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Xie Tiesheng feels quite guilty about Xiao Shi’s emotional outburst, but in the village, it has always been tradition to celebrate the addition of a son, and such old customs cannot be changed simply because he wishes to.
As soon as they reached the front courtyard, Xiaojiu led her sister and Xiaoqi, each holding one of Xiao Shi’s hands, to the area where the Xie Family children were gathered—a line of grandchildren, giving the third branch of the Xie Family a particularly promising future.
For a while, the corner of the front courtyard was filled with the laughter and playfulness of children.
The village matrons and aunts from the same clan often come to help with the celebration and bring their grandchildren along.
Inevitably, the children come over and get a taste of candies, which is an old custom when celebrating in the countryside.
This actually doesn’t mean that the relatives who come to help are thick-skinned.
It’s really out of poverty; material things are scarce, and close relatives from the same clan come to help without being asked. Only during such times do the children have a chance to get a hold of some candies and cookies.
It’s not only the Xie kinsmen who do this; practically every family and clan does the same. When a mother or grandma goes to help, the children obediently follow behind. Of course, most of the children are over six or seven and can play by themselves.
After Xiao Yi and his brothers, including Xiao Si, finished watching the lamp addition ceremony at the ancestral hall, they followed the village’s Qilin Team, chasing after them wherever they went, and the group of children were extremely happy.
It wasn’t until the sun began to set that Xiao Yi, being the oldest, called his cousins and returned home.
When Xiaojiu and Xiaoqi arrived at the front courtyard with Xiao Shi, Xiao Yi and Xiao’er had just returned home to their own courtyard.
A large group of young lads gathered together, joyfully discussing the interesting sights they had seen earlier, especially the Qilin Team, which they were most envious of.
The Qilin Dance Team had already visited and offered New Year’s greetings to each household in the village on the first day of the new year. This time, they only performed the Qilin dance for the households where a lamp was added.
Being located at the foot of the mountain, the Xie Family was the last stop for the Qilin Team. Xie Tiesheng had arranged early on for the Qilin Team to have a simple meal and a celebratory drink at the Xie Family at the end of their route.
With almost eleven o’clock approaching, relatives such as the Xie Family’s maternal uncles started to arrive one after another.
The first to arrive were Zhou Xiuhua’s younger brother’s family and her paternal cousins. Soon after, relatives from Lin Caixia’s maternal family also arrived.
Uncle Zhang and his family arrived just after Lin Caixia’s maternal relatives. Lin Caixia coaxed her child to sleep in the grandmother’s room. Upon hearing the sound of firecrackers, she immediately ran out to see and was overjoyed that the first to arrive were her relatives.
As for the Zhang Family, they arrived just after the Lin Family. Uncle Zhang and his wife were getting on in years, and the village’s ox cart had been borrowed by those celebrating, so they didn’t have one for themselves and had to rely on their own slow pace to get there.
They also had to carry the gifts, so the Zhang Family didn’t move quickly.
Not to mention Uncle Zhang, even Zhang Zhiming wasn’t young anymore. The three Zhang sons took turns carrying the load and supporting the grandparents, and finally arrived at the Xie Family around eleven o’clock.
In addition to the Zhang Family, Yan Jinsu also invited the Li Family.
The Li Family came in a little cart, but since Chen Xiufang was heavily pregnant and the village roads were difficult, they moved very slowly. Even so, Chen Xiufang vomited twice along the way but managed to reach the Xie Family before eleven thirty.
Yan Jinsu felt extremely grateful when she saw Chen Xiufang’s pale face from car sickness, especially considering that she was seven months pregnant and it’s not common for women in her condition to travel.
During this era, the fifteen days from New Year’s Eve to Lantern Festival might be the only ’hibernation’ period for farm families throughout the seasons.
Fieldwork was a year-round, 365-days-a-year affair, especially in the south where there was no snow, where it was basically possible to harvest crops all year round.
As for Xie Jingchen, needless to say, as soon as the banquet started at half past twelve, he never had a moment’s rest, accompanying Xie Jinggang in toasting the guests everywhere.
Xie Jingchen was still fine, but after one round, Xie Jinggang was already drunkenly swaying. His colleagues were all fond of drinking, and the white spirits served to the guests at the Xie family were all fine wines from future generations!
The liquor was strong and mellow without causing headaches. Most importantly, the host family did not forbid alcohol. Once the wine jug was empty, there would be teenagers coming forward to ask if you’d like a refill, now Xiao Yi and the other older kids were acting as wine servers.
Neither Xie Jingchen nor Yan Jinsu were stingy people, but aside from the generous serving of meat, alcohol was indeed a specialty at the banquet.
The other offerings were much the same as those of a few other families that added to the lantern’s illumination.
However, the two suckling pigs from the Xie family were incomparable to the other five households. This special dish was something the Xie family had not tasted for many years.
For one, farm families were reluctant; a piglet was not cheap, and raising it to size was a significant source of income.
What farmer would be willing to waste such money? It was only because Xie Jingchen himself was capable, and it extended to counting his brother’s son as well.
Hearing this, Xie Jinggang was not upset. To be honest, the current momentum of the Xie family was something his third brother had bravely risked his life to achieve!
Without his third brother’s willingness to take risks at the forefront, the good days of the third branch of the Xie Family would not exist today. If he allowed himself to harbor resentment against his third brother for some idle talk outside, then he would not deserve to be Xie Jingchen’s brother.
He understood this very clearly, even if his character was a bit soft, his intelligence was still on point; after mixing in the workplace for a long time, he became more diplomatic and comprehending.
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