latelenovela Chapter 219 New Year 3
Chapter 219 New Year 3
The auspicious dragon brings good luck and happiness to the world. New Year's Eve arrives quietly amid lights, decorations and joy.
The Shen family mansion is as lively and bustling as a grand festival today.
The big red lanterns hanging high up sway in the wind, as if warmly welcoming the arrival of the New Year.
A gold-plated "Fu" character was pasted on the vermilion door early on, shining brightly, as if to lock up all the blessings.
As they had agreed with the old house and the second branch to reunite here for the New Year, the Shen family became busy early in the morning.
A group of adults and children, the old ones are energetic and the young ones are lively and clever, all got up from their warm beds, their faces filled with anticipation and joy for the New Year.
Since Su Ran stayed here to celebrate the New Year, he couldn't be idle. He got up early and prepared to write Spring Festival couplets with Shen Xuan and Shen Li's third uncle Shen Shaoxi.
At first, they only wanted to write Spring Festival couplets for the Shen family. With the talent and writing skills of the three of them, it was more than enough.
However, the news somehow got out, and when the villagers heard that the highly respected principal Su Ran of the county master's school was staying at the Shen family for the New Year, they all came with red paper with auspicious meanings to ask for Spring Festival couplets.
For a moment, the originally quiet courtyard became extremely lively. The desks of the three people were crowded with people, and they couldn't stop writing, they were very busy.
The words written by Su Ran are vigorous and powerful, like a flying dragon and a phoenix. The elegant handwriting is completed in one stroke. Viewers all admire his profound calligraphy skills, as if they can feel the vigor and strength of the New Year from between the lines.
Although Shen Xuan is still young, he is very serious. Although the words he writes are childish, each stroke is neat and straight, and quite charming, which makes people full of expectations for the child's future.
Shen Shaoxi has been well-read in poetry and literature for many years. His handwriting is unique, fresh and handsome, with restrained strokes. Each word is like a carefully crafted work of art, showing a profound cultural heritage.
But Shen Li did not go out to help as usual today.
She was writing down the Shen family's development plan in the room.
A few days ago, under Zhang's careful arrangement, the cook and the servants had already washed and prepared the fresh vegetables, and fried all kinds of fried food until golden and crispy. The rich and diverse dishes were basically ready, waiting for the New Year's Eve dinner feast to begin.
In the afternoon, the kitchen was bustling with activity. The fire on the stove was blazing, illuminating the busy figures of the cooks and servants.
The big pot is stewing fragrant braised pork. The meat pieces are rolling in the pot, bright red in color, and the rich meat aroma fills the whole kitchen, making people salivate.
In the steamer on the side, the snow-white steamed buns and soft glutinous rice cakes are gradually cooked under the hot air, exuding the fragrance of grains.
There is also the carefully cooked sweet and sour carp, which is placed on an exquisite plate. The sweet and sour sauce poured on the fish is crystal clear under the light, like a work of art, symbolizing "abundance every year."
In addition to these, there are also braised prawns on the table. Each prawn is handled cleanly, with plump and tender meat, wrapped in rich sauce, exuding an attractive luster;
Steamed crabs are also served on the table steaming hot. The crab shells are bright red. When you break open the crab shells, you will find plump crab roe and tender crab meat inside, which is very appetizing.
In addition, there are a variety of seasonal vegetables. The stir-fried vegetables are green in color and crisp in taste, retaining the original flavor of the vegetables.
Cold-mixed black fungus is a refreshing and delicious side dish. The black fungus is crispy and tender, and paired with sour and spicy seasoning, it is very appetizing.
In the yard, children were wearing new clothes, holding firecrackers in their hands, laughing and playing.
Their laughter was clear and loud, adding more joy to this festive occasion.
From time to time, the sound of firecrackers rang out, scaring the girls so much that they screamed and hid in the arms of adults, but they couldn't help but peek at the blooming fireworks through their fingers, their eyes full of novelty and excitement.
Inside the house, the women were busy arranging the tables and chairs. They wiped the tables and chairs spotlessly clean and covered them with new red cloths.
There was an exquisite fruit plate on the table, filled with all kinds of nuts, fruits and candies, which were colorful and very beautiful.
There were plump and round red dates, crispy and delicious almonds, sweet raisins, as well as red apples, yellow pears, auspicious oranges and other fruits, as well as candies of various flavors, including sweet milk candies and crispy fruit candies. These were all the New Year gift packages that Shen Li had bought in advance at the Space Mall.
There are festive New Year pictures hanging on the wall. The God of Wealth in the pictures is smiling and holding gold ingots, as if blessing the Shen family with prosperity in the new year.
As night fell and the lights came on, the Shen family's New Year's Eve dinner officially began.
In the spacious hall, there were three tables neatly arranged. The men sat around a large table on the inner side, the women sat at an adjacent table, and the children laughed and played at the small and cute round table on the outermost side, being carefully served by Shen Li's maids.
Sitting in the first seat was the head of the Shen family, Grandpa Shen Zhenxi. He was wearing a brand new dark robe today. He looked kind, and his eyes were full of love for his family and expectations for the New Year.
His eldest son, Shen Shaodong, sat beside him, his posture upright, steady and resolute, his eyes revealing a calmness that comes from years of experience.
Shen Shaoxi is not married yet. He sat aside and seemed to be in a particularly good mood. He chatted and laughed with his cousins, his face full of youthful vigor.
Shen Shaoping, the eldest son of my second grandfather, was also at this table. He was tall and strong, with a generous personality and a hearty laugh. From time to time, he clinked glasses with his younger brothers and talked about the harvest of the past year and interesting things in the village. His words were full of satisfaction with life.
The second son, Shen Shaoan, didn't talk much, but his eyes showed his concern for his family. He also immersed himself in this joyful atmosphere, occasionally interjecting a few words, which drew everyone's nods of agreement.
The third son, Shen Shaoning, is not married yet. He sits there, chatting with his brothers, looking forward to the new year, with a glimmer of anticipation for the future in his eyes.
At the women's table, Zhang was wearing a dark red cotton jacket embroidered with delicate patterns, her hair was neatly combed, and she had a gentle smile on her face. She was chatting softly with her sisters-in-law about family matters, sharing her experiences in housekeeping and raising children, and bursting into soft laughter from time to time.
Shen Shaonan's wife, Ms. Li, was elegant, dignified and generous. She would look at the children's table from time to time, paying attention to her two children. When she saw Shen Hui's naughty look, she would frown slightly, but when she saw Shen Yue's well-behaved look, she would smile with satisfaction.
Bai, the eldest daughter-in-law of my second grandfather, was a capable and efficient woman. She was busy distributing candies to the children. Her face was full of happy smiles, and she kept telling the children to eat slowly and not to choke.
The second daughter-in-law, Zhao, was a warm-hearted person. She kept inviting everyone to eat, fearing that no one would be hungry. She would pick up some food with chopsticks for one person and pour a bowl of soup for another, and she was very busy.
Shen Li sat at the child's table. This year was her first year in this strange world. Today she was wearing a festive red new dress, with two cute buns and an exquisite plum blossom hairpin on her head, which made her look even more charming and lovely.
Her eyes were shining as she looked at the table full of delicious food with satisfaction. She whispered a few words to her brother Shen Xuan, and then was attracted by the delicious food on the table. Her little mouth kept saying auspicious words, making everyone laugh.
Shen Xuan sat next to Shen Li, sitting upright with an innocent smile on his face. He held chopsticks in his hand and looked at the dishes in front of him, showing a child's anticipation for the New Year's Eve dinner. From time to time, he asked Shen Li if this dish was delicious and what that dish was called.
Shen Shaonan's son, Shen Hui, looked chubby, his eyes fixed on the braised pork on the table, a small firecracker tightly clenched in his hand. He had obviously just run in from the yard, and before he could put down the toy in his hand, he was attracted by the delicious food.
His daughter Shen Yue sat obediently beside him, wearing a new pink dress and two bows on her head. Like a little lady, she gently reminded her brother to pay attention to etiquette.
Shenyang, the grandson of my second grandfather, acted like a little adult, taking care of his younger brothers and sisters, serving them food and drinks, and behaved very sensibly.
Shen Liang playfully tapped the edge of the bowl with his chopsticks. After being glared at by his mother, Mrs. Bai, he sat down obediently. Then he secretly made a face at Shen Hui, and the two smiled at each other.
Shen Yao, the granddaughter of the second grandfather, was sitting next to Shen Li and whispering to her. The laughter of the two little girls was as clear as silver bells. They shared with each other the interesting things they saw that day, such as which family's Spring Festival couplets were particularly beautiful, and which flower in the yard bloomed particularly brightly in winter.
It is worth mentioning that although Shen Yu is a servant, Shen Li has treated him as her own brother for such a long time, and today she specially arranged for him to sit at the men's table.
Shen Yu was wearing a clean and tidy new set of clothes. He was a little reserved at first, but with Shen Li's warm greeting, he gradually relaxed, a simple smile appeared on his face, and he enjoyed this rare reunion dinner with everyone.
He would take the initiative to toast the elders. Although he didn't say much, everyone could feel his sincerity. Occasionally, he would joke with children like Shen Xuan and Shen Hui to make the atmosphere more harmonious.
Speaking of this reunion dinner, it is a bit regrettable that Shen Li's aunt Shen Shaoxue has married the county magistrate Bai Jin and is now spending the New Year at her husband's house, so she was unable to attend the Shen family's New Year's Eve dinner.
But everyone knows that my aunt must be living a happy and harmonious life in her husband's family, so they are less worried and more well-wishers for her.
At this moment, Shen Zhenxi stood up, a glass of wine in hand, and looked around, his face filled with emotion and happiness. He said loudly, "Today is New Year's Eve, and our family is reunited here to share this New Year's Eve dinner. In the past year, our Shen family has had its ups and downs, but fortunately, we are all safe and harmonious. In this new year, may our Shen family prosper even more, and may our children grow up healthily and achieve academic success! Come, everyone, raise your glasses!" With that, he drank it all in one gulp.
Everyone stood up, raised their glasses, and wished each other well. The sound of glasses clinking was crisp and pleasant, echoing in the lively room.
Laughter and blessings intertwined together, accompanied by the sound of brilliant fireworks outside the window, together played a joyful and peaceful New Year's melody, deeply imprinting this strong New Year atmosphere in everyone's heart, and becoming the warmest and most unforgettable memory of the Shen family on New Year's Eve.