novelaction Chapter 107 Preparing to Return to City C for New Year's Greetings on the 2nd Day of the Lunar
Chapter 107 Preparing to Return to City C for New Year's Greetings on the 2nd Day of the Lunar
It was the first day of the Lunar New Year, and the sun was shining brightly. The new year represents a new beginning. Bai Zhizhi and Lu Chuan woke up early. They gave each other a good morning kiss and said to each other, "Happy New Year."
Bai Zhizhi and Lu Chuan gave each of the triplets a kiss to represent the love of parents for their children, and let them continue to sleep. They put on new clothes together, got up and walked out of the bedroom, then walked into the main room, where they saw Grandpa Lu and the other four elders, all wearing the new New Year clothes that Bai Zhizhi took out of the space, sitting elegantly on the sofa.
The two of them first went to pay New Year's greetings to Grandpa Lu, Grandma Lu, Father Lu, and Mother Lu, and then went to wash up.
Others also woke up one after another and greeted the four elders in the family, while the female compatriots prepared breakfast with Lu's mother.
Not long after, the children from Big Brother Lu's family and Second Brother Lu's family woke up and greeted every elder in the family. The adults happily gave each child a red envelope.
The nephews (Lu Anan, 7 years old, Lu Wenyang, and Lu Wenhe, 3 years old) happily accepted the red envelopes, fearing that their parents would "confiscate" them later.
Everyone watching this scene couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Soon, breakfast was ready, and Grandpa Lu asked everyone to raise their glasses and celebrate the New Year together: "I wish you all the best, good luck, good health, happiness and joy in the new year!"
Everyone responded in unison, and after a toast, they began to enjoy breakfast (dumplings, buns, Lao Gan Ma steamed fried fish cubes, fried pig ears with peppers, fried garlic shoots with peppers and bacon, egg soup, stewed pork ribs with potatoes, steamed pork belly with taro, and vegetables).
After breakfast, Big Brother Lu and his family originally planned to go to Grandma Lu's house with Father and Mother Lu in the morning. However, Mother Lu said that there would be guests coming to Grandma Lu's house in the afternoon and there would be no room at home, so she asked the two families to go tomorrow morning. Today, the two families should go to their respective mother-in-law's houses to pay New Year's greetings first, and tomorrow they can go to Grandma Lu's house to pay New Year's greetings individually or together.
Mother Lu said, "You young people don't have to accompany us two old guys. Your father and I will go back to your grandmother's house later. You can go visit your own parents-in-law or stay at home with your grandparents."
Hearing this, Lu Chuan's sister-in-law smiled and said, "Mom, how can you say that? You are not old at all!" Then she turned to her husband Lu Ming and said, "In that case, let's go to my parents' place first and then come back to accompany grandpa and grandma."
Lu Chuan's eldest brother nodded in agreement, but Lu's eldest sister-in-law turned to ask his second brother's wife Li Jing: "Second brother's wife, are you planning to go back to your mother's house today or tomorrow morning? If you go back today, I will stay at home and accompany my grandparents to entertain the guests. If you go back tomorrow, I will go back tonight and go directly to my grandmother's house from my mother's house tomorrow morning to pay New Year's greetings."
Second Sister-in-law Lu: "Sister-in-law, let's play rock-paper-scissors. This way it will be fairer. We can't let you make the choice every time."
Mrs. Lu: "Sister-in-law, since you said so, I won't be pretentious. Let's play rock-paper-scissors. The loser will stay at home."
Mrs. Lu: “Come on.”
In the end, Lu's second wife Li Jing lost and had to stay at home to entertain the guests.
So, Brother Lu and his family separated from Mother Lu, Father Lu and Lu Chuan's family. Father Lu took Mother Lu and Lu Chuan's family to his wife's parents' home, "Grandma Lu's house", to pay New Year's greetings.
Lu Ming's wife is named Lin Xiaohui. They got married 8 years ago. Although Lu Chuan had graduated from university and had been working for 8 years, considering factors such as economic conditions, they chose to get married first and then buy a house. So the wedding house was the family house allocated by Lu's army. After marriage, the couple temporarily lived in Lu's house and planned to buy their own house after saving enough money. When Lu Chuan's eldest nephew Lu Anan was 2 years old, they bought a three-in-one courtyard house near Beijing University (one-third of the money was supported by Lu's father and mother).
At the same time, Lu Chuan's eldest brother and sister-in-law also left the Lu family with their nephew An An and rode their bicycles to his sister-in-law's parents' home to pay New Year's greetings.
Lu Chuan’s second sister-in-law is named Li Jing. She is a few years older than Lu Chuan and has a gentle and kind personality. She has been married to Lu Chuan’s second brother for 4 years. They have always respected each other and have a very good relationship. In the second year, she gave birth to two twin sons (Lu Wenyang and Lu Wenhe).
Lu Chuan's second sister-in-law Li Jing, second brother Lu Ping and his family of four, as well as Grandpa Lu and Grandma Lu stayed at home to receive the visiting guests (Grandpa Lu's apprentices and former subordinates).
In fact, Lu Chuan's father is not a local, but from the north. Back then, Lu Chuan's grandfather brought his young father here and settled down there.
Lu Chuan's grandfather was named Lu Jianguo, who participated in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation, and was awarded the third-class merit; Lu Chuan's grandmother was named Yang Xiuying, who was also a beauty when she was young.
Unfortunately, Grandpa Lu and Grandma Lu only had one child, Father Lu, and both sides of their families unfortunately died in the war.
In the difficult years of the past, people could barely survive and have enough food and clothing, let alone celebrate the New Year. Therefore, when Grandpa Lu and Grandma Lu were young, they hardly celebrated the New Year (these are what Lu Chuan and Bai Zhizhi heard from Grandma Lu).
However, since Lu's father and mother got married, the Lu family would stay at home on the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year every year, and spend the afternoon with Lu Chuan's grandparents. This has become the tradition of the Lu family, and it is also their cherishment and inheritance of family affection.
After all, Grandma and Grandpa Lu only have one daughter, and when Big Brother Lu and his family were born, every Spring Festival, Father and Mother Lu would bring Grandma and Grandpa Lu back to the Lu family to celebrate the New Year together. This custom has continued, allowing the warmth of the family to flow through the years.
In the past, when Lu Chuan and his elder brother Lu were not married and were in the army, they could not take a leave on New Year's Day, but they would take turns to take leave to go home for the New Year, and then return to Beijing to spend New Year's Day with Grandma and Grandpa Lu. On the second day of the New Year, one of them would go instead.
Although Lu Chuan and his friends, as Grandma Lu's grandchildren, cannot always be with the elderly, this kindness is extremely precious in the hearts of Grandma Lu and Grandpa.
However, as time went by, Brother Lu and his family got married and had children one after another.
Every New Year's Day, they take turns visiting their grandparents' homes to pay New Year's greetings and spend the New Year with them. This arrangement not only takes care of the feelings of the elders, but also allows every family member to feel the strong atmosphere of family affection.
However, last year Lu Chuan got married and had a child, so this year he returned to Beijing with his wife and children to celebrate the New Year. Therefore, the itinerary for the first day of the Lunar New Year remains unchanged, and he will accompany his parents to Grandma Lu's home as always to spend this special day with them.
This tradition not only reflects the love and unity between families, but also is a cultural heritage. Every year's gathering is a memory of the past and an expectation for the future.
At this special moment, families gather together to share joy and happiness.
This year is the first New Year that Lu Chuan and Bai Zhizhi spend in the Lu family. Therefore, Lu's father and his family (except Grandpa Lu and Grandma Lu) finished breakfast early in the morning and then went to the homes of Lu's grandparents and Lu's eldest and second sisters-in-law to pay New Year's greetings.
When Lu Chuan came back from his grandmother's house in the afternoon, he chose to take his children, wife and New Year gifts to visit his friends near home and send them New Year greetings. After all, except for the few days of the honeymoon when they could play together, everyone was busy the rest of the time. Now it is New Year, and two good friends work in factories near home, so Lu Chuan thought that when he has time, he would go and see them and chat about family matters.
February 1972, 2 at 1: p.m.
It was a sunny day, and the weather was fine. Bai Zhizhi and Lu Chuan, the loving couple, took their three lovely children to visit Lu Chuan's friend's home.
They chatted for a while, and then prepared to return to the military district’s family compound. Unlike the families of Big Brother Lu and Second Brother Lu, they did not need to visit relatives and friends during the first three days of the New Year.
So when Lu Chuan and his family of five arrived at his friend's house, Bai Zhizhi simply greeted the other party and his family, wished a happy new year, and then she could take care of the children wholeheartedly.
After Lu Chuan and his wife stopped at a friend's house for a while, they drank some tea and then set off to return to the military district family compound. After all, only Grandpa Lu and Grandma Lu and Lu Erge's family of four were left at home today. Bai Zhizhi and Lu Chuan were worried that Lu Erge (Lu Ping) and Lu Ersao (Li Jing) would be too busy to handle it. In addition, the family of five had to leave for Beijing Railway Station early tomorrow morning to return to her mother's home in City C. The luggage had not been packed yet, so they had to go back early to prepare to pack.
In addition, Mother Lu and Father Lu also had to go home later because Grandpa Lu's former subordinates would come to pay New Year's greetings every year on the afternoon of the first day of the Lunar New Year, and Mother Lu had to help Grandma Lu prepare meals to entertain the guests.
After returning to the military family compound, Bai Zhizhi, Lu Chuan and the triplets originally planned not to bring anything home, but considering the clothing problem for a family of five, she decided to bring some necessary clothes. Despite this, she did not bring too many things home, only some important items.
But Mother Lu and Grandma Lu firmly disagreed, thinking that since they were going back to their parents' home to pay New Year's greetings, how could they not bring some local specialties? Moreover, this was Bai Zhizhi's first Spring Festival after marrying into the Lu family, so they should pay more attention to etiquette.
Although Bai Zhizhi felt it was troublesome, she was deeply moved by the persistence of Mother Lu and Grandma Lu. So she decided to obey their wishes and prepare the things she needed to take home tomorrow with Mother Lu.
At the same time, Lu Chuan was chatting with his father, enjoying the rare father-son time. At this moment, the three children were taking a nap, making the whole house seem particularly peaceful.
After everything was arranged, Bai Zhizhi and Lu Chuan returned to their room early to rest.
Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye it was 1972:2 in the morning of February 1, (Gregorian calendar).
Although it was not yet completely bright, Bai Zhizhi and Lu Chuan had already gotten up and packed their luggage because they needed to catch the 10:30 am train.
In order to arrive at the station on time, they had to prepare in advance. In addition, Lu's mother also got up early just to prepare a hearty breakfast for Bai Zhizhi's family.
After Bai Zhizhi and Lu Chuan packed up their things, they had breakfast first, and would feed the triplets food later when they got back to the space.
After Lu Chuan and his companions had breakfast, they carried their luggage and held the triplets who were still half asleep. After saying goodbye to Lu's father and mother, they rented a tricycle and rushed to Beijing Railway Station.
Along the way, both of them were very quiet, as if they were still immersed in the atmosphere of the New Year. Bai Zhizhi hugged the eldest brother and leaned on Lu Chuan's shoulder, quietly admiring the scenery outside the window.
She secretly swore in her heart that after returning this time, she would work harder to give her family a better life.
Lu Chuan was holding the second and third children in his arms, with his wife leaning on him. Such a heartwarming scene has appeared many times, but each time it has a different feel.
The time came to 1972:2 in the morning on February 1, .
Finally they arrived at the Beijing Railway Station. Bai Zhizhi paid the fare, and then Lu Chuan and Bai Zhizhi's family got off the train.
Bai Zhizhi looked at the Beijing Railway Station in front of her, feeling a mixture of emotions. She had finally arrived in this strange yet familiar city.
Bai Zhizhi saw that there were very few people around the train station, but when she entered, it was still very lively. There were staff members busy working, and ordinary people were secretly selling things in the station. Some people, like Bai Zhizhi and her friends, were rushing to catch the train with their luggage.
Bai Zhizhi and Lu Chuan carefully protected the children in their arms, fearing that they would come into any harm. Lu Chuan was responsible for carrying the luggage and holding the third child, while Bai Zhizhi held the eldest and second child.
Both of them seemed a little nervous. After all, this was the first time they traveled far away with their three children, but they also knew that as long as the family was together, no matter what difficulties they encountered, they could overcome them.
When entering the station, luckily there were no cameras in that era, otherwise Bai Zhizhi and others would have performed the magic of "disappearing in a second" and it would have been easy for a "jingchauncle" to find them.
Bai Zhizhi looked at the time and saw that it was still early for departure, so she and Lu Chuan used the "one person, one gear" mode in the blind spot of the train station to send the triplets into the system space one by one. This way, they would not attract other people's attention and would ensure the safety of the children.
When the last child was sent into the system space, Bai Zhizhi and Lu Chuan both breathed a sigh of relief. Although the process was a bit troublesome, it was all worth it for the safety of the children.
After putting the triplets into the system space, they still hadn't woken up. Bai Zhizhi left the system space and found the corresponding waiting area with Lu Chuan, waiting for the arrival of the train.
At this time, Bai Zhizhi noticed a vendor selling candied haws nearby, so she smiled and said to Lu Chuan, "Look, there are candied haws over there. Let's buy a bunch for the children."
Lu Chuan nodded, put down his luggage, and walked towards the vendor. After a while, he came back with a string of red candied haws.
System space...
"Babies, wake up and see what delicious food mom and dad bought for you." Bai Zhizhi gently patted the children's faces.
The three little guys slowly opened their eyes, and when they saw the candied haws, they immediately smiled happily.
"Wow, it's time to eat candy...gourd!" the third child shouted excitedly.
Out of system space...
Bai Zhizhi took out the gourd candies that the triplets had licked and gave them to Lu Chuan to eat, while she sat in a chair and took a nap.
1972年2月1日上午10：25分
Bai Zhizhi felt that she had not closed her eyes for long when she heard the train station broadcast announcing the arrival of a train. Lu Chuan and Bai Zhizhi quickly picked up their luggage and followed the crowd to the platform.
After boarding the train, they found their own seats, "hard seats" (Lu Chuan did not buy a sleeper ticket). Bai Zhizhi put her luggage on the seat and then sat down with Lu Chuan.
The train started slowly, carrying them into the distance. Bai Zhizhi looked at the scenery outside the window that was receding, her heart full of expectations for the future.