Chapter 329 New Year’s Eve
February 1th, the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month.
This year's Spring Festival falls on a short month, so there is no New Year's Eve. And it's not just this year, there will be no New Year's Eve for five consecutive years from 2025 to 2029.
Therefore, the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month is New Year's Eve.
Brother Nan sent a WeChat message to Li Mu early this morning, saying that she was going to Beijing with her parents.
Jiang Daimao: [Picture]
Jiang Daimao: The plane has taken off.
Li Mu: How do you get online?
Jiang Daimao: First class, with Wi-Fi
Li Mu: Oh, when will you return to the provincial capital?
Jiang Daimao: Maybe after the New Year. I’m not sure. In previous years, my dad would accompany grandpa during the Spring Festival and then go back. My mom and I would stay in Beijing to accompany grandpa for a few more days, probably until the seventh or eighth day of the New Year.
Li Mu: I see.
Jiang Daimao: What? Can't bear to leave Brother Nan?
Li Mu: A little bit.
Jiang Daimao: Hehe! Don't miss me too much! /laugh/laugh/laugh
Li Mu could guess Brother Nan's expression through the text. He must be smiling brightly because he is smiling too now.
But Li Mu’s reply was very cold: Oh.
Jiang Daimao: Will you miss me?
Li Mu: Yes.
Jiang Daimao: That’s good, take your time to think about it, hahaha!
Jiang Daimao: I also try to think of you once or twice, um, don’t think it’s too little, be content! Contentment brings happiness!
Li Mu raised the corner of his mouth and replied: I understand.
Jiang Daimao: I won’t tell you anymore. I got up too early today and I need to catch up on some sleep.
Li Mu: Okay.
At this moment, a voice suddenly sounded behind him: "Can't bear to leave Brother Nan?"
"?"
Li Mu turned around and saw Li Qinran standing behind him, bending over and staring at his mobile phone.
"Why are you peeking at my chat?" Li Mu quickly locked his phone.
"You were too engrossed in your conversation with Brother Nan. I called you but you didn't hear me." Li Qinran said calmly.
"."
Li Mu had a headache.
There was already a kitten who loved to peek at the screen, and now there is a younger sister.
"What did you ask me to do?"
"Go buy some fireworks. Tomorrow is New Year's Eve. If you don't go early, you'll only be able to buy the ones that others have left."
"Oh, let's go." Li Mu picked up the yogurt on his lap and went back to the house to change clothes.
It is prohibited to set off fireworks and firecrackers in the urban area of the provincial capital. In the past, there were fixed spots for setting off fireworks. For a few years, the government would even fund the purchase of large quantities of high-end fireworks to set off, attracting crowds of people. But now, all of this is no longer allowed.
But you can go to the suburbs to set off fireworks, where few people care. Maybe because it is New Year, the government turns a blind eye.
You can go to the countryside, fireworks in the countryside cannot be banned.
Li Mu and Li Qinran would buy some fireworks every year and then go to an open place in the suburbs to play with them.
It has been like this since I was a child and it has become a habit.
According to the policy, you can't just buy fireworks casually. There are only a few fixed fireworks sales points in the provincial capital, and they have registered and obtained sales licenses. Other businesses are not allowed to sell them.
However, the wisdom of the people is endless. Just walk into a supermarket and give a few secret codes, and the boss will take out the hidden fireworks from the back room.
Li Mu bought two buckets of big fireworks and many small fireworks.
There were cylindrical tubes that the boss named "fire trees and silver flowers", mini fireworks made up of sky rockets, and Li Qinran's favorite fairy wands, colorful chrysanthemum fireworks that would spin in circles when thrown on the ground, and other ornamental gadgets. The total cost was a little over 800 yuan.
The next day, New Year's Eve.
My aunt and Lao Li got up early in the morning to make dumplings.
For breakfast, I had rice dumplings with fermented glutinous rice wine, with two poached eggs in one bowl. The sweetness was just right, and one bite warmed my whole body, driving away the chill of the early morning.
Yogurt likes to drink sweet things. After breakfast, his belly was so full that he lay on the sofa motionless.
Old Li sat next to the kitten, touched it and started to fiddle with his mobile phone. After a while, Huangmei Opera began to play from the speaker.
"Yingtai is not a girl, why does she have a ring on her ear?"
"There is a reason for the earring marks, why do you have to be suspicious, brother Liang? There are many temple fairs in the village, and I play Guanyin every year."
Very old-fashioned tune.
"Brother Liang, you should concentrate on writing articles and not think about your future."
"I have never dared to look at Guanyin since then."
Old Li crossed his legs, hummed along with the tune, and drew circles with his index finger.
Li Mu looked at his sister and smiled.
In fact, Lao Li doesn’t like to hear this, and I’ve never seen him listen to it.
Li Mu only remembered that when he was a child, his grandfather would play these operas every Chinese New Year, not only Huangmei Opera, but also various local operas. The elderly of that era liked to listen to operas. He thought that playing these during the Chinese New Year was lively and festive, and it was also a good way to tinker with the VCDs to prevent them from being damaged by long-term use.
Nowadays, Mr. Li also celebrates the festival every year. Maybe he is used to it, or maybe he just misses his father.
But the VCD is gone, and the old man is gone too.
Maybe it will be the same when he gets older.
Li Muru was thinking.
At eight o'clock in the evening, the Spring Festival Gala had already started on the TV in the living room. Old Li sat on the sofa and watched it, while his aunt looked out the window.
From time to time, muffled sounds and flashing lights could be heard in the distance.
People started setting off fireworks.
Li Mu and Li Qinran were also preparing to go out.
"There will definitely be traffic jams on the way to the suburbs today, so drive carefully."
The aunt reminded them, "It's cold outside, so wear thicker clothes."
"understood."
Go out and go downstairs.
Drive straight out of the city.
They were driving the car that my aunt usually used to buy groceries, and the fireworks they bought yesterday were placed in the trunk of the car.
The roads were very congested and everyone wanted to go outside the city to set off flowers.
The sky outside the city was darker and deeper, the lights of the exploding fireworks were more conspicuous, and one could even see clear fireworks occasionally.
Their destination was a town outside the city.
The closer you get to the town, the denser the fireworks become.
Li Mu parked the car on the side of the road at the top of a slope, then the two of them got out, took the fireworks from the trunk, and climbed up the small hill nearby.
The muffled sound of fireworks could be heard from afar, like the beating of heavy drums, which made people's heart beat faster and they started to jog.
When they reached the top of the mountain, they had a panoramic view of the entire town, and the fireworks were almost as high as them.
"Bang, bang, bang"
Fireworks of various colors exploded in the night sky ahead, forming a dazzling picture on the dark curtain.
A scene of prosperity.
Not only here, such fireworks are set off in almost every place in the country.
The distant capital.
A tall girl with a tuft of adobo hair on her head stood with her relatives and friends, and fireworks exploded above their heads, blooming with shocking beauty.
Everyone except her was holding up their phones to record the beautiful moment, and she was the only one looking up intently.
Soon some dust fell into her eyes, and she just rubbed it.
Then keep staring, staring
Li Qinran turned on her phone and recorded a short video of other people's fireworks in the air.
Li Mu thought about it, took out his cell phone and found Brother Nan’s WeChat.
Li Mu: Did you watch the fireworks?
It took a while for Brother Nan to reply.
Jiang Daimao: I just finished releasing the movie. I bought eight big buckets, the kind that require two people to carry. My neck is sore from lifting them up, and my eyes are filled with dust.
Li Mu: Are fireworks allowed in Beijing?
Jiang Daimao: We drove to the outside of the Fifth Ring Road.
Jiang Daimao: [Video]
Jiang Daimao: Does it look good?
Li Mu: It’s beautiful. We are going to set off fireworks too.
Jiang Daimao: Record a video for me.
Li Mu: Yeah
After replying to Brother Nan’s message, Li Mu looked up and found that his sister had already arranged the fireworks.
Seeing that he had finished talking, his sister handed him the lighter and said, "As usual, we will each set off a bucket of big fireworks, but I can also set them off for you, so you can free up your hands to take the video for Brother Nan."
After a pause, she added, "I'll put it up for you for free."
".Then you can let it go."
Upon hearing this, Li Qinran immediately took back the lighter and curled the corners of his mouth, his plan succeeded.
She walked to the fireworks and lit the lighter with a click.
In an instant, the flame touched the fuse——
"laugh"
The younger sister ran back to Li Mu quickly.
"cluster"
A faint red dot shot up into the sky.
"Oh!"
The red dot exploded into a huge colorful light, and then split into many small fireworks that scattered in all directions, crackling in the air.
"Bang!"
The colorful lights illuminated the night sky and the ground, illuminating the outline of the hill.
Li Mu started recording the video from the moment his sister started setting off fireworks and sent the scene to Brother Nan.
The fireworks continued to bloom.
After the two barrels of big fireworks were finished, they started setting off small fireworks.
Thanks to the book friend 20230404211457040 for the monthly ticket! Thanks to the bulldozer driver for the monthly ticket! Thanks to the book friend 20231129654_BD for the monthly ticket! Bow and bare your chest
(End of this chapter)
