New Year's Eve.

At around five o'clock in the morning, Fang Nian's family got up one after another.

After Fang Zhengguo and Lin Feng washed up, they got into the kitchen.

The sound of pots and pans jingled.

Not long after, chicken, duck, fish and other uncooked ingredients as well as tribute fruits were served and placed on the table under the altar in the hall.

Fang Nian and Fang Xin watched Fang Zhengbin and Fang Zhengguo brothers busy.

Not long after.

The two people burned paper money, burned incense sticks, lit red candles, and began to worship the gods.

Not long after, Fang Zhengbin and Fang Zhengguo each rolled up a long whip and wrapped it around the ground in front of their respective houses.

Fang Nian followed and helped move the two barrels of fireworks to the edge of the floor.

‘Bang bang~’

‘Papa cracka~’

The sounds of fireworks and firecrackers sounded alternately.

This symbolizes the beginning of the official New Year's Eve for Lao Fang's family.

The tradition has been like this for many years. When you get up in the morning, you first offer sacrifices to the gods, and then prepare breakfast...

...At around seven o'clock, Fang Zhengguo quickly brought the last dish, 'fried fish', to the table with both hands, and then Lao Fang's family officially started having breakfast.

Unlike many places where the reunion dinner is held in the evening, on New Year’s Eve, the main meal here in Tangli is in the morning.

There will be a few more sets of bowls and chopsticks on the dining table.

There will also be more chairs than usual.

It means having more than enough every year.

The essential thing is fish.

From the early years to now, the most luxurious thing is still braised pork.

The cooking method is very different from the braised pork with pickles and vegetables that is common in restaurants in the city:

Choose a piece of fat meat with skin about the size of a vegetable bowl, fry, boil, marinate and set aside, then cut into varying amounts of walnut-sized pieces of lean meat.

Finally, put the piece of meat in a vegetable bowl, add an appropriate amount of chili powder, cover the piece of fat meat, cover it with a vegetable bowl, and put it into the pot to steam until cooked.

Most of the time it takes half a day to steam.

The reason why this dish is so luxurious is that four or five must be prepared before and after the Chinese New Year.

Second, if the family conditions are slightly better, each "pork bowl" requires one pound of lean meat.

On New Year's Eve, not only the breakfast on the first day of the first lunar month, but also the lunches for receiving relatives on the second and third day of the lunar month must be served like this.

"Come, Fang Nian, Fang Xin, let's eat fish."

As the head of the family, Fang Zhengguo used his chopsticks first and gave Fang Nian and Fang Xin a piece of fish each, and then the New Year's Eve breakfast officially began.

"..."

This is probably the happiest time for Fang Xin. He can only eat vegetables and not eat.

He was not quiet even when he was sitting on the chair. After a while he said: "Mom, can I drink juice?"

After getting permission, go get the 1.5L bottle of juice drink.

After a while he said: "I want to eat braised pork."

"chicken……"

"duck……"

"..."

Today's dinner table was a bit too big for Fang Xin's little arms, so he had to stand up to serve all the dishes.

After eating a few mouthfuls, I started sweating on my forehead, half from tiredness and half from spicy food.

Fang Xin stretched out his little hand out of habit and pushed his hair, which was slightly wet with sweat, onto his head, and that was it.

Fang Nian felt like laughing.

I didn't think so before, but now that I look at Fang Xin when she was a child, she is actually quite cute.

Although it is a bit charcoal, there are many small tricks.

In comparison, when Fang Xin grew up, she became fairer, but not cute at all. She didn't read books well, and she didn't listen well.

The New Year's Eve breakfast is rich, but also heavy on oil.

For example, the pork skin can only be eaten in two bites at most. It is almost pure fat meat and will appear greasy after eating.

However, this meal still took a long time.

"..."

Different from previous years, Lin Feng talked a lot.

"The college entrance examination will be held next year. You have to focus on your studies and put aside writing books. You will never make enough money. Preparing for the college entrance examination is your biggest task..."

"..."

"Fang Xin! You have to learn more from your brother and come back with a wall full of certificates. You can't always be like before, scoring only 1,450 points in Chinese and math..."

"..."

Ms. Lin Feng first made a summary of the upcoming year 2008.

The main thing in Lao Fang's family right now is the study of Fang Nian and Fang Xin.

So this is what Lin Feng focused on.

Fang Zhengguo only eats and drinks [ ] and does not interrupt. He is the head of the family, not the outside, so all such housework is under Lin Feng's charge.

Fang Nian responded and expressed his attitude clearly: "Mom, you are right, so I will not write a book next year."

Lin Feng looked satisfied and was about to speak when Fang Nian added.

"I've finished writing. Now all that's left is the serialization. I can still get half a year's worth of royalties of more than 100,000 yuan a month."

Lin Feng: "..."

Fang Zhengguo: "..."

Is this your son?

Can I fight on New Year’s Eve?

That's what he thought, but Lin Feng just said: "That's okay."

"But let me tell you first, if you can't get into Fudan, no matter what university you are in, you will have to repeat your studies for me."

"Don't think that you were not prepared for anything when you were asked to go to school a year earlier than others!"

Fang Nian: "???"

Does Mother have such deep thoughts?

Under normal circumstances, Fang Nian was still under the age of 22 when he finished college, which is indeed relatively young in comparison.

It’s not too old to repeat another year to go to college.

Taking Tangli No. 8 Middle School as an example, most boys are half to one year older than Fang, which means that most boys have passed their eighteenth birthday.

However, Fang Nian knew in his heart that the reason why he sent him to school so early was purely because he was naughty when he was a child.

The certificates on the living room wall say it all.

There is no one in the first grade of elementary school and before.

"Okay." Fang Nian lowered his head to eat.

Fang Xin also nodded with a serious face: "Mom, I will come back with a certificate next semester!"

"..."

So, Lin Feng began to look to the future for the next step.

"After the spring rains, the house will be officially built. I'll ask the land master to check the date and install the beams before June in the Gregorian calendar. It just so happens that the college entrance examination will be after the beams. It's auspicious."

"If you work hard to get admitted to Fudan in Fang Nian, put the time to go overboard in July, and you will have a double happiness!"

"Besides, you are right, build it as soon as possible and pick up the old man to stay at home for a while..."

Anyway, Lin Feng has to stay at home no matter what in recent years.

Now that family conditions have improved, there is no need for the elderly to live alone in the old house.

Not only Fang Nian could feel that the old man was particularly happy yesterday, Lin Feng, as a son of a man, could also feel it.

It was also at this time that Lin Feng felt that Fang Nian's proposal was very reasonable.
To be continued...