yiwei's heart with his words.
Blood is thicker than water, not to mention his own flesh and blood. Lu Yiwei could not control himself. Tears were already welling up in his eyes, but he forced them not to fall. He raised his head and tried to push back the tears. He choked with sobs and said, "Little Yu, Daddy bought you your favorite doll and a big red envelope for you, okay?"
"Really!" Xiao Yu crawled out of the blanket happily and jumped on the bed. Li Shu-man saw this and was also happy. Xiao Yu said, "Dad, I will look for you tomorrow morning. You have to wait for me!"
"Okay, dad will definitely wait for you!" Lu Yiwei said firmly.
Li Shu-man took the phone and said, "Is everything okay at home?"
"Yes, everything is fine!" Lu Yiwei and Li Shu-man were not familiar with each other. It was impossible to return to the past.
"That's good!" Li Shu-man did not know what to say. After a moment of silence, he said, "I wish you a happy New Year. I'll hang up now!"
After Lu Yiwei hung up, Su Meng called again and said, "Lu Yiwei, I am not your girlfriend anymore. Don't you know how to call me to wish me a happy New Year? After all, we had a past. Don't tell me you have forgotten about it? "
Su Meng's tone was still the same. There was no change in his tone. Lu Yiwei smiled and said, "Of course not. I was just about to call you, and you called."
"Okay, then say that you wish me a happy New Year now!" Su Meng said coquettishly.
Lu Yiwei had no choice but to repeat it. Su Meng smiled and said, "Don't forget our promise."
Lu Yiwei nodded and said, "I remember."
"Kiss me!" Su Meng imagined Lu Yiwei was beside him, feeling the unique scent of Lu Yiwei.
"This …" Lu Yiwei said awkwardly.
"Forget it if you don't want to kiss me!" Su Meng pretended to be angry and said, "As long as you have me in your heart."
"…" Lu Yiwei didn't know what to say.
"Okay, that's it. Go to bed early!" Su Meng hung up the phone reluctantly and leaned against the window, looking at the night sky outside. Her heart had always been filled with Lu Yiwei, but the secular world and confinement between the two of them had forcefully separated them, which made Su Meng sad for a long time. Her family was already helping her with the wedding. In half a month, she would marry Ren Dongfang, who she didn't like, against her will. All this was what she and Lu Yiwei couldn't change.
This was fate! Su Meng turned on her phone again and looked at Lu Yiwei's number in a daze. A tear fell on the phone screen.
Lu Yiwei's phone kept ringing. Most of them were calls to wish him a happy New Year. After the incident with Zhao Zhigang, everyone finally understood that Zhang Zhiyuan either didn't make a move, or once he made a move, he would amaze the world with a single brilliant feat. He was able to bring down the tyrant of Nanyang, Zhao Zhigang. This was not something that just anyone could do. In addition, he withstood the pressure and made the popular person around Liu Kecheng, the member of the Standing Committee of the County party committee and the secretary of the Political and Legal Committee, Zhang Lefei, a star in the province, which made everyone sigh with emotion. Therefore, some of the "Liu Faction" people took advantage of the opportunity and quietly changed sides. There were also some people who were watching on the sidelines who finally had their hearts set at ease. They closed their eyes and stepped on Zhang Zhiyuan's boat.
In addition, with their keen sense of smell, they could also feel something new. That was, Lu Yiwei was once again used and would become a popular person in the political circle of Nanyang County in the near future. They were not fools. The servility of the officials to curry favor with those in power was still deeply ingrained. For the first time, the heads of the various bureaus took the initiative to greet Lu Yiwei for the new year, which made Lu Yiwei feel flattered.
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