In my hometown, on the evening of New Year's Eve, the men in the family would bring firecrackers, incense candles, and yellow paper to the graves to invite their ancestors to come home for the New Year.

It's quite a grand ceremony.

Dad was carrying a woven straw basket, filled with yellow paper incense candles, his second uncle was carrying two straw baskets, containing more than twenty thunderbolts, and Li Dong was also carrying two straw baskets, containing ten large trays of firecrackers.

The three of them went out.

The village cemetery is at the foot of the back mountain. After leaving the village, follow the path and walk about 700 to 800 meters to get there.

Along the way, many neighbors invited their ancestors home to celebrate the New Year.

Some families have prosperous families, with more than a dozen families, and four generations of grandparents go there together. It is a huge and lively place.

Some people, who are young, just go alone and are lonely.

There are even some whose roots have been cut off, and there is no one left to invite them.

My father still has some traditional ideas, and he envies those families with prosperous families.

It wasn't that bad before. After all, I was poor. I only thought about making money to support my family. How could I still think about these things?

But it's different now.

After having money, he was satisfied materially and gained enough respect in the village, so my father began to pursue spiritual pursuits.

Just like Maslow's five needs theory.

But Dad obviously has more needs than Maslow.

During this period, my father nudged my second uncle more than once, asking him to have a second or even third child.

Give birth to two eldest sons.

How can it be just a girl?

You don’t have to worry about overage fines.

Now that you have money, you can fine me whatever you want.

As I looked at other houses on the road, my father started nagging again.

The second uncle just laughed naively and said that a daughter would be great, why do you need so much?

My father was very angry and said that when he gets old, he won't even have a person to provide him with a pension.

Li Dong said that he would provide for his second uncle until he died.

Successfully attracted the firepower to himself.

Dad said that he and Hu Yue are old enough, and they have met Hu Yue’s parents, so it’s time to make a decision. Hu Yue will graduate next year, so we can get married as soon as he graduates, and then hurry up and give him two children.

The eldest grandson.

After a second thought, I added that there was no need to wait until half a year later, and that we had to hurry up now.

Ask Li Dong to stop doing US stocks all the time at night and do something serious.

He also came up with a bunch of theories, saying, "What's the use of earning so much money? If you don't have anyone at home, who will spend the money you earn?"

He also used a big family in the village as an example, saying that Li Dong’s fourth grandfather had seven sons, more than a dozen eldest grandsons, and great-grandsons. Although he was not as rich as Li Dong, no one in the village thought highly of his fourth grandfather.

A glance at Grandpa? That’s a famous family in the village.

This left Li Dong speechless.

Just as he was talking, the fourth grandfather and his family caught up from behind.

The fourth grandfather, who was nearly eighty years old, led the way, followed by his son, grandson, and great-grandson.

After meeting and saying hello, seeing the full firecrackers that Li Dong and his uncle were carrying, and then looking at the pitiful few firecrackers in his own hands, the fourth grandfather told Li Dong's father with envy.

He concluded that Li Dong was promising. He had known since he was a child that Li Dong was an unusual kid and would definitely be promising when he grew up. He was right.

Dad felt proud, but he still said a few polite words.

When he arrived at the grave, he separated from his fourth grandfather and his family. While laying firecrackers on the ground, Li Dong told his father that you envy others for having many children and grandchildren, but they also envy me for being rich.

Let me tell you something from my father: If you have enough money to give you a fortune, I won’t be able to give birth to a grandson next year. Let’s see how I deal with you.

Li Dong and his second uncle looked at each other and smiled helplessly.

Firecrackers were set up, and dad also burned yellow paper.

Li Dong and his second uncle began to set off firecrackers.

Tens of thousands of firecrackers and more than twenty thunderbolts were set off for nearly twenty minutes.

In the entire cemetery, only Dong Li’s family kept more.

The houses that Fourth Grandpa and others came with have already finished putting out the items, but half of them at Li Dong's house have not yet been put out.

Grandpa Fourth and all of them looked at Li Dong's family with envy.

As the saying goes: When you envy others, others also envy you.

After setting off the firecrackers, Li Dong kowtowed three times in front of the grave with his father and uncle. Then his father shouted at the top of his lungs: "All ancestors, please go home to celebrate the New Year."

This shout was louder than ever before.

Everyone heard it clearly.

At this moment, Dad was in high spirits.

…………

After inviting the ancestors, I returned home and invited the God of Wealth again.

My mother and aunt have prepared a table full of wine and food, and the offering table is also filled with sumptuous tributes.

Before dinner, another firecracker was set off as usual.

This time, more firecrackers were set off. More than half of the hundreds of thousands of firecrackers were set off, which lasted for more than an hour.

There are hundreds of households in the village, and they all heard the continuous sound of firecrackers from Li Dong's house. Almost every household was talking about how lively Li Dong's house was this year.

Dad was very happy, and despite the doctor's orders, he made an exception and drank a few glasses of wine given by Mr. Hu.

Li Dong and his second uncle were even more open-minded. After finishing a jar of wine, they each drank another bottle of national wine.

The family was eating, drinking, and watching the Spring Festival Gala.

In his past and present life, this was the happiest New Year's Eve that Li Dong had ever had.

It was probably the happiest New Year's Eve that my parents, uncles and aunts had ever had.

As for Li Xixi, she is ignorant and happy every New Year's Eve, and she doesn't feel any different this year.

It was nothing more than that there were a lot of things on the dinner table that she had never eaten before, there were more candies than before, and there was more New Year's money.

It wasn't until midnight, after eating the New Year's Eve dumplings, that the family took a nap.

But Li Dong was a bit miserable.

Once after twelve o'clock, his cell phone has not stopped.

Many people sent him New Year greetings messages.

He also sent a group New Year greeting message.

That's not all. First, I gave Hu Yue a New Year's greeting call.

Hu Yue was with the old man, and so were her parents, who stayed up until midnight.

Li Dong paid New Year greetings to the old man, Hu Yue's parents, and Hu Chen on the phone.

An hour passed before I knew it.

Just as he hung up the phone and was about to take a nap, Ye Qingyun called him again.

Ye Qingyun drank too much as soon as he heard that voice.

Fei dragged Li Dong to chat with her.

Li Dong chatted with her in a daze for more than an hour, and passed away without even hanging up the phone.

When I woke up in the morning, the phone was still on, and I could even hear Ye Qingyun's breathing from the other side.

Li Dong smiled helplessly and then hung up the phone.

Then just after hanging up the phone, He Na called him again.

I asked him what he did last night and called him several times, but he was still on the phone.

Li Dong had no choice but to lie to her and said that he fell asleep while talking on the phone with Hu Yue.

He Na didn't ask any more questions, just chatted for a few words and then hung up.

A few minutes later, Wang Xiaowei called him again.

Li Dong saw that it was Wang Xiaowei's call and hesitated for a long time before picking it up.

After getting through, neither of them knew what to say.

After being silent for a while, Wang Xiaowei said "Happy New Year."

Li Dong also said Happy New Year, and then asked if she was okay now.

Wang Xiaowei said it was very good.

Li Dong asked her again where she spent the New Year.

Wang Xiaowei said that she was alone in Yuncheng.

Li Dong was stunned for a moment and asked her why she didn't go back to her hometown.

Wang Xiaowei did not answer, but asked him if Hu Yue had spent the New Year with him.

Li Dong said that the two were not married yet, so how could he let Hu Yue come to his house to celebrate the New Year?

Wang Xiaowei asked again when she would get married.

Li Dong said it was not decided yet.

Wang Xiaowei was silent for a while, and then said that when the two of them got married, she must inform her that she wanted to attend their wedding.

Li Dong said yes.

Wang Xiaowei then hung up the phone.

After hanging up, Li Dong felt inexplicably melancholy.

He actually wanted to ask Wang Xiaowei why she wanted to be with Fang Yunzhong.

But after all, he didn’t say this.

After having breakfast and changing into brand new clothes, Li Dong went out with his father and uncle to pay New Year greetings.

Mom stays at home and has to entertain those who come to visit her for New Year greetings.

On the street, there are groups of people who get up early and come out to pay New Year greetings.

No matter how this year went, on the first day of the New Year, everyone put on new clothes and went out with smiles on their faces.

When we met, we wished each other a happy New Year and exchanged a few pleasantries.

Dad took Li Dong and his uncle to the homes of several elders in the village to pay New Year greetings one by one.

A process that remains unchanged every year.

But this year is obviously different from previous years.

In previous years, when Li Dong's father and uncle entered the homes of the elders, they couldn't be said to have been left out in the cold. Anyway, the master's family didn't pay much attention to them.

When there were few people, the elders would simply chat with Li Dong's father, ask him how he was doing this year, how Li Dong was going to school, how his work was, smoke a cigarette, drink some tea, and that was it.

When there were a lot of people, Li Dong's father and second uncle were ignored directly. They sat in the corner and couldn't even get in a word. People gathered around those few who were doing well and talked with each other with all kinds of compliments.

No one paid attention to my father and second uncle.

But this year, no matter whose house my father and second uncle enter, they are the protagonists.

The elders in charge of the house will politely let dad sit in the main seat. If someone is already sitting in the main seat, that person will take the initiative to stand up and let dad sit.

Then, a room full of people gathered around my father and my second uncle, talking and complimenting each other, and people kept passing cigarettes and tea.

The treatment is completely different.

Human relationships are warm and cold, but that's all.

Li Dong did not act aloof and aloof, but instead chatted politely and familiarly with these elders and neighbors.

Some people praised him for his great achievements, some asked him how much he earned in a year, and some asked him when he would get married.

There are those who are envious and there are those who are jealous.

Li Dong was very humble and said that he didn't make much money and it was just outsiders who were talking nonsense.

But when someone takes out cigarettes, there are several cigarettes in a box.

Several young people who came back from the city even recognized the clothes worn by Li Dong, his father, and his second uncle.

They are all high-end goods that cost thousands or tens of thousands each.

I was immediately amazed.

After walking all morning, Li Dong's legs were sore and his head was buzzing.

But my father and second uncle were not tired at all.

This kind of treatment every time they go to a house, with all the compliments and envy in their ears, makes the two brothers enjoy it very much. Not to mention the father, even the second uncle who has limited legs and feet feels that today

They were both full of energy, working hard and not tired at all. If their mother hadn't called and said that many people at home were waiting there, they wouldn't have wanted to go home.

When I got home, there were indeed many people sitting at home.

They were all relatively close friends and well-known in the village. They came to pay New Year greetings, and then my mother kept them and let them have dinner here at noon.

Those people readily agreed.

In the past, Dong Li’s family did not have this tradition.

Not to mention that the cost of hosting a meal with food and wine is not small, mainly because there are not many people who come to Li Dong's house to pay New Year's greetings.

This year there were so many people coming to pay New Year's greetings. They came from far and near. When my mother was happy, she kept people behind.

Dad was also very happy. He quickly called people to sit down and asked Li Dong to bring out two boxes of good wine. The dishes were already prepared.

The cigarettes, wine, and tea in Li Dong's place are all high-end goods. I can't say that the neighbors and relatives in the village have never tasted or drank them, but they have definitely never drank the good wine that costs thousands of dollars a bottle like today.

Smoking as much as you want for a pack of 100 yuan.

Naturally, the neighbors and folks who got the advantage were generous with their praises.

Mom and dad are happy, and so is Li Dong.

After drinking this meal until dark, those people staggered away.

On the second day of the new year, Li Dong drove his parents, uncles and aunt Li Xixi to Hanjia Village.

My father’s three uncles are all in this village. Every year on the second day of the Lunar New Year, my father will come to pay New Year greetings to the three uncles and then have lunch at the uncle’s house.

Dad’s uncle is also the father of Li Dong’s cousin.

In his previous life, because of his affair with Han Jia, his father's uncle wouldn't let him in. On the second day of the new year, he kicked him out.

In the end, the third uncle couldn't bear it anymore and took the family to the third uncle's house for a meal.

Li Dong became very angry when he thought of these things in his previous life, and he didn't want to come.

But none of these things happened in this life. Dad still respected his uncle very much. Li Dong really had no reason not to come.

Dad’s second uncle and third uncle also came over. The two children from the eldest uncle’s family, Li Dong’s cousin, and a cousin all came over. The cousin from the second uncle’s family came over, and a cousin came over.

My aunt got married out of town and didn't come. A cousin from my third uncle's family, who was only one year older than Li Dong, got married last year and came with his new wife.

As soon as Li Dong and others arrived, the whole family came out to welcome them.

Even my father’s uncle came out to greet me in person.

The treatment is obviously different from before.

Obviously, this family knew about Li Dong's fortune.

After seeing Li Dong's Audi, many people expressed envy.

When Li Dong and his father got out of the car, his father's uncle came up and asked first: "This car is very good. Is it worth a lot of money?"

Dad laughed and said politely: It's good, it's not as comfortable as having a three-wheeler when I feel dizzy while sitting.

Everyone laughed, and the second uncle even teased my father, saying that he was a poor man and could not enjoy the blessings.

Li Dong is a junior, so he consciously follows at the end.

Someone tapped me on the shoulder.

Looking back, I saw it was my father's third uncle's cousin, Han Chunlei.

Han Chunlei is one year older than Li Dong, is one grade higher than Li Dong in high school, and has a good relationship with Li Dong.

Han Chunlei, like his father, has a loyal and even a bit cowardly character. When he was in high school, several sports students often bullied him. When Li Dong found out, he ran to the senior class classroom alone and bullied those few students.

The sports student was beaten up.

Since then, Han Chunlei's relationship with him has been very good.

Since then, Li Dong's reputation has spread throughout the high school.

Li Dong was quite happy to see Han Chunlei again.
Chapter completed!