One year old is eliminated amidst the sound of firecrackers,

The spring breeze brings warmth into Tusu.

Thousands of households, every day,

Always replace old charms with new ones.

Even though dynasties have changed and the rise and fall have been staged in the course of thousands of years of history, the Spring Festival has never been forgotten from the day it was determined.

It evolved from the original beliefs, sacrifices, astrology, and calendar inheritance in ancient times. Along with the rebirth of all things, it brings people the confidence to start over.

This year's New Year is of special significance to Lin Ze's family. Their TV set allowed the villagers in Xuelletun who do not have TVs to have an unforgettable New Year's Eve.

Everyone has heard that there will be a Spring Festival Gala on the TV station this year. Someone came early to curry favor with Lin Ze’s mother, sending pork, corn, eggs, and even old hens that no longer lay eggs, just to have a good relationship with his family and be able to watch the TV.

Look.

However, there were no more than five households in the village with TVs, and there were hundreds of people without TVs. Lin Ze's family simply could not accommodate these people. Father Lin and Mother Lin did not want to disappoint their relatives, so they discussed with the village secretary several times.

The secretary agreed to free up the current village committee for the villagers so that everyone can use it to celebrate the New Year together.

The reason why village secretary Wang Baoku agreed was because Xuelletun also had a tradition of bringing all the villagers together to celebrate the New Year.

Seventy years ago, the first dozen or so villagers who settled in Xuelietun built the Lin Family Courtyard at the location of the current village committee to celebrate their return to their homes, and built a theater under the leadership of the then patriarch Lin Baoquan.

Taizi. Whenever there is a happy event in the villagers' families, they will go down the mountain and invite a group of opera troupes from all over the world to come to the village to sing a big opera. Sometimes it will be lively for a whole month.

It's a pity that the invaders came later and their home was destroyed. The Lin family compound was no longer as lively as it used to be. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Lin family population gradually declined, and the Lin family compound became the office space of the brigade and the village committee.

The old house, which has experienced seventy years of historical changes, is now showing its age. The wooden beams are badly eaten by insects and the foundation has sunk.

Nowadays, many young people are leaving here to work in big cities, and the old people left behind in Xuelietun are gradually like decaying wooden houses, only left to survive.

Only during the New Year and festivals, when young people come back from outside, do the isolated small villages like black and white photos add some color.

The old party secretary wanted to bring all these people together, and did not want the wanderers who had been away all year round to be alienated from the folks who gave birth to and raised them, and became "acquaintances who don't know each other when they meet, but laugh and ask where the guests are from."

Among the young people returning home this year is Hua'er, the old party secretary's daughter whom he hasn't seen for three years.

These old party secretaries were looking forward to their daughters, so their hair turned gray and their bodies became more and more rickety. It was not easy for them to write a letter from their daughters saying that they would be home on New Year's Eve this year. The old party secretaries were overjoyed.

I think that many of the young men who came back this year are reliable and down-to-earth. If I can find one for my daughter, my daughter may be able to get out of her last wrong marriage.

It happened that Lin Ze's father, Lao Lin, came to him to discuss that seven or eight of his family members wanted to celebrate the New Year together, but the family could not arrange it, so he asked him if he could borrow the village committee's house.

The old party secretary thought that this would allow the whole village to participate together, make it lively and lively, and also select a good son-in-law for his daughter among the young people returning home. Why not, so he happily agreed.

When the villagers heard the good news, they all actively participated. The people in the village who could read and calculate accounts were very busy. They spent several days calculating how many villagers there were, how much rice, noodles, meat, vegetables and other ingredients were needed, and then each family made reasonable arrangements according to the population.

How many ingredients does each participating family bear for the New Year’s Eve dinner?

Of course, their busy work is not in vain. Not only do they not have to spend any money on the New Year's Eve dinner, they don't have to cook separately, and they can also watch the Spring Festival Gala with everyone.

The hard-working women in the village start preparing their own special dishes three days in advance. Some of them are afraid that they won't be able to serve them on the same day, so they start practicing in advance. They are even jokingly called by the family member "the first time they get on the sedan chair, they will get their ears pierced."

At dawn on the morning of New Year's Eve, the lights of the village committee were turned on. Luo Hongjun, the women's director, beat gongs and drums to wake up the whole village, young and old, and everyone began to prepare in an orderly manner.

The women made fires, prepared vegetables, stewed meat, and fried meat pieces. The men were too embarrassed to stay, fetching water and chopping firewood. The children surrounded the adults, throwing two kickers here and there, and throwing cannons here and there.

Smoke curls from the kitchen and bursts of laughter. A year of frugality is just for the sake of being decent during the Chinese New Year.

This year, the Lin family organized the villagers' collective New Year celebration. Old Lin and Lin Ze posted couplets early in the morning and ran to the village committee to set up tables, chairs, peanuts, melon seeds and various fruit candies.

The five-treasure tea brought back by Lin Ze to honor his parents became the star of the reception. Lao Lin repeatedly mentioned it: "Try the tea my son brought back. This tea is very valuable. It contains several medicinal materials, which are good for the body."
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Unsurprisingly, Lao Lin received many envious and complimentary words of thanks.

Almost everyone in the village went there on this day, and it was even more lively than when Hua'er, the daughter of the village party secretary, got married. Everyone brought all their own dishes, chopsticks and stools. The women's director and Lin Ze's mother directed the women to wash vegetables and cook.

The men gathered together to play cards and watch TV.

Some anxious uncles and uncles poured some peanuts and wine to have dinner, and even asked Lin Ze to accompany them.

It was just noon, and Lin Ze, who had only eaten half a steamed bun in the morning, was already dizzy from drinking.

Lao Lin couldn't bear it anymore and sneaked home to sleep.

In the afternoon, the women prepared dinner, but upon checking they found that he was not there. Lin Ze quickly informed his uncle and went out to look for him.

A group of elders were all drunk now, and they shouted: "Old Lin loves face. He is afraid that we will laugh at him when he gets drunk on time. He did it first. If he comes back later, he will be punished."

Lin Ze hurriedly said: "My dad is not in good health. If you want to punish me, uncles and uncles, please punish me!"

Everyone said: "Old Lin is blessed with a good life and a filial son!"

Lin Ze was afraid that he would be embarrassed by his elders if he didn't leave, so he quickly put on his cotton coat and slipped out.

Lin Ze's mother chased her to the yard, grabbed her son's arm and discussed with him in a low voice: "North of the village, your second brother Lu and your sister-in-law didn't come. I don't think the party secretary or anyone else has any intention of inviting you, but it's the Chinese New Year, relatives."

We are all here, and I always feel bad if they are left alone. Do you think we should call out? If they don’t come, that’s their business, and we can’t be considered disrespectful.”

Lin Ze slapped his forehead when he heard this: "Mom, look at my brain. I need you to remind me. I've been so busy these past two days. How come I've forgotten my second brother Lu and the others? Please go inside."

It’s cold outside, I’ll go right away!”

Lin Ze held his hands and trotted away.

"You kid, why are you so anxious? Slow down and don't fall!"

Lin Ze’s mother shouted from behind.

The grandfather of Brother Lu who was mentioned by Lin Ze and his mother was handed over by Lin Ze's great-grandfather Lin Hu when he was doing business in Saharian. Later, when Japan invaded, Lin Baoquan and Sun Dazhuang sacrificed their lives to cover the evacuation of Xuelietun villagers.

, Brother Lu’s grandfather followed Lin Hu and Meng Lin into hiding in the mountains.

Later, after the war, the Lin family and the Meng family were resettled by the government and returned to Linjiabao, where Lin Baoquan and others first settled (renamed Xuelietun in memory of their fallen relatives).
Chapter completed!