My humble days in ancient times

Xiong Da and Xiong Er thoughtfully brought the prepared food to Old Li, poured him some water, and served him food and drink.

Xiong Da said with concern: "Uncle Li, please eat slowly, don't burn yourself."

This made Old Li feel warm in his heart.

Old Li's wife, Wang, did not return from her daughter's home until the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth lunar month. She had gone there to help her daughter's family with some small business.

On the 26th day of the 12th lunar month, Xu Ruyi and Xu Qinghe, brother and sister, began working early in the morning and continued until dusk, without stopping for the entire day. They were busy making dumplings and frying meatballs, enjoying themselves immensely.

In order to steam all the buns at once, they specially bought several layers of cages so that all the buns can be steamed in one pot, which is convenient and quick.

A large pot of fried meatballs was also filled with them. The golden and crispy meatballs were piled up in the pot like a small mountain, emitting an enticing aroma.

They ate steamed buns when they were ready, and fried meatballs when they were ready. On this day, the brother and sister didn't have to cook at all. These delicious steamed buns and meatballs were enough for them to have a full meal.

Xu Ruyi carefully selected ten steaming, plump white buns, placed them carefully in an exquisite basket, and covered them with a clean floral cloth.

Then he carried the basket and walked briskly to Xu Xiaohua's house.

Arriving at Xu Xiaohua's house, Xu Ruyi knocked gently on the door and called out, "Xiaohua, I'm here."

Xu Xiaohua quickly opened the door upon hearing the sound. Seeing the basket in Xu Ruyi's hand, she said in surprise, "Sister Ruyi is here. Come in quickly. It's cold outside."

Xu Ruyi handed her the basket with a smile and said, "I just steamed some buns. Give you some to try."

Xu Xiaohua took the basket and said with emotion, "Sister Ruyi, thank you."

The two walked into the house and sat down. Xu Xiaohua lifted the floral cloth, and the aroma of buns immediately filled the air.

"These buns look delicious." said Xu Xiaohua.

Xu Ruyi said, "Try it quickly, it's still hot. I'm afraid it won't suit your taste."

Xu Xiaohua picked up one, took a bite, and praised it highly: "It's delicious, Sister Ruyi, your cooking skills are really getting better and better."

Xu Ruyi took another one and handed it to Grandma Wu.

Grandma Wu smiled and said, "I never thought I could eat big meat buns. This white flour is so delicious!"

Xu Ruyi felt a pang of sadness when she saw Grandma Wu's satisfied expression. In these difficult times, people often struggled to make ends meet. Just a bite of white flour buns and white rice was enough to make everyone happy and satisfied.

Behind this simple happiness lies the hardships and helplessness of life.

She couldn't help but sigh deeply and thought to herself: Oh, it would be great if the grain yield per mu could be increased, so that everyone wouldn't have to work so hard for a bite of food.

On the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, the four brothers and sisters went to visit He's grave.

Along the way, the four siblings were in a heavy mood. Xu Ruyi held paper money in his hand, Xu Qinghe carried the offerings, and Xu Ruyuan and Xu Qingyan followed silently behind.

Arriving at He's grave, Xu Ruyi and Xu Qinghe began to carefully clean the weeds and fallen leaves around the cemetery, while Xu Ruyuan and Xu Qingyan placed offerings nearby.

After everything was ready, Xu Ruyi lit the paper money and said softly, "Mom, we're here to see you. Are you doing well over there?"

Xu Qinghe also said: "Mom, we all miss you very much. Don't worry, we will take good care of ourselves and this family."

Xu Ruyuan and Xu Qingyan had tears in their eyes and were silently talking to their mother in their hearts.

After burning the paper money, the four brothers and sisters stood in front of the grave for a while before leaving reluctantly.

On New Year's Eve, Li came over with a smile and called them over for dinner.

Xu Ruyi and his two siblings quickly packed up and went over with the carefully prepared gifts.

After lunch, Xu Qinghe returned home, busying himself with pasting up spring couplets and window decorations. Xu Ruyi was busy making dumplings. With her deft hand, each small, delicate dumpling quickly took shape.

Xu Ruyi turned to Xu Ruyuan and Xu Qingyan and said, "Tomorrow morning when we cook dumplings, you have to call Yuanbao, okay?"

Xu Qingyan blinked his eyes and asked in confusion, "Why is it called Yuanbao?"

Xu Ruyi gently scratched his nose and patiently explained, "This is our New Year's custom! It's called a Yuanbao, and it symbolizes prosperity and wealth in the new year. Our lives will get better and better."

Xu Qingyan nodded, not quite understanding, and said, "So that's how it is. I'll remember that."

Xu Ruyuan also smiled and said, "Sister, I remember it too."

At this time, Xu Qinghe walked in. Seeing how happy they were, he smiled and said, "What are you guys talking about so happily?"

Xu Ruyi said, "I'm explaining to them the etiquette of eating dumplings tomorrow morning."

Xu Qinghe said: "That's good. These customs cannot be forgotten."

Xu Ruyi was busy when he suddenly remembered the red envelopes and said quickly, "Brother, let's give red envelopes to Master Du and the others! The New Year is coming soon, so let's make everyone happy."

Xu Qinghe asked: "What is a red envelope?"

Xu Ruyi smiled and said, "It's money wrapped in red paper. It's called a red envelope for short."

Xu Qinghe laughed and said, "Sure, let's go now, don't delay."

The brother and sister immediately got to work and hurried towards the new house. When they arrived, they greeted everyone warmly and gave everyone a big red envelope. Even the two little ones, Du Xiaoyue and Du Xiaoxing, received red envelopes.

Du Xiaoyue and Du Xiaoxing jumped up and down excitedly with the red envelopes, their faces flushed red, their eyes sparkling with surprise. Du Xiaoyue cheered, "Great, there are red envelopes!"

Du Xiaoxing also shouted: "Thank you Sister Ruyi, thank you Brother Qinghe!"

They were both very happy.

As night fell, the dark sky was dotted with stars. Outside, the crackling sound of firecrackers rang out, the sound rising and falling, deafening and instantly shattering the tranquility of the night.

Inside, the four siblings sat together and began to eat their New Year's Eve dinner - steaming hot dumplings. The plates of dumplings looked like tiny gold ingots, emitting an alluring aroma.

The fire in the stove was burning brightly, the red flames were jumping, the room was warm, and a cozy atmosphere filled every corner.

The four brothers and sisters sat around the table, eating the delicious dumplings with gusto, their mouths stuffed full and their faces beaming with satisfaction.

After the meal, several people gathered around the stove to keep watch, chatting and laughing, making the place quite lively.

Xu Ruyi cleared her throat and began to tell them a story. Her voice was soft and melodious, and the story's twists and turns made everyone clench their fists in nervousness, and then burst into laughter.

Time passed unnoticed in their laughter and joy. The night deepened, but Xu Ruyi did not feel sleepy at all, still immersed in this warm and joyful atmosphere.

Xu Qingyan was young and had limited energy, so he couldn't help but fall asleep. His little head was nodding, his eyes were closed, and he was mumbling incoherent words.

Xu Ruyuan was also a little exhausted, his eyelids were fighting each other, and he tried hard to listen to Xu Ruyi's story, but in the end he couldn't resist the invasion of sleepiness.

Seeing this, Xu Qinghe gently carried Xu Qingyan to the bed and covered him with a quilt, moving very carefully for fear of waking up his brother.

Xu Ruyuan climbed onto the bed in a daze, got into the quilt, and soon fell asleep.

The sound of firecrackers outside the house began again, "crackling", deafening, and the flames flickered, illuminating the dark night sky like daylight.

Xu Qinghe ran outside to set off firecrackers.

Xu Ruyi listened to the noise and thought to herself: I'm another year older now. I'm eleven. Happy New Year!