Let's say that Xinghua Hotel wants to implement contract management, the dog baby is not publicized on the surface, but secretly he is worried, isn't it? Every night, after dinner, we will read books and check information in our own room.

However, the contract will not operate until after the Spring Festival, so I took advantage of this gap to ask for family leave and stepped on the train back to my hometown. Along the way, seeing that people were busy preparing New Year's goods, the dog baby couldn't help but think of the customs of the New Year in her hometown that her mother had talked about:

The twentieth day of the lunar month is the last gathering of the year ago, and the people of the village generally start to prepare the New Year's goods from this day. First, buy some dry goods, such as walnuts, dates, peanuts, kelp, etc. Anyway, I started buying what I could.

On the twenty-third day of the lunar month, the area around Persimmon Bay is called "Xiao Nian". There are two things in "Xiao Nian", one is that all the daughters-in-law have to return to their in-laws' house before this day. As the saying goes, "Twenty-three, the daughter-in-law does not return to the grinding rod", this is what it means.

The other is to sacrifice to the stove master (that is, the stove god). The old houses in the persimmon bay area generally have a shrine to the stove, and most of them are a small rectangular brick kiln on the wall on the side of the stove, and a brick carved stove is embedded in it.

Later, there was no such brick carved shrine in the house, but the Zhuanghu people did not lose the custom of sacrificing to the stove master, and most of them used paper to paste a stove god position on the wall on the side of the stove before the Chinese New Year, and it was carried out in this simple way.

It is to post a couplet at the shrine of the stove master, the upper couplet says: "God says good things", the lower couplet says: "Return to the palace and descend auspicious", and the horizontal batch is the word "good luck". As for the tribute to the stove lord, it is also quite special, it is a small cake made of syrup, the size of a chess piece, the shape of a pumpkin, the locals call it "sugar melon".

Legend has it that on the twenty-third day of the twelfth month of the Stove Lord, he will go to Heaven to report the harvest of the common people for a year, and people are afraid that the "Stove Lord" will talk nonsense, afraid that the harvest will be reported too much, and they are even more afraid that the Heavenly Court will not be smooth in the coming year, so they want to use this "sugar melon" to stick to the mouth of the Stove Master. The old people said that after this stove master went to heaven, he would return by the thirtieth day of the lunar month, that is, the night of Chinese New Year's Eve.

On the twenty-fourth day of the lunar month, every household is "boiling oil", that is, boiling twist flowers, fried hemp leaves or something. On the twenty-fifth day of the lunar month, it is necessary to "sweep and hang", that is, to clean up. It's been a year, move out everything that can be moved in the house, clean it thoroughly, and welcome the new year cleanly. The 25th day is also the last fair before the Spring Festival, and the New Year's goods that have not been completed, such as beef and mutton, pork or something, must be prepared.

On the twenty-eighth and ninth days of the lunar month, it is "steamed buns". The area around Persimmon Bay is dominated by pasta, and steamed buns are the most important instant food, which can be eaten hot or cold. During the Spring Festival, that is, from the first day to the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, steamed buns are generally no longer steamed, so every household has to steam the steamed buns to be eaten on the fifth day of the Spring Festival, including "flower buns", on the 28th and ninth days of the lunar month.

Flower buns, is a major feature of this area and even the north, there are 12 zodiac signs, quails, fish, as well as jujube flowers, wheat hoards, "every year high" and other shapes, lifelike, interesting, is the traditional good gift between relatives and friends during the Spring Festival.

On the Chinese New Year's Eve of the 30th lunar month, every family has a reunion dinner, and they have to keep the year and pick up the stove master. The Chinese New Year's Eve dinner in the persimmon bay area is generally dumplings. There are several types of dumplings here, according to their shape. There are three types of dumplings that can be wrapped in round dumpling wrappers alone:

After wrapping in the ordinary wrapping method, it is put between the two thumbs and pressed to become a "penny"; after wrapping it in the ordinary wrapping method, the two ends are glued back and bonded into a circle, and it becomes a "wonton". Those wrapped in trapezoidal dumpling wrappers are called "dumplings".

Legend has it that on Chinese New Year's Eve, the deceased ancestors of the family will return, so when eating the reunion dinner, you must pay homage first. After eating dumplings that symbolize reunion, it is to keep the New Year and pick up the stove. Keeping the New Year means that the family does not sleep at night, waiting for the stove to be picked up in the early morning of the first day of the new year.

The tribute to the memorial stove is mainly wontons, which are generally made in three or five bowls, with only five wontons scooped into one bowl and placed on a small table in the northwest direction.

To receive the stove, it is necessary to burn the "hair eyebrows", sesame stalks, grain stalks, cypress branches, etc. Hair eyebrows, that is, the threshed sorghum ears, is taken from its "hair" and "beauty" homonym. Sesame stalk, naturally, is taken from its "high" meaning. The grain pole is taken from the meaning of "abundant harvest". As for the cypress branches, they are said to ward off evil spirits. After these are burned, it is time to burn incense and paper.

It was already the twenty-eighth month of the month when the dog baby arrived home, and Xing'er had already prepared the New Year's goods, but the two dogs had not come back yet. So, the next day, the dog baby got on a bicycle and ran to the lacquer craftsman's house in Shihu Town.

"Auntie, look for Master Ding. As soon as the dog baby entered the door, she said to the Ding family's aunt. "Are you?" "Oh, the second dog, his brother. Come, come in. Who's that, call your father? Her dad had just gone next door. The aunt of the Ding family asked the dog baby to come in and sit, and at the same time asked her daughter to find her father.

After a while, Lao Ding returned. The dog baby took something out of her bag and said, "Master Ding, I brought you something." "Oh, troublesome, what else are you carrying?" "It should. "The dog baby took out a Hongtashan cigarette and handed it to Master Ding, and lit one herself.

"How long did you wait to come back?" "I came back yesterday." "Oh, you're here to ask about Ergou's situation, right?" "Well, seeing that it's been the New Year, Ergou hasn't come back, so I'm going to ask." ”

"I told you that at the beginning, Ergou was working in Xijing with the engineering team of this village. When the work was over, he told Ergou that we should go somewhere else with the Shihu engineering team. "Oh. "But your second dog thinks that the engineering team gives little wages, and wants to talk to the engineering team of the boss of the horse." "What the hell. ”

"Hehe, Boss Ma also took a fancy to your second dog, saying that he would increase his salary by half. "Is there really such a thing?" "Hmm. Ergou told him about this, and he said that he was paid a lot, but the problem was that we didn't know the boss. But Ergou didn't listen to what he said, so he left with Boss Ma. ”

"Where is the engineering team?" "So far away!" "Are you familiar with that boss?" When they were working, the boss often came to the construction site and had dinner together. Oh, the boss of Nama takes Ergou shopping from time to time. "This thief's skin, I don't know how thick the sky is. "Oh, you're not worried, the second dog has a lot of eyes, and he can't afford to lose." ”

"I don't know how to contact. "Ah, we don't know the address. Far away, you can say. "Thief skin, if you don't come back for the New Year, you won't speak. "Oh, the second dog is playful. "For the New Year, I don't know how to count this etiquette." ”

"Now this baby's family still pays attention to the number of etiquette. Besides, the road is far away, and the letter is slow, so I may write it. "Oh. "It doesn't matter, what are the boys afraid of?" After listening to Master Ding's words, the dog baby felt a little more at ease.

In this way, the second dog did not go home for the first time during the Spring Festival, and the dog baby and Apricot did not live steadily.

Before the family leave was over, the dog baby received a telegram from the provincial capital, urging him to return to the unit early. So, on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the dog baby stepped on the train back to the city. When I arrived at the unit, I learned that no one came out to take the lead in contracting, and the leaders were anxious, so they held several forums in a row, and mobilized and did work individually.

In the end, the fledgling dog baby recklessly contracted the catering department, whether he could do it well, he had no bottom in his heart, and many people were worried about him. As for the details of the dog's rash contracting, I won't repeat it here.

The words are divided into two ends. Let's say that my cousin went back to her hometown before the Spring Festival, but E'er's words lingered in Liva's heart from time to time, and when he was with Gua'er, he always couldn't let go, and his heart was very entangled.

That is to say, the Chinese New Year is coming, and the relationship between these two people is not very harmonious with the atmosphere of this festival, isn't it? From the first day of the first month to the fifth day of the first lunar month, Liwa looked for Guaer once. Although Gua Er felt a little, she didn't ask directly on Liva's face.

Of course, Liva doesn't stay at home every day. No, on the eve of the Spring Festival, some students who worked in other places have come back one after another, and it is normal for people to hang out with each other and get together.

Liva was passed on to his uncle, who grew up in the village as a child and came to the provincial capital when he was in junior high school, which means that his classmates here were all in middle school and college.

There is almost no stake between classmates, especially those in middle school, and some are pure friendships, especially good ones, and they will naturally talk about careers and personal feelings.

Liva is a person who is more emotional, and the city government is not deep, no, something in her heart will inevitably hang on her face. Unable to withstand the questioning of her classmates, Leva told her about her recent situation and troubles.

"Hehe, your cousin is also interesting, and she is so concerned about your affairs. A classmate said. "Ah, I used to go to her house when I was a child. Riva replied. "Oh. "I'm thinking, I'm afraid there's something in there. Another classmate said.

"Then she just said no, and it was over, and let people guess something. "Life is complicated. "Selling your philosophy again, haha. "It's not a show, really. "Regardless of whether it's true or not, then what do you say Liva should do. ”

"I said, it's better to ...... than to bother God like this" "I'd rather tear down a temple than break up a marriage, just because she said a few words, just ......" "Then what should I do, there is obviously an article in this, otherwise, his cousin is so far away, why do you have to intervene in this matter?"

"Yes, that makes sense. "There is no grass at the end of the world, or it will be ......." Otherwise, this is a shadow before you get married, so what should you do if you get married?"

After a little bit of attention from her classmates, Liva's attitude became more negative, and she didn't suffer until the sixteenth day of the first month, when she saw that school was about to start, and Liva ran to find Guaer for the second time, and the two came to the street park for a walk.

Liva said: "These days, several old classmates who work in other places have returned, and some of them haven't seen each other for several years, and they have been playing all day long. "Oh. Gu'er replied lukewarmly.

Riva was silent for a moment, then plucked up the courage to say, "Well, we both work in the same school, and we have something to say, ......" "Don't you like to write letters?"

"I thought about it, and I thought it would be better to say it to you in person. "Oh, you name it. You're okay in other aspects, but I think a lot, and I feel a little tired with you. "Tired?" "Well, whenever I'm feeling good, you'll come to me with a basin of cold water and find fault with me." As for it?"

"Kidding you. "It's not a joke. "Oh, then I apologize to you. "No, I don't need to. "Come to think of it, I think you're pretty good, but it may not be suitable for me, so let's get along and break up." "OK. ”

"Hope is still a friend. "Oh. "In a school, if you look up and don't look down, you look like an enemy. "No problem. In this way, the two chatted for a while, and then dispersed.

After returning home, Gua'er didn't tell her mother about it. Since then, as long as the wife of the martial family talks about marriage in front of her daughter, Gua Er deliberately diverts the topic, not wanting to talk about it, she is now preparing to take the postgraduate examination.