Xu Mingxuan smiled and reached out to pat Jiaxing and Jiahe's little heads. He explained to everyone with a smile, "You can paste the 'Fu' character upside down on the boxes and cabinets where things are stored at home. This is because boxes and cabinets are where things are kept. Pasting the 'Fu' character upside down signifies that good fortune has arrived home, meaning wealth will continuously flow into the house, into the boxes, and into the cabinets."
Chen Lan had never heard this explanation before. She only knew that the 'Fu' character should be pasted upside down, but she didn't know there were so many sayings and customs associated with it.
After Uncle Fu and Uncle De returned from offering ancestral sacrifices with Xu Mingxuan and a group of young boys from the family, everyone went out together to the woodpile outside the yard to gather firewood.
Holding a bundle of firewood, Xiang Xi explained to Yulia and Milana, "Yulia, Milana, bringing firewood home before the New Year's Eve dinner symbolizes bringing wealth home. This is a custom in our Northeast. Remember this, okay?"
The two sisters looked curious and nodded enthusiastically.
Once everyone had brought their "wealth" home and washed their hands and faces, Xu Mingxuan brought out the dishes prepared for the ancestors. Before the New Year's Eve dinner, they had to first burn incense and offer sacrifices to the ancestors, praying for their divine protection for the family's safety, health, and smooth sailing in all endeavors.
As soon as the ancestral worship was over, Xu Mingxuan took Mingzhe with a string of firecrackers to the gate. Today was the last day of the year, marking the beginning of a new year. Setting off firecrackers symbolized good fortune and prosperity for the family in the coming year.
After the long string of firecrackers was set off, the sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner officially began. For the grand New Year's Eve dinner, Grandma and the others had prepared three large tables, with an incredibly rich spread of dishes, covering everything that ran on land and swam in the sea.
This was Xu Mingxuan's first New Year's Eve spent at home in over a decade, so he naturally spoke first. Xu Mingxuan raised his wine glass and said to his mother-in-law, "Mother-in-law, I want to toast you with this first glass of wine. Thank you for taking care of the children in the family day in and day out for ten years. I know that the twins and the other children have grown up to be so obedient and sensible thanks to your meticulous teaching and care."
His mother-in-law waved her hands repeatedly, saying, "Mingxuan! I haven't done much. I've just been looking after my grandchildren. It's my duty, and there's nothing to thank me for."
Grandma then chimed in, "Sister-in-law, why shouldn't he thank you? He should thank you properly, otherwise, how would he, as a father, know how difficult it is for the children to grow up? To be honest, Sister-in-law, I also want to thank you. If you hadn't helped me look after these children, I truly feared I wouldn't be able to manage. Mingxuan! You have no idea, especially your twins. They were particularly difficult to handle. Oh! You wouldn't know how mischievous they were when they were little. Just thinking about it gives me a headache. For them to grow up safely, your mother-in-law deserves great credit."
His mother-in-law felt a bit embarrassed by Grandma's praise and quickly changed the subject, "Let's not talk about these things today. Come, Mingxuan, don't just drink. Have some hot food. The sea fish and prawns you brought back this time are excellent. The sea fish has fewer bones. Hurry up and have a piece. Come, Sister-in-law, Third Sister Aunt, Yulia, Milana, please start eating. Have something hot. Eat whatever you like. Make yourselves at home, and let's chat while we eat, otherwise, the dishes will get cold."
Grandma, Mother-in-law, Third Sister Aunt, Mama Liu, Mama Cui, Uncle Fu, Uncle De, Xu Mingxuan, Erhu, and Xiang Dong's table chatted and ate, creating a very harmonious atmosphere. The children's table was also lively. There were seven children from their own family, plus Xiao Shi from Cui Qiao's family, Jiaxian from Xiao Yue's family, and Jiajun from Hu Yuzhen's family, a total of ten children. It was truly a raucous affair. On New Year's Eve, no one bothered to control their revelry. With the elder sister Chunni looking after the youngest Jiajun, Grandma said that as long as they didn't fight, they could have their fun. It was about celebrating the New Year, after all.
Chen Lan sat at a table with Yulia and her sister, Cui Qiao and her sister-in-law, Hu Yuzhen and Xiao Shuan, and Lin Mai and her husband. Before long, Xiang Xi and Mingzhe also joined them.
As they ate and chatted, Xiang Xi began recounting his interesting experiences in Pogranichny town. At this point, Mingzhe asked, "Brother Xiang Xi, since you went all the way there, didn't you bring back any local specialties for your brothers to see?"
Xiang Xi immediately replied, "Yes! The hairtail you're eating now, the large prawns, the big crabs, and the abalone are all what we brought back this time. How are they? Aren't they especially fresh? Do they taste different from river fish and shrimp? Oh, and this Vika sausage is also what we brought back. Doesn't it have meat in every bite and taste particularly delicious?"
Mingzhe's words reminded Chen Lan. How could she have forgotten to distribute the gifts they brought back? Alas, her memory! She then said, "Mingzhe, don't worry. You won't miss out on gifts. Almost everyone in the family has received something. We brought presents for all of you. Oh, right, Mingzhe, where did you put my big backpack?" Sudannovel.com
Mingzhe replied, "In the storeroom. No way? Sister-in-law, are all the gifts the three of you brought back for us in that big backpack?"
Chen Lan replied vaguely, "Most of them are inside, and some are in your eldest brother's backpack."
Before Chen Lan could finish speaking, Mingzhe put down his chopsticks, stood up, and dashed to the storeroom. He soon returned with Chen Lan's big backpack. He handed the backpack to Chen Lan and then looked at her expectantly.
Chen Lan was speechless! She then asked, "Mingzhe, the gifts aren't going anywhere. We can look after dinner. Are you sure you want to look now? Look, there are so many good dishes, and so much rare seafood. Are you already full? Let me tell you, once this opportunity is gone, it won't come again. If you want to eat this again next time, you won't be able to. Look at the group of little ones at the next table. They know how to eat! They're only picking at the large prawns and crab legs."
Mingzhe turned his head and saw that it was indeed the case. The group of little devils had already covered their table with prawn shells and crab shells. They had barely touched other dishes, and each of them still looked unsatisfied. Jiaxing and Jiahe kept looking at their table.
He immediately replied, "Sister-in-law, let's eat first. We can look after the New Year's Eve dinner. Otherwise, Mother and Eldest Brother will say I'm impolite again."