Chapter 667: Rural Absurd Past Events Chapter 667: This New Year, Why Is It Becoming Less and Less Flavorful

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Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

The fireworks ended, and the time had already passed ten o'clock.

Li Jianjia received a call from her mother Zhao Xintong urging her to go home.

"I have to go back; if I stay out overnight on New Year's Eve, my mom will break my legs."

After hanging up, Li Jianjia said to Wang Xiaohua:

"Fine, I'll take you back."

Wang Xiaohua gladly accepted.

They went together to the side of the road, hailed a three-wheeler, and then went together to the residential complex where Li Jianjia lived.

Arriving at the entrance of the residential complex, Li Jianjia got out of the car and said to Wang Xiaohua:

"When you get back to your second brother's house, remember to tell me on WeChat."

"Okay, WeChat chat!"

Wang Xiaohua said to the driver master:

"Master, go to Huafu Community."

The old master driving the three-wheeler knew this small county town inside out; as long as you told him a location, there was no place he couldn't go.

And the charges were very fair; as long as it was within the central urban area of this small county town, no matter where you went, it only cost five yuan.

"Alright!"

The driver master responded and then set off.

Soon, Wang Xiaohua returned to his second brother's place.

Wang Erhai, Liu Meiqi, Wang Zhanggen, and Li Xiulan had also finished shopping and returned.

Wang Zhanggen and Li Xiulan went to sleep.

Liu Meiqi also went back to her room.

Only Wang Erhai was alone in the living room smoking.

When Wang Xiaohua returned, Wang Erhai opened the door for him.

Wang Xiaohua saw that he didn't look too happy and asked:

"Second Brother, what's wrong?"

Wang Erhai sighed:

"Xiao Hua, do you feel that now, the New Year is becoming less and less flavorful, more and more meaningless?"

Wang Xiaohua could only smile bitterly:

"Second Brother, the reason we were so happy during the New Year when we were children was because our parents bore everything needed for the New Year for us; we just needed to play to our heart's content. Now that we've grown up, we need to busy ourselves personally for the New Year and take responsibility. Besides, those childhood playmates can't play together anymore, so naturally it's not as interesting."

Wang Erhai thought about it and seemed to find that was indeed the case.

The older one gets, the more meaningless the New Year and holidays feel; actually, it's because in the adult world, the New Year and holidays are no longer just about eating, drinking, and having fun, but also about bearing various responsibilities.

For example, the picture of a family happily eating the New Year's Eve dinner looks very happy and fulfilling at first glance, but behind it is that one person or several people have to work themselves to death busying themselves for an afternoon, or even a whole day, before they can make this table of New Year's Eve dinner.

This year was the first time Wang Erhai served as head chef to make the New Year's Eve dinner; ever since he brought his parents down to the county town, he had been busy to death all day, and he also had to handle the conflict between his own old father and his eldest sister-in-law, and had to endure the various dissatisfied emotions of that woman Liu Meiqi.

Various factors added together, naturally one would feel that the New Year is becoming more and more meaningless.

"Sigh, thinking back to when we were children, during the New Year it was almost always our mom busying herself alone; she was hardworking enough, but she never uttered a single word of complaint."

Wang Erhai sighed emotionally at this moment.

He himself only busied himself with one New Year's Eve dinner and already couldn't stand it.

Let alone that his mother almost every New Year had to cook a whole table of rice and dishes.

"Third Brother, we must definitely let our mom live a good life from now on!"

Wang Erhai said this to Wang Xiaohua.

Wang Xiaohua smiled and said:

"That goes without saying; among us three brothers, we can slight anyone, but we absolutely cannot slight our mom."

Wang Erhai took a puff of his cigarette at this moment and became troubled again:

"Speaking of which, I don't know how to handle the relationship between Eldest Sister-in-law and the old man anymore; how did it suddenly become so tense? Sigh, why don't we go persuade Eldest Sister-in-law to have a child quickly? To slap the face of that Half-Immortal Wu's nonsense about having wealth without children!"

But Wang Xiaohua said:

"Don't look at Eldest Brother and Eldest Sister-in-law looking bright and beautiful on the surface; actually they are under great pressure; they really aren't suitable for having children right now."

"Then what do you say should be done about this matter?"

Wang Erhai looked worried and distressed.

And complained:

"If she really doesn't want to have one, why not just let them go find a surrogate; anyway she isn't short of that bit of money."

Wang Xiaohua could only smile.

He also couldn't help Eldest Brother and Eldest Sister-in-law explain anything.

Wang Erhai wasn't in Du Xiaojuan's position, so naturally he could say things so lightly.

"Second Brother, you don't need to worry about this matter; I've already thought of a way to change that old thing's view of Eldest Sister-in-law."

"Changing his view isn't harder than the sun rising from the west? You also know, that old thing is famous for his stubborn temper; who can change his thinking?"

Wang Erhai didn't quite believe Wang Xiaohua had this ability.

Wang Xiaohua said:

"I indeed cannot change his thinking, but I can change his view of Eldest Sister-in-law."

Time passed in the blink of an eye to the next morning.

Wang Erhai, Wang Xiaohua, Wang Zhanggen, and Li Xiulan all rose early.

Because they were going back to Shanggou Village to open the door.

On the First Day of the Lunar New Year, open the door to welcome the New Year.

Even if they did not celebrate the New Year at their hometown, they still had to go back and properly perform the Opening Door Ceremony.

This is a custom passed down from their ancestors.

Liu Meiqi slept in and was unwilling to go.

She really did not want to go to that Mountain Pass place in Shanggou Village.

Wang Erhai could do nothing about her, and was too embarrassed to beat her up in front of the family.

So he could only endure it.

Finally he compromised:

"Then you stay here yourself, I'll accompany Mom and Dad and Third Brother back to our hometown for a trip!"

Wang Erhai came out of the room and said to everyone:

"Let's set off."

Li Xiulan asked with concern:

"Is Mei Qi not going?"

Wang Erhai had no choice but to lie:

"She caught a chill last night and feels a bit uncomfortable; we can just go back ourselves."

Li Xiulan said:

"Why don't you stay behind to take care of Mei Qi, and we few can take the bus back."

"Mom, she has hands and feet, she can take care of herself, no need for you to worry!" Wang Erhai said with some impatience.

Wang Zhanggen heard this and was displeased:

"What attitude is this? I warn you, kid, you must treat Mei Qi better; I can't count on your Eldest Sister-in-law anymore, now I'm counting on Mei Qi to give me a grandson!"

Wang Erhai was speechless.

He did not want to speak anymore.

Clearly he had done nothing wrong.

Why did Mom and Dad always favor Liu Meiqi?

He took the car keys and went straight out:

"I'm going to the Underground Garage to warm up the car first; you all hurry up and clean up and come down."

Seeing this, Wang Xiaohua couldn't help but frown.

He had already seen that Wang Erhai and Liu Meiqi's marriage had many contradictions.

One thing after another, they all seemed like trivial matters.

But marriage is often like this: not lost on major issues of right and wrong, but lost on trivial matters.

Wang Erhai came to the Underground Garage, started the car, smoked a cigarette, and relieved the depression in his heart.

After waiting a while, Wang Xiaohua, Li Xiulan, and Wang Zhanggen came down together.

From County Town back to Shanggou Village, one must pass through Jizhen.

They stopped for a while in Town and bought some things needed for Opening Door worship of the gods.

Firecrackers, incense candles, fruit and pork and chicken for worship, and so on.

Back in Shanggou Village, as in previous years, they set off Opening Door Firecrackers, then took the things for worshipping the gods to worship at the Ancestral Hall, worship at the Earth God Temple, and worship the Hundred Grandfathers.

But this year seemed to have many differences from previous years.

Many years later, when Wang Xiaohua looked back, he realized that this year was actually the turning point of this family; after Eldest Brother and Eldest Sister-in-law had their own families, they would gradually shift their focus to their own families, and this old home, starting from this year, gradually became a true old home in the real sense.

Old and dilapidated, gradually distant, gradually strange.