Chapter 129 Chinese New Year

Li Shengli was busy with his work while chatting with sister Han Qiuyun. Not long after, with the sound of "da da da" of the kitchen knife chopping on the chopping board, the dumpling filling was chopped. Li Shengli picked up the soy sauce and other condiments to prepare the dumpling filling.

While Li Shengli was chopping the stuffing, Han Qiuyun had already prepared the dough.

"Come on, Qiuyun, Qiuyu, let's make dumplings together." Li Shengli said to the two sisters with a smile. Making dumplings is more fun when the whole family is together.

"Come on, let's join us. It's more fun when there are more people." Old Mrs. Han had experienced this before, and she greeted everyone with a smile.

Several people gathered around the chopping board, chatting and making dumplings. Li Shengli was seen rolling the dough with one hand and turning it with the other. After a while, he had rolled out a small pile of dumpling wrappers.

Looking at the crooked dumplings made by Han Qiuyu and then at the neatly made dumplings made by Li Shengli and Han Qiuyun, Old Mrs. Han sighed.

"What's wrong, old lady?" Li Shengli heard Old Lady Han sighing and thought that the old lady was missing her son.

"I remember what Qiuyun's father looked like when he was a child." Old Mrs. Han recalled the past.

Han Qiuyun reached out to hold her grandmother's hand and was about to comfort her when the old lady spoke again.

"It was so fun to have such little kids surrounding me at that time. Qiuyun, when will you and Shengli give me a great-grandson?" Old Mrs. Han changed the subject and joked with Han Qiuyun.

Han Qiuyun was feeling a little sad after hearing what the old lady said, but she almost hurt her back when the old lady suddenly changed the subject.

"Grandma!" Han Qiuyun shouted shyly. These two are thinking about having children before they even get married?
Han Qiuyun laughed loudly on the side.

Seeing that she had no way to stop the two of them, Han Qiuyun could only look at Li Shengli with shame and anger. Li Shengli felt Han Qiuyun's eye attack and nodded at her, saying, "Let me take care of this matter."

"Don't worry, old lady, we will have a big fat boy as soon as we get married." Instead of stopping them, Li Shengli patted his chest and made a promise.

Then the three of them looked at Han Qiuyun and burst into laughter, and the laughter quickly spread into the yard.

"Hey, you see, the Han family is different now that they have found a partner. Look at their smile." The people near Han Qiuyun's house couldn't help but sigh when they heard the Han family's laughter.

"Yes, although the Han family's life was not difficult before, it was not very good either. The family was always very quiet during the Chinese New Year. Now that they have found a partner, they have changed all of a sudden."

"Are there not enough people in our courtyard who are targeting the Han family?"

"Well, you are all in the dark. He is not even looking in his own compound."

"That's right. We are all in the same compound, so we don't know what other families are like."

"Okay, let's cook quickly. Today is the New Year and we need to think about something happy."

While Li Shengli and Han Qiuyun were playing, Yi Zhonghai and Yan Bugui were still pasting couplets on the gate of No. 95 Nanluoguxiang. After pasting the couplets, Yi Zhonghai looked at Li Shengli's door.

"Old Yan, why is there no one at Li Shengli's house? Is he not celebrating the New Year this year?" Yi Zhonghai raised his head and gestured towards Li Shengli's home.

"Well, it seems he went to his girlfriend's house to celebrate the New Year."

"His girlfriend." Yi Zhonghai thought of the weak-looking woman who had fetched water in the central courtyard.

"Then let's just ignore him. Let's see who else's house has not put up couplets yet and then put them up for them." Yi Zhonghai smiled and said to Yan Bugui.

"That's great, but what about the writing fee?" Yan Bugui was naturally unwilling when he heard that, and asked Yi Zhonghai for the writing fee with a smile.

"Yes, everything." Yi Zhonghai didn't care about the small amount of money. In the evening, Li Shengli fried four dishes and added dumplings, which was considered the New Year's Eve dinner.

Han Qiuyun sat next to Li Shengli, picking up some food for him and pouring him a glass of wine. Li Shengli also picked up some dumplings for Han Qiuyun and poured him a glass of water. Han Qiuyu, who was sitting opposite them, suddenly felt that the food on the table was not delicious anymore.

"Can you guys please be more careful? There are people at the table." Old Mrs. Han was fine. To be honest, she quite enjoyed watching this scene. Han Qiuyu couldn't take it anymore. She just felt like she was holding on.

The two people who were so in love didn't even need to whisper to each other.

"By the way, old lady, let's set a date. I'll ask my master to bring me to propose marriage." Li Shengli just remembered this now.

"How about setting the date for March? You can propose in March and get married in June. The weather will be neither too cold nor too hot then." Old Mrs. Han glanced at the shy Han Qiuyun, thought for a moment and said.

"Okay, that's no problem for me. After the New Year, I will bring Qiuyun to visit my master, and then come with my master to propose marriage." Li Shengli nodded and said.

The date for the proposal was roughly decided, and after they finished their New Year's Eve dinner, Li Shengli decided to leave as it was getting late.

"Shengli, please drive slowly. You have drunk a lot of wine." Han Qiuyun sent Li Shengli to the gate.

"Don't worry, I'm not drunk." Li Shengli smiled, looked around and saw that there was no one around, then held Han Qiuyun's face and kissed her, then said goodbye to Han Qiuyun.

The next day was New Year's Day. This year, Li Shengli did not go out and was awakened early by the noise outside.

After getting up and making the bed, Li Shengli opened the locked door.

If there are no couplets posted at home, people from the yard usually won't come over. Usually, it's the children from the yard who go out to pay New Year's greetings. Now that every family is in financial difficulty, neighbors usually just say Happy New Year to each other when they meet.

Li Shengli sat in a chair and read for a while. Not long after, Liu Xikui came over.

"Master, Happy New Year."

"Xikui is here, come and sit down." Li Shengli poured a cup of tea for Liu Xikui.

The two chatted for a while, and then Liu Xikui said goodbye and left. For someone like him who had no elders in his family and was not married, the year would just pass like this.

Several children in the yard also came out in groups to wish a happy new year. Li Shengli took some melon seeds and peanuts and distributed them to the children.

After seeing off the people who came to pay New Year's greetings, it was soon afternoon. In the afternoon, Li Shengli met Lou Xiaoe, but Lou Xiaoe looked a little unhappy. Li Shengli guessed that Xu Damao's parents had talked about her, saying that it had been a year and a half, and she and Xu Damao still had no children.

In the mid-afternoon, Li Shengli quickly ate something to fill his stomach. He was going to take Han Qiuyun and her sister to the temple fair tonight.

This year's temple fair is no different from previous years. Li Shengli has seen it, but it is still quite new to Han Qiuyun and her sister. In the past, they didn't dare to go out without someone to accompany them. Now it is not as safe as they imagined. As for why the old lady didn't come, the old lady is over 70 years old. What if she falls down in the crowd?

"Qiuyun, look." Li Shengli said as he shook the rattle in his hand.

"What are you looking at these children's things for?"

"When our child is born, we will rock him (her) for fun." Li Shengli said with a smile.

"I'm not going to pay attention to you." Han Qiuyun rolled her eyes at him. She was almost immune to his words.

The three of them had a great time at the temple fair. After Li Shengli sent the two sisters home, he went back to his own home to rest.

(End of this chapter)