Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 849 Celebrating the Little New Year

In Chen Fan's view, white noise is simply the sound that makes you want to fall asleep.

For example, the sounds of rain, streams, birdsong, and the crackling of firewood burning in the fireplace that you can hear while lying in bed, especially the howling north wind outside when you are wrapped tightly in a blanket on a snowy day.

If there's a soft... bolster pillow in your bed.

They could sleep until the end of time.

At this moment, Chen Fan was hugging a soft pillow, nestled in a warm bed, with a cozy fireplace burning in the room, and listening to the howling north wind outside. Even though the pillow had been worn out for the nth time, he was too lazy to get out of bed.

Jiang Lili laboriously poked half her head out of the covers and said helplessly, "Xiao Fan, a new bride has to serve tea to her elders in the morning, shall we get up?"

Chen Fan didn't even open his eyes. "This is bad."

He paused for a moment, then tightened the pillow in his arms and mumbled, "Don't worry, who wants to get up early on such a cold day? My aunt and uncle are probably still sleeping, and Zhou Yali? She's even less likely to get up early."

Besides, she's not exactly an elder.

"It's okay, go to sleep."

Jiang Lili didn't dare to break free from him and get up on her own, so she could only pout and rub her head against the pillow.

Then he was suppressed by a palm.

Just when she was feeling a little apprehensive, her savior finally arrived.

The door was suddenly pushed open and then closed, and a person walked in.

Wearing a fur coat, Jiang Tiantian walked to the bedside and sat down, saying helplessly, "Did you all agree on this? If you don't get up, my aunt and uncle are still sleeping. When are we going to get to drink this filial tea?"

Generally, the people who accompanied the bride will be sent back by the groom's family on the same day after the wedding ceremony and the banquet.

Of course, later everyone had a car, so driving back home was just as easy.

However, some people stay overnight.

If the two families live far apart, the groom's family will arrange for the bride's relatives and friends who accompanied her to stay overnight, treat them to a good meal the next day, and then arrange for them to be sent back.

However, only two people accompanied the bride yesterday: Jiang Tiantian and Secretary Li, who served as the bride's matchmaker.

But after the banquet, Secretary Li and Factory Director Yang were both invited by Captain Yang to his home for another round of drinks. ...Perhaps because they were business partners, they somehow got along quite well, able to invite each other to their homes for drinks?
In short, Secretary Li was unable to leave, and Jiang Tiantian naturally stayed as well.

Unexpectedly, I became the first one to disturb my peaceful sleep.

Jiang Lili raised her neck and looked at her with a bitter expression, "Sister, Xiao Fan won't let me get up."

Then, out of curiosity, she asked, "Are your uncles really not up yet?"

Jiang Tiantian opened her mouth, then her expression changed. She helplessly tugged at one hand, but couldn't hold it. She could only shake her head and say, "Yes, I was planning to get up early to boil water so you could serve tea to your uncle and aunt, but the kettle is already full, and no one's up yet..."

Before she could finish speaking, Chen Fan put his arm around her and said, "Since you haven't gotten up yet, you can sleep a little longer."

He slept for almost an hour.

It wasn't until Chen Fan heard the little guy laughing and playing in the room downstairs that he reluctantly dragged the two of them up.

Last night, Yang Mei and her apprentices all went home. Zhou Zhengdong and Zhao Wanru took the little one to sleep in the master bedroom on the first floor, mainly because there is a kang (heated brick bed) there.

Zhou Yali could only sleep in the guest room with a long face, but thankfully there was a fireplace, so she slept relatively peacefully. Jiang Tiantian was in the next room. Chen Fan, of course, lived in the new house with Jiang Lili.

So at this time, the two rooms next door on the second floor were empty, and no one was disturbing them.

Nevertheless, the two were extremely nervous, since they didn't have Chen's ability to hear any suspicious sounds.

Only after she finished dressing and saw that her sister was also ready did Jiang Lili finally breathe a sigh of relief. She ran to the window, pulled back the curtains, and her eyes lit up instantly. "Wow, what beautiful snow!"

Jiang Tiantian took the leather coat off the hanger, stood behind Chen Fan, opened it, and helped him put it on. Just then, she heard her sister's words and couldn't help but turn around and laugh, "You've been here for three years, haven't you seen enough snow scenery yet?"

Jiang Lili turned around, wrinkled her nose, and said with a pout, "Back then, I was thinking about earning work points every day, and there were things to do at home. I didn't have the leisure to enjoy the snow scenery."

In the past, when this topic came up, the two sisters would have both become melancholic and sentimental.

Now, times have changed, and the Jiang family is no longer in a precarious state. With their lives going smoothly, they treat past troubles as idle gossip and laugh them off lightly.

After getting dressed and tidying himself up, Chen Fan pulled the two of them aside and kissed them, then said with a smile, "They should be up by now, let's go downstairs."

Upon hearing this, the two sisters quickly ran downstairs.

Jiang Lili even pinched him, saying, "Why didn't you say so earlier? It'll be so awkward when you meet your uncle and aunt later."

Chen Fan raised an eyebrow and followed behind him downstairs as if nothing had happened.

When we got downstairs, the door was already open, and a blast of cool air rushed in, dispelling most of the warmth inside.

But it also makes people feel refreshed.

Jiang Lili had already run up to Zhou Zhengdong and Zhao Wanru, blushing and bowing slightly, "Good morning, Uncle and Aunt."

Jiang Tiantian quickly poured two cups of tea and brought them over on a tray.

Zhou Zhengdong smiled awkwardly; he hadn't expected to sleep so late.

But elders are concerned about their reputation, so how could they directly apologize to younger generations?

He laughed and said, "Good morning, good morning."

Then, seeing the tea that Jiang Tiantian brought over, she suddenly realized, "Oh, you mean serving tea?"

He turned his head and looked around, then pulled Zhao Wanru to sit down at the octagonal table under Mr. Li's portrait. He then coughed and gestured to Jiang Lili with his eyes.

Chen Fan immediately picked up a cup of tea and handed it to Jiang Lili, who then presented it to Zhou Zhengdong with both hands, saying, "Uncle, have some tea."

Long ago, brides had to kneel when serving tea to show respect to their elders. However, in this new era, a standing bow is sufficient.

However, decades later, many places have reverted to kneeling as a form of greeting.

Zhou Zhengdong took the tea and was about to drink it when a loud shout suddenly came from the side, "Wait!"

The shout startled everyone.

If they were going to kidnap the bride, it should have been yesterday. What does it mean to say "slow down" now?
The next second, Zhou Yali, disheveled and wearing pajamas underneath a fur coat, with a small baby in her arms, rushed over, suddenly sat down on the sofa, and pointed with her right hand, saying, "You can continue."

After she finished speaking, she patted her chest, thank goodness, she almost missed the show!
Chen Fan couldn't help but touch his face, speechless.

Zhou Zhengdong and Zhao Wanru glared at her fiercely, suppressing their urge to punch her and swallowing their anger.

He turned to look at Jiang Lili and gave a stiff smile.

Zhou Zhengdong took a sip of tea, placed the teacup on the table, then took out a red envelope from his pocket, placed it in Jiang Lili's hand, and nodded with satisfaction, smiling, "Good girl." After Jiang Lili grinned and put away the red envelope, Chen Fan picked up another cup of tea and handed it to her.

Jiang Lili held the tea and bent down to offer it to Zhao Wanru, saying, "Auntie, please have some tea."

This time, no one said "slow down." Zhao Wanru slowly took the tea, took a small sip, and then put it on the table. She also took out a red envelope and handed it over, her face full of smiles. "Okay."

At that moment, an absurd idea suddenly popped into their minds.

If only this person in front of me were my own daughter!

Zhou Yali was unaware that her parents had dangerous intentions. After the tea ceremony was over, she clapped her hands and exclaimed, "Great! Now Lili is truly part of the family!"

Chen Fan glanced at her and said irritably, "You've finally said something nice today."

Zhou Yali stared at him with wide eyes. She had only said two sentences all day. Had she said something wrong?

Zhou Zhengdong shook his head helplessly, not wanting to pay attention to her, and turned to Chen Fan and said, "From now on, you are family. You must live well together and discuss everything. Don't hurt each other's feelings."

Zhao Wanru nodded and said, "It is said that harmony in the family brings prosperity in all things. This saying of our ancestors is a universal truth. You must keep it in mind and put it into practice at all times."

Chen Fan and Jiang Lili nodded in unison, "Yes."

After the tea ceremony, the elders say a few words, which is considered a routine matter.

In fact, Zhou Zhengdong had never inquired about Chen Fan's private affairs before, because he believed that his nephew was capable of handling them well, and given his personality and temperament, he would not mistreat anyone.

Needless to say, Jiang Lili was the only one in his eyes from the day he met her. She was also diligent and sensible at home.

If even the two of them can't manage a family well, then no matter what others say, it's useless.

A few thoughts flashed through Zhou Zhengdong's mind. He shook his head, turned to Chen Fan, and asked, "Today is the Little New Year in the South, right? Are there any special customs?"

He had barely finished speaking when a shout came from outside, "Master, we're here!"

The group turned around and saw Yang Ju carrying a large bamboo broom and Huang Ying carrying a shovel on the slope at the edge of the threshing ground, followed by Liu Dan, Zhang Cuie, Huang Li, Liu Lu, and Yang Mei.

These were the disciples that Chen Fan had taken in in two separate batches.

Chen Fan explained that it wasn't that he only accepted female apprentices, but rather that by sheer coincidence, all the people he received were girls.

He took them all as his apprentices for one reason: they were all truly sincere and devoted, and they were completely obedient to him, their master. If he didn't teach them something real, he would feel embarrassed.

Secondly, it's also a way to express one's attitude, especially to avoid suspicion.

Otherwise, if several girls live with one guy for a long time, do you really think there won't be any gossip outside?

However, some people—well, I'm talking about Captain Yang, custodian Huang, and accountant Liu—are determined to solidify the rumors.

Once the wedding is held, the gossip will naturally cease to be gossip.

In this way, they naturally don't care about gossip from outside.

As for what happens to those who didn't "succeed"? It's actually quite simple. Once the dust settles and the winner is determined, the gossip will naturally become meaningless, and no one will care.

But while they didn't care, Chen Fan couldn't help but care; he was still hoping to win the heart of the beauty.

If these gossips are left unchecked, who knows if the girl who is so devoted to him might secretly harbor resentment?

Taking them on as apprentices is the best solution.

Nowadays, there aren't as many gossips and rumors as in later generations. Not to mention female apprentices, even goddaughters have changed their image.

At this time, people's minds are not so complicated, especially among the general public at the grassroots level. The master-disciple relationship is very pure. Once someone becomes an apprentice, no one will think of anything else.

Originally, this was just Chen Fan's way of breaking the deadlock, but unexpectedly, he actually gained seven devoted disciples.

He strode to the door, looked at them, and said, "Today is the Little New Year. Why aren't you helping out at home? What are you doing here? Besides..."

He then pointed around and said, "Besides, this place was cleaned spotless yesterday, so why would it need cleaning again?"

Then he waved his hand and said, "Go back, go back, and take care of your own family matters."

Despite her young age, Zhang Cuie, who was among the first to arrive, stepped forward and said matter-of-factly, "We've already finished our family matters, and if we hadn't come, we would have been beaten if we had stayed at home."

Master, you wouldn't want to see us get beaten up during the New Year, would you?!

Chen Fan's face darkened. How was he supposed to respond to that?

Yang Ju was a person who did more than she talked. Without saying a word, she took a broom and went to sweep the snow on the covered walkway.

When the others saw her start to move, they all followed suit.

Standing behind Chen Fan, Zhou Zhengdong couldn't help but nod and said, "Xiao Fan, your disciples are all very good."

Chen Fan glanced back and said, "Of course they're very good, otherwise I wouldn't have taught them real skills."

Zhou Yali, with her hair all messy, walked up to him and asked, "Xiao Fan, where are your New Year's goods? I'll go get them to serve them."

Chen Fan smiled and said, "Forget it, they know this place much better than you do."

He then stepped forward and called out, “Don’t all crowd together on the threshing floor. Yang Ju and Huang Ying, you go to the panda enclosure. Cui E and Liu Dan, you go to the kitchen. The rest of you, go inside and clean.”

After a few words, they were all settled in, and the room quickly became lively.

They were all working, and Jiang Lili and Jiang Tiantian naturally wouldn't be idle either.

Moreover, Jiang Lili lived here for a long time back then, so she was no less familiar with the environment than they were.

Now that she has become the master's wife, no matter how much resentment she felt, Huang Ying and the others treated her with utmost respect.

Under Jiang Lili's direction, the area in front of and behind the house was quickly cleaned up.

In the South, the first thing to do during the Little New Year is to dust, which is basically cleaning. This seems to be similar in both the North and the South. The second thing is to worship the Kitchen God.

The tradition of worshipping the Kitchen God has a long history. The meaning is to hope that the Kitchen God will "speak good words in heaven and protect peace on earth", and to pray for a smooth year and a prosperous harvest.

However, we now face a problem.

The custom of worshipping the Kitchen God has been interrupted for more than a decade. Although many customs and traditions have been slowly restored in the past two years, no one dares to openly sell statues of the Kitchen God anytime soon.

Is it just about burning incense?

Zhang Cuie looked at the clean and bright kitchen, frowned and said, "My grandma just asked me to write a sign, why don't you write one too, Master?"

Chen Fan waved his hand calmly, "It's nothing, it's just a statue, I can just draw one on the spot."

(End of this chapter)