When Zhou Yang left the engineering team, it was already past two o'clock in the afternoon!
At this time, the loudspeaker in the village suddenly rang out the sound of "咿咿咿亚亚" singing a big opera.
"Tang Junrui wears a emerald crown with phoenix wings spread on her head. She wears a brocade robe with eight blessings and a Bailan skirt tied at the waist. She lifts her lotus steps lightly and moves forward. Today is my father-in-law's birthday, and my brother-in-law and sister-in-law are here to celebrate their 100th birthday..."
Listening to the familiar lyrics, Zhou Yang knew that the song was playing the famous "Striking the Golden Bough" in Jin Opera.
Jin opera is a local opera that originated in Shanxi Province. It is also known as Shanxi Bangzi. It is very popular in central Shanxi, northern Shanxi and Saibei provinces and is deeply loved by the people.
Although many people have never learned it, they can still hum a line or two, which shows how popular Jin Opera is in the local area.
Listening to Jin Opera at the beginning and end of the year is considered a local custom and one of the few forms of entertainment for ordinary people.
In the past, there were Yangko and lion dances during the Chinese New Year. After free time, we could occasionally play cards and drink wine, so it was particularly lively and interesting.
But in recent years, all of them have been banned one after another, and even holidays are not allowed during the Spring Festival.
That’s right, there is no holiday for the Spring Festival right now!
Especially in cities, it’s almost the same as going to work.
Before the Spring Festival nine years ago, newspapers across the country published "letters from readers" and "proposals" proposing not to go home during the Spring Festival.
"People's Daily" also published "Fifty-seven organizations jointly issued a proposal to break old customs, not take a holiday during the Spring Festival, and launch a mass struggle to seize power." This initiative aroused great repercussions across the country.
Just 4 days later, the above issued a notice that there would be no holiday during the Spring Festival.
In addition to no holidays, there are three requirements mentioned above:
The first is to "promote production". Don't go home during the Spring Festival, actively participate in production work, and turn winter leisure into winter busy.
The second is to prohibit all so-called "feudal customs" during the Spring Festival, such as setting off firecrackers, burning incense and worshiping Buddha, dancing dragons and lions, and kowtowing to pay New Year greetings.
Third, no eating or drinking, let alone playing cards.
Among the familiar Spring Festival customs, only posting Spring Festival couplets has been retained, but the content is quite different.
All the classic blessing couplets in the past have been replaced by new ones. The most representative one is undoubtedly - "The war will not stop at thirty, and we will continue to work on the first day of the new year."
Because of this, it is understandable that Qiao Weiguo and others did not go home during the Chinese New Year, and it would not be so unexpected for the research team to come during the Chinese New Year.
In fact, not only Qiao Weiguo and others, but also the workers and cadres in the city have no idea of celebrating the New Year.
I'm afraid only the farmers, especially those in the north, are interested in celebrating the New Year.
After all, it’s freezing cold all over the north during this period. Apart from collecting manure, retting fertilizers and holding meetings, there seems to be nothing else to do, and it’s not allowed to celebrate the New Year!
So from this aspect, farmers also have the benefits of being farmers!
Back home, the family was still making dumplings.
The chopping board on top of the big red cabinet and the bamboo sieve are all full of wrapped dumplings.
Although Zhou Yang didn't count them in detail, there were at least several hundred.
But this is far from enough. You must know that their family now has six adults and one baby. If they only eat dumplings, a meal will cost one hundred, fifty or sixty.
This does not include the old house. Zhou Yang plans to invite the old house to have a reunion dinner during the Chinese New Year. With so many people, these dumplings will definitely not be enough.
Li Youwei and her parents had a tacit understanding not to ask about Zhou Yang's work. They all knew that he was working for the country now and many things needed to be kept secret, so they tried their best not to ask.
But the little girl didn't have so many scruples. When she saw Zhou Yang pushing open the door and coming in, she immediately asked excitedly: "Dad, what have you been doing and why did you come back? Do you think the dumplings I made look good?"
Zhou Yang saw that the little girl's body and face were all covered with white flour, and she was holding a rolled-out dumpling wrapper in her hand. There were two shriveled "dumplings" in front of her, which were obviously Bao'er's masterpieces.
"It's beautiful! Bao'er's bag is the prettiest!"
Then Zhou Yang asked again: "Dad, let me ask you, who will eat these dumplings you made?"
"To mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, Uncle Fan, and Uncle Liu!"
Children are still innocent, and you can immediately tell the distance and distance from their words.
"Bao'er, do you think the Chinese New Year will be a good time?" Zhou Yang asked while washing his hands.
"Okay, Bao'er likes the Chinese New Year the most!"
Hearing this, everyone in the family laughed.
Baoer was inexplicably laughed at by everyone. She didn't understand what her parents and grandparents were laughing about, but the happy little girl never struggled with issues she didn't understand, and she started laughing too.
Looking at his little baby's innocent smile, Zhou Yang's heart almost melted, and he couldn't help but think of himself.
When I was a child, I always felt that the year passed very slowly, and it was very long from the beginning to the end of the year. Every day I was looking forward to growing up quickly.
But now it feels like a year goes by so fast. The older I get, the faster the days pass. A year has passed by without even noticing.
Father Zhou Yawen listened to the conversation between his son and his eldest granddaughter and couldn't help but said: "You have caught up with the good times. You had to work during the Chinese New Year a few years ago!"
The mother, Ye Lifang, smiled and said: "It's just work, what I'm most afraid of is that I'll make you eat the sweet rice of remembering the hardships and thinking about the sweet things!"
Hearing Yikusisi sweet rice, except for Baoer, everyone in the room had a flash of fear on their faces.
It is said that eating is an important part of the New Year atmosphere.
But in the past few years, in addition to prohibiting eating and drinking at home, work canteens in cities and commune canteens in rural areas also organized people to eat "remembering the bitter and thinking of the sweet rice".
It is made of wild vegetables and tree roots, plus corn paste, dried sweet potatoes and other things to make porridge. The thing is as unpalatable as it is. The purpose is to make everyone remember the "evil old society" and love the new. society.
Fortunately, in the past few years, people have gone through the transition from "big pot rice" to "home-made rice". Although supplies are still scarce, they don't have to eat grass root porridge and leaf soup during the Chinese New Year as before.
And at the end of the year, most cooperative members will have some food stamps and meat stamps in their hands, so they will go to the supply and marketing cooperative to exchange for some things and improve their lives.
All in all, although life has been difficult these past few years, there are not so many restrictions during the New Year!
The family was making dumplings and chatting, and soon it got dark!
Later, Zhou Yang came to the kitchen to cook New Year's Eve dinner, while others continued to make dumplings.
The New Year's Eve dinner is the last meal of the year, so most people will cook it very sumptuously, unless they don't have that condition.
Obviously, for the current Zhou family, they still have no problem with a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner.
Zhou Yang first brought the previously cooked pig heads, pig's trotters, braised chicken, and braised duck into the house and woke them up. He could eat them after heating them up.
Later, he took potatoes, radishes and Chinese cabbage and made a vegetarian stir-fried potato shreds, vinegar cabbage and cold radish.
Don’t just eat meat for New Year’s Eve dinner, you have to have a mix of meat and vegetables!
When the meal is almost done, the dumplings in the house are also ready!
After briefly tidying up the "battlefield", Zhou Yang cut the heated pig's head and pig's trotters into large pieces, put them on a plate and brought them to the house. He also chopped chicken and duck into pieces and put them on plates respectively.
After a while, a sumptuous meal was brought to the Kang table.
After the dumplings are cooked, the Zhou family’s New Year’s Eve dinner will be in order!
(Bamboo sieve: used to filter sand from food and is also a container for storing things)
(Recalling bitter experiences and thinking about sweet rice)
(Yi Ku Si Sweet Recipe)
(Remembering the bitter and thinking of the sweet)
