Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 276 Celebrating the Little New Year

Xiao Wei, Xiao Hong, and Liu Hongliang also finished eating and sat down to keep Lao Guan company with a bowl of hot water.

Xiaowei's mother said, "What are we going to do today? Clean up the whole yard? What about these houses at both ends?"

Aunt Wang patted Xiaowei's mother on the shoulder and said, "That's the school over there, and the factory over here. Why are you tidying it up? Just let the workers sweep and clean it up themselves this afternoon. We only need to tidy up our own section. Oh right, and the yard too, aren't you going to clear the snow?"

Xiaowei's mother looked out the window and said, "This yard is big and comfortable, but this snow is really worrying."

Xiao Wei said, "When the weather gets warmer, I'll add a row of sheds in the garage and here, and then I'll leave the middle section as is, as long as it's passable by car."

Aunt Wang nodded and said, "We need to add a shed, otherwise we won't be able to go inside when it rains heavily in the summer, there's no shelter at all."

Xiao Wei's mother stood up, reached out and took the soup bowl in front of Old Guan, saying, "Don't drink this. I'll get you a hot bowl. I always said this old man has to eat cold food every day, right? From now on, don't bother getting food from the cafeteria; just eat here. At least have something hot. Do you hear me?" She ladled a bowl of hot soup and placed it in front of the old man.

Old Guan nodded, picked up the hot soup, took a sip, and said, "Your family are all good people. I'm just afraid of bothering people; old people get disliked."

Aunt Wang said, "Xiao Wei will go buy firecrackers, couplets, door stickers, window decorations, etc. We'll buy them all today. Xiao Hong will help us clean the dust and take down the quilts and other things that need to be taken apart to wash."

Xiao Wei said, "You've only used it for a few days, why are you taking it apart already?"

Aunt Wang said, "Kids shouldn't talk nonsense if they don't understand. These are the rules for the Little New Year, you know? We clean, remove dust, take apart the quilts, wash clothes, and replace everything we use with new ones. We need to let the Kitchen God see that this family is diligent and clean. In the afternoon, everyone should take a bath and get a haircut so that we can send off the Kitchen God in the evening."

Xiao Wei's mother said, "Of course, we still need to take a bath. It would be great if we could take a bath in this yard."

Xiao Wei said, "When the weather gets warmer, we'll renovate the boiler room and turn it into a small public bathhouse. But even then, it'll only be useful in winter. What will we do in summer with the boiler running?"

Aunt Wang said, "It's good enough to be able to wash in winter, and it's not cold in summer, so we can go out for a stroll."

Liu Hongliang said, "I'll drive you to my factory to wash your clothes. The shop is closed in the morning, so it'll just be a few of you washing your clothes, saving you from crowding with everyone else."

Xiao Wei asked, "Will it work?"

Liu Hongliang said, "Sure, I always take a bath at home when the bathhouse is closed."

Xiao Wei reached out and slapped Liu Hongliang on the head, saying, "Why didn't you say so earlier? Didn't you know I was squeezing into the main hall to get back and forth?"

Liu Hongliang touched the spot where Xiaowei had patted him and said with a smile, "What's wrong with a grown man like you squeezing in like that? I'm just concerned about my two aunts and Xiaohong."

Back then, bathing was done in a large hall, a big room with a huge cement pool in the middle where everyone would soak. When it was crowded, you could only squeeze in and stand in the water, and you had to be careful even when splashing water. Some people had showers along the walls, but most didn't. There were no lockable lockers like we have now for taking off clothes; there was just a shelf, and most people would just leave their clothes lying around. Losing shoes and clothes was a common occurrence.

It wasn't until after 93 that privately owned small saunas began to appear, though they were all very small, although hygiene and bathing conditions improved somewhat. Large bathhouses only became commonplace after 95. In this respect, prefecture-level cities lagged behind Fengtian by at least five to eight years, a situation determined by purchasing power.

In the early 90s, the location of residence determined the speed of information acquisition. At that time, people habitually lived a secluded life in front of and behind their houses, and were generally somewhat disconnected from society, which was actually determined by the degree of information accessibility.

After Grandpa Guan finished eating, everyone tidied up, and the people working at the school and food factory outside were almost here.

The two mothers led Xiaohong to start cleaning and tidying up the inside of the house, while Xiaowei, his father, Liu Hongliang, and Hao Xiaodong tidied up the snow in the yard. The garage, the two gates, and the area in front of the house had to be cleared. The snow was piled up in the middle of the yard, completely burying the five-cornered flower bed. Xiaobing, wearing a hat, joined in the mischief, having long forgotten about the big snowman plan.

Fortunately, this isn't the countryside, so we don't have to worry about the snow falling on the roofs; otherwise, we wouldn't have finished cleaning it all day.

After lunch, Liu Hongliang drove Xiaowei's parents, younger brother, Aunt Wang, and Xiaohong to take a bath, while Xiaowei drove himself to do some shopping.

Firecrackers, Spring Festival couplets, paper-cut window decorations, pork trotters, pork ribs, and other meats were all bought. Clothes were bought for my younger brother and Xiao Hong, as well as underwear, shirts, and socks for everyone. Some fruits, pears, peaches, candies, peanuts, and melon seeds were also bought. The trunk was filled to the brim before we returned to the yard.

Thankfully, no one here is in their zodiac year, otherwise they'd have to buy red underwear, shirts, red socks, and red belts. The mall has been packed with people these past few days; Xiaowei really doesn't want to squeeze in again.

Regardless of wealth, Chinese people will spend money they wouldn't normally spend during the Lunar New Year to make a big purchase and have a relatively prosperous year, hoping for good fortune and prosperity in the coming year.

In Liaodong, the Kitchen God is sent off at 4 PM. Families prepare a lavish feast, offer him three kinds of fruit, smear honey in his mouth, light firecrackers, and burn his image. This is a way of sending the Kitchen God off to Heaven. The belief is that he will speak good words in Heaven and bring good fortune back home; it is hoped that this great deity will bring new prosperity and good luck to their household.

Then, right up until midnight on New Year's Eve, the Kitchen God must be welcomed back. It is a folk belief that during these few days from the Lunar New Year's Eve to New Year's Eve, there are no deities in the home; the gods have all gone to heaven for a meeting. Therefore, there are no taboos during these days. Weddings and other events don't require any special considerations, and families rush to get things done during these days to avoid having to consider the gods' feelings at other times.

As the saying goes, "At year's end, weddings are busy in the countryside, and spring couplets adorn the spring scenery. Sisters whisper by the lamp, saying that this year's New Year's Eve will be their wedding night." Even now, many rural areas still have the custom of hastily arranged weddings. However, these old customs have disappeared in the city, where everyone is celebrating Christmas and Christmas Eve. A group of Chinese people don't even understand the meaning of Christmas and Christmas Eve, yet they are busy preparing for foreigners to celebrate.

The 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, which is February 12th in the Gregorian calendar year 91, is the eighth day after the Beginning of Spring, and also eight days before the Rain Water solar term.

In the south, spring is in full bloom at this time of year, with gentle breezes, green grass, tender buds, and blooming flowers. But in many parts of Northeast China, light snow is falling on this day. The period around the Spring Festival is always the coldest time in Northeast China, without exception.

Today, all the shops except the billiard hall, as well as the training center and food factory, have closed for the holidays. Xiaowei gave all the workers Spring Festival bonuses: a can of oil, a bag of rice, a bag of flour, ten pounds of pork, and ten pounds of apples for each person. Actually, government-run companies usually give year-end bonuses these days, but Xiaowei felt that everyone should keep to themselves; the factory's bonus was for the factory, and since everyone was working for the factory, he couldn't be too stingy.

In addition, Xiao Wei also sent a truckload of apples to each of the units, which cost less than 10,000 yuan in total, as a token of his appreciation.

(End of this chapter)