"It's not too late to know now, and you'll know later, so as not to be laughed at because you don't know the etiquette."

Yun placed the kumquat and walked over to cut the window flowers with Fang Dongqiao and Fang Xiayao.

Over there, Fang Jingshu, Fang Jingpeng, and Fang Jingtai each used their own auspicious words to paste them in the courtyard where they lived, but Fang Dongqiao's words were not good, so they had to be ghostwritten by the eldest brother Fang Jingshu, and wrote a couplet for her and pasted it in the bamboo lotus courtyard.

Of course, Fang Mingcheng and Yun's main house, Su Lige, Rong Chaoliang, Gong Tianyu, and two guest room courtyards, the couplets at the gate of the Fang Mansion are all written by Fang Jing, who called the eldest brother Fang Jingshu's one-handed calligraphy is so good-looking, so as not to waste his talent, it is naturally to make the best use of it.

As for Ye Lao's courtyard, there is no need for Fang Jingshu to ghostwrite at all, Ye Lao's handwriting is very good-looking, and even Fang Dongqiao's eyes are shining in the couplet against Ye Lao.

Needless to say, this high talent in practicing calligraphy is nothing, and hard work is the most important thing.

Ye Lao's age, where is the qualifications, although Fang Jingshu's words are very good, but compared to Ye Lao's words, it is still a little bit worse, it is a kind of experience left over from the years, and it is not something that can catch up with hard work.

Finally, the Spring Festival couplets, the window flowers of the zodiac or something, all the Fang family has been done and pasted, Fang Dongqiao looked at the vivid and lively cartoon image window flowers of the zodiac, and smiled brightly.

"Sure enough, it's still the most beautiful and rare window grille in my house."

"Isn't it strange that you girl came up with a picture?"

Fang Xiayao joked beside him.

But to be honest, the window flowers are the same every year, and this year, Fang Dongqiao's cartoon of the zodiac drawn with charcoal lines is a little more vivid than in previous years, and it looks very gratifying.

"But this zodiac chart has been changed by Qiao'er like this, but it looks a lot more interesting."

Fang Jingshu had just come back from pasting Spring Festival couplets outside the gate, and when he saw the 12 zodiac cartoon window flowers on the window, his eyebrows couldn't help but bend.

"It's not just funny, it's so funny, is this a tiger? It's so cute, and is this a snake? Looks like a beautiful doll, is this the pesky mouse? It looks so pleasing, and this little lamb is so playful and beautiful. ”

Fang Jingtai looked at them one by one curiously, commenting as he watched.

"Xiaotai, hurry down, they're all so old, how can you learn to be naughty with your sister." Yun raised his hand and patted Fang Jingtai. "Hurry up, Ming'er is Chinese New Year's Eve Chinese New Year's Eve, my mother has made a new dress and new shoes for a few of you, come and try it, look at where you need to change it, and when Ming'er changes it, my mother won't have the time to modify it for you." Yun came over with a few winter coats and winter robes, and saw that the style and size of the clothes were just right, but the color was all the same red, and it was weird to wear.

"Mother, why do you have to wear red clothes? The second sister can wear it alone, she is going to be a bride on the eighth day of the first month, and we don't need it, why do we have to wear red. ”

As soon as Fang Dongqiao said this, he was glared at by the Yun family.

"My mother lets you wear it, where are there so many words."

"But mother, this dress is too colorful, it feels awkward."

Fang Dongqiao never liked red and green clothes, her clothes were much more elegant.

"Qiao'er, Ming'er must wear red clothes, even if it is awkward, you have to wear it." Fang Jingshu said with a smile.

"Why?" Why do you have to wear red clothes, in the previous life, it seemed that only men and women with deep resentment wore red clothes before they died, and that was to turn into a powerful ghost to take revenge.

Although they wore red clothes for the New Year's holiday, they were full of red, and it was amazing to look at.

"That's allusion, Joel. You've read so many books on weekdays, why haven't you seen this one? Fang Jingshu teased Fang Dongqiao.

"What kind of allusion, is there an allusion to wearing red?" Fang Dongqiao looked at Fang Jingshu in confusion.

"Of course. There is such an interesting story that has been passed down from generation to generation: according to legend, in the ancient flood era, there was a fierce monster, and people called him "Nian". Every night of the thirtieth day of the Chinese New Year's Eve, the Nian beast will crawl out of the sea to harm people and animals, destroy the countryside, and bring disaster to the people who have worked hard for a year. ”

"In order to avoid the beasts of the year, on the night of the thirtieth day of the lunar month, they closed the gate early before it was dark, and did not dare to sleep, but sat and waited for the dawn, in order to kill time, and also to strengthen their courage, they drank wine. Wait until the morning of the first day of the new year when the beast no longer comes out, and then dare to go out. People met each other and bowed their hands, congratulated each other, and were glad that they were not eaten by the Nian Beast, so that after many years, nothing happened, and people relaxed their vigilance against the Nian Beast. Speaking of this, Fang Jingshu stopped.

"Below? What's next? Fang Dongqiao urged.

"The next story, on the night of the thirtieth of one year, the Nian Beast suddenly rushed to a village in the south of the Yangtze River, and the people in a village were almost eaten by the Nian Beast, and only a newlywed couple with red curtains and red clothes were safe and sound. There are also a few children, in the courtyard lit a bunch of bamboo to play, the fire is red, the bamboo burns after the "pop" explosion, the year beast turned here, saw the fire frightened turned around and fled. Since then, people know that the year beast is afraid of red, afraid of light, afraid of sound, every year to the end of the year, every household will paste red paper, wear red robes, hang red lights, beat gongs and drums, set off firecrackers, so that the year beast will not dare to come again. ”

And such an allusion?

It turned out that the New Year's word was a fierce beast in ancient times, and Fang Dongqiao had seen it again.

On the day of the thirtieth day of the Chinese New Year's Eve, on Chinese New Year's Eve, the old and the new are welcomed, and every family has to gather around to have a reunion dinner.

The ancients paid special attention to this reunion dinner, and the officials in the prisons of the Great Zhou Dynasty all went home to have a Chinese New Year's Eve dinner with their families on the day of the release of prisoners, except of course, the prisoners who were heavily imprisoned for rebellion.

On this day, the sound of chopping vegetables and meat on the cutting board came from the kitchen of every household, and the housewives were busy in the kitchen all day long, busy with Chinese New Year's Eve dinner, so busy that their feet did not touch the ground.

The children were running everywhere, in the alleys, in the corners, covering their ears, happily setting off firecrackers, crackling, crackling.

Fang Dongqiao also followed Fang Jingtai to join in the fun, and put a long list of red firecrackers, just at the gate, the sound of firecrackers made Fang Dongqiao stomp his feet, covered his ears, and ran away, letting Fang Jingtai continue to release.

In the evening, the family sat together for a reunion dinner, which was the first time in five years that the whole family had a Chinese New Year's Eve dinner.

The third uncle, the two sons of the third uncle, and the three grandsons of the third uncle's grandchildren, plus Fang Mingcheng of the Fang family, the three sons, they formed a table, and the other women, girls and children sat at the other table, at the dinner table, lively and joyful.

Of course, Fang Dongqiao also saw her father Fang Mingcheng's occasional flash of gloom, naturally he thought of Fang Dashan and Mrs. Chen's side, but fortunately, Fang Mingcheng just thought about it, and didn't really mean to be involved with that side.

Although he gave a New Year's gift to his third uncle every year, he also gave one to Fang Dashan, all of which were thirty catties of meat, thirty catties of fish and shrimp, fifty catties of rice, fifty catties of white noodles, and good materials according to the number of people, and of course silver, and twenty taels of silver were left on both sides.

In terms of money and food, the Fang family didn't care too much, as long as Fang Mingcheng could feel better in his heart.

From Fang Jingtai's mouth, Fang Dongqiao heard that her father's New Year's gift to Fang Dashan was the heaviest, since the big house and the third room separated, they had their own ways, and they didn't obey each other's words like before, they all began to plan to live their own small lives, naturally the other party Dashan and Mrs. Chen didn't have so much to be filial to.

This Fang Dashan and Mrs. Chen saw Fang Mingcheng's New Year's ceremony, but I am afraid that tonight's Chinese New Year's Eve dinner will be uncomfortable, who told them to be too ruthless at the beginning, and now they can only swallow bitter water by themselves, even if they regret it, it is useless.

Thinking of this, Fang Dongqiao shook her head funny, she should happily eat the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner now, thinking of what those superb relatives are doing.

With this thought, Fang Dongqiao naturally turned all his attention to the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner.

This Chinese New Year's Eve dinner, naturally is sumptuous, family reunion, sitting around the table, eating reunion dinner together, the taste of the heart is really indescribable, I can't imagine that she also had so many relatives in ancient times, she almost forgot the feeling of the New Year.

Looking at the big dishes on the dinner table, cold pots, hot stir-fries, and dim sum, a large table was full of them. Of course, having two dishes at the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner is absolutely indispensable.

That is hot pot and fish, listen to my mother's mother, there must be these two dishes, there is also a reason, one hot pot, hot, red peppers are tumbling in the soup, meaning, next year will be prosperous, this fish, Fang Dongqiao knows, in the previous life, there is also the meaning of taking it every year.

Of course, the dishes on the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner are exquisite, such as radish, which has another name for the head of vegetables, so it means good luck, and fried foods such as lobster mean that next year's family fortune is like a fire and oil, and at the end of the meal, there will be a sweet food coming up, meaning that the days to come are sweet and sweet.

Fang Dongqiao listened to the Yun family introduce the meaning of these dishes to her one by one, so that she had to remember it well.

"Mother, don't worry, Qiao'er has remembered everything, and there won't be any jokes next time."

Yun Shi looked at it and smiled, and poured Fang Dongqiao a glass of wine, the wine was bright and fragrant, and it seemed to be very familiar.

"Mother, can Qiao'er also drink?"

"Of course, this Chinese New Year's Eve dinner, adults and children can drink some wine, no taboo." Drink it, this is the peach blossom wine that your sister learned from Zhao Anshun Niang, drink less, it won't be intoxicating, and the taste is very good, sweet, my mother guessed that Qiao Er would like to drink it. Yun looked at Fang Dongqiao with a smile.

Fang Dongqiao picked up the wine glass and took a sip gently, as his mother said, it was very sweet, just like fruit wine, and it was not intoxicating.