I am about to die of old age, and I have awakened the character of longevity.

Chapter 117: Stay up all night to celebrate the New Year, and have peace every year!

Xie An looked at the little girl who couldn't even hold the braised pork steady but was still jumping around, and a special sense of openness and ease rose in his heart.

It’s been a long time since I saw such a cute and lively little girl.

Little Grandpa...

Although Xie An didn't like being called old, it was perfectly fine when such an innocent and lovely girl called him that. She was truly endearing.

However, as soon as Xiao Hongtang ran to the table and put down the bowl of braised pork, she was spanked and scolded by Tang Linshi. She said that Xiao Hongtang was impolite for not using chopsticks and that she had made Xie An's face full of grease and was disrespectful.

Then, Tang Lin took the handkerchief and walked over to Xie An in small steps, offering it to him with a full apology. Because Old Master Tang had sworn brotherhood, the generations had been a little mixed up, causing Tang Lin to not know how to address Xie An. She said anxiously, "Master Xie, please don't be offended. It was my fault for being so careless. Quickly wipe the oil off your face."

Tang Lin looked to be in her forties, with a few wrinkles on her face, but overall she was well-maintained and quite charming. She dressed simply and didn't put on airs.

Xie An thanked him and took the towel to wipe it, repeatedly saying that everything was fine, and emphasized that Xiao Hongtang was innocent and cute.

Seeing that Xie An didn't care at all, Tang Lin finally breathed a sigh of relief. She returned to Xiao Hongtang and although she didn't scold her daughter, she still glared at Xiao Hongtang as a warning.

However, Xiao Hongtang obviously did not take his mother's "warning" seriously. He just focused on eating the big piece of meat and making smacking sounds. His mind was full of how to escape from his mother's sight and then find his little grandfather... so that he could go out and play.

The education in wealthy families is very strict, and children usually start learning between the ages of five and eight. By then, there is no more fun.

Little Hongtang has been strictly disciplined by her parents since she was young. After the New Year, Little Hongtang will be five years old...

She keenly sensed that this new little grandfather held a special status and might be a great helper for her to sneak out and play. She couldn't help but start thinking...

The sworn brotherhood ceremony was declared over, which established Xie An's status in the hearts of everyone in Tangjiabao, and of course also determined Xie An's responsibilities.

Overall, the atmosphere became much more lively afterwards.

As the eldest brother, Tang Qingfeng took the lead in toasting Xie An, followed by Tang Qingyun. The rest of the family members also stepped forward to toast.

Even Longxia, Yi Qiutang and Chen Donghai all toasted warmly with Xie An.

The New Year's Eve dinner was held in a lively atmosphere and ended at the beginning of midnight when Old Master Tang gave everyone money as a gift.

Only when Xie An returned to the original independent courtyard did he feel relaxed all over.

Although he was called the fifth brother by Old Master Tang, Xie An was still very cautious in Tangjiabao. He had to consider all aspects of etiquette carefully. For example, when toasting, he must not leave anyone out, and he had to be careful with his words and remember everyone's name.

It's even more tiring than business entertainment in my previous life.

After entering this courtyard and realizing there were no outsiders around, Xie An felt completely relaxed.

The considerate Yuhe didn't ask any questions and came over to massage Xie An's back and legs, her techniques maintaining the same high standard as always.

Yuhe was naturally present at the New Year's Eve dinner just now. Seeing Xie An's busy socializing, she knew that it was not easy for Xie An, so she just focused on massaging his feet and didn't say a word.

Xie An suddenly asked, "Yuhe, how do you usually celebrate the New Year?"

He wanted to ask Yuhe if she had any family, but he was afraid of hurting her feelings, so he asked in a more subtle way.

Yu He frowned slightly. "My family is far away. When I was in Tangjiabao, we also got together for a New Year's Eve dinner and received some wedding money, just like tonight. It was also roughly the same when I was in Hulangmen."

A very far away place...

Xie An didn't know if he was overthinking it, but he didn't ask any more questions.

Not long after, Tang Lin came with two maids, bringing quilts for the night, a stove, some nuts, fruits, etc.

Xie An hurried to greet her, but before he could exchange a few words, he saw a timid little head popping out from behind Tang Lin's butt. Little Hongtang clearly wanted to go play with Xie An, but because her mother was there, she didn't dare to act rashly. She could only watch, smiling at Xie An and making eye contact.

After Tang Lin had made all the arrangements, Xiao Hongtang immediately found an opening and was about to jump forward into Xie An's arms, but Tang Lin grabbed her by the waist and forcibly took her away. "Your little grandfather is tired and needs to rest. Come back another day."

Little Red Sugar struggled hard to resist, but it was no use. Finally, an idea struck her. She pulled out a piece of nougat wrapped in red paper from her small bag and shouted, "I'm bringing wedding candy to Grandpa. Mother, if you don't put me down, you're being rude to Grandpa."

Tang Lin glared at the little girl, and instinctively wanted to teach her a lesson, but outsiders were present, and what the little girl said made sense, so Tang Lin had no way to refute it. She had to put down the little red candy and said, "Hurry up, don't disturb your grandfather's rest."

"Know it."

Xiao Hongtang got down from the ground, tugged at his crotch, then jumped up to Xie An and stuffed the nougat, which had been crushed and deformed and had obviously been in his pocket for a long time, into Xie An's hand.

"Grandpa, I specially treated you to nougat. You must not break your promise. You must take me out to play."

Xie An could see that this nougat was not "specially" given to him, but he still smiled and said, "Thank you, little red sugar, I will remember it. You must be good and listen to your mother."

"Hmm."

Xiao Hongtang bowed politely to Xie An, then waved goodbye, "Goodbye, little grandpa."

"Goodbye, Little Red Sugar."

Tang Lin bowed to Xie An, then walked away holding Xiao Hongtang, who kept looking back every three steps.

Yu He couldn't help but say, "Master, how come you are so popular with little girls?"

Xie An opened the nougat and found that it was full of cotton, linen and fluff. He couldn't eat it at all. He smiled bitterly and said, "This little girl is smart. She knows I can take her out to play."

Yuhe said, "Her parents were very strict with her. Master, you..."

Xie An said: "So we have to find an opportunity, for example... on Little Red Sugar's birthday. It won't be a problem to take her out to play for a while."

Yuhe smiled, "Master is really thoughtful. Master, the New Year is coming soon, let's start staying up all night."

"Ah."

Since the Tang family didn't come to ask him to stay up all night to celebrate the New Year, Xie An decided to stay up all night with Yuhe.

This is also reasonable. Although he and Old Master Tang are sworn brothers, he is not a member of the Tang family.

Xie An has no family in this world, and perhaps because of this, he feels even more precious about staying up all night to welcome the New Year.

Yuhe was very happy to hear this and immediately got busy.

"I'll go light the candles in the room, then light the stove, and get some fruits..."

Yuhe was a master of this routine, quickly lighting all the red candles in the room and many of the lanterns outside the door. Then she brought in a stove, set a corner table beside it, and laid out fruits and snacks. She then brought in two stools and, pulling Xie An to sit around the stove, quietly awaiting the arrival of the New Year.

Faced with such a full sense of ceremony, Xie An also felt a little more solemn. He looked at the night sky outside the door from time to time, looking forward to the arrival of the New Year.

In previous lives, people enjoyed watching the Spring Festival Gala and anticipating the New Year. Some also went to shopping malls and squares to watch fireworks and light shows, which came in all shapes and sizes.

Daqian doesn't have so many fancy customs. Staying up all night to celebrate the New Year is a very important custom, and it is quite particular:
Shousui, also known as Shousuihuo, means that all the houses are lit with candles, and the whole family gathers together to welcome the New Year.

On New Year’s Eve, candles are lit all night long, which is called "lighting up the waste". It is said that lighting up the year in this way symbolizes driving away all evil plagues and diseases, which will make the family rich and peaceful in the coming year.

In the past, Xie An always stayed up all night to celebrate the New Year with his two disciples, but this year was an exception, as he stayed up all night with Yuhe.

"Master, after the New Year, the bells of Baohua Temple in the county town will ring. We can hear the sound of the big bells, and there will be fireworks. Big fireworks."

This was Xie An's first time celebrating the New Year in the county town, which was naturally different from the countryside, so he couldn't help but feel more excited.

"Oh, right, I should get an incense burner. After we hear the bells and see the fireworks, we should light the first stick of incense for the New Year and pray for blessings and make wishes. Although we can't go to the temple, we can make do at home. The Buddha will understand."

With that, Yuhe stood up and ran out to ask the Tang family for an incense burner and a bunch of incense sticks.

Everything was ready, and the clepsydra water in the room indicated that the time was almost up.

"Master, let me help you up and go to the door."

Perhaps Yuhe had become more familiar with Xie An and rarely addressed him as "concubine". She took Xie An's arm, stood up, and stood under the eaves.

The yard is large and open. Standing under the eaves, you can see the continuous tiled roofs of houses outside, which has a great view.

The copper kettle dripped water and showed that the time had come. Almost at the same time -

when!
The loud bell rang throughout the entire county.

It is clear and melodious, like a roar, dispelling all evil spirits, and its majestic spirit cleanses the universe.

Xie An was overwhelmed with emotion when he heard this.

Yuhe was even more excited. "It's the bell tower of Baohua Temple, it's ringing! Master, the New Year has arrived."

"Ah."

Xie An was filled with emotion, as it meant that he had been in this world for thirty-two years.

Time flies like an arrow.

Immediately afterwards——

when!
The bells continued to ring.

Follow the established rhythm: seven fast, eight slow, then tap lightly twenty times, repeat three times, and end with three hard taps.

In the end, there were a total of 108 gunshots.

The loud, deep, long and exciting bell sound finally subsided.

The bell sounds in Buddhist temples are all very particular.

The I Ching considers "nine" to be the largest yang number. It is considered the ultimate number and its pronunciation is similar to "long," meaning "long," implying nobility, auspiciousness, and longevity. Since there are twelve months in a year, twelve times "nine" is exactly one hundred and eight.

Therefore, the number of New Year’s bells is set to be 108.

Buddhists also believe that there are 108 kinds of suffering in life: each bell ringing represents the suffering of the four directions and three realms (the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm). This bell rings the sound of liberation from the sea of ​​suffering in which sentient beings are trapped.

Xie An, having lived two lives, naturally knew all this, so when he heard the 108 sounds again, he was even more moved.

Soon, brilliant fireworks rang out in the sky, as if a giant scattering a handful of meteors in the air, turning into a meteor shower all over the sky.

Under the vast starry sky, the fireworks are like shooting stars and as beautiful as a painting.

Xie An had seen fireworks in the countryside in previous years, but they were far inferior to the fireworks before him that were as big as meteors.

"Master, it's time to burn the first incense."

At Yuhe's reminder, Xie An came to the incense table at the top seat.

This is the courtyard of Tangjiabao specially used to entertain distinguished guests. Naturally, there will be no images of gods pasted on it, so as not to cause discomfort to the guests or conflict with the gods and bodhisattvas respected by the guests.

Yuhe carefully lit three incense sticks and solemnly handed them to Xie An. Then she stood aside obediently, smiling, "Although we are all guests and everything is simple, the Bodhisattva is kind and will not mind. He will definitely hear your wishes and blessings."

When he was about to light incense, Xie An suddenly glanced at Yuhe and said, "Yuhe, light three incense sticks and stand next to me."

Yu He was greatly surprised. "This is inappropriate. I am just a maid. I only need to serve the master."

Xie An glared at her fiercely, "You don't even listen to what the master says?"

Yuhe finally didn't dare to disobey. She hung her head and said "Oh", then lit three incense sticks for herself and stood next to Xie An very awkwardly.

"Make a wish and pray together."

Xie An withdrew his thoughts and bowed to the heaven and earth. After three bows, he solemnly inserted the incense stick into the incense burner and muttered softly:

I wish my friends and I good health, no illness, no worries about food and clothing, prosperity and comfort, and peace every year in the new year.

Yuhe, who was standing by, was perhaps influenced by Xie An's simple voice, so she also bowed three times, lit the incense sticks, and muttered in a soft, inaudible voice, "Yuhe greets the young lady. May the young lady be blessed with peace and prosperity every year."

Although Yuhe spoke in a low voice, Xie An, who had extraordinary senses, still heard it.

Miss?

Where did she come from?

Didn’t you say before that you followed Tang Qingfeng since childhood and later followed Chen Qinglang?

Xie An was sure he had heard correctly, and he couldn't help feeling a little dazed. But he soon realized that this young lady might be Yu He's family, so he didn't think much about it.

After the blessing, Xie An and Yuhe sat by the stove, eating snacks and chatting, occasionally looking at the fireworks outside and listening to the sound of firecrackers.

"Yes, this is the wedding money I give you. I also wish our Miss Yuhe peace and happiness every year."

Yuhe was overjoyed and took the money and bowed, "Thank you, Master. I wish you good health and a long life."

Xie An felt much relieved.

"Master, why don't we go to the street to watch the fireworks. The city is very lively now, and every household will go out to set off fireworks. Let's join in the fun."

It was Xie An's first time to celebrate the New Year in the county town, and he wanted to go and have a look, so he agreed.

Yuhe was overjoyed, "I'll go get the cloak for the master."

After putting a warm cloak on Xie An, Yuhe took Xie An's arm and walked out of Tangjiabao and onto the street.

Although it was past midnight, every household was brightly lit, and adults and children went out to set off fireworks and throw firecrackers.

The sound of firecrackers and the noise are all audible, and they are the flavor of fireworks in the world.

The bustling and prosperous county town is far beyond the reach of the countryside.

"Master, look at that tall building. That's Hongxiu Building, the largest brothel in the county. The fireworks they set off are really big."

Xie An looked in the direction of the sound and saw a huge seven-story wooden building that was particularly eye-catching. Red lanterns were hung everywhere in it. Fireworks were shooting up dozens of meters into the sky, and then bloomed, as bright as shooting stars.

For the first time, Xie An felt that this chaotic world... was actually quite beautiful.

But such a beautiful scene can only be seen by people living in the county town. The villagers living outside the city may never see such beautiful fireworks in their lifetime.

Qingwu County has a population of 400,000 to 500,000, but the county seat has only 70,000 to 80,000 people.

Most of them are poor villagers living outside the city.

What's more, it's snowing heavily, and perhaps many people are still suffering from hunger and cold.

Suddenly, Xie An recalled a line from a great poet in his previous life: I wish I had thousands of spacious houses to shelter all the poor people in the world and make them happy.

After being in a daze for a long time, Xie An raised his head, looked at the vast starry sky, and muttered:
"Brother Wei, the New Year has arrived, and may you be safe and sound every year!"

"And to my wife, children, parents, and grandparents from my previous life, I also wish you peace and happiness in that world...every year."

Just when Xie An was stunned, Yu He suddenly came over and looked at Xie An seriously, "Master, why are your eyes red?"

"The smoke from these firecrackers is blinding."

"Hehe, then let's stay away. There's a peddler selling fireworks over there. Let's go buy some fireworks and set them off. It's said that making a wish under fireworks will come true. Fireworks are like shooting stars."

"Master, you were so serious just now, what wish did you make?"

"I look forward to finding you a good husband soon. I hope you won't have to keep nagging me."

"I don't want to. I'll follow you for the rest of my life. I won't gossip anymore."

(End of this chapter)