Siheyuan: Domineering life

Chapter 514 Happy Chinese New Year
In a blink of an eye, it was New Year's Eve.

Early this morning, after the family had breakfast, Yang Jun led several younger brothers and sisters to the cemetery to visit his father's grave.

There is a folk saying that the day among the people is the night in the underworld.

On the thirtieth day, you must visit the graves of your deceased relatives before twelve o'clock, otherwise the relatives in the underworld will not be able to receive paper money to catch up with the gathering in the underworld, let alone eat the New Year's Eve dinner.

In fact, this statement is contradictory.

This kind of causal cycle and the reincarnation of life and death cannot exist at the same time.

According to legend, after a person dies, he has to cross the Naihe Bridge. To cross the Naihe Bridge, you have to drink Mengpo soup. After crossing the bridge, you will be reincarnated. So since you have been reincarnated, how can you receive paper money burned by your relatives?

In fact, this is just a superstitious statement, just to express the thoughts of relatives to the deceased.

Visiting the grave is a ritual. When you arrive at the grave, tell the deceased what happened at home during the year, and then express the pain of missing him.

Yang Jun took several younger brothers and sisters to wipe his father's monument with towels, then led them to kowtow three more times, and then went back.

After returning home, the family started to get busy.

Women prepare New Year's Eve dinner, cutting vegetables, kneading noodles, and chopping dumpling fillings.

Yang Jun took Yang Huai and Yang Yu to prepare couplets.

The couplets were written by Yang Laosi, and she was the only one in the family who had practiced Chinese calligraphy, so the task of writing the couplets was given to her.

Not to mention, Yang Laosi seemed to have suddenly found his self-worth and became serious all of a sudden.

"Brother, grind it for me."

Yang Laosi rolled up his sleeves and summoned Yang Jun seriously.

Yang Jun's eyelids twitched after hearing this.

I thought to myself, girl, are you brave enough to ask me to grind it for you?

The ink comes in a glass bottle and doesn't need to be ground at all, just pour it into a bowl and use it.

The reason why Yang Laosi did this was intentional.

"You can't fall by yourself?"

Yang Laosi raised his head and looked at the sky at a 45-degree angle, rolled his eyes and said,
"Writing large characters requires a state of mind, and the atmosphere is especially important. If someone polishes it for me, maybe I will be in a good mood and perform exceptionally well."

Yang Jun listened and kept urging himself to hold down his anger.

If you are celebrating the New Year today, you cannot beat your children, otherwise you will have to beat them all year round.

"Fourth sister, let me help you grind it."

Yang Huai felt that today was quite lively and fun, so he tiptoed to reach the ink bottle on the table.

Seeing this, Yang Laosi reached out and put the ink bottle in the middle of the Eight Immortals table.

Yang Huai was suddenly out of reach.

"Fourth sister, I want to play, I want to play."

Yang Huai made a fuss and circled around the table.

"This isn't fun. I'll take you to set off firecrackers later."

Yang Laosi turned back and glanced at Yang Jun, and said sullenly,
"Hey, that guy, do you want to grind it or not?"

Yang Jun almost ran away after hearing this.

Now he doesn't even have a title, he has become that person.

"call!"

Yang Jun took a long breath, and the tightness in his chest suddenly eased a lot.

"Okay, Yang Laosi, if you're cruel, don't think I can't beat you on New Year's Eve this year..."

"Hmph! You can't hit me even on New Year's Day."

Yang Laosi kept tapping the ground with one foot, looking embarrassed.

"Okay, I'll let you play for two days first."

Yang Jun tried hard to control his angry temper, walked over, picked up the bottle and poured her half a bowl of ink.

"Write well. If you don't write well, I will deal with you."

After saying that, Yang Jun walked away angrily.

Wang Yuying and the others who were chopping dumpling fillings at the side all laughed when they saw Yang Jun crumbling.

Yang Jun didn't care. During the Chinese New Year, it was important for the family to be happy.

When I came to the kitchen, I scooped out half a bowl of white flour from the flour bag, added some water and put it in the pot to make a paste.

There was no tape before, and using glue was too wasteful, so every household did it this way.

In less than 10 minutes, the paste is ready.

Yang Laosi has also written three couplets.

Yang Jun took two pairs, first affixed one to the gate of the courtyard where Yang Anguo lived, and then another pair to the courtyard where Yang Mei lived.

When I came back, I put another one on my door.

At this time, Yang Laosi had written several more couplets. Seeing this, Yang Jun took another couplet and pasted it on the front door of the main hall in the backyard.

Seeing that there were still a few couplets, I posted them on each wing.

"Brother, can you also put it on the wing of our house?"

Yang Mei smiled and said: "If you put more words '福' on them, you will definitely have more blessings and longevity in the coming year."

Yang Jun rubbed his sore arm and said angrily: "You have to stick it on yourself."

Pasting couplets is also a physically strenuous task, especially holding it up with both hands is quite tiring.

"Boss Yang, you are the laziest in our family. Asking you to do some work is like killing you." Yang Mei said unhappy.

"Huh? No matter how big or small, believe it or not, I will slap you?" Yang Jun glared.

"You dare? Don't forget, today is New Year's Eve, so you are not allowed to hit anyone."

Yang Mei showed no sign of weakness and glared at him.

Yang Jun was furious after hearing this.

Why can't we hit people on this damn New Year's Eve?
"Okay, you and Yang Laosi are both great. I don't believe it. It's New Year's Eve every day."

After Yang Jun finished speaking, he picked four couplets, took the paste and went out.

The home here has posted it, and the home back home must also post it.

As soon as I got in the car, I seemed to think of something, so I went back.

I came to the kitchen, found some net bags, and carried a dozen enamel jars out.

The car drove for half an hour and finally returned to the courtyard.

Standing at the entrance of the courtyard, looking at the mottled and old gate, Yang Jun sighed,
"Two years."

It has been more than two years since he came to this world.

A lot has happened in these two years.

In general, he is quite satisfied.

In terms of career, he jumped from a small section chief to the director of a steel rolling mill, and became a big shot that everyone respected.

In terms of family, he not only gained a happy and sweet love, but he was also about to become a father.

Of course, what satisfies him most is that he has a harmonious and happy family and a group of relatives who love him and his beloved.

Yang Jun stood at the door, thought for a while, and then went in with the couplet.

As soon as you enter the courtyard, you can feel the strong flavor of the New Year.

Everyone in the courtyard is preparing for the New Year's Eve dinner. Adults and children are all present, with clear division of labor. Everyone is immersed in a happy atmosphere.

"Hello, Director Yang."

"The army is back."

"Brother Junzi..."

Along the way, people in the compound greeted him warmly.

Yang Jun said hello cordially and friendly with a smile on his face.

Arriving at the door of his home in the backyard, Yang Jun saw couplets already posted on his door.

He froze for a moment, then smiled.

Looking at the flowing lines, the vigorous and powerful writing, and the slightly faded red paper, Yang Jun could immediately guess who posted the couplets for him.

However, he didn't care.

Instead, put down the couplet in your hand and paste it again according to the original place.

What others post is other people's business, so of course you have to post it yourself, not to mention that this is the masterpiece of Yang Laosi's hard work. No matter what, she can't live up to her intentions.

In less than 10 minutes, Yang Jun posted the couplets.

After posting it, Yang Jun took out the key, opened the door, and took a look inside.

A thin layer of dust has fallen on the furniture in the room, and spider webs have appeared in the corners.

Fortunately, the walls were originally covered with ceramic tiles, so they were easy to clean.

Yang Jun went to the second uncle Liu Haizhong's house next door to borrow a broom and start cleaning the room.It's just a simple cleaning, as long as it means sweeping away the old and welcoming the new.

"Second uncle, please lend me your broom."

"Hey, it's Junzi. When did you come?"

The second uncle walked out with a belly in his bangs.

"I just arrived a while ago, so I came to post a couplet." Yang Jun replied with a smile.

"Oh, that's it. Stop being busy now and come in and have a drink."

The second uncle kicked the two brothers Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu who were peeling potatoes in the middle of his bangs, and glared and said,
"You two little bastards, why don't you go work for your military brother if you don't even have such a sharp eye?"

Liu Guangfu curled his lips aggrievedly: "Dad, today is New Year's Eve..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he felt a pain in the back of his head, and he was completely confused.

"What's wrong with New Year's Eve? It's the first day of the Lunar New Year tomorrow. I'll take care of it." The second uncle said with his eyes widened.

Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu thought they would be able to avoid being beaten today on New Year's Eve, but who knew that they still couldn't escape.

The two of them didn't dare to talk back to his father, so they had no choice but to go over with brooms and clean the house.

Yang Jun felt a little embarrassed when he saw this.

This old man always felt bad because his two children had been beaten because of him.

"Junzi, come, let's have a drink with your second uncle, and I'll let your second aunt cook two more dishes."

"No, second uncle, my mother is still waiting for me to go back for dinner. I have to finish cleaning and go back quickly." Yang Jun refused.

After hearing this, the second uncle Liu Haizhong said quickly: "Yes, that's right, go home and have a reunion dinner with your family, then the second uncle won't keep you."

"Okay, second uncle, I'll have a drink with you another day. I'll go and get busy first."

After Yang Jun finished speaking, he returned to his home with a smile.

As soon as he entered the house, he heard footsteps behind him.

Looking back, I saw Xu Damao and his wife coming with a rag.

"Director, why do I need to do things like cleaning?" Xu Damao said with a smile.

As he spoke, his hands were not idle, and he followed his wife to start cleaning the glass.

"Da Mao, brothers and sisters, thank you for your hard work."

After all, it was Xu Damao's wish, and it was hard for Yang Jun to refuse during the Chinese New Year.

"Why bother? It's just a matter of course." Xu Damao said.

Yang Jun was talking to Xu Damao when he saw a large group of people coming in front of his house.

Some of them have brooms, some have chicken blankets, some have mops...

"Director, let us help you clean up."

When Yang Jun saw this, he couldn't refuse, so he could only thank him profusely.

"Thank you, young and old gentlemen."

Half an hour passed.

Yang Jun looked at the house with bright and clean windows, feeling as if he was dreaming.

The house was so clean, it looked like it had just been renovated.

"Thank you, young and old, I will treat you to dinner another day."

Yang Jun stood at the door and said goodbye to the neighbors who came to help.

Seeing Yan Bugui, the third uncle walking at the end, Yang Jun stopped him.

"Third uncle, thank you very much for today. It's a small thing, but I hope you'll accept it."

Yang Jun took out a dollar and stuffed it into his pocket quietly.

This dollar is not to thank him for helping with cleaning, but to thank him for helping to post the couplets.

When the third uncle heard this, he immediately narrowed his eyes with laughter, covered his pocket with his right hand, and said politely,

"Hey, Junzi, the third uncle won't be polite to you anymore. It's not that the third uncle likes to take advantage, but this is a rule passed down from the old generation, and it is more or less expressed, so..."

"Understand, understand, I'm not ignorant, just accept it with peace of mind."

"Then...the third uncle will accept it." The third uncle grinned.

"Okay, third uncle, I can't stay too long. My mother is still waiting for me to go back for dinner."

Seeing that the third uncle was hesitant to speak, Yang Jun was afraid that he would say something inappropriate, so he quickly said goodbye.

"This……"

Yang Jun ignored him, locked the door and ran away.

After returning home, he parked the car at the door.

After looking around and seeing no one around, a thought came to my mind, and a densely packed and neatly arranged enamel jar appeared on the back seat of the car.

Then his mind moved again, and he put the enamel jars he had originally brought into the space.

"Old Si Yang, come out and serve the food while it's hot..."

As soon as Yang Jun got out of the car, he shouted through the door.

As soon as he finished speaking, Yang Liu jumped out and ran out first.

"Brother, you're spending money indiscriminately again. Mom has already made dumplings." Yang Liu frowned.

"You don't have to eat, I didn't invite you to eat."

Yang Jun rolled his eyes.

Some are good to eat, but they are also picky.

"Boss Yang, you've gone too far." Yang Liu snorted angrily.

"Hey, everyone wants to rebel, right?"

Yang Jun raised his hand as if to hit someone.

"Boss Yang, today is New Year's Eve, you can't hit anyone."

Hey, I have a bad temper.

Doesn’t this conflict with the New Year’s Eve?
One by one, they came to challenge his bottom line.

"Okay, let me see how many more days you can keep playing?"

"Humph! Two days are enough. I will return to the team in the second grade of junior high school."

After Yang Liu finished speaking, he proudly went in holding several enamel jars.

Yang Jun shook his head and smiled bitterly.

The younger brothers and sisters had more or less complaints about him, and they took advantage of these two days to vent out all the dissatisfaction that had been suppressed in their hearts for a long time.

"Okay, let you be rampant for two days, and I will make the decision for the remaining 360 three days."

When they got home, Yang Liu and the others had already put the food on the table.

Blanched chicken, cumin mutton, Sixi meatballs, boiled cabbage, squirrel mandarin fish, Kung Pao chicken, Wensi tofu, squab, Dongpo pork, roast duck, chicken tofu, mapo tofu, fish-flavored shredded pork, braised beef , twice-cooked pork...

A total of eighteen dishes made everyone in the family drool.

Yang Jun went back to his room and took out two bottles of Moutai, one bottle each for him and Liu Zhi.

"Everyone eats with open stomachs today."

"Okay, Boss Yang."

The crowd responded in unison.

When Yang Jun heard this, his hands shook and he almost fell on the table.

This group of people seemed to be doing it on purpose, and even Yi Qiushui, who had always been reserved, followed them into mischief.

"Don't knock on my door to ask for lucky money before ten o'clock tomorrow."

Yang Jun said that he just wanted to sleep in.

"Okay, Boss Yang."

Everyone responded again.

Yang Jun shook his head, he was already immune to this.

After pouring the wine, as soon as I picked up the glass, I saw someone using chopsticks.

"Wait a moment!"

Yang Jun stood up, raised his hand to signal everyone to put down their chopsticks, then held the wine glass and said,
"Before eating, I want to say a few words."

"Boss Yang, hold on tight." everyone urged.

Yang Jun chuckled and said: "Then...what, as the boss of the Yang family, I have some blessings for you."

“In the new year, I wish you all a harmonious family; a happy year; a happy life; a peaceful life; a hundred times energetic every day; a joyous month; abundant wealth every year; and peace and harmony every year.”

"Happy Spring Festival!"

　Happy New Year!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)