How did hiring someone to press a pig image during Chinese New Year become a top trend?

As the sun began to set, the shadow of the Taihang Mountains, like a thick quilt, slowly covered Xujia Village.

The lights in the White Rabbit canteen were even brighter than at noon.

The "smoke" from lunch had barely cleared when a new "battle" began.

Fifth Aunt took off her expensive woolen coat and put on a faded blue blouse.

She stood in front of the large round table, holding a rolling pin in her hand.

The momentum was more like commanding a massive army to cross a great river than preparing to make dumplings.

"Everyone has it!"

"handwashing!"

"disinfect!"

"The men roll out the dough, the women wrap it!"

"Anyone who dares to roll the leather into a shoe sole won't be eating tonight!"

This shout startled my second uncle, who was about to relax in the massage chair.

My second uncle, a multi-millionaire, is behaving like a schoolboy right now.

He obediently went to the sink and rubbed his hands, which were used to count money, three times with sulfur soap.

Xu An set up his phone and aimed the camera at the huge, pieced-together control panel.

The live stream's popularity not only didn't drop, but actually surged to 1.8 million viewers because it was lunchtime.

[ID Cloud Supervisor]: Here it comes! The most anticipated regular program!

[ID Wants to Eat Dumplings]: How many are you going to make? That basin looks bigger than me!

[ID Details Weird]: My second uncle's expression cracked me up. He's all that swagger outside, but he still gets scolded by my fifth aunt when he gets home.

Xu An also rolled up his sleeves, wanting to help.

As soon as her hand reached into the basin, Aunt Wu smacked her hand with a rolling pin.

"Snapped!"

"Anzi, go peel the garlic."

"With your skills, the dumplings you make look like toads; they'll all fall apart when you put them in the pot."

Don't waste food.

Xu An covered his hands, looking aggrieved, and retreated to a corner. This was his status in the family.

Although he is a big internet celebrity with more than three million followers across the internet, in Aunt Wu's eyes, he is not as good as Er Ya, who can roll out dough.

The live stream room instantly filled with a joyful atmosphere.

[ID burst out laughing]: Toad dumplings? I want to see that! Please, streamer, show us your talent!

[ID Top-Tier Handicap Disability]: Not very harmful, but extremely insulting! The streamer is being scorned!

【ID: Garlic Peeling Girl】: It's okay, peeling garlic is also a core technical job, this is called... garlic paste ruthless!

Xu An sighed, moved a small stool, and sat down in front of the basket full of garlic.

He peeled garlic while explaining it to netizens.

"Family members."

"Don't laugh."

"Everyone has their own area of ​​expertise."

"My fifth aunt is the top pastry chef in our village."

"The dumplings she makes are called 'ingot bellies' because they stand upright, have thin skins and lots of filling."

"For us mere mortals, all we need to do is shout '666'."

The camera pans over.

Aunt Wu's fingers flew across the screen, so fast that only afterimages could be seen.

Hold the dough in your left hand, fill it with the filling in your right hand, and squeeze it with both hands.

A round, plump dumpling landed on the cutting board.

Moreover, the pleats of each dumpling are so neat and tidy, as if they had been measured with a ruler.

In contrast, my second uncle's place was a disaster site.

He used too much force, making the dumpling wrapper thin in the middle and thick around the edges.

Either it was rolled into a triangle or it was rolled into a rhombus.

"Xu Qiang!"

Fifth Aunt's roar rang out again.

"Are you rolling out dough?"

"You're making pancakes!"

Second Uncle wiped the flour off his forehead, looking miserable.

"This...this thing is much harder than negotiating a contract."

"That dough won't listen to me!"

"It's always going against me!"

Third Master chuckled to himself as he was in charge of stuffing coins into the dumplings.

This is the highlight of New Year's Eve; whoever finds the coin in their food will have good fortune in the coming year.

But Third Master, that old rascal, is quite wicked.

He stuffed all the coins into the oddly shaped dumpling he had made.

They even made a mark.

"Third Master!"

Xu An, with his sharp eyes, noticed Third Master's subtle actions.

"You're cheating!"

"Those coins are practically bursting the dumpling wrappers!"

Third Master glared, his mustache sticking up high.

"nonsense!"

"This is called... targeted poverty alleviation!"

"I'm just leaving myself something to remember this by!"

"Besides, these coins are all new ones I got from Old Hei, they're spotless!"

The live stream was filled with laughter.

Just as the dumpling-making project was in full swing...

Grandpa, who hadn't said much, suddenly pointed to the 85-inch TV on the wall.

"Anzi".

"Um... turn on the TV."

"I heard from a major country that this is...internet TV?"

"Could you please check out... Henan TV?"

Xu An was stunned for a moment.

"Henan TV?"

"Grandpa, would you like to watch 'Liyuan Spring'?"

Grandpa shook his head and tapped the pipe in his hand.

"no."

I heard it on the radio the other day.

"What kind of gala did Henan TV put on this year...?"

"They say they even invited the gods down to earth."

"I want to take a look."

Xu An realized it was Henan TV's Spring Festival Gala!

Although it was broadcast on the 27th of the twelfth lunar month, there was a recording, and now there are high-definition replays available online.

In the past two years, Henan TV has been incredibly successful with programs like "Tang Palace Banquet" and "Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River".

It has been jokingly referred to by netizens as a "cultural nuclear bomb".

But in Xujia Village, a remote mountain village with relatively limited access to information.

The elderly have never witnessed such a visual feast of "dimensional reduction".

"Okay!"

"Grandpa, wait a moment, I'll get it for you right away!"

Xu An wiped his hands, picked up the remote control, connected to the internet, searched, and cast the screen.

The 85-inch 4K screen lit up instantly, and the picture quality was so clear that you could even see the pores on the actors' faces.

Xu An chose the most explosive program – "Dragon Gate Vajra".

"Family members."

"Let's make dumplings while watching the Spring Festival Gala."

"Let the men and women of our village experience what... Central Plains culture is all about!"

When the music started, it was no longer the kind of garbled, operatic style.

Instead, it was a deep and powerful drumbeat, as if striking directly at one's heart.

The scene shifts, and the Vairocana Buddha of Longmen Grottoes slowly appears in golden light.

Immediately afterwards, a group of dancers covered in gold powder and with bulging muscles transformed into guardian deities.

They danced between heaven and earth, before the grottoes.

That sense of power, that solemnity that transcends a thousand years, that ultimate Eastern aesthetics.

It instantly filled the entire White Rabbit canteen.

The previously noisy sound of dumplings being made suddenly stopped.

The rolling pin in my second uncle's hand stopped in mid-air.

Fifth Aunt forgot to pleat the fabric.

The cigarette in Third Master's mouth fell to the ground, burning a hole in it, but he didn't even notice.

Even the mute uncle sitting in the corner suddenly stood up.

Staring intently at the screen.

Shocked.

This is a true example of dimensional reduction.

For the elderly who have spent their entire lives watching black-and-white television and listening to Henan opera,

This is a visually stunning scene that perfectly blends real-life scenery with special effects using XR technology.

It was practically a miracle.

"Goodness..."

Uncle Hei swallowed hard; the voice was exceptionally clear in the quiet hall.

"This...this is the Longmen Grottoes?"

"How did this King Kong... come back to life?"

Grandpa squinted and leaned forward slightly.

He had been to Luoyang, the farthest place he had ever been when he was young.

But in my memory, the Longmen Grottoes were just gray, dusty stones.

I've never seen anything so... magnificent.

"Is this something from Henan?"

Grandpa's voice trembled slightly.

Xu An nodded, a strange sense of pride welling up inside him.

"Yes, Grandpa."

"This is Henan."

"This is something left behind by our ancestors."

"Now, the whole world has seen it."

The comments in the live stream chat also became exceptionally orderly at this moment.

[ID Henan IP]: Stand up! Everyone stand up!

[ID Cultural Confidence]: This is Henan TV! This is our culture!

[ID Tears Up]: Seeing the grandfathers' reactions, I suddenly wanted to cry. The land they guarded their whole lives is so beautiful.

The scene changes, and a flying dancer floats in the air, accompanied by the sound of a pipa.

The mute uncle watched with rapt attention, his fingers tapping lightly on his knees.

Although he couldn't hear the subtle sound effects, he could feel the rhythm.

That is the rhythm etched into the bones of the Chinese people.

Uncle Fool also joined in at some point.

He was still holding that wooden stick, standing in front of the television.

Looking at those majestic King Kongs on the screen.

He suddenly straightened his back, faced the screen, and gave that not-so-standard salute again.

Perhaps in his chaotic world, these Vajras were also guarding something.

"good!"

Uncle Erda suddenly slapped his thigh and shouted.

"This is what real men watch!"

"Much better than those who are all coy and hesitant!"

"What's this called?"

"That's called momentum!"

The atmosphere in the hall was completely ignited by the gala.

The speed at which I made dumplings increased without me even realizing it.

It was as if the drumbeats on the screen became everyone's work chant.

"Bag!"

"Buy more!"

"I'm happy today!"

My second uncle stopped complaining of being tired and swung the rolling pin so hard it flew through the air.

Aunt Wu's face also flushed, and she hummed an unknown tune.

Xu An watched all of this.

Looking at the steaming room and the cultural feast unfolding on the screen.

Looking at the barrage of "as you wish" comments.

He suddenly felt that this year's New Year had just the right flavor.

I used to think that the New Year's atmosphere had faded because we couldn't set off firecrackers anymore, and because people had grown up.

Now I understand that the essence of the New Year is actually a feeling of "being together".

It's a group of people, gathered around a pot, watching the same show.

Let us think in the same direction and work together towards the same goal.

"Anzi!"

Aunt Wu suddenly shouted.

"What are you staring at!"

"Have you finished peeling the garlic?"

"The water's boiling!"

"Make dumplings!"

Xu An snapped out of his daze and quickly picked up the mortar and pestle.

"They're here!"

In the large iron pot in the back kitchen, water was bubbling and boiling.

More than two thousand dumplings, like a flock of white geese, jumped into the water with a splash.

Instantly, white mist rose up.

That's the aroma of wheat, the aroma of meat, the aroma of home.

Outside the window, a few snowflakes were still falling, but inside this White Rabbit canteen...

Spring has arrived ahead of schedule.

"Family members."

Xu An pointed his phone camera at the bubbling pot.

Through the hazy steam, you could see the smiling faces of every elderly person.

"The dumplings are in the pot."

"listen."

"This is the sound of happiness."

[ID Wants to Eat]: I'm going to cook dumplings too!

[Happy New Year ID]: Happy New Year, Xujiacun!

[ID守岁]: I'm not sleeping tonight! I'll stay in the live stream and celebrate the New Year with the grandpas!

Xu An smiled but didn't say anything.

He silently snatched the tray full of vinegar dishes from Third Master's hands.

He's not some million-follower internet celebrity tonight.

He was just a young man from Xujia Village.

They are the younger generation who serve tea and water to these lovely old men and women.

And this is the most glorious identity he has ever held in his life.

On television, the gala was coming to an end.

The host's impassioned voice rang out:

No winter is insurmountable.

No spring will fail to arrive.

Xu An glanced at the deep night outside the window.

He silently recited a sentence in his heart:

Yes.

Winter is over.

Springtime in our Xujia Village.

coming.

P.S.: Due to the need for a major update and plot developments, I can't finish writing the New Year's Eve episode. So, I can only wish everyone a Happy New Year in advance! May the Year of the Horse bring you good fortune, happiness, and prosperity!