Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 1093 New Year's Eve

"It's better to stay at home, where everyone is together. We can just make a couple of simple home-cooked dishes, boil some dumplings, eat comfortably, drink a couple of drinks, and take a nap. That's the life of a god."

Shaking his head, Secretary Quan said, "I have no choice in the matter. These days, even having a peaceful meal at home is a luxury. The children are busy too, rarely coming home more than a few times a year. Alright, I've finished eating, I should go now. I have a ton of work to do, not as leisurely as you."

One table of people stood up to see the guests off. People at the other tables followed suit.

Secretary Quan said, "Let them continue eating. My time is up, and besides, I really don't have much of an appetite anymore, unlike before when I could eat three big bowls of corn rice."

Xiao Wei and the other two accompanied Lao Chen to see Secretary Quan downstairs, with Wang Shuqin and Li Zhongguo following behind.

There were already four cars waiting downstairs, all of them large Audis. Xiao Tao ran over and opened the car door, and Secretary Quan and his wife got into the back seat.

From behind, he was a thin, old man with a slightly hunched back and a short stature, less than 1.7 meters tall.

Xiao Tao bowed halfway to Lao Chen, while Chong Xiaowei and the others waved and got into the passenger seat.

Secretary Quan reached out of the car window and waved, and the four Audis drove away one after another. Xia Maosheng said, "It wasn't easy. That Xiao Tao barely ate anything; he probably wasn't even half full."

Old Chen said, "What's easy? Nothing is easy. Living in this world is all about enduring. There's always someone ahead of you, and once you're on top, you'll understand. The biggest wish is to be able to live like ordinary people, doing whatever you want, for a few days."

Everyone went back upstairs. As soon as Secretary Quan left, the restaurant immediately became much more cheerful, with more people talking excitedly.

Old Chen said, "Come on, let's keep drinking. These dumplings are good. I can't eat any more meat, so I'll just have these to go with my drinks. Dumplings and drinks go so well together."

While eating dumplings, we listened to the occasional sound of firecrackers outside. A few bold girls, the same ones who had been carrying dumplings earlier, came running over to each table, laughing and toasting as they offered New Year's greetings. The room was filled with cheerful laughter.

The meal didn't end until after 7 p.m.

Everyone went downstairs and dispersed, each returning home to watch TV and stay up late to welcome the New Year.

Outside, bright red lanterns cast a pink glow on the snow, and the air was filled with the faint smell of gunpowder from firecrackers.

The lights were on in all the buildings across the street, and shadows moved in the windows of every house. Groups of three or five children dressed in new clothes ran down the street, seemingly unconcerned about the cold, chatting and laughing as they walked across the road.

At Xiaowei's house, the whole family carried some leftover dumplings and uncooked dumplings back to the main building. The elders went up to the living room on the second floor, while the children went down to the living room on the first floor. They turned on the TV, set out fruits, peanuts, and candies, and made tea. They watched TV and chatted at the same time.

Two mahjong tables were set up, and a few people squeezed together to play cards.

Xiaowei and Chen Hui sat on the sofa watching TV and taking care of the children, while Beibei and Xiaoxiaohui, one big and one small, sat on the carpet playing with toys.

Tian Xiaoyu, heavily pregnant, sat with Beibei's maternal grandmother, watching TV and chatting. The two of them definitely couldn't stay up all night; they would probably go to sleep after finishing their New Year's Eve dinner.

In northern China, the New Year tradition is to stay up all night on New Year's Eve, keeping the lights on and not sleeping. At midnight, firecrackers are set off to welcome the gods, and people eat New Year's Eve dinner. They also change into new clothes and step on effigies of villains. Younger generations kowtow to their elders to wish them a Happy New Year. On New Year's Day, people don't sweep the floor, and on the second day, women return to their parents' home.

Then there are specific rules about the staple food for each day, such as dumplings on the first day of the lunar new year and noodles on the second day. Nowadays, very few people follow these old customs.

The Spring Festival Gala on TV had already begun. As the suona was played, a crudely made animated opening sequence of a rooster crowing at dawn, which cost a lot of money, passed. The screen was filled with big red lanterns, and the song "Lighting the Lanterns" was performed. Children's rap and group rap were mixed together, and the actors surrounded the host as they walked onto the stage.

"Red lanterns! Big red lanterns!" Beibei exclaimed excitedly, pointing at the TV, and Xiaoxiaohui laughed along with her.

This year's Spring Festival Gala was the first co-hosted by mainland China and Taiwan/Singapore. Hosts from Taiwan and Singapore, along with Ni Ping, Zhao Zhongxiang, and Yang Lan, co-hosted the event, broadcasting both slurred Mandarin and standard Mandarin to all parts of the country.

It's said that Singaporeans speak Mandarin much more fluently than Taiwanese people.

Ni Ping is now a stunningly beautiful Shandong girl, while Lao Zhao has already put on a wig.

Yang Lan's single eyelids are particularly noticeable right now.

To the accompaniment of cheerful music, Song Zuying, Wu Qiong, Li Danyang, and Chen Junhua were awkwardly carried onto the stage. At this time, Song Zuying did not yet have the status he would later achieve, Wu Qiong's two wine jars were still a highlight of the Spring Festival Gala, and Li Danyang was still quite green.

After the songs were sung, the Spring Festival Gala, which today feels like a nightclub performance, officially began.

The standards of that era would leave you speechless today.

That year, Huang Hong and Wei Ji'an performed a skit about shining shoes, which introduced the concept of private family nannies. Nannies became a common profession.

Zhao Benshan performed the skit "Old Man Paying New Year's Greetings," which tells the story of the huge changes in people's lives and the earth-shaking changes in their ideas, the contradictions and conflicts between the thinking of two generations, and the decline of traditional artists.

In the early 90s, there was a major clash between old and new ideas in China. Many traditional things declined rapidly, while many new things took center stage. This also implicitly suggested that the traditional things that we looked down upon and discarded were very popular abroad.

Later events proved this to be true.

Yan Shunkai's skit "The Man Zhang San" is still very meaningful and educational today.

Wang Jie can still sing. Guo Fucheng's hairstyle is still fashionable today.

"Hey, I remember this kid's from our Beixi, right?"

"Huh? Really? They speak with a Hong Kong accent."

The phrase "Can Mao Ning's old ticket get me on your wrecked ship?" began to circulate.

Ni Ping, in her usual sentimental style, recounted a touching story of a mother and son seeking medical treatment. She could never have imagined that, years later, she would give up everything and travel around to treat her child's illness.

"Uncle Shi" became a hot topic that year, leading Chinese football to the semi-finals of the Asian Cup. However, the following year, he was sidelined and became an advisor because he failed to reach the finals.

Zhang Guoli looks quite young. He used fish skin beans to satirize fake medicines and health products, which have been rampant across the country since the early 90s.

The shows went by one by one, bringing bursts of laughter. Meanwhile, the mahjong game was in full swing and the poker rounds were going by. Before we knew it, it was midnight.

Xiao Wei's mother, without even turning her head from the mahjong table, said, "Her dad, go cook dumplings."

Xiao Wei's dad, engrossed in watching TV, asked, "Didn't we cook so much for dinner? Haven't we finished it yet?"

Xiaowei's mother slammed her hand on the mahjong table: "This is New Year's Eve. Look how lazy you are, hurry up!"

Xiao Wei's dad got up slowly and went downstairs. When he reached the landing, he glanced down and said, "Xiao Wei, you guys go and cook the dumplings, and maybe prepare a few more dishes. It's almost midnight."

Xiao Wei checked the time: "There's still half an hour. Besides, isn't it customary to set off firecrackers first and then cook dumplings?"

Xiao Wei's dad said, "How long can you set off firecrackers? There are so many people here. Look how lazy you are, hurry up!"

Xiaowei got up, put the sleeping Beibei on the sofa, picked up Xiaoxiaohui who was sleeping on the carpet and put him on the sofa, then got up and went to the kitchen: "Xiaohui, come on, let's do it together."

Chen Hui, lounging on the sofa, didn't even turn his head: "Just do it yourself. It's not like you're cooking a fancy meal, just boiling a few dumplings."

Xiao Wei waved his hand: "Look how lazy you are, hurry up."

Chen Hui reluctantly got up, put on his shoes, and went to the kitchen with Xiao Wei to cook dumplings and prepare vegetables.

(End of this chapter)