CHAPTER 395: CHAPTER 302: NEW YEAR’S EVE DINNER

New Year’s Eve, the last day of the lunar year, is the most important traditional festival for the Chinese people. On this day, not only does everything inside and outside the house have to be cleaned thoroughly, but spring couplets, New Year paintings, and lanterns must also be hung. Each household prepares a feast, and the whole family gathers to stay up all night. Particularly, it wouldn’t be complete without making dumplings at midnight.

After seeing off Aunt Chen, who was going home for the New Year, Zhou Xiaozheng and Lin Lishan from the Zhou Family spent the whole day at the military unit, getting busier. Considering that their family couldn’t stay up and make dumplings together that night, Zhou Jiao could only get the family together for dumplings at breakfast on New Year’s Eve for a reunion.

For this meal, Zhou Jiao prepared at least five kinds of dumplings: pork with pickled cabbage, pork with shiitake mushrooms and cabbage, shrimp and pork, leek and egg, and beef. Each type of dumpling was filled generously with coins and red dates for good luck.

From early morning, the sound of firecrackers began, and military families from all over the country inside the Big Courtyard observed their customs, but all stuck with pasting spring couplets, New Year paintings, and hanging lanterns. Each household diligently prepared a reunion dinner full of auspicious meanings.

The Zhou Family got up early, pasted on the spring couplets and New Year paintings, hung up the red lanterns, and after setting off firecrackers, the whole family gathered to eat dumplings ahead of time.

Zhou Xiaozheng went to the military unit to arrange duty personnel, while Lin Lishan hurried to the Art Troupe to plan the performance, leaving Zhang Guoqing and Zhou Jiao at home to take care of the children.

During the day, Old Mrs. Cheng secretly took Zhou Jiao to a room to prepare offerings for ancestral worship, then took her to the nearby large canteen to make dumplings with other military families. Barely an hour into dumpling making, the old lady took the opportunity to send her home to take care of the children.

Out of the canteen, there were children everywhere lighting small firecrackers and mischievously throwing them near passing women. With a "bang," the startled girls would scream, causing the playful children to laugh heartily. On this day, no one would harshly scold such pranks, and the women being teased, whether they knew the kids or not, would smile brightly.

The Zhou Family’s door was wide open, with many from the Big Courtyard coming and going, while close friends gathered in the living room. The boys chatted about troops returning from the peninsula battlefield, exchanging internal news and sharing tales. Regarding tonight’s performance and dinner, they no longer had the excitement and thrill of when they first moved in.

Zhang Guoqing, smiling, held the child, refraining from commenting, and would step aside when sensitive topics arose. In the living room, small groups of boys and girls of similar ages never lacked topics. It’s evident they’ve developed a hierarchy concept, with children of the highest-ranking parents usually summarizing conclusions.

The opinions of these second-generation kids are influenced by their environment, often discussing political matters during their chats. While seeming aloof, they are straightforward in nature, and once befriended, they truly become life-long friends. Their bonds are so tight that they interact casually, without distinguishing mine from yours. If a favor is needed, a mere word suffices, and if not accomplished, they openly reprimand each other without beating around the bush. Fang Fei, who has already started working, is often dragged along to treat everyone at a restaurant as soon as he gets paid, frequently resulting in empty pockets by mid-month.

They draw a clear line between inside and outside the courtyard. Even if they fight inside until bleeding and swearing never to associate, if one is bullied outside, they naturally band together to fight back.

It frequently happens that when a primary schooler says they’ve been bullied by kids from another courtyard, a casual shout will gather numerous brothers and sisters from the courtyard to help seek justice and fight. Once, even a group of six or seven-year-olds followed behind shouting to "teach them a lesson!"

Since Zhang Guoqing started mingling with these people, relations became cordial, and whenever they came over, he would let them serve themselves tea and find food if hungry. They now visit the Zhou home comfortably, and if Zhou Xiaozheng isn’t home, they feel as at ease as if it was their own place.

At mealtime, instead of returning home, they would group together, rummage each other’s pockets, and upon seeing more arriving people, would directly shout for someone to run to the service store to fetch fish, meat, and move wine jars. Though knowing Zhou Jiao has prepared everything, they still enjoy spending what little money they have for fun. After drinking, they’d skip dinner, jokingly saying they were saving their appetite for dumplings.

By the time the gathering at the auditorium began, the place was bustling with noise, but no one cleaned up the mess left behind. Everyone grabbed army blankets to cover Ping’an and, with a casual door-close, moved in a crowd toward the grand auditorium.

The grand auditorium appeared new and lively. A huge presidential portrait adorned the walls, surrounded by red paper couplets and various sizes of red lanterns, filling every corner with joyous laughter and a festive atmosphere. Except for the first few rows reserved for leaders, people of all ages mingled in the back. Even partners who would usually argue were all laughing and chatting today.