On the night of the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Uncle Meng, who had a shaved head, sat in the shadow of the hall, holding a dry pipe in his mouth and silently looking out the window at the small courtyard under the moon.

Not far behind him, Ma Yang was also sitting at the table on the side of the door of the locked storage room. Using the light of the desk lamp, she was stitching stitch by stitch a thousand-layer bottom for someone to wear.

cloth shoes.

In the brightly lit basement, Wei Ran, Tao Canhua, Jasmine and Qiushi, accompanied by Andy, Mei Xiang and the three girls who stayed in the printing room, sat around the large round table next to the stage in the basement.

The food on this big round table is more sumptuous than the dinners previously prepared for the members of the troupe, and just looking at the greedy looks of Andy and the three girls devouring them, it is clear that these meals are for their love.

Food and cooking.

After three drinks and five dishes, Andy and the four of them, who were full, wiped their mouths with handkerchiefs without any image. One of the girls even let out a long burp, which caused a lot of laughter among the people at the table.

laugh.

"Tomorrow is New Year's Eve. The theater troupe has a whole day off. Do you want to go up and have a rest?" Mei Xiang asked while pouring wine for Andy.

"I won't take the risk." Andy also burped, "Drink a few more drinks with me tonight, and let's have a good sleep tomorrow."

Hearing this, Wei Ran couldn't help but sigh secretly, and had a good sleep. It sounded relaxing, but in the printing room that never saw the light of day and was always filled with the smell of ink, it was their only pastime and way to relieve loneliness.

way.

Mei Xiang obviously thought of this too, but unfortunately, she knew better that the risk of letting Andy and others come out to see the sun was too great.

Andy also knew this, so he picked up the wine glass, drank the red wine he had just poured in, and then stood up simply, "Okay, I'm going back to rest. Let's ask Mother Yang to make dumplings for us tomorrow.

, I want to eat pure meat filling, don’t put cabbage in it, I don’t like cabbage.”

"Okay, okay, pure meat stuffing, not even a shred of cabbage."

Meixiang made a promise as if coaxing a child, and then looked at the three girls who stood up, "What about you? What do you three want to eat?"

"I...I want to eat big candies, sugar melons, and candied haws." said a girl who was still holding a chicken bone in her hand.

"I want to eat honey sesame leaves and glutinous rice sticks." Another girl, who had just drank a glass of red wine because she followed the trend, said in a daze.

"I want to eat oven cakes, and I also want to eat..." The girl swallowed, "I also want to eat fried cakes."

"Jasmine, ask Mother Yang to make oven cakes early tomorrow morning, and then buy some snacks that the three of them want to eat." Mei Xiang said with a smile, "and make dumplings filled with pure meat for them at noon.

"

"I'll remember it," Jasmine responded.

"New Year's Eve dinner tonight..."

"We can eat whatever you want for New Year's Eve dinner."

The drunk Andy put his hand on Mei Xiang's shoulder and said with a smile, "Remember to bring me a bottle of liquor, a few packs of cigarettes, and newspapers."

"Okay okay"

Mei Xiang agreed angrily, while Andy hooked Mei Xiang's chin frivolously, and led the three girls into the small door leading to the printing room with a smile.

"Cousin, Canhua, you two go up and rest, we will clean up." Meixiang said with a yawn.

"Let's go together"

As Wei Ran spoke, he had already put a few leftovers into the food box, while Tao Canhua quickly took the task of cleaning up the garbage from Qiushi's hands.

After clearing the dining table, everyone carried the food boxes and the big round table upstairs.

However, when Wei Ran, Tao Canhua and others went back to their rooms and lay down, Yang's mother quietly returned to the basement with a candle light and gently pushed open the big mirror.

"This is the telegram received tonight"

Inside the open door, Andy, who smelled of alcohol, handed a cigarette to Yang's mother as he spoke.

Taking the cigarette and stuffing it into her cigarette case, Yang's mother whispered, "Don't worry, I'll send it out early tomorrow morning."

"Sorry for bothering Ma Yang."

After Andy finished speaking, he yawned and watched as Yang's mother took a step back with the candle light, then pulled the photo frame back to its original position and stuck it firmly with a wedge from the inside.

Outside the photo frame, Yang Ma carefully checked until she was sure that the curtains were not stuck by the photo frame. Then she pushed the corner of the stair handrail to jam the photo frame, took out a rag and wiped it, and then left with a candle light.

basement.

In the blink of an eye, the next morning, when the sun was just rising, Uncle Meng opened the door of the courtyard early, and with a few young men who also got up early, he hung bright red lanterns at the entrance of the courtyard and in the foyer.

At the same time, as usual, Yang’s mother stopped an old man who was still pushing a wheelbarrow and selling tofu even on the last day of the year. He bought half a barrel of soybean tofu and was polite.

I gave the old man a cigarette and chatted for a while, then called on a young man who was busy hanging a lantern to help me carry the half bucket of steaming tofu cubes into the kitchen.

The old man who was banging his clapper and shouting to sell tofu also took the cigarette that Yang's mother had just given him from his ear, smelled it, and then stuffed it into his purse full of dry tobacco leaves.

He unhurriedly pulled out the cigarette pot stuck in the collar of the back of his neck. The old man, who looked like he was in his fifties or sixties, dug out a pot of cut tobacco from his purse and pressed it tightly with his fingers. Then he took out a pack of matches and pressed it.

I lit it, took two fierce sips and then cleared my throat. In this cold morning, I continued to shout "Tofu-fu-!"

By the time Wei Ran woke up from last night's hangover, a breakfast that was absolutely sumptuous in this era was already placed on the large dining table on the first floor: corn noodle porridge, shredded pickles mixed with tofu, and boiled eggs for each person.

.

This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! After Wei Ran brushed his teeth and washed his face and finished his share of breakfast, Yang Ma and Uncle Meng were already busy spreading oven cakes in the kitchen. Jasmine came down from upstairs

, and also asked Wei Ran to drive her out to buy snacks that the girls in the printing room wanted to eat.

Wei Ran was naturally willing to do this errand work. The two of them drove to Quanyechang, which was still open for business, and bought everything the girls wanted to eat. By the way, he also bought two packs of cigarettes.

, and a dozen rolls of film, ready to take some photos of everyone during the reunion dinner in the evening.

During the day on New Year's Eve, the members of the troupe also had a day off. Almost as soon as Wei Ran and Jasmine left, they were walking around in small groups.

Near noon, Meixiang personally delivered a large portion of dumplings filled with pure meat to the basement and handed them to Andy and others who had been waiting for a long time.

And in the following afternoon, including Wei Ran, whether it was Jasmine, Qiushi or Mei Xiang, they all became Yang Ma and Uncle Meng's helpers, and everyone worked together to prepare a table full of New Year's Eve dinner.

However, this New Year's Eve dinner was not for them and the members of the troupe. Instead, they were all placed in a pot to keep warm.

At 7:30 in the evening, Tao Canhua drove Weiran and Meixiang, Qiushi and Jasmine to the Taihua Building in Sanguo'er.

When the car stopped, the members of the theater troupe who had been off all day had already gathered at the entrance of Taihua Building.

When Wei Ran pushed the door and got out of the car, he helped open the door in the back row. After following Jasmine out of the car wearing elegant and luxurious clothes, she once again showed off her working-sister style. With these, she

The boys and girls who had been trained by themselves went to Taihua Building.

"Has the main compartment been arranged for me?" Mei Xiang asked the second shopkeeper who came out with the usual arrogance of a superior.

This Taihua House is not just a place to listen to operas and music. It can even be said that listening to operas and music is just a casual experience. This place itself is a serious high-end restaurant.

"Don't worry, Miss Meixiang. As soon as we receive Miss Jasmine's letter early in the morning, we will make room for you!"

The second shopkeeper said enthusiastically, "There are three tables in total. I guarantee that everyone can sit down. We have also prepared all the dishes. Just give your order and eight large bowls, as well as several of our Taihua Building's signature dishes, will be served like water."

It can go up."

"Wait a minute, I still have some guests who haven't arrived yet."

Meixiang waved her hand as she spoke, "Canhua, bring a few people and bring in the wine you brought."

"Why!"

As Tao Canhua spoke, he had already opened the trunk of the car, called on a few strong young men to help, and took out jars of good wine from the trunk.

In restaurants of this era, there was no such thing as not being allowed to drink alcohol. Not only that, the second shopkeeper even called on a few waiters to help.

After a lot of busy work, while the crowd of people went to the large box on the second floor, Wei Ran and Tao Canhua stayed at the door of the first floor, waiting for the guests invited by Mei Xiang.

Before 8:15 p.m., these careless people began to set off fireworks and firecrackers impatiently in the streets and alleys. At the same time, two cars stopped at the entrance of Taihua Building.

When the doors of the two cars opened, Xiao Su's mother and Mr. Tanichuan, as well as the Sometani couple in the other car, also got out one after another.

"Aunt Su, uncle, you are here."

The cigarette butt flew away from the incendiary bomb, and he enthusiastically greeted you like a complete bitch. He stretched out his hand and said with a playful smile, "I'm just waiting for your new year's money."

"How old are you, but you still have the nerve to ask for lucky money?" Xiao Su's mother laughed and cursed angrily.

"You are your nephew at this age," Wei Ran said and looked at Mr. Furukawa, "Uncle, am I right?"

How can Mr. Furukawa, a skinny monkey with a unique taste, be able to afford this? He immediately nodded helplessly, "Wei Ran was right, I really should give you this new year's money."

"I want to give it to you." Xiao Su's mother rolled her eyes, but then she couldn't help laughing again, "Meixiang...that girl is here too?"

"It's upstairs"

Wei Ran nodded to Mr. Someya and his wife, and then continued, "My cousin is preparing to serve the dishes. Aunt Su, Uncle Furukawa, brother Someya and sister-in-law Shunzi, let's go up now."

"Let's go"

Yukio Sometani smiled and said, "But let me tell you first, I won't prepare any new year's money for you."

"My sister-in-law must have prepared it for me," Wei Ran said with a playful smile as he led them upstairs, and as expected, Shunzi covered his mouth and laughed.

"This guy is so smooth-talking, it's like he kissed a bee's nest."

Xiao Su's mother shook her head helplessly and said jokingly, "Look, after today's meal, my wallet will be emptied by this money-minded little bastard."

"Thank you Aunt Su for the reward——!"

Wei Ran immediately responded with a long voice, "This is what you said. Give me your wallet later. Brother Rangu, you and your sister-in-law can bear witness."
To be continued...