Chapter 1156 - 1144: Joyous New Year’s Eve (5)

Chapter 1156: Chapter 1144: Joyous New Year’s Eve (5)

"I say, Village Chief Zhao, what are you doing? Handing out rations?" Still unable to be serious, Wen Quanxin joked.

Old Zhao didn’t get angry. A smile appeared on his dark face. "On New Year’s Eve, it’s all about reunion. There’s one thing you have to eat. Wei Yang and the others have already kneaded the dough and divided it up. Come on! Everyone follow me to go make dumplings!"

"Uh... well, Uncle Zhao, can I apply to only eat and not make them?"

"No problem. As long as you cover the camp’s meals for next week, you can skip making dumplings."

Seeing the crafty smile hanging on Old Zhao’s face, Wen Quanxin lifted his hand and smacked his own head. "Uncle Zhao! It’s such a waste you’re not some landlord tycoon."

"Is that so? Then why don’t you behave and listen. Alright, everyone get over there, don’t keep the ladies waiting!"

Eating dumplings for the New Year is an old tradition passed down from our ancestors, and making dumplings is an essential activity for a family reunion.

Through making dumplings, not only can you liven up the festive atmosphere, the more important thing is deepening everyone’s feelings for one another.

Especially for those drifters working away from home, they use the process of making dumplings with their parents to indirectly show their filial piety.

It’s just that as time went on, the younger generation hardly ever took part in this dumpling-making custom anymore.

First, they feel it’s a hassle; second, instant foods are so convenient that the younger generation prefers an easier lifestyle.

But now, in the apocalypse, obviously everything has to return to the original ways.

Old Zhao and a group of "elders" demonstrated the dumpling-making process for the younger crowd.

Of course, there was no lack of teasing and jokes in between, and everyone was very happy.

Putting on an act of being eager to learn, Wen Quanxin asked Old Zhao, "Uncle Zhao, you keep talking about eating dumplings for the New Year, but why do we have to eat them?"

With a smile, Old Zhao glanced at the young man. How could he not know the kid was trying to test him? He pinched the filling as he spoke with a faint smile, "What, suddenly so studious? You brat, you just trying to bait me on purpose?"

"Look at what you’re saying, Uncle Zhao. I really don’t know, that’s why I’m asking. What, don’t tell me you don’t know either? Heh heh?"

Grinning mischievously, Wen Quanxin retreated in order to advance.

"Don’t bother with that goading trick. If I didn’t know this, all these years I’ve lived would’ve been for nothing. Come on, come on! Today Uncle Zhao will give you all a little lesson on the things from our ancestors."

"For New Year’s, the rule is you make them while staying up for the New Year, and eat them when bidding farewell to the old year. What does that mean? It means dumplings should be wrapped while you’re keeping vigil, and eaten at midnight."

"Then why are we wrapping them now?"

"Heh heh, we still have activities tonight, don’t we? Besides, when it really gets to the time for the vigil, where am I supposed to drag you strong lads from?"

"I’m convinced!" Raising his hand and making a conceding gesture, Wen Quanxin signaled Old Zhao to continue.

"Why do we have to wrap them while keeping vigil and eat them at midnight? Because that moment happens to be the transition between two years, the time to welcome the new and send off the old. It’s especially meaningful, carrying the idea of ’geng sui jiao zi’—welcoming the new year and crossing into the ’zi’ hour."

"Here, this ’zi’ is the ’zi hour’ (midnight), and ’jiao’ (to cross) sounds like ’jiao’ (dumpling, jiaozi). Put together, it carries the meaning of joy and reunion, auspiciousness and good fortune, and it implies that in the new year you’ll run into good luck. Secondly, the shape of dumplings is like little ingots. Eating dumplings during Spring Festival means ’bringing in wealth and treasure.’ Third, dumplings have filling inside, which makes it easy for people to wrap all kinds of auspicious, joyful things into the stuffing, to entrust their beautiful hopes for the coming year. And lastly, the most important point: dumplings themselves are delicious. That fits the saying, ’Nothing’s more comfortable than lying down, and nothing’s tastier than dumplings.’ Oh right, tonight there are two dumplings with something special inside. Whoever eats them will have great luck in the coming year and will have to perform a program."

"Damn! For real!" Wen Quanxin didn’t care at all about those theories. After hearing Old Zhao’s last sentence, all his attention was on that "something special." "Heh heh, Uncle Zhao, for the sake of how eager I am to learn, give me a little inside info in private, yeah?"

"Heh heh, you brat! If I give you inside info, what about everyone else?"

"Aw, Uncle Zhao, just look at them, one by one... well, the thing is, I’m not getting any younger either, it’s about time I found a wife. Look, the brothers who came in the same batch as me basically all have someone now, but me..."

Although he deliberately lowered his voice, Wen Quanxin’s words were still heard by others.

Wei Yang’s cheeks instantly flushed red. She subconsciously glanced over at Tang Xiaoquan, only to find he was also looking at her.

The two of them immediately exchanged a smile, then quickly shifted their gazes away.

They finished wrapping dumplings at around five in the afternoon, and the women started getting the dinner ready while the men were free to do as they pleased.

This dinner was undoubtedly the highlight of the night. Wei Yang and the others had been busy from five o’clock all the way until eight in the evening before they finally finished.

But the results were quite impressive: three big tables were set up in the village chief’s courtyard.

They were piled high with dishes. Because of the large restocking of supplies earlier, this dinner was several levels above the National Day celebration a few months back. There were at least ten dishes on each table, and this was only the beginning. In the back kitchen, Wei Yang had prepared a lot more ingredients, just waiting to cook more when everyone got high on eating and wanted more.

To improve the banquet experience, the brothers Li Zhong and Li Guo specially took a projector they’d scavenged from a delivery package and modified it a bit, then had Yue Guishan set up a big screen in the middle of the courtyard.

Before they started eating, Li Zhong said to everyone, "Every year at New Year’s, besides eating dumplings, watching the Spring Festival Gala is also a must. This year, we can’t watch the new one, but we can still watch the old ones. I dug out recordings of the past few years’ Spring Festival Galas from this machine. Just say which year you want to watch!"

"Ah, nice, nice! Xiao Zhong, Xiao Guo, you two did a good job! It’s just about eight o’clock now, let’s pick the most recent year and play it!"

As the older generation, their feelings toward the Spring Festival Gala were definitely stronger than those of the young people.

Hearing this, Li Guo did a simple adjustment, and then, as a beam of light shot out, a Host in formal attire appeared on the huge white screen.

"Huaxia Central Television!"

"Dear guests, dear friends, everyone—"

"Today is New Year’s Eve. At this very moment, we are in Studio One of Huaxia TV Station bringing you a live broadcast of the New Year’s Spring Festival Gala. Let’s bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, and spend this fine night together."

"No matter where you are right now, please accept our blessings. As the annual Spring Festival of the Huaxia nation is about to arrive, we wish you a Happy New Year!"

As soon as the familiar opening lines were spoken, everyone fell silent.

These words were ones the Survivors present had heard every single year since they were born; they could not be more familiar, to the point of being boring.

Yet, at this moment, when the Host’s voice came through the speakers, the heartstrings of every single Survivor present trembled, and they were overwhelmed with emotion.

They had never before been moved by these few plain, ordinary auspicious phrases the way they were now.

Especially when the Host said that final line, "We wish you a Happy New Year," everyone instinctively and spontaneously broke into applause.