post middle age

Chapter 45
Today is the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month. In the eyes of Chinese people, Xiaonian, also known as Xiaonian, is a day for worshiping stoves, sweeping dust, and eating stove candy in traditional Chinese culture.

The 23rd of the twelfth lunar month in the Central Plains is a very grand festival. On this day, people have to clean the house early in the morning, sweep away the dust, and use a wet towel to wipe off the paintings in the central hall and various decorative paintings in the room, and clean the inside and outside. , and then sacrificial to the stove. In addition to the sacrificial stove sugar, you also need to bake the scallion pancakes and set off firecrackers. The sacrificial stove sugar is boiled with white sugar into syrup, mixed with fried sesame seeds, or amaranth seeds, and the hollow in the middle that is blown out is filled with Sesame is very fragrant and sweet stove candy. On this day, the Stove King went to heaven to reward people for their good and evil behavior during the year. The Jade Emperor decided the degree of rewarding good and punishing evil according to the Stove King's rewards. Important traditional culture in Chinese folklore.

In the eyes of the Chinese, the Spring Festival starts from the 23rd (or 24th) of the twelfth lunar month, and people start to "busy the year": cleaning houses, washing hair and bathing, preparing New Year's utensils, etc.All these activities have a common theme, which is "letting go of the old and welcoming the new".People welcome the new year and spring with grand ceremony and enthusiasm.

Therefore, in the eyes of ordinary people on this day, if there are relatives at home who are working hard, then they have to go back to their hometown and reunite with their relatives on this day. In the eyes of people, it is still longing for the members of the family to be reunited together. It is said that Lao Zaoye will roll his name on this day.

Early in the morning, Li Te's mother Yang Xiulian called her son:

"Tongtong (Li Te's nickname), your father asked me to ask you, can you come back today?"

Dad Li Linsen said with a smile beside him:

"If you want to ask yourself, just ask yourself. Tongtong is older and knows it well. If he was not busy with work, he would have gone home a long time ago."

Hearing the words of his parents, Li Te felt sore in his heart. He explained with a smile:
"Mom, I may not be able to go back today. Auntie still has something to do at home. After I finish my work, I plan to go home within a day or two."

Yang Xiulian knew what was on her son's mind as soon as she heard it. She sighed softly and persuaded:
"Tongtong, you have to pay close attention to your own affairs. Mom knows the pain in your heart."

"By the way, Mom, Shuxia's family may return to Ruyang with me this year, and then we will have a happy and reunited New Year." Li Te said to his mother with a smile.

"That's good, that's good. I'll clean up the room from today. By the way, Tong Tong, don't worry, the washing, use, and bedding are all new." Yang Xiulian was in a good mood when she heard about her son.

When Li Te's parents were young, they opened a grocery store in their hometown county. After half a lifetime of hard work, the couple has now become a large-scale business group company. They have opened three supermarkets in the county, one of which is the largest in the county. As for the trade city, and the commercial activities have expanded to the catering industry and the education and training industry for primary and middle school students. The assets of the Li family are several hundred million. In the past few years, with the rapid development of the company, Li Linsen has felt powerless. My son quit his job and went home to help manage the company. His son always made vague excuses, but he couldn't force his son on this point, because I only had such an only seedling. What an accident, that's not good.

Hearing what his son said this time, Lao Li felt that his son's marriage might not be hopeful, so he smiled and said to Yang Xiulian:
"Old Yang, don't be too tired. This is the first time that Shuxia's family has come to our small place from a big city. We can't embarrass our son. How about this? Let me talk to my secretary Xiaoli and let her take full control. If you are in charge of this matter, you can rest easy and just supervise and supervise.”

"That sounds good to you, that's it!" Yang Xiulian replied with a smile.

After talking on the phone with his parents, Li Te wanted to go to Shuxia's house early. He didn't forget to bring two bottles of Dukang Daqu wine from his hometown. breakfast.

When I arrived at Shuxia's house, when I knocked on the door, it was Ding Xiang who opened the door. When Ding Xiang saw Li Te, she quickly sat down on the sofa in the living room, and asked with a smile:

"I've had breakfast." After saying this, Ding Xiang glanced at the breakfast that Li Te put on the dining table, and felt that the question was a bit redundant, so she turned around and shouted:

"Ke Ke, your Uncle Li Te is here and brought you your favorite Yonghe Soymilk."

After finishing speaking, he smiled and said to Li Te:
"These lazy cats haven't gotten up yet."

"It's rare to have a holiday, so Auntie can let them sleep late." Li Te said.

"Then you watch TV first, and I have to knead the dough. Today we are making sesame seed cakes."

"Auntie, let me knead the dough for you!" Li Te said to his auntie, taking off his coat.

Ding Xiang was not polite to him either, and said with a smile:

"Well!"

While helping knead the dough in the kitchen, Li Te whispered to his aunt, ""I have already told Shuxia about going back to his hometown for the Spring Festival together this year. Ding Xiang listened and asked with a smile:

"What did Shuxia say?"

"She said listen to the mother." Li Te replied with a smile.

"That's good!" Ding Xiang said.

Ren Shuxia heard that Li Te was coming in the house, so she stopped thinking about the lazy bed, so she planned to get up. Since she was at her own home, she simply pulled up her hair and put on a long yellow dress. After putting on light makeup, he came to the restaurant and saw Li Te and his mother chatting, so he asked curiously:
"I saw you talking and laughing early in the morning. Tell me what happy event you have. Let's have fun together."

"I'll know when the time comes." Li Te smiled fascinatedly.

Ren Shuxia saw that they didn't want to talk, so she stopped asking. She ate a deep-fried dough stick and drank a cup of soy milk by herself, then went to her daughter's bedroom and shouted into it:

"Yang'er, the sun is shining on your buttocks, why don't you get up!"

"What time is it?" Yao Ting's lazy voice came from the room.

"It's nine o'clock, today is the new year, according to the tradition, the cleaner, get up quickly, let's work together." Ren Shuxia urged with a smile.

"Okay, got it!" Yao Ting replied.

Because Yao Ting and Ke Ke chatted happily last night, they didn't go to sleep until after one o'clock in the night. Yao Ting glanced at Ke Ke who was still getting sleepy, and couldn't bear to wake her up, so she got up alone.

With a pair of hazy eyes open, she sat down on the dining table, picked up a cup of soy milk and drank it. Ren Shuxia glanced at her lazy appearance, and asked with a smile:

"Look at your appearance, how do you look like a woman?"

Yao Ting was not angry when she heard this, she glanced at Ren Shuxia, only to see a little red lips on her pink face, she was ashamed to speak.The delicate part is like pink peach petals, and the demeanor has the posture of orchid.Wearing a bright yellow and elegant long dress, her black hair was draped like a waterfall, her makeup was elegant, her face was smiling lightly, she couldn't help but stepped forward and twisted her delicate face vigorously, and said with a smile:

"Deep love, shallow love, a trace of longing, upside down the dust of several generations, like water falling flowers, lingering in whose heart? Love the past, who is dancing by the bridge of Naihe? Who is not drunk on prosperity but only drunk on the king? Who is it? Don't get your fingers dirty for loneliness? Who washes away the lead and makes you smile? The prosperity is torn into pieces, and the vicissitudes of life are danced by the years.

Before Ren Shuxia could answer, Li Te heard repeated praises from the kitchen:
"Good writing, good writing!"

"Yang'er, you're going to die, you're messing around as soon as you get up!" Ren Shuxia looked shy.

Not long after, Wang Xiaoke got up too, she only drank some soy milk, so Ren Shuxia and the two of them started cleaning the house, while Li Te and his mother Dingxiang were busy making sesame seed cakes in the kitchen.

When it was almost noon, Ren Ziyu returned home. As soon as he entered the house, he saw the bustling scene at home, so he said with emotion:
"It's still a happy Chinese New Year!"

"Are you finished?" Ding Xiang asked.

"How can it be? There are too many people asking me to write Spring Festival couplets, so I will find an excuse to slip away first, go home to have a sip of tea, rest, and then go in the afternoon." Ren Ziyu replied with a smile.

It turned out that he was attending the activity organized by the labor union of the group company to give employees warmth during the Spring Festival. This Spring Festival couplet was one of the activities. Yao Ting said with a smile at this time:

"Uncle, you must not forget to write the Spring Festival couplets between me and Li Te's family."

"How can it be? It's already been written!" Ren Ziyu said.

At noon, the whole family sat together and had a joyous gathering. Li Te poured wine for himself and Ren Ziyu respectively, then raised the wine glasses, and was about to talk. At this time, Yao Ting spoke:
"Why, Li Te, look down on our female compatriots, celebrate the new year, why only you men can drink, come, fill me with Shuxia and I, we also want to drink."

Li Te glanced at Shuxia, hesitating and not knowing how to answer, grandma Dingxiang said with a smile:

"This year is a small year, so let's make an exception and let the two of them drink less."

When the two of them got the wine, Wang Xiaoke and grandma drank the beverage, and then held up the cups together to celebrate this rare and happy time for the whole family to gather together. Ren Ziyu took a sip and praised repeatedly:

"Good wine, good wine!"

"If uncle likes it, we will go back to my hometown Ruyang together during the Spring Festival. We will go to Dukang Winery and let you taste the 30-year-old wine. It will taste delicious."

When Ren Ziyu heard it, it seemed as if the fine wine was already in front of him, so he took another sip of the wine and asked expectantly:

"When will we set off?"

"Father!" Ren Shuxia's call woke Ren Ziyu up, and he said hastily:

"No, no, it's too troublesome for us as a big family to go to your hometown during the Spring Festival."

After hearing this, Yao Ting seemed to know what Li Te was thinking, so she replied:
"What's wrong, Li Te, only Auntie's family is invited, why did you forget to invite me, you are not allowed to go, right, Yan'er."

"That can, you must be indispensable!" Li Te replied anxiously.

"Grandma, let's go to Uncle Li Te's house for the New Year, okay? I've long wanted to see the world's largest dinosaur." Wang Xiaoke begged impatiently.

"Kids, what do you know?" Ren Shuxia blushed and said.

"I think it's time to go to Li Te's house and visit his parents. Our family has troubled Li Te a lot in the past few years, so we should thank his parents well." Grandma said.

"Okay, okay, okay, then grandma agreed, I can go to see the big dinosaur." Wang Xiaoke jumped up from the stool happily, very happy.

Then she begged her mother anxiously:

"Mom, are you going?"

At this time, the whole family looked at Ren Shuxia in unison, and her face became even redder:

"Then you can figure it out."

Li Te knew that Ren Shuxia agreed in his heart at this time, he was afraid that the night would be long and dreamy, so he asked while the iron was hot:

"Auntie, let's leave the day after tomorrow, do you think it's okay?"

"Good, good, good!" Ding Xiang happily said a few good words in succession.

Ren Shuxia looked up at everyone with a smile on her face. At this moment, she remembered that Li Te had discussed with her a few days ago about going back to his hometown to celebrate the New Year together, and she seemed to understand a lot in her heart. I have nothing to say...

(End of this chapter)