A small plot of land in a mountain village

Chapter 61 Chinese New Year

The crackling of firecrackers filled the air. It was Chinese New Year! The sound of firecrackers could be heard from every household early in the morning. On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, Zhang Niu's family had already begun celebrating the New Year at the homes of various relatives.

Zhang Niu's family arranged to eat at noon on New Year's Eve. They were worried about having relatives eat at the same table as others, as it would be quite inconvenient to have to move on to the next table right after they started eating at one.

During the Lunar New Year, the little ones in the family can't say anything unlucky. Before dawn, Zhang Niu moves the table to the front yard to worship the Earth God. There's also a big pig's head in a wooden basin, placed in the very center, with chickens and ducks below. My mother lights candles and murmurs words of blessing.

There are rules for burning paper money. You can only move things on the table after it's all burned. Sometimes, ignorant little kids will try to gently poke at it with small pieces of firewood, earning a scolding from their parents. It's considered extremely disrespectful for the local deity to touch the paper money or offerings while they are enjoying the offerings.

After worshipping the Earth God, you also need to worship a few minor deities. The ceremony isn't as grand as the Earth God's; it's more of a formality. The prayers are for good weather and a bountiful harvest in the coming year. May the family be harmonious and prosperous.

Men in the household cannot participate in the worship ceremony. It's usually the women of the family who do the work. This needs to be done several times a year, and it's something they're very good at; one person can easily handle it.

When the kids in my family are praying to the gods, they always glance at the candy and other treats on the table. Their eyes are glued to them, and they can't even concentrate on holding the incense sticks while praying. The candy is just too tempting for them.

After worshipping the gods, the little kids would reach out and grab a handful of candy and stuff it into their pockets, chewing on a piece of gummies. Then they would run out and show it off to the other kids in the village.

My younger sister looks the same way. It's funny to see Zhang Niu sweeping the floor. This year, the family is offering more food for the gods than in previous years, and it's all quite expensive. My mother can't even name some of it. Not to mention my younger sister, who hasn't eaten much. She looks so distressed.

After burning the food, Zhang Niu put pistachios, walnuts, and other snacks into his little sister's pocket. "Go out and play, be back early for dinner, your aunt and other relatives are coming soon."

"Okay. Wenwen and I are at the village entrance."

No sooner had I finished speaking than Wenwen's voice rang out from the front yard. My little sister shouted "Coming!" and skipped out the door.

My little sister was the happiest this year. Last time, she brought home two huge toys. She even dragged a bunch of girls into the house to see the giant teddy bear and panda. Those two took up a lot of space on our small bed. She even named one "Naughty" and the other "Mischievous." When Zhang Niu found out, he was so embarrassed. Do toys need names?

In front of the gate to the front yard, I saw quite a few little kids picking up leftover firecrackers. They'd set off anything that still had a fuse or hadn't exploded completely. Playing with them was child's play for them; the bolder ones would grab the end of the firecracker and light it, and it would explode. I often saw timid little girls covering their eyes, too scared to watch.

Many people set off firecrackers to worship the local earth god in the morning, but the most lively time is at midnight. At that time, the nearby villages all set off firecrackers non-stop, creating a very lively atmosphere.

Around 10 o'clock, my aunt's family arrived on their motorcycle. They had called last night to ask my aunt to come early and help with cooking, since there were about twenty dishes to prepare. It's not easy to do it alone, and having someone help makes it much faster.

Zhang Niu's job was to chop vegetables, move chairs, and wash dishes—nothing much. He wouldn't actually cook anything.

At noon, my uncle's family and my younger uncle's family also came. The traditional six-person table in the house was replaced with a large round table, which was completely full of people. There were also several children. Before the adults even sat down at the table, my younger sister led the way and they secretly ate quite a bit of roast pork.

Inviting relatives over for Chinese New Year is all about the lively atmosphere; after all, it's rare for family members to have a chance to eat and chat together all year round. It's only during this time that we can finally relax. My uncle looks much older now, with more gray hair than before. My aunt and brother-in-law both run small shops in town. They're busy all year. The last time we visited was during summer vacation when my dad brought some peaches over.

As they ate meat and drank wine, Zhang Niu took out some Liqun cigarettes from his bag and shared them with them, lighting one for himself and blowing on it. They were having a good time.

Slightly tipsy from drinking too much at noon, Zhang Niu lay down on his bed and fell asleep. When he woke up, it was already around 2 PM. After washing his face, he saw his mother preparing to paste up the couplets on the door with some porridge paste.

The couplets for the doors are usually pasted up in the afternoon, and the image of the Kitchen God is pasted on the stove. A picture of thriving livestock is pasted on the pigsty. A large "福" (good fortune) character is also pasted on each door, signifying that good fortune arrives even when it's upside down.

In the main room, my uncles were playing mahjong together, and my dad, who hadn't played in a long time, was also sitting there building a Great Wall. Walking over, I saw a stack of playing cards in front of my uncle's table; it seemed he was playing a three-of-a-kind.

I walked over to my dad and looked at the cards. Every time he drew a card, it was never a good one; he basically just drew one and discarded it. Just as I drew a good card, I heard my uncle shout "Hu!" and push the cards away.

Dad stood up. "Come on, help me sit down and take off the cards. Go to the toilet first."

Zhang Niu didn't mind playing another round. He shuffled and stacked the cards. He flipped over his cards and saw several pairs. He noticed the "God of Wealth" was a 2 of Wan. Then he saw he had a pair of his own. "Looks like my luck has turned around this time." Since he had drawn two Gods of Wealth, he wanted to build a big hand. In Zhang Niu's hand, the God of Wealth could be used as any card. However, sometimes even drawing two Gods of Wealth wouldn't guarantee a win.

Still excited, Zhang Niu saw his aunt play a two of bamboo. Zhang Niu said "Pong," and played a useless tile. After ponging it, Zhang Niu was left with two wild cards, a four, five, and six in his hand, a pair of four of characters, a pair of East characters, and a seven of the same suit. His hand looked decent.

I played a useless tile that already put me in a winning hand. Then I played an East tile. I ponged it. Then I played a Nine of a Kind. I had just won with a pair of Ox tiles, but I didn't even think about going for it. If I can't make a big hand, a self-draw is better than nothing.

Dad, who had gone out, came back. He stood behind and watched the cards. He had a smile on his face, very satisfied that Zhang Niu had gotten a good hand.

When it was Zhang Niu's turn, he drew a South tile and discarded it. The player to his left then took it. Next, the uncle opposite him didn't draw a tile but instead took a set of tiles. He then discarded an Eight of Characters. The aunt hesitated, unsure whether to take or draw, holding the tile and remaining still.

"Auntie, eat if you want. Or just grab a good card. Otherwise, it'll be my turn if a good one falls." Zhang Niu chuckled.

After Zhang Niu's suggestion, Auntie made up her mind and drew an 8 of Wan. She then discarded a six of a kind. Now Zhang Niu faced a choice: to win or draw a tile. Both of their hands showed they were ready to win. "Forget it," Zhang Niu thought, "I'll just draw one. A self-draw would be great." This time, Zhang Niu reached out with his left hand to draw. He spread his fingers and saw two simple lines.

He slammed the tiles on the table and pushed them aside, revealing to everyone that it was a self-draw. While everyone was misunderstanding, Zhang Niu turned over the last tile he drew. Unexpectedly, the tile no one wanted turned out to be the God of Wealth, and Zhang Niu upgraded from a self-draw to a Three Gods of Wealth Gathering. The dealer had to pay out sixteen tiles, and the others had to pay out eight. This was more than double the amount for a small self-draw.

I stood up and let my dad go back inside to continue playing cards. "Playing a few hands now and then is fine, but doing it too often will just result in bad luck. You guys play by yourselves."

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