Time Travel: My Comfortable Life After Going to the Countryside

In fact, Xue Bingbing also noticed He Xiaoqin's unusual behavior, but she knew her man too well and didn't say anything.

Roland only vaguely sensed that Liu Xiangyang might have many women, but she didn't expect that, apart from Jiang Xiaowen, he had already taken all the women here.

So when she saw Jiang Xiaowen's explicit statement that she wanted to find a good partner next year, she felt a little uneasy.

Looking closely at He Xiaoqin now, he noticed something was wrong. Every time she made a slightly larger movement, she would frown. This reminded him of his first time with Liu Xiangyang, which was exactly the same as what He Xiaoqin was doing now.

After silently cursing Liu Xiangyang in his heart, he could only let him go.

After they finished eating dumplings, they were completely sober and had slept for more than three hours. They were all refreshed and Jiang Xiaowen started asking to play cards again.

Liu Xiangyang didn't participate in the card game; he went to Xue Bingbing's room to prepare for sleep. The card game didn't end until dawn.

In this card game, only Jiang Xiaowen stayed at the table the whole time, showing amazing perseverance. The others took turns taking turns, and those who left the table would say they needed to go out for some fresh air. They would stay out for an hour, and when they came back, they looked like they had taken some kind of magic potion, with rosy cheeks and a unique charm.

After exchanging New Year's greetings early in the morning, the group began preparing to cook dumplings. Fortunately, many hands make light work, and the dumplings were soon on the table. Everyone gathered around the kang table to eat the dumplings.

After everyone had finished tidying up, the sound of firecrackers continued intermittently, and by then, some villagers had already begun exchanging New Year's greetings.

Liu Xiangyang opened the gate and saw the same group of boys from last night picking up firecrackers from the ground in front of his yard. They quickly came over to greet him when they saw him.

"Happy New Year, Brother Liu! May you have many more happy returns of the day!"

"Hey, Happy New Year to you all too! You're here so early. Have you had dumplings yet?" He grabbed a handful of candy from his pocket and gave each of them a few pieces. "Be careful not to get cold."

"Thank you for the candy, Brother Liu."

After saying that, he rushed into the pile of firecrackers in the yard and rummaged through them, finding several more scattered firecrackers for them.

Xue Bingbing placed some melon seeds, peanuts, and candies that he had brought home on a plate on the kang table in the room.

"Let's all go and wish the village chief, team leader, accountant, and the villagers who exchanged vegetables for us a Happy New Year," Liu Xiangyang said, grabbing a handful of sunflower seeds and eating them as he spoke.

The group left the courtyard in a grand procession, chatting and laughing as they visited the three elders. Then they parted ways, each visiting the homes of villagers they knew well and on good terms with, and then went home to wait for others to come and offer their New Year's greetings.

After finishing the New Year's greetings, it was almost noon. When I was wishing Zhang Tiejun a Happy New Year, he mentioned that the commune's Yangko dance team would be arriving in the village that afternoon, and those who were interested could go and watch the fun.

After they finished lunch, they came over again, waiting to watch the Yangko dance performance in the afternoon.

The deafening sounds of drums, suonas, and firecrackers soon filled the air.

A large crowd had already gathered on the village road. Men, women, and children were all dressed in bright clothes that they had only taken out for the New Year. The children weaved in and out of the crowd, their little faces flushed with excitement.

The sound of gongs and drums grew louder and louder, mixed with the high-pitched and resonant tones of the suona, stirring up the chilly winter air.

The first thing to appear at the intersection was two large gongs clearing the way. The man banging the gongs was burly and strong. He swung his arms wide, and the "bang-bang" sound made people's chests tremble.

Next came the drum team. Large cowhide drums were mounted on a cart, and several strong men wielded drumsticks wrapped in red cloth, beating out a rapid, tempestuous rhythm. As soon as the drumbeats began, the atmosphere in the crowd exploded.

Then came the main force of the Yangko dance team, led by two "Young Master Sha," wearing martial arts caps and arrow-patterned clothing, waving folding fans, and twisting their cross steps to the beat of the drums, their movements exaggerated yet dashing.

Following behind were heavily made-up "young women" and "ugly old women." The "young women" twirled colorful ribbons, their steps light and quick, their eyes sparkling; the "ugly old women" had red chili peppers hanging from their ears, held large pipes in their hands, and swayed their hips, making all sorts of comical expressions, which made the onlookers laugh out loud.

Next up were the stilt walkers. The wooden stilts were almost half a person's height. The people on them wore theatrical costumes and dressed up as characters from "The Legend of the White Snake" and "Journey to the West." They walked swaying and occasionally did some thrilling stunts, which drew gasps and cheers from the crowd.

One of the actors dressed as Sun Wukong even stood on stilts on one leg, shading his eyes with his hand as if gazing into the distance, winning thunderous applause.

In the middle of the procession were also "land boats" and "running donkeys." Inside the bamboo-made, paper-mache boat sat a pretty "girl," while outside, a "boatman" rowed with a famous oar, the two of them mimicking the motion of sailing on waves.

The "running donkey" is even more interesting. A man has a donkey prop tied around his waist, and there is a girl "driving the donkey" in front of him. The two chase each other, and the little donkey can even kick up its heels, which is very lifelike.

The Yangko dance troupe slowly walked along the village road. As they passed by someone's house, that family would set off a string of small firecrackers. The crackling of firecrackers, along with the sounds of gongs, drums, and cheers, created a festive atmosphere that reached its climax.

Only then did I understand why every household in the village had such a large yard; it was probably so that the Yangko dance troupe could come into their homes.

Many people followed the group, and the children especially chased after them, their eyes glued to the screen.

None of us are from Northeast China, and this is the first time we've experienced something like this. But seeing the happy smiles on the villagers' faces, we grinned along with them. The most important thing is to have a lively and joyful New Year. We just need to join in the cheering and applause.

Over the next few days, Liu Xiangyang was quite busy. The three bigwigs took turns inviting him to their homes for meals and drinks. Unable to refuse, he had no choice but to accept their invitations, and ended up being forced to drink a lot of alcohol.

He repeatedly assured them that as long as he could return to the city, his job would definitely remain in Dongsheng Village. The three men understood his meaning and stopped urging him to drink.

During the Spring Festival, everyone had a blast. Liu Xiangyang taught them how to play Dou Dizhu (a card game), and they all got a little addicted. They spent all their time at Liu Xiangyang's house playing cards, day and night.

Liu Xiangyang and He Xiaoqin studied the special features of her physique, trying to figure out how she managed to do it.

That morning, many workplaces officially resumed work, but in the countryside, everyone was still immersed in the festive atmosphere of the Lunar New Year.

The postman arrived at the courtyard, knocked on the door, and called out, "Is Liu Zhiqing home? There's mail for you."

The gate was opened, and five or six people rushed out, asking all at once, "Postman, is there any mail for me?"

"Oh, they're all here. That's perfect. I don't need to run around anymore. They all have letters. Come and get them."