In 1992, a small village owner became the richest man in the village by owning a car.

Chapter 24 New Year’s greetings
Since the old man passed away in his previous life, the responsibility of ancestor worship every year fell to him, the eldest son. Whether it was the whole family or he was all alone in the end, he still diligently took care of the ancestors' food and drink every year.

Yu Dawei reached out and put the sliced ​​tofu into the pot. He kept skimming oil from the side of the pot and pouring it over the tofu. In an instant, it felt like he had returned to a past life when he spent the New Year alone and offered sacrifices to his ancestors.

The tofu was almost fried. I scooped it out of the oil with a large strainer and put it in a bowl next to me. I'll arrange it on a small plate later.

Then came the fried fish.

The family members around were already dumbfounded. Even Old Man Yu, who prided himself on his composure, was incredulous. Was this really his own silly son? His movements seemed more skilled than even his own father's.

Unbeknownst to them, Yu Dawei became the head chef, while the old man became the assistant chef.

Zhang Yunqin thoughtfully took the apron off Yu Laonian's waist and tied it around her own son's waist.

It was around 9 p.m., and it was already dark.

Old Yu set up a bonfire in the yard, and next to it was an iron bucket containing a mixture of asphalt and various rice husks.

It's almost time to invite the ancestors home. The older generation likes to call this "inviting the gods," but as for why it's called that, Old Man Yu doesn't know either.

In short, it's just a custom that people cherish from their elders.

The small shovel scooped some asphalt from the fire, lit it, and then placed it somewhere on the path in the yard, continuing to extend the asphalt all the way to the front gate, until the small bucket of asphalt was almost used up.

After finishing all that, Old Man Yu took an old-fashioned candle and lantern and went to a place outside the village to burn some yellow paper to guide the ancestors home.

When he was a child, Yu Dawei often followed his father and helped him carry the lantern.

Occasionally, I would glance up and see my father's taciturn face, and at that time, I had no idea what he was thinking.

The most unforgettable time for Yu Dawei was when he was paying respects to his ancestors the year his grandmother passed away. On New Year's Eve, his father saw the black and white photo of his grandmother on the altar and could no longer hold back. He covered his chest, squatted in the corner of the woodpile, and cried silently.

That was the first time Yu Dawei had ever seen his own father so heartbroken.

After the ancestral worship is finished, all that's left is to offer incense, and then it's time to make and cook the dumplings.

Han Jingfan is now alone with his wife. Zhang Yunqin had cooked a pot of eggs before the couple arrived, so anyone who was hungry could have a snack.

Although eggs are not cheap in winter, we can't afford to worry about that during the Chinese New Year.

Moreover, her eldest son gave her more than a thousand yuan a couple of days ago. With this money, the family can afford to eat and spend whatever they want.

"Time to eat dumplings!" Xiao Fang, who was leaning over the stove, saw that the dumplings were cooked and ran into the house. "Big brother, second brother, you two hurry up and put the table on! Don't you have any sense of propriety?" (Author's note: "Sense of propriety" here refers to being oblivious to others' feelings.)
"Fine, this New Year's celebration isn't enough for you to make a ruckus." Yu Dawei rolled his eyes at his younger sister, walked to the wall, and moved the round mahogany table to the edge of the kang (heated brick bed). (Zahu: excited, happy, noisy, mischievous, etc.)
There are hinges under the table, which fix a thick, hollowed-out main wooden leg and a secondary wooden leg. The secondary wooden leg is pulled out, and the round table is raised. Finally, the top of the hollowed-out secondary wooden leg rests on a square wooden block under the round table.

The whole structure forms a triangle, perfectly securing the table.

The dishes from lunch and the new dishes for dinner were all placed on the table, followed by plates of steaming dumplings.

The dumpling filling is tofu, eggs, and celery. I reckon that people who have meat at home would never make this kind of filling. But since Yu Laonian's family is holding an ancestral worship ceremony, they can't put meat in the dumplings. So he researched vegetarian fillings for several years and finally decided that this filling was the best!
Savings money, delicious, and the best value for money. In Northeast China, people usually dip dumplings in soy sauce, but Yu Laonian is an exception. He usually dips his dumplings in minced garlic, without vinegar or soy sauce.

As for today, just dip it in soy sauce.

Everyone chatted, listening to the firecrackers outside, drinking and talking inside, looking at every smiling face, enjoying the warmth and happiness of the moment.

However, children are the most sentimental. Xiao Fang touched her bulging little belly and looked at the candle on the table with a hint of regret: "Our school has electricity, so why doesn't our village have electricity yet?"

"It should be soon. For the past two years, there has been a lot of talk about how every village and every household in every hamlet will have electricity." Old Yu sat on the main seat on the kang (a heated brick bed), picked up a piece of cold dish with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth.

“The village is still too backward. Your aunt’s family had electricity five or six years ago, and the streetlights are on all night.” Yu Dasheng clinked glasses with his father.

"Don't worry, I estimate that in less than two years, every household in our village will have electric lights, and the era of candles should be coming to an end soon." Yu Dawei picked up his glass, and the three of them took a sip of baijiu, savoring the taste.

Electricity was inevitable for every household, and then the wealthier families in the village acquired radios and televisions.

The first family in Yujiatun to buy a black and white TV was probably the old man's family, and then color TVs came out a few years later.

After the meal, we kowtowed to our parents to wish them a Happy New Year.

In previous years, Xiaofang received ten yuan as a New Year's gift, but this year she discovered that her parents had given her fifty yuan.

Then Er Yan and Da Feng kowtowed to their parents on the kang (a heated brick bed) to wish them a Happy New Year.

As for Yu Dasheng, Yu Dawei, and his wife, they were not young, so they didn't go over and just watched quietly with smiles.

"What's wrong with you three little brats? Don't you recognize your parents anymore?" Old Yu turned around, putting on a stern face as if to appear authoritative. "You think you're all grown up just because of the New Year?"

The three of them shrank back at the same time. Seeing that the old man seemed unhappy, Yu Dasheng decided to give this rare opportunity to show off to his eldest brother, and his bright eyes instantly reached out to him.

If it were the old Yu Dawei, he might have fallen for this, but as the elder brother, he should naturally take on this responsibility!

Now, haha! Didn't you see Dad's glazed eyes? He's obviously drunk. Who knows if he'll cause trouble while he's drunk!
Yu Dawei responded with a lively look and raised an eyebrow, his meaning clear: the old man's face was stern, and it was unpredictable whether he should approach him.

Yu Dasheng stared at his elder brother in astonishment. "He's really something! This New Year not only makes him older, but also smarter!" This is troublesome!
If the three of them remain deadlocked like this, it's likely that none of them will end up in a bad situation.

To the surprise of the two elderly people and all the children, the usually taciturn sister-in-law suddenly stepped forward.

“Dad, calm down. The three of us are not young anymore, it’s not appropriate for us to accept New Year’s money.” Han Jingfan smiled gently. “I think, how about the three of us wish you both a Happy New Year together, say a few auspicious words, and wish for good luck in the coming year?”

In the room, whether it was Da Feng, Er Yan, Yu Da Sheng, or Yu Da Wei, they all looked at this woman who spoke so eloquently and had such a gentle smile with utter shock.

(End of this chapter)