Reborn in 1966

Chapter Fifty Welcoming the New Students

It was only around 7 p.m. Later, everyone would be gathered around the table with their families, drinking and eating, waiting for the Spring Festival Gala to begin. At this time, the TV would either be showing "Year After Year" or broadcasting news clips of celebrations and prosperity, accompanied by the clear, cheerful voices of hosts in festive attire. In less than an hour, it would be the globally renowned Spring Festival Gala, which has accompanied generations of Chinese people as they've grown up. Besides the news broadcast, this is the longest-running program in Chinese history. Everyone says the Spring Festival Gala is an indispensable part of the New Year's Eve dinner. Although life is more affluent now, and we eat so much good food that even the best food doesn't taste as good anymore, if you miss this dish during the New Year, you'll still feel very disappointed.

How lively the Spring Festival is! Everywhere is filled with laughter and joy. In the first few years, everyone would have fireworks displays. How exciting that must have been! Imagine, the streets were deserted, the sky was filled with dazzling, indescribably beautiful fireworks, the ears were filled with the deafening sound of firecrackers, and people were packed tightly together all around you. The air was filled with the pleasant smell of firecracker smoke. All five senses were filled with the lively and joyous atmosphere of the festival. Pei Yin remembered someone once telling her why we have the Spring Festival, why it's a festival only once a year. It's because it gives people something to look forward to. After one festival, you look forward to the next one. There are so many festivals in a year! Living with something to look forward to makes life more enjoyable, even if it's a little tough or tiring. Of course, for a Chinese person, the most lively and grandest festival is the Spring Festival. That lively atmosphere is something she'll remember for a lifetime.

Pei Yin sighed inwardly. Unlike now, everything was lifeless and gloomy. The "Destroy the Four Olds" campaign had destroyed traditions that had been passed down for thousands of years. However, in a few years, these things would slowly be rediscovered, even dug up in depth and widely. Even worse, for certain purposes, some traditions and legends that were not from their own place would be claimed to be from their own place. It's a bit funny now that I think about it. Who would have thought that something that people would avoid like the plague for ten or twenty years would be online?

Pei-Yin's mind was wandering a bit too far, and she was still immersed in her own thoughts, unaware that Uncle Shen had already brought over his accordion, his fingers brushing across the keys, producing a series of clear and beautiful notes. This pulled Pei-Yin back to reality, instantly waking her from her drowsy state.

My second uncle said, "I'll play the piano for you, and you can sing along, okay?"

The children clapped their hands happily and said, "Good!"

So, accompanied by the accordion, several children clapped and sang along, "Sailing the Seas Depends on the Helmsman," "On the Golden Mountain of Beijing," one song after another. After each song, everyone would clap, and the small courtyard was filled with the children's joyful laughter. Hearing the commotion, Jinhua came over to check and then went back to call Grandpa Shengquan and Grandma Shengquan. The three of them came over to join in the fun.

The kang table on the kang where Grandpa and Grandma sleep is covered with melon seeds and peanuts. Not only are there their own, but Aunt Shengquan also brought some when she came over, along with a handful of milk candies and fruit candies. Now they are all on the kang table, and everyone is sitting close together on the kang. If anyone wants to perform, they can put on their shoes and go to the front of the kang. They can sing, dance, or even tell a joke.

Jinhua and Peijun exchanged a few words, and then the two of them spoke a few more words to Shen's parents. Shen's parents looked back at the crowd of onlookers, nodded, and then happily ran out, bringing Meng Ruolan back in no time.

The house became lively. Uncle's accordion played non-stop until midnight. When Uncle got tired, Meng Ruolan took over and continued playing. It has to be said that Meng Ruolan's skills, which had received professional training, were better than Uncle's, who was self-taught. Even to Pei Yin, a layman, Meng Ruolan's playing sounded better.

Seeing that it was getting late, Grandpa Shengquan and his family said goodbye and went home. Meng Ruolan also went to their house with Jinhua. Grandma looked at Peiyin, who was already exhausted and lying on the kang (a heated brick bed) half asleep, and said, "Look how tired our little granddaughter is. Tonight, we won't sleep with your mother. How about you sleep with Grandma instead?"

As Grandma spoke, she tidied up the bedding on the kang (a heated brick bed), took off Peiyin's clothes, who was already asleep, and put her in her own bed.

Pei-Yin, fast asleep, was so tired she had lost track of time. Hearing her older siblings singing songs that were both familiar and unfamiliar to her, and remembering the Spring Festivals she had celebrated and the people who had spent them with her, she felt a mix of emotions. She forced herself to listen for a long time until she finally fell asleep from exhaustion. In her dream, she saw those past events. At this moment, the little girl became a bit confused. They say Zhuangzi dreamed of being a butterfly, but which parts were reality and which were dreams?

The next day was the first day of the Lunar New Year. When Pei Yin woke up, it was already broad daylight. She was still sleeping on the kang (a heated brick bed) under the covers. The room was quiet, but it sounded like someone was talking in her second grandmother's room.

Peiyin rubbed her eyes, looked at the cotton-padded jacket and trousers under the quilt, and called out, "Grandma." Then she heard footsteps in the main room. Grandma lifted the curtain and saw Peiyin sitting in bed. She smiled and said, "Oh my, Peiyin is awake. Come, Grandma will help you get dressed. Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year. Your older brothers and sisters have all gone to visit relatives and friends. When they come back, you can go with them. Our Peiyin is a big girl now, and she should go with her older brothers and sisters to visit the village so that everyone can get to know you."

Although the "Four Olds" were destroyed and the "Four News" were established, the custom of exchanging New Year's greetings on the first day of the Lunar New Year has been retained. After all, everyone is from the same village, and they see each other all the time. If you don't visit someone's door on the first day of the Lunar New Year, they will remember you for the whole year. Moreover, some people don't go home all year, but they will go home to spend the New Year with their relatives. This is also an opportunity to get to know people in the village. Otherwise, if someone from the village comes to you for help or you meet someone from your village on the road and you don't recognize them, this will get back to your village and you will be criticized.

So, the village was still quite lively on the first day of the Lunar New Year. Although there were no firecrackers to add to the festivities, everyone happily visited each other's homes and wished their elders a Happy New Year.

After Pei Yin got dressed, Aunt Sheng Quan lifted the curtain and came into the room. Seeing Pei Yin dressed in her cotton-padded coat, she smiled and said, "You're up! Here, this is a smock that I just made for you. We'll wear new clothes for the New Year."

She wore a red cotton blouse with small white floral patterns. It had buttons at the back and a large pocket in the front. Aunt Shengquan had also embroidered a few leaves with other colored threads, making it look quite unique.

Pei Yin looked at her new clothes and said to Aunt Sheng Quan, "Happy New Year, Auntie!"

Aunt Shengquan smiled and said, "This little rascal is so clever, he really knows how to talk. Happy New Year to you too."

After getting dressed, Pei Yin washed her face with her grandmother's help, ate the dumplings her grandmother had heated up on the stove, and then went to her second grandmother's room to listen to the conversation of several grandmothers and older women.

There was a commotion at the courtyard gate, then the door was pushed open, and Peitian ran in, panting, saying, "Grandma, these things are for you, please put them away for me."

Peitian had some peanut candies in his pocket. Grandma asked, "Where did you get these?"

Peitian said, "These candies were given to me when I went to pay New Year's visits. They were given to me by Grandpa Meng. Ruolan, Grandpa Meng's daughter, said that one of Grandpa Meng's students brought them to him before the New Year. When we went to pay New Year's visits, Grandpa Meng put some in my pocket."

Grandma scolded, "You silly child, didn't you say you shouldn't take things from others? Everyone's struggling financially..."

Peitian said, "Oh, Grandma, please stop talking. They just kept stuffing it into my pocket. My older brothers ran away, and they just kept pulling me to stuff it into their pockets."

Grandma said, "When you go again, just run ahead of your older brothers, okay? Peitian, we can't accept other people's things; they're all favors."

Aunt Shengquan said, "Oh dear, auntie, it's not as serious as you say. We can't let the children go hungry during the New Year. Since they were able to put some in Peitian's pocket, they must have had some at home. Why would they put it in his pocket if they didn't?"

Another grandmother sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) said, "That's right, sister-in-law, just let the child keep it. Besides, so many children in our village ate so many good things from your family in previous years. They are remembering your kindness."

Grandma said, "You can't say that. It's been so many years. Peitian, take Peiyin to the village to pay New Year's visits. Let your little sister have some fun during the New Year."

Aunt Shengquan said, "If you're impatient to take care of her, just hand Peiyin over to your sister Jinhua and sister Ruolan. You boys don't know how to take care of children."

Peitian handed the things in his pocket to his grandmother, took Peiyin's hand in one hand, and said, "Okay, Auntie, I'm good at taking care of my little sister. Peizhi loves playing with me the most, and Peiyin will like playing with me in the future too."

Peitian took Peiyin's hand and walked out of the courtyard gate, saying, "Peiyin, let's go to the street. There are lots of children playing there. I even saw Sister Jinhua here when I came here."

Pei Yin nodded and said, "Okay!"

The street is a slightly larger north-south road in the middle of Shenjia Village. Because it is the New Year, many children in the village have come out to play. Some play games, and some chat together. Usually, they have to help with chores at home, but now they are all on holiday. They are in groups of three or five. Peiyin sighed and felt that the children's lives were too impoverished. They have to help with chores at home, and when they are free, they don't have any cartoons or toys. If their families are open-minded, they might even help sew a beanbag.