Chapter 444: Happy New Year
Chapter 444: Happy New Year
Zhou Chenglei and his group each had a large bucket of fresh fish in front of them.
A crowd gathered around them, eager to buy.
Such fresh grouper was a rare sight.
The fresher the fish, the better it tasted.
People in the city had higher salaries and more wealth, so spending eight to ten yuan on a good fish for the New Year's Eve dinner was not a big deal.
Many people surrounded them, vying to buy.
Zhou Fu scooped up a Kajiki fish weighing about one jin and eight liang with a net, shouting, "A Kajiki fish over one jin and eight liang, starting at four yuan! Who wants it? Only one left! The last one! Eat Kajiki fish for the New Year, and you'll have good luck and prosperity, with abundance overflowing!"
"Four yuan, I'll take it!"
"Four yuan and ten fen, I want it!"
"Four yuan and twenty fen, it's mine!"
...
In the end, the Kajiki fish was sold for five yuan and fifty fen.
The others also shouted their prices like Zhou Fu.
Zhou Chensen held up an abalone, "Abalone, eight-headed abalone, starting at one yuan each! Who wants it? The highest bidder wins! Eat abalone for the New Year, and you'll have fish every year!"
Jiang Dong held up a lobster and shouted, "Lobster, over one jin of Qinglong, only ten yuan! Who wants it? The highest bidder wins! Only one left! Only one! Eat big shrimp for the New Year, and you'll have the spirit of a dragon and horse, living as long as the Southern Mountain!"
Earlier, Zhou Chenglei had asked Jiang Dong to come to the pier around ten in the morning on New Year's Eve to get some seafood for the New Year's Eve dinner.
Jiang Dong arrived at nine and decided to stay to help with the sales.
Today, the pier was bustling with people buying seafood. Over two hundred fish were sold out in less than two hours.
After selling the fish, Zhou Chenglei gave Jiang Dong two buckets containing a large lobster, six four-headed abalones, a large yellow croaker, a mouse grouper, several pounds of shrimp, several pounds of golden threadfin bream, a blue marlin, fresh squid, and other seafood. "Take these home to eat, and we're heading home too."
"This is too much!" Jiang Dong didn't want to take so much.
How could they finish two buckets of seafood?
Zhou Chenglei said, "Eat the live ones today, and put the rest in the refrigerator to eat slowly. Let's go! I'm heading back too; your sister is waiting for me to have dinner."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Dong said, "Then, brother-in-law, you should go back quickly!"
Ah, his sister had gotten married, and there was one less person for the New Year's Eve dinner at home.
Jiang Dong carried the two buckets of fish to his car and left.
Zhou Chenglei also returned to his boat and sailed away.
On his way home, Zhou Chenglei decided to cast a net.
Unexpectedly, he caught over ten pounds of shrimp, several dozen pounds of golden threadfin bream, several blue marlins, several yellow-legged fish, a few squids, and some miscellaneous fish.
Zhou Chenglei quickly sorted the catch, deciding not to sell any of it. He kept it all, storing it in the refrigerator to eat gradually.
Back at the village pier, he handed over the remaining twenty fish to the purchasing station.
All the fish from the aquaculture tanks were sold out.
In total, they sold two hundred and seventy-six fish for one thousand four hundred and eighty-four yuan. Additionally, they sold over two hundred yuan worth of abalone and fifteen yuan for the single lobster.
Zhou Chenglei and Zhou Chengxin each took five hundred yuan, giving three hundred to Zhou Fu, one hundred to Zhou Chensen, and forty yuan each to Zhou Yongguo and Zhou Kangping.
Zhou Chensen declined and gave his share to Zhou Fu.
He hadn't done much all this time, and he was only there to help tonight. How could he take the money?
The father and sons hurried home.
Smoke curled from every household, and the sound of firecrackers and fireworks crackled in the distance and nearby.
Children were setting off firecrackers and fireworks in the fields, on the village paths, and at their doorsteps.
In the new house, Jiang Xia was in charge of the cooking, with Zhou Mu, Tian Caixia, and Li Xiuxian assisting her.
On such a special occasion, even Li Xiuxian couldn't slack off.
Jiang Xia had been tasked with slaughtering chickens and geese early in the morning.
When the Zhou father and sons returned with the fish, they immediately joined the New Year's Eve dinner preparations.
Zhou Chensen handed a bucket of seafood to Li Xiuxian, "Clean these up."
Li Xiuxian gave him a glare but said nothing.
Arguing on New Year's Eve would bring bad luck for the coming year.
Zhou Chenglei washed his hands and came to Jiang Xia's side, taking the spatula from her hand.
Zhou Chensen gave the fish to Li Xiuxian and went back to the old residence to change clothes before coming over to help with the fish preparation.
Zhou Chengxin was instructed by Tian Caixia to go chop firewood.
On the first day of the new year, knives should not be used, and a lot of firewood was needed for cooking today.
Zhou Fu, meanwhile, gathered the children to paste Spring Festival couplets.
He was responsible for pasting the couplets on the first house, the old residence, and the new house.
After pasting the couplets, Zhou Mu finished worshipping the gods, and Zhou Fu set off a string of firecrackers.
The New Year's Eve dinner began amidst the continuous sound of firecrackers.
The dinner was sumptuous.
There were sixteen dishes in total: Steamed Abalone with Garlic, Boiled Fish, Steamed Yellow Croaker, White-Boiled Shrimp, Garlic-Sliced Small Green Dragon, Braised Pork, Braised Goose, Braised Lamb with Carrots, White-Cut Chicken, Braised Pigeon, Sea Cucumber Steamed Egg, Shrimp with Pine Nuts and Carrots, Eight Treasure Rice, Chili Stir-fried Squid, Fried Rice Cake with Crab, and Garlic Lettuce.
Jiang Xia addressed the children, "Who can guess the symbolism behind these dishes? Auntie will give a reward! For each correct answer, there's a red envelope."
The children eagerly pointed at the dishes in front of them, shouting, "This one is 'Attracting Wealth and Treasure' (Steamed Abalone with Garlic), 'Good Fortune and Prosperity' (Boiled Fish with Yellow Croaker)..."
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"This one is 'Golden Wealth' (Steamed Yellow Croaker), 'Blooming Wealth and Prestige' (White-Boiled Shrimp arranged like a peony)..."
"Dragon's Spirit (Six Small Green Dragons), 'Good Fortune Ahead' (Braised Pork)..."
"Great Luck and Prosperity (White-Cut Chicken), 'Abundance of Wealth and Honor' (Shrimp with Pine Nuts and Carrots)..."
"Rising Good Fortune (Sea Cucumber Steamed Egg), 'Year of High Achievements' (Fried Rice Cake with Crab)..."
...
The children, while looking at the Spring Festival decorations inside the house, racked their brains to come up with auspicious phrases.
Finally, only the Braised Lamb with Carrots and Garlic Lettuce were left unexplained.
Zhou Fu pointed to the remaining two dishes and asked, "What about these two? Whoever explains these will get a big red envelope from Grandpa!"
The children began to study the decorations, trying to recall the couplets on each household's doors.
Zhou Zhou thought for a moment and said, "Joy and Harmony, Wealth from Harmony!"
Zhou Fu happily exclaimed, "Haha, well said, Zhou Zhou! Grandpa will give you three big red envelopes later! The New Year is here! Let's bring joy and harmony to the family and welcome great fortune this year!"
Then, Zhou Fu served a piece of lettuce to everyone.
The lettuce was prepared by washing a whole head, cutting it into several pieces, and arranging it beautifully, symbolizing unity and freshness.
For the New Year, Zhou Fu's only wish was for the children to be harmonious.
With harmony, unity, and joy, everything would follow!
...
After the meal, the family sat inside watching television.
The adults gave out red envelopes to the children as New Year gifts.
Jiang Xia gave an additional red envelope to each child who had guessed the symbolism of the dishes.
Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei gave red envelopes to the children, and the children responded with a string of auspicious wishes.
Finally, Zhou Wenzu, unable to think of more, said, "Auntie, may you have a prosperous New Year and give birth to a precious child soon!"
"Hahaha..."
Laughter filled the room without pause.
Zhou Fu and Zhou Mu gave red envelopes to every child, including the adults.
Li Xiuxian received the red envelopes from the elders, finding a thick stack. If each were a Hundred Yuan bill, it would amount to several hundred yuan! She smiled and said, "Thank you, Mom and Dad. Happy New Year, and stay healthy!"
After distributing the red envelopes, Zhou Chenglei brought out a large bag of fireworks and went to the beach with Jiang Xia and the children to set them off.
Many adults and children were already setting off fireworks and firecrackers on the beach.
Jiang Xia and Zhou Chenglei stood to the side, watching the children play.
The fireworks of this era were not as dazzling, but the laughter was especially loud.
Amidst the laughter, Zhou Chenglei seized a moment of privacy and quickly kissed Jiang Xia.
"Happy New Year!"
"Happy New Year!"
Jiang Xia quietly held his hand, intertwining their fingers.
(End of Chapter)
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