Three and a half months have passed since I returned home. In the blink of an eye, it is the Chinese New Year's Eve of the Ding You Year of the lunar calendar.

Early in the morning of the Chinese New Year's Eve, He Limei and Hai Limin began to put window flowers on the windows. They plastered all the rooms with windows and hung a string of colored lights on the windows of the living room. As soon as the electricity is turned on, it is colorful and flashes constantly.

"In the past, the window grilles were cut out of red paper little by little, but now it is really convenient, a thin plastic sheet, just spray a little water, and even save the paste." Black Daddy Hailimin sighed alone.

"Times are different. Why not enjoy it if it's convenient? In the past, there was no such condition, and the big guys were not rich. Now our lives are better, spending a little money, it's not just troublesome, and it's good-looking, why not? He Limei said.

"Yes, yes, yes. You're right. Halimin laughed.

"It's the New Year. Let my son go to his grandfather's house with us for the New Year! I can't celebrate the New Year, and let him stay at home alone! You say, huh? Recently, he has changed quite a lot, and his spirit has recovered quite well. Looks better than before. Hailimin said.

"I'm not blind. His grandfather and grandmother hadn't seen him for a long time. Of course I have to go! He Limei replied.

In this way, the family pasted the window flowers and Spring Festival couplets early, and embarked on the road to grandpa's house for the New Year with the fruit sugar tea and firecrackers prepared in advance.

This is the first time in the three and a half months since he returned home, Hetale has gone out. Breathing in the festive air outside, he was excited.

The family drove nearly an hour from the east of the city and finally arrived at their grandfather's house in the west of the city. This is an old state-owned enterprise family building, built in the 80s of the last century, the building is not high, only four floors, the outer wall of the building is covered with creeper dry vines.

Ringing the doorbell, it was He Wenhai, the grandfather of Hetale, who opened the door.

"Come in! Come on in! He Wenhai said as he prepared slippers for the three of them.

"Oops! Grandchildren. Are you all right? Let me see. I've heard that you've had a brain drop. Now that I look fine, I'm finally relieved. Seeing Heita Le, He Wenhai said excitedly.

"This child has been raising very well in the past six months! Sturdier. The mental head is also better. That's what a big boy looks like! He Wenhai said to He Limei with a smile.

Not long after, my uncle, aunt, cousin, aunt, uncle, cousin, and the two families also arrived. Cousin Jiang Nan is already in his third year of college, and his cousin He Haoyu has just entered his freshman year. Because of the small age difference, Hetale is very close to them.

After meeting, everyone greeted each other for a while as usual during the Spring Festival.

Subsequently, the older women in the family began to prepare the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner. Uncle and uncle, uncle-in-law and black father Hai Limin accompanied his grandfather He Wenhai to play mahjong.

Taking advantage of this effort, Hetale followed his cousin Jiang Nan and cousin He Haoyu together, and the three of them teamed up to play the glory of the king. Because there is little time to play, and Hei's mother He Limei is strict, the operation of Heitale is still very good, and it is still in the platinum stage. Out of personal preference, Hetale has always chosen the mid-lane mage Wang Zhaojun. Cousin He Haoyu's operation is even better, he has already brushed Xingyao, and his best is the jungler Lanling King. Cousin Jiang Nan is only a little stronger than Heita Le, playing with the soft assistant Cai Wenji, and the new skin blessing given by her boyfriend, which has attracted voice harassment from many male players.

"Finish this meal!" Grandma Wang Xiulian shouted to the young and old people who were playing mahjong and games.

It is said to be a Chinese New Year's Eve dinner, but in fact, it is just a lunch meal that starts at about 1 o'clock in the afternoon. A table full of dishes. Stir-fried fat sausage, boiled liver tip, stewed large yellow croaker, sweet and sour pork ribs, daylily stewed beef, spicy fried mixed shellfish, Texas grilled chicken, sauerkraut soup, steamed river crab, Harbin red sausage, Songhua egg mixed with tofu, cold salad jellyfish skin...... And so on.

At the dinner table, the men chatted, discussed current affairs and politics, and talked freely about their "unique opinions". The women looked at them with disgust, as if they were bragging.

After eating, the men began to "build the Great Wall" again. The women rested for a while, chattering for a while. Then, he began to get busy again, washing vegetables, cutting vegetables, mixing stuffing, and noodles, and he was very busy.

Hetale and his cousin continue to immerse themselves in the world of the glory of kings.

By the time it was dark, the women had already filled six or seven curtains with three kinds of dumplings, including leek, egg, shrimp, three fresh fillings, pork and cabbage filling, and celery and beef filling, which were enough for about 300 dumplings.

At this time, the sound of firecrackers outside had already sounded. The three sisters and brothers were tired of playing, and they each swiped up the mobile phone video.

The Spring Festival Gala seems to be only watched by adults. They watched and discussed, expressing their opinions on the evening program. The children are unanimously not interested in the Spring Festival Gala.

The three siblings, who were extremely bored, took a bag of firecrackers and went outside.

Winters in the north are as dry and cold as ever. During the day, it snowed lightly outside, and in the evening the ground was white, with a few more lines of cat and dog paw prints. Heaven and earth are full of the sound of firecrackers. Colorful fireworks in the sky come and go.

The three sisters and brothers have a clear division of labor. Cousin Ho Haoyu and Heita Le were in charge of setting off firecrackers. Cousin Jiang Nan was in charge of taking pictures and then posting them to WeChat Moments. Earth red, small fireworks, magic bullets, monkeys, two kicks, turntables...... Firecrackers in various formats, and the three of them had as much fun as they did when they were children.

Looking at the fireworks in front of him, for a moment, Xiao Yanzhen remembered his family. Memories flew away, and the scenes in Xiao Yanzhen's memory appeared in front of Heitale's eyes like film......

A group of men, women and children, sat around a huge bonfire. A thin wizard wearing a golden mask, black fur, and a bone staff in his hand sang and danced closest to the campfire.

"It's Chinese New Year's Eve, and our whole family is performing a ceremony to worship the god of fire. Ancestors believed that fire was a magical power that could bring warmth to the whole world in addition to the sun. It is the most sacred and cleanses the world of filth. Xiao Yanzhen explained.

"The fire of nature is a symbol of God. Therefore, we worship the god of fire through bonfires to express our respect and worship for the god of fire. We threw the salt, the cattle and sheep into the fire, and the fat of the livestock and the salt crackled in the campfire. At this time, our most skilled shamans will praise the exploits of the god of fire and ask the gods to bless him with good weather in the coming year. After the prayer is over, everyone enters the carnival time. ”

"Early the morning after Chinese New Year's Eve, we would also mix glutinous rice and goat bone marrow to make rice dumplings, each the size of a fist. Each household had to prepare forty-nine pieces. In the evening, families would throw their cakes outdoors to lure voles to eat. People took the opportunity to catch voles that were eating cakes. When all the pastries have been eaten, the number of voles caught is counted. If it is an even number, it means that it is an auspicious omen, and the coming year will definitely be blessed by the sky and ancestors, and it will be auspicious. If it is a singular number, it indicates that there will be evil spirits around you. At this time, it is necessary to ask a wizard to do the work of exorcising the ghosts, singing and shouting around the house, and setting up a fire to burn the voles that have been caught. People call it 'Zhengdan Horror'. ”

"The most important thing in the New Year is the 'Head Fish Feast' and the 'Head Goose Feast'." The 'Head Fish Feast' is the first big fish caught from the river in the new year. The 'Head Goose Feast' was the first waterfowl to be caught in the river. It is a celebration of the extraordinary start of the new year and an expression of hope for a well-fed new year. During the banquet, adults poured chrysanthemum wine from the cockscomb pot while eating fresh delicacies. The cockscomb pot was flat and long, like a bag, and the mouth was small, which could be used for both wine and milk, and it was not easy to spill. Pour a small cup at a time and drink it for a long time. At this time, the children can drink cow and goat milk while eating pastries that they can't eat on weekdays, not to mention how happy they are. Xiao Yanzhen said.

"Were you still nomadic at that time?" Hetale asked curiously.

"It's not exactly nomadic anymore. The territory is basically fixed. We are all stationed in a fixed city for a long time. At that time, we were already living with the Bohai people and the Han Chinese. In addition to marching and fighting, they usually live in the city. In addition to the dress and customs, it is no different from the Bohai people and the Han people. Xiao Yanzhen explained.

"I still remember the Chinese New Year's Eve of the year I was weakly crowned. yes, eldest mother, mother, eldest brother, second brother, younger sister, and younger brother. It's so nice to spend the holidays together as a family! The eldest lady gave each brother and sister a share of goose meat, and I grabbed a fat goose butt to eat. At that time, my sister Chun'er was still an eleven or twelve-year-old girl, and she had to snatch the chrysanthemum wine in my hand to drink. Xiao Yanzhen recalled.

"I wonder how Iye, my mother, and my brothers and sisters lived after I died. Will it still be peaceful and prosperous? A sour feeling surged into Xiao Yanzhen's heart.

"It's been more than a thousand years. They have long since returned to dust and dust. Hetale comforted.

"I don't know who will support my mother's old age? I wonder what kind of husband my sister Jun'er will marry? I don't know who the girl who was supposed to marry me was married later? I don't know ......, I don't know! Speaking of sadness, a tear flowed down the corner of Haital's eye.

This scene happened to be discovered by his cousin He Haoyu. He quipped, "Hey, did the firecrackers make you cry?" Hey. ”

Hetale hurriedly wiped it with his hand and hurriedly explained, "The wind blows, the merry eyes!" ”

After letting off the firecrackers and returning to the room, the steam of cooking dumplings has already filled the room.

"Wash your hands and eat dumplings." He Limei shouted at the children.

The sound of firecrackers outside the house made the house warm. Eating hot dumplings, Xiao Yanzhen also seemed to return to the campfire where everyone in the family sat in his memory.

At this moment, Xiao Yan really thought that maybe this rebirth was God's mercy! In this way, he compensated for his short life.