Global Film Emperor

Chapter 471 New Year’s Eve
"Brother, what are you doing? Give it to me, give it to me! How could you possibly do this kind of work?"

The sound initially came from outside the courtyard, but soon it reached Lu Ze's ears. He looked up and saw Xiao Hai rushing over with a lot of gifts, instinctively trying to snatch the torch from Lu Ze's hand.

"Alright, alright, it'll be done soon. Don't rush it anymore. It's cold outside. Take your aunt inside. Your uncle and the others are inside too. Don't bring anything next time. You can't eat it all. It'll just expire and become a waste."

There were originally four pig trotters left, a task that could have been finished in twenty minutes, but now it has taken more than an hour to roast the last one. The reason is that one after another, relatives came to visit. The younger ones were eager to do it, while the older ones were coaxed into the house. Lu Ze had to go in and serve them, and this back and forth caused Lu Ze to freeze the food for several more tens of minutes.

"Then I'll shave my skin off so my fourth aunt won't have to do it again. Honey, you take my mom inside. Linlin, you two greet your uncle."

"Happy New Year, sir..."

The changes in temperament after studying art are not very obvious in a short period of time. It's like cured meat; the longer you're immersed in it, the more obvious it becomes.

Compared to when they were first sent to study in the capital, the biggest change is that these two children now wear makeup and have a more fashionable style of dress, making them clearly distinguishable from other high school students of the same age.

After exchanging greetings and hearing Lu Ze's response, the two children breathed a sigh of relief and helped the old lady into the house, their hearts still pounding with nervousness.

This sense of tension arose after they went to study in the capital, stemming from the care and attention their teachers showed them after learning that their uncle was Lu Ze.

At first, the two children thought that the teacher treated all students this way, but just a few days later they realized that the teachers did not have that much love and tolerance to distribute equally among each student.

As they gradually got to know their classmates, they also learned about their family backgrounds. They discovered that so-and-so was the grandson of a famous artist, so-and-so was the child of a singer, and so-and-so was the child of a CEO of a large corporation. This was quite common in the class.

Even so, the two girls were still among the three or five children the teacher cared about the most. This made the two girls realize more clearly how powerful their uncle's connections were, and it also made the two girls feel more afraid of Lu Ze.

"Are you spending the year in the village again?"

"Yes, from now on I'll be spending the New Year in the village. I'm not comfortable leaving my mom here alone, so I'll make more trips and come back to visit often."

Lu Hai's father passed away a few years ago, so Lu Hai brought his mother to the city. In the following years, he never returned to the village for the Spring Festival.

Perhaps she was homesick, or perhaps she was uncomfortable in the city. Starting last year, the old lady began to make a fuss, wanting to run back to the village during holidays. Helpless, Lu Hai could only frequently travel between Fengtian and Lü Hua.

So, coming back often isn't just about maintaining a closer relationship with Lu Ze's family; it's also partly to fulfill my mother's wish and bring her back to see the village more often. Otherwise, who knows, if I come back in a few years, the village might look completely different.

Lu Hai took the knife and gently scraped the charred hair off the pig's trotters. In the sub-zero temperatures of minus twenty degrees Celsius, his hands were steady, and the calluses on his palms prevented any possibility of slipping.

“It’s a good thing. Sometimes when the new policy comes out, I’m not home. If I come back after a few months, I can’t find my way home without navigation. Okay, Xiao Hai, let’s stop and come inside.”

Lu Hai didn't refuse. He carried the basin and went into the house first. Lu Ze went to the storeroom to put away the tools. When he opened the door and entered the house, a wave of heat hit his face, making him feel slightly dizzy. Now that he was lying in bed, he was sure he could get a good night's sleep.

There were about ten people in the family, including Lu Ze's second uncle and his wife, who had introduced him to the woman. This year, Lu Ze invited the elderly couple to his home because their children had gone to their spouses' homes for the Spring Festival.

In the living room, a wisp of white smoke drifted around the ceiling. Unlike the pungent smell of boxed cigarettes, it had a strange fragrance.

Perhaps it wasn't the fragrance, but rather the ancient tobacco, which has gradually disappeared, that ignited Lu Ze's childhood memories, causing a deviation in his sense of smell.

In short, it smells wonderful. When you close your eyes, it's like going back to a long time ago, when he was carrying his schoolbag and hurriedly running home to get a drink of water. In the east bedroom, the old man was sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) playing dominoes, and this was the smell wafting from his old pipe.

Sitting on the sofa, Second Master was asking Xiao Hai how his business was going this year. Lu Ze listened intently, reached out and took Second Master's cigarette case, tore off a piece of white paper that looked like a sticky note, and put some loose tobacco in the center of the paper.

Roll it into a cylinder, lick the edge of the paper with your tongue and stick it together. Leave about a centimeter of white paper at the end that goes into your mouth. Twist the paper tip with your thumb and forefinger clockwise, tear off the tip, put it in your mouth, and light it.

The taste was still so strong, a bit pungent. Second Master turned to look at Lu Ze and asked with a smile.

"Can you get used to smoking it?"

"It's possible now."

He grabbed a handful of melon seeds from the coffee table and listened to the elders chatting with Xiao Hai, or talking about Lu Nan. The conversation rarely veered towards Lu Ze, as the elders knew they wouldn't understand Lu Ze's career; in terms of knowledge, they had been far surpassed by him. The aroma of food wafted from the kitchen, and hearing the sizzling of the food in the pan, Lu Ze knew it was time to serve. Sure enough, Lu Nan came out and invited everyone to the table. The men set up the tables and chairs, opened the wine bottles, and the women brought out the dishes, warmed up the liquor, and even poured themselves a glass, giving a slightly tipsy and comfortable answer to the year's hard work.

The TV was turned on, adding more noise to the room. The second uncle, who was sitting in the main seat, raised his glass and said some words of blessing, the gist of which was wishing everyone great wealth.

"May you and your wife live to be a hundred years old, cheers!"

"By the way, bro, we haven't set off the firecrackers yet."

This reminded everyone that they had almost forgotten something important. Just as Lu Ze was about to get up, Lu Nan pressed him down, snatched the half-burnt cigarette from Lu Ze's hand, and excitedly led his two little nieces out of the house.

About three to five minutes later, the sound of firecrackers rang out, accompanied by the excited screams of three little girls who hurriedly ran back into the house, covering their ears. The ten-thousand-shot firecrackers clanged and banged for almost a minute. The three little girls watched from the window for a minute. The village children, like sharks smelling blood, rushed over in a frenzy, searching for the small firecrackers that had not been lit, with the tacit permission of all the adults.

"Xiao Nan still loves setting off firecrackers. Da Ze, do you remember when Xiao Nan stuck a firecracker into a crack in my wall and it blew the wall down?"

The second master's words amused the whole family. How could Lu Nan not remember? She had been dragged along by Lu Ze and beaten so badly that she was almost dumbfounded. She would probably never forget that embarrassing incident for the rest of her life.

"Back then, the wall was made of yellow mud... I never expected it to be so flimsy. Oh, Second Master, don't even mention it."

"Hahaha, you're getting excited again! Just like when you were a kid. Now you're working, have you found a boyfriend yet?"

This question was asked casually, unlike when it was deliberately asked to introduce Lu Ze to potential partners. This topic has almost become an annual report to the elders. Apart from Lu Ze, every other unmarried junior has to be asked this question.

Lu Ze listened intently, picking up a piece of fish for himself. Actually, the question Second Master asked was also one that Lu Ze wanted to ask. Things were different now than before; Lu Nan would definitely have the ability to distinguish between good and bad men now, and Lu Ze believed that.

But the strange thing is that even though Lu Ze now trusts Lu Nan's judgment very much, he still needs to see the person in person before he can feel at ease.

When they were younger, they would always feel embarrassed when their parents asked them about this, but now they can be honest and truthful, at least Lu Nan is like that.

“My boss introduced me to someone who is two years older than me and is a surgeon at the Second Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University. We had dinner together a couple of days ago, and I think he’s alright.”

"Work is alright, Xiaonan, it's not a big deal. We're not in a rush. With a pretty girl like you, why would we worry about finding a partner? Let's observe for a while longer and see if the person is right."

Second Master's words were exactly what Lu Ze's family wanted to hear. Unlike those who speak without thinking, he didn't say things like, "You're not young anymore, let's try dating first." To a certain extent, Lu Ze's way of speaking and acting was something he learned from Second Master when he was young. His grandfather and Lu Weiguo didn't have such a silver tongue.

Lu Nan's answer did not signal the start of a conversation, but rather the end of the topic of romance. Things were not yet settled, and there was no need for them to know too much. Asking too many questions would only annoy Lu Nan, since she was no longer a child. In matters of the heart, everyone should give Lu Nan some private space.

Although Lu Nan appeared calm and collected, she was still a little uneasy inside. She picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs and nibbled on it quickly like a mouse, while secretly glancing at Lu Ze beside her. Seeing that he had no expression, she picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks and stuffed it into his mouth. It seemed that he had eaten a dried chili pepper, and his face quickly turned red. He turned his head and coughed. She hurriedly handed Lu Ze a tissue to wipe his mouth.

As time passed, the woman and child had left the table, leaving only four men sipping baijiu, trying to get a little tipsy. Lu Ze didn't have much to say about the conversation, so he picked up the remote and randomly changed channels without a specific goal. He eventually stopped at Liaoning TV because he saw a child who passed by his shop every day dancing a somewhat clumsy dance on stage.

Then, more children ran out from behind the curtain, holding up the heads of the New Year dolls, and knelt in a row on the stage to the music. These were all children from Jinxiwang. Even though it was a very childish dance, it was still very impressive that they could dance so neatly. You can imagine how difficult it was for these children.

The enthusiastic smiles while dancing seemed somewhat fake to Lu Ze. Perhaps they simply couldn't understand why they were dancing for others on New Year's Eve, a time for family reunions.

Lu Ze didn't really like this kind of program. From a very special perspective, others might be moved by a group of physically disabled children overcoming difficulties to complete a dance performance, but in Lu Ze's eyes, the hard work of these innocent children did not receive any real reward, but was used as a tool to make some people laugh.

Making children with intellectual disabilities or physical impairments perform without paying them, dismissing them with a simple "you'll be on TV," is the disturbing truth behind the tears and sweat these children shed.

The miracle of the Thousand-Hand Guanyin Dance Troupe was destined not to happen to these children, and making a living through dance was also destined to be unsuccessful for them.

The children wouldn't understand, and the teachers wouldn't think that much about it either, so they were also dressed up in fancy clothes and ridiculous costumes, swaying left and right, clapping and keeping time for the children. This included Teacher Zhang, who pulled out a silly smile that she had no idea how ridiculous it was.

Not wanting to watch anymore, I turned off the TV. A sense of unease gradually rose in my heart. I picked up my wine glass, clinked glasses with my father, Xiao Hai, and Second Uncle, and drank the remaining ounce of baijiu in one gulp.

"..."

(End of this chapter)