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One Egg glanced at the red envelope, unable to suppress a smile, "Hehe~ Sister Ye, you are so good to me. Last year, Uncle only gave me twenty cents." One Egg felt delighted; Sister Ye had given him one dollar, and Aunt Zhou, Xiaofan's Mother, had given him sixty cents.
Yezhi cheerfully pushed Wolf Child, Xiaofan, forward, "Hey One Egg, Sister Ye has always treated you the best!" One Egg felt proud, knowing that Sister Ye liked him the most.
"Wolf Child, Xiaofan is unfamiliar with the route; you need to lead him in paying New Year’s greetings!" One Egg patted his chest, "No problem!" Wolf Child, Xiaofan, Black Treasure, and Niu Niu followed One Egg out the door for just a few minutes.
Zhou Da, Zhou Xiao, Dogzi, and Er Niu rushed into her house, "Hey Sister Ye, we’ve come to pay our New Year’s greetings!" The kids chattered away with auspicious phrases. Yezhi took out a bundle of red envelopes from her pocket and distributed them one by one. Dogzi approached Yezhi to inquire if One Egg had come to pay his respects.
"He just left!" Dogzi was anxious; he couldn't let One Egg get ahead. He quickly pulled along Zhou Da and Zhou Xiao to leave.
The sound of firecrackers and the aroma of food swirled in the air above Zhoujiatun. The kids were running around in the Village. This was the day they looked forward to the most all year long—free and happy, with no one to supervise them, so they could have fun as much as they wanted.
After finishing their New Year’s greetings, the little kids gathered together to compare whose lantern pole was taller, whose lantern was more beautiful, whose hanging money was more exquisite, and they chatted about how much lucky money they received and what delicious food they had... Among them, Xiaofan was the busiest, having to express opinions while translating for Wolf Child.
The group of boys led by One Egg took out a string of small firecrackers—one hundred pops each—each no thicker than a matchstick. They were quiet and safe. Even so, they were reluctant to set them off all at once; instead, they took them apart one by one, poking them onto incense sticks before flicking their hands. With a "pop," a puff of white smoke exploded in the air.
One Egg pinched the bottom of a small firecracker with two fingers and made it explode at his fingertips with a "pop." Xiaofan clapped his hands in admiration and shouted, "Egg Brother, so amazing!" Wolf Child rushed forward to grab the small firecracker from One Egg. "No way, Little Sister, you might get hurt!" Xiaofan urgently pulled on Wolf Sister, "It's dangerous!" But it wasn't easy to dissuade Wolf Child. With a pained expression, One Egg pulled out another small firecracker. Overjoyed, Wolf Child took it and with a "pop," felt a slight sting in her little hand. Nevertheless, it was so much fun!
The continuous popping of firecrackers made Black Treasure and Niu Niu run around in fear. After much effort, they finally returned home. Seeing their panicked state, Yezhi laughed heartily. With tears in his little black eyes, Black Treasure jumped into Yezhi's arms and growled softly. Meanwhile, Niu Niu, being clever, knew that her owner was teasing her; she frolicked on top of her owner's head while Yezhi could tell without looking that she was acting like a crazy person.
Aunt Zhou brought in a bowl of frozen pears. Yezhi picked one up and stuffed it into Black Treasure's mouth. He held the pear and chewed it messily as juice splattered everywhere, forgetting all about his fear. Since there was nothing for her to eat but something to watch, Niu Niu barked unwillingly.
Suddenly feeling that there were too many animals at home, Yezhi received a frozen pear from Sister Luo. She took a bite; the pear flesh inside was snow-white, sweet and soft, cool and refreshing—indeed delightful.
The village uncle led their whole family around to her house and handed her a red envelope. Seeing it made her beam with joy; receiving lucky money truly made people happy.
Big Zhu took out two decks of playing cards from his pocket, and everyone decided to play together. It was the New Year, and playing cards should bring some luck. In the end, everyone agreed on a game called "Hit the Forehead." Yezhi's poker skills were so poor that before long, her forehead was blushing from being hit. The best player was Elder Brother Yu, who didn't lose a single round, while others were left with sore hands from hitting him.
The fun continued until after ten at night when everyone finally dispersed. The kids outside, who had been playing around, returned home to prepare for dumplings. No matter what, this meal of dumplings had to be eaten at home. Wolf Child and Xiao Fan bounced back home, where Aunt Zhou had boiled water and just put the dumplings in the pot as the sound of firecrackers exploded outside.
Yezhi reached into Wolf Child's pocket and pulled out a handful of small bills. She was in a good mood as she counted them one by one, saying, "Wolf Child, Sister Ye will keep these for you." Hehe, she was starting to exercise her adult rights. Wolf Child didn't understand why humans liked these colorful paper bills; did One Egg have to jump around on the ground to get them?
Xiao Fan carefully took out the small bills from his pocket and exclaimed, "Mommy, I have so much lucky money!" After saying that, he smiled sweetly with great joy. Luo Fengjuan looked at Xiao Fan and her husband with a smile.
Aunt Zhou finished cooking the dumplings, and Yezhi along with Sister Luo helped set the table. Aunt Zhou stepped outside and casually set off a small firecracker to signal that it was time to eat. Black Treasure, who had already started eating, didn’t hide this time but focused on savoring the delicious dumplings. Yezhi served plates of dumplings to Big Wolf and Big Yellow so they could enjoy some good fortune too.
Wolf Child was already hungry from playing outside; he grabbed a dumpling with his hand and tossed it into his wide-open mouth. "Ah~!" Wolf Child angrily spat out a steel ball.
"Haha~ Wolf Child is definitely the luckiest this year!" Aunt Zhou said cheerfully.
Wolf Child didn’t understand what luck meant; he only knew that this shiny hard thing hurt his teeth when he bit down on it. Having learned from past experiences, Yezhi was exceptionally careful. Before long, Xiao Fan proudly shouted, "I got one! I got one! Xiao Fan is also the luckiest!" The little guy held up the spat-out steel ball, grinning widely. One by one, Sister Luo, Elder Brother Yu, and Aunt Zhou also found steel balls in their dumplings, but Yezhi didn’t find any. Aunt Zhou wondered aloud, "That’s impossible; I clearly counted them by head; how could there be none left?"
"Could it have been swallowed?" Everyone shook their heads in disbelief. Yezhi thought it couldn't be that bad. At that moment, Black Treasure was wobbling by the edge of the bed with a food bowl, begging for more dumplings.
"Could it... have been swallowed by Black Treasure?"
Xiao Fan suddenly burst into tears, "Will Black Treasure die if it swallowed the steel ball?" Yezhi panicked for a moment but then remembered that a bear's stomach is much larger than a human's; it shouldn't choke on just one steel ball. She called out to Xiao Fang.
Xiao Fang examined Black Treasure with its special vision and reported back, "Master, the steel ball is indeed in Black Treasure's stomach; however, it should be able to pass it out." With Xiao Fang's authoritative confirmation, Yezhi felt completely relieved.
"Xiao Fan, Black Treasure is fine! Stop crying." After comforting the sobbing Xiao Fan, Yezhi poked at greedy Black Treasure playfully and said, "Eat! All you do is eat." Black Treasure opened its mouth wide and drooled as it replied, "Mama Bear, I'm still hungry! I want more!"
"You're not allowed to eat anymore!" Yezhi shouted angrily.
Aunt Zhou placed the freshly cooked dumplings on the table. Everyone doted on Black Treasure, each person giving it dumplings without holding back. Since it was a festive occasion, Yezhi turned a blind eye and didn't really stop Black Treasure from eating dumplings.
Outside, the sound of firecrackers gradually faded. Yezhi, Aunt Zhou, and Wolf Child huddled together on the heated bed, chatting idly. Before long, Yezhi dozed off first, feeling drowsy.
...
When she woke up, the calendar had officially turned to 1981.
The booming voice of Cart Master echoed in the yard. After wrapping herself up like a little fatso, Yezhi stepped out of her room. Today, Cart Master looked different from usual, dressed in red and green with a red silk ribbon tied around his waist. "Cart Master, what are you doing?"
Before Cart Master could answer, a loud suona horn sounded, followed by the rhythmic beating of drums and gongs. Village Uncle, One Gun Brother, Zhou Xiaomu's father, Flower Sister, and Aunt Ren Er entered her small courtyard with lively dance moves. Yezhi burst into laughter; their dance was incredibly amusing!
Aunt Zhou wore a red velvet flower on her head and waved a floral cloth energetically as she joined in. Black Treasure washed its face and curiously watched, occasionally shaking its round bottom in rhythm.
Village Uncle danced while enthusiastically pulling Yezhi into the fun. Sister Luo joined in as well, and Elder Brother Yu was drawn in by the excitement, smiling as he watched from the side.
"Master, the cured meat has been sold!" Xiao Fang eagerly shared the good news with her master. Hearing that the cured meat was sold made Yezhi very happy. An idea struck her, and she called Xiao Fang over.
Xiao Fang looked at the lively scene before her and exclaimed, "Master, what is this...?"
"Xiao Fang, take some pictures! I have a great use for them!" Xiao Fang's eyes sparkled as she obediently began taking photos.
Yezhi danced a few times before stepping back to follow behind Village Uncle and the others. Black Treasure snatched the red silk from Big Zhu's hands and wobbled its way behind the growing crowd, shaking its chubby bottom and causing both adults and children to burst into laughter. Wolf Child found it amusing and started flailing his arms and legs awkwardly, looking as if he were cramping up.
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, three guests arrived at Yezhi's home: Sun Dajiang, his Aunt Sun, and unexpectedly, Xiaobinzi.
Xiaobinzi's arrival truly surprised her.
"Xiao Lin, come have some hot tea!" Aunt Zhou warmly greeted. Xiao Fan, who was quite familiar with Wolf Child and Xiaobinzi, placed the candies he had saved in his pocket on the table and offered them to Xiaobinzi. Niu Niu was particularly excited to see Xiaobinzi and rushed over to play around him. Perhaps Xiaobinzi also felt a sense of familiarity and did not immediately push Niu Niu away.
Aunt Sun looked around with a smile and chatted happily with Aunt Zhou. Sun Dajiang kept his head down, occasionally glancing at Lin Haitao. Although he was dissatisfied with Yezi's complicated relationships, after that meal at the hotel, he was sure that Yezi was innocent with the two police officers. However, now he was uncertain again, just like his complicated feelings toward Yezi.
"Aunt Zhou, it hasn't been long since we last met, and you've even built a new house!" Aunt Sun said this with a hint of acidity.
"Hehe~ It's all thanks to the help from people in the village!" Aunt Zhou replied simply.
Yezhi and Luo Fengjuan placed three plates of freshly cooked dumplings on the table. "Let's make do with this for now!" It was just past noon, so they probably hadn't eaten yet. Aunt Sun and Sun Dajiang declined, saying they had snacks instead, but Xiaobinzi happily picked up his chopsticks. Aunt Sun swallowed hard and gestured for Sun Dajiang to eat.
Aunt Sun took a bite of the dumpling filled with tender meat and thin skin, and the delicious juices burst in her mouth; it was simply wonderful. Soon, she had finished an entire plate of dumplings while the two men across from her had only eaten half. Feeling a bit embarrassed, Aunt Sun said, "It's mainly because they're too delicious!"
Aunt Zhou nodded knowingly. "As the old saying goes, nothing is better than dumplings! I love them too; one bite after another!"
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