"Crackling..."

In the morning, Luke was woken up by the sound of firecrackers.

Luke threw on some clothes and opened the door to the balcony. A gust of cold air rushed in, making him shiver; this was the winter he was familiar with.

Although the weather in Los Angeles is comfortable, it lacks the New Year atmosphere.

Not far from the street, someone was setting off firecrackers. It seemed to be an Asian father and son pair. This community is close to Chinatown and has many Chinese residents.

After setting off the firecrackers, the ten-year-old boy cleaned up the firecracker debris under his father's direction. This wasn't because they were so conscientious, but if they didn't clean up, they would be reported and fined.

The so-called civility is all established under strict rules and laws; relying solely on morality isn't enough to restrain people.

Luke changed his clothes, freshened up quickly, and went down to the second floor.

Li Zhaofeng was in the kitchen making breakfast, "You're up! How did you sleep last night?"

"It was alright, just a bit dry," Luke cleared his throat.

This house has some age to it. Although it has been renovated, some pipes are hard to replace. The heating pipes are still exposed, not underfloor heating, so the air is relatively dry, making his throat a bit uncomfortable after the night.

Li Zhaofeng reminded him, "New York is indeed drier than Los Angeles, so drink more water."

Luke sat at the dining table, chatting casually with his father. Li Zhaofeng always had a smile while cooking. He really enjoyed this mode of interaction and had always imagined such a scene in his mind.

Just as the meal was about to be ready, without needing to be called, the little chubby came down yawning.

"Good morning."

Li Zhaofeng smiled and said, "Just in time for breakfast."

The little chubby sat across from Luke, "What are we eating?"

The little chubby loves eating, but he's also picky. Especially when he just wakes up in the morning, he has no appetite, and if he encounters something he doesn't like, he just muddles through the meal.

"Savory pancakes," Li Zhaofeng put a spoonful of mixture with vegetable leaves into the frying pan.

Savory pancakes are a traditional northern snack, also called "tan pian pian."

The ingredients are simple: flour, eggs, vegetables.

Li Zhaofeng also fried bacon and ham as side dishes.

The little chubby just glanced at it and immediately swallowed, and his appetite returned.

The little chubby picked up a savory pancake, wrapped it with bacon and ham, and started eating it in large bites.

Luke's movements were unhurried, yet he didn't eat any less than him.

It must be said that Li Zhaofeng put quite some thought into hosting his two sons.

After eating two savory pancakes, Luke felt full. He drank a glass of milk to settle everything, "Did Will come home?"

"I sent your second uncle a message, but there was no reply. I guess he's still being stubborn.

Will is a hard-headed kid; it's not the first time he's run away from home.

Today's Eve, maybe he went straight to your grandparents' house," Li Zhaofeng shook his head. His nephew had already graduated from college, so he didn't feel right to meddle too much.

The little chubby was also full, "When are we going to Grandma's?"

"Just pack up, and we'll go.

Your grandparents live in the suburbs, which is more spacious than our place."

...

Unlike Los Angeles, the suburban house prices in New York are lower than in the city center.

Of course, this doesn't mean New York's suburban houses are cheap, just that the city center's houses are too expensive.

What American wouldn't want to buy an apartment near Central Park?

Luke and his two sons drove to the Sulotte community.

Luke's grandparents live here.

The house is a two-story building with an open yard, a stone path, green lawns on both sides, and a black pickup parked in front of the garage on the east side.

"Grandpa."

"Grandma."

As soon as they entered the yard, the little chubby began to shout out.

As the three of them walked into the house, a seventy-year-old man came out of the kitchen with a smile, "Luke, Jack, you're back, come on in."

"Grandpa."

"Grandma."

Luke and Jack both greeted them proactively.

"Good, good," Luke's grandma also smiled widely, waving them over, "Come here, see what delicious things Grandma is making."

In the kitchen, there was a pot of oil, and the old couple was frying New Year goodies like fritters, tofu, and hairtail.

The grandma took a piece of crispy meat from the basin of fried goodies and put it in the little chubby's mouth.

"Crisp..." The little chubby chewed with gusto, eating with a big smile.

"Is it good?"

"Delicious."

The grandma also handed a piece to Luke.

Luke secretly praised it too; this really had the flavor of the New Year.

Li Zhaofeng asked, "Mom, let me help you fry."

"No, don't get your hands dirty, it's almost done," Grandma waved her hand.

Li Zhaofeng knew the frying couldn't stop, "Alright, then keep frying, I'll take them to tidy up other things, we can chat later."

"Go ahead."

Li Zhaofeng called out, leading Luke and Jack to clean the yard, stick up couplets and the 'Fu' character...

Once tidied up, the house looked much more festive.

At noon, the family had a simple meal of fried goodies; the evening was the main event.

In the afternoon, Li Zhaonian and his wife also came over, bringing quite a lot of food ingredients.

The old man noticed there were only two people, "Where's Will?"

Li Zhaonian answered perfunctorily, "He went to a friend's house, he'll come over later."

"Luke and Jack are both here, why did he go to a friend's house?" The old man was a bit displeased.

Li Zhaofeng smoothed things over, "It's okay, the brothers met yesterday."

Seeing the atmosphere turning sour, Luke took the little chubby outside to set off fireworks.

"Crackling..." A burst of firecrackers ignited stronger New Year's vibes.

"Brother, I saw fireworks in the garage. Let's set them off after dinner."

"Sure," Luke hadn't set off fireworks in years.

As dusk approached, preparations for the New Year's Eve dinner began.