As the New Year approaches, the town becomes more and more lively. As soon as Ye Yaodong walks onto the street, it is so crowded with people coming and going that it is impossible to walk, let alone ride a bike.
He was worried that his bicycle would be stolen if parked on the roadside, so he simply found a small shop nearby, left his bicycle in front of the shop, locked it up, gave the owner ten cents and asked him to keep an eye on it. He would go and come back quickly, and all he had to do was take a photo.
But he didn't expect that, after going in and out, his bicycle was saved, but the more than two dollars in his pocket were gone.
I originally wanted to buy two pairs of Spring Festival couplets, but luckily the photos were too big and there were too many of them, so I took the ones for his two brothers as well. They couldn’t fit in my pockets, so I held them in my hands the whole time, otherwise the photos would have been taken in vain. So I wrapped the negatives in newspaper and held them in my hands.
He put the photo in his hand into the basket of the bicycle and cursed, "Damn it, the thieves are too rampant during the New Year. It only took a few minutes to take a photo and the money was stolen."
The shop owner also chided in the criticism, "I mean, there have been too many petty thefts lately. Every day, small items are stolen from my stall, either a stack of nylon socks, a pair of insoles, or a few handkerchiefs. I'm almost pissed off. Even with my whole family watching, it's unavoidable."
Ye Yaodong just complained, responded casually, and rode his bike back.
It was New Year's Day and it was so chaotic. When I passed through several alleys ahead, I saw people fighting and some people blatantly dragging people into the alleys to blackmail them.
Although the crackdown this year has been severe, such incidents are still common. They may be restrained at ordinary times, but become rampant during the Chinese New Year.
Forget it, I won’t come out before the New Year.
When the time comes, you can ask someone to write a couplet. Handwritten calligraphy is not bad either, better than printed one. It is one of the essences of China's traditional culture.
Lin Xiuqing was very depressed when she found out that she had lost more than two dollars after going to the town. It was a lot of money.
“You just can’t keep money in your pocket.”
"I don't have any money in my pocket. Isn't it all with you? I just had two dollars left from buying pork yesterday... Ah, no..."
Ye Yaodong hurried to shut up, but found it was too late, the words had already come out.
"Didn't you say you bought the meat? Did you also learn to hide your private money? You spent 20 yuan on the meat, and you had two yuan left. Your profit is not low!"
He laughed awkwardly, "Haha, I was thinking of saving two dollars to buy cigarettes or something for the kids. I was thinking I could buy a pair of couplets while I was out. Look! I spent all the money on public funds and didn't keep any for myself. It was just stolen."
Seeing him lower his head in a flattering manner and speaking in a flattering manner, Lin Xiuqing wanted to laugh but did not dare to. She just glared at him and turned her head away.
"Who knows whether the couplets you want to buy are real or fake? Anyway, you can't put money in your pocket. If you put money in, it will easily disappear. You either spend it or lose it."
The two children stood aside, looking at their father, then at their mother, and Ye Chenghu was still laughing secretly.
Lin Xiuqing poked his forehead with her index finger and said, "Go out and play, you're in the way here."
"I want to see photos!"
Ye Yaodong also explained: "You don't know how many people there are in the town near the end of the year? There are more people than last year. The streets are crowded with people. It's almost impossible to squeeze in. You have to move your body when you walk..."
"Don't explain, just show me the photo."
"Well, the photos are pretty good, but it's a pity that they are in black and white. If they were painted in color, it would be very expensive. I could have taken more than a dozen photos."
Lin Xiuqing happily opened the newspaper wrapped around it and said, "Black and white photos are fine, why do you want color ones? What a waste of money."
"Let me see, let me see..."
"I want to see too… "
The two children stood on tiptoe, one on each side, and pulled at her arms, and as a result, the photos in her hands accidentally fell to the ground.
The two boys tensed up instantly, took a step back, and said in unison: "I didn't mean it..."
Lin Xiuqing glared at them and quickly leaned over to pick it up. "Go away, you'll be in the way and make things worse."
The old lady smiled and patted their shoulders. "It's okay. Just pick it up and blow it."
Both of them breathed a sigh of relief. Yesterday, Brother Hai was showing off to others that he was eating lard residue and broke the bowl. He was beaten badly by his aunt. They felt sore on their butts just seeing it and they couldn't help but panic.
"Did you get back the things that your elder and second brothers had gotten back?" the old lady asked Ye Yaodong.
"I helped to pick it up, as well as A Guang and the others. They are all under the basket. I'll pass it to them later so they don't have to make another trip. I didn't care about the others. What if they dropped it?"
"Hey, this family portrait should be put in a frame..." Lin Xiuqing watched with great interest and commented as she watched.
"It's not big enough. Go back after the Chinese New Year and ask him to print a bigger one. Then bring it back and hang it on the wall. The photo studio is too busy right now. It was packed when I went there in the morning."
"During the Chinese New Year, many people are willing to take one or two photos to commemorate the occasion."
The whole family sat around the table, talking and discussing whether the photos were taken well or not.
Mrs. Ye Dasao and Mrs. Ye Ersao heard the noise at the door and knew that Ye Yaodong had brought back the photos from the town, so they hurried over to get their own photos.
Everyone was smiling and happy. Their family was not like Ye Yaodong's family. Both families were taking photos for the first time, and this was also their first photo.
This year is considered a year of harvest. The three brothers have made a lot of money and each of them has a shop. The two sisters-in-law are also willing to buy a lot of New Year's goods, and they also compete to invite Ye's father and mother to their home to celebrate the New Year in advance.
Ye's father and mother were also very happy. No matter whether it was sincere or fake, at least their three daughters-in-law were vying to invite them to celebrate the New Year at home, and they would also have face if they told others about it.
In some families, the daughter-in-law and mother-in-law get along like enemies. Not to mention inviting each other to celebrate the New Year, they wish they would never have anything to do with each other again. They quarrel like ogling each other every day, and the whole family is ruined by their quarrels.
But, Mr. and Mrs. Ye have been eating at Ye Yaodong's house all year round, so they certainly don't plan to go to the eldest and second eldest brothers' houses for the New Year.
Moreover, it is Chinese New Year, and there is only one New Year's Eve in a year. The whole family must sit together and celebrate the new year happily.
Last year we had New Year’s Eve dinner at Ye Yaodong’s house. This year, Ye’s mother plans to cook a table of food at the old house so that the whole family can celebrate the New Year together and it will be more lively.
Each of them brought a few bowls of food, and there was a full table, no, two tables.
The children in the family are growing up year by year, and one table can no longer accommodate them. There were originally 9 adults, and this year there are also 9 children. It is a typical year of prosperity and great harvest.
Especially Ye Yaodong, who gained both people and money this year.
The children sat at the table and shouted that they were full after eating for a while. However, after they left the table, no one was willing to leave. They all stood in the small main room, waiting with grins on their faces, for fear of missing out on the New Year's money.
How can they leave when their grandparents haven't given them their New Year's money yet? What if they leave and it's gone? Or what if their mother confiscates it? That would be a loss.
All the adults present could see their little thoughts and knew that they were looking forward to receiving the New Year's money after dinner.
The two tables in the main room almost filled up the entire space, and with so many people there, Ye's mother wanted them to leave early and go out to play.
He waved to them and took out the red envelopes prepared in his pocket and handed them to them.
"One for each of you. There's one dollar and one cent in it. Keep the ten cents for yourself, and let your mother keep the one dollar. After the New Year, let her give you some to register for school."
They have a local saying that the first one should be given as the red envelope, so they like to give a higher number than the integer.
The children were originally very happy that their grandma generously gave them 1.1 yuan this year. In the past, she only gave 50 cents, but they didn't expect that the money was used to register for them.
Ye's mother also worked for a few months this year and received several months' salary before she was able to spend money. She planned to subsidize her three sons to reduce the burden on their children's studies.
After she joined the Women's Federation, she learned to read a few words and realized more clearly how important studying is. She also hoped that the children in her family would study hard and not give up halfway.