As autumn turned to winter and the Spring Festival approached, it was New Year's Eve.
Chang Le and his parents sat at the warm electric heated table, eating dumplings while watching the variety show.
Year after year, the atmosphere of the show remained lively and joyful, with even more magnificent lighting, exquisite set designs, and sound effects far surpassing those of previous years, making it perfect background music.
Chang Xueqin adjusted his work and changed positions, and his phone was constantly busy.
Text messages and phone calls came one after another, with hardly any breaks in between.
For this reason, he specifically set his phone to vibrate mode.
Some calls could be ignored, some messages left unanswered, but some calls had to be answered, especially those with area codes.
"Making phone calls in the room, really, can't even have peace during the New Year," Tan Xiaoya complained after seeing Chang Xueqin answer several calls in a row.
"Hehe, I'll go to the study," Chang Xueqin picked up the phone and left.
Not long after Chang Xueqin entered the study, the doorbell rang.
"Who would come visiting on such a big holiday?" Tan Xiaoya muttered as she opened the door to find a middle-aged man standing outside.
The middle-aged man had a big flat top haircut and was wearing a dark cotton jacket, with snowflakes on his hair and jacket, holding two bags in each hand.
Judging by the strength and posture of his hands, they seemed quite heavy.
"Who are you looking for?" Tan Xiaoya didn't recognize him.
"Happy New Year! You must be Comrade Tan Xiaoya, right? I'm an subordinate of Chang County Magistrate, working in the Renhe County Finance Bureau. Is this his house?"
"Oh..." Tan Xiaoya nodded, then shouted towards the study, "Xueqin, a colleague is looking for you."
"Come in and have a seat first," Tan Xiaoya invited.
"Okay, thank you," the middle-aged man thanked.
As soon as Chang Xueqin walked out of the study, he said, "Oh, Director Chen, what's the matter coming over on such a big holiday?"
"Magistrate Chang, it's New Year's, I came over specifically to wish you a happy new year and wish you a successful year ahead!".
"Thank you, please have a seat first." Chang Xueqin said, "Xiaoya, go and pour Director Chen a cup of tea. Director Chen, haven't you had dinner yet? Join us?"
"Thank you, Magistrate Chang, I already had dinner before coming." Director Chen put down the gifts and waved his hand.
"Alright, then I'll just be straightforward. Director Chen, you've been busy all year round, and it's finally New Year's. It's not appropriate to come here instead of staying at home with your wife and children."
"Magistrate, actually my house is not far, just in the community nearby, about less than a kilometer from here. It's New Year's, just coming over to wish you a happy new year, I'll leave in a bit." Director Chen explained hastily.
"Oh, I see, in that case, I appreciate your intention, but you can take the gifts you brought back."
"Um..." Director Chen hesitated.
"I remember I specifically emphasized at the pre-holiday work deployment meeting that during the New Year period, we should maintain a fresh relationship between superiors and subordinates and a clean festive atmosphere. Your finance department is also one of the important departments, and you should set an example. I didn't expect that a few days after I said this, Director Chen, you would be the first to go against it. It's really inappropriate," Chang Xueqin's words were very direct.
"Ah? Magistrate Chang, I didn't mean to go against your words. I remembered what you said..." Director Chen waved his hands repeatedly, "So I specially bought some local specialties from my hometown relatives, it's really not worth much, just a token of goodwill, it shouldn't be a big deal."
"I only said that because you brought local specialties. If it were something else, I wouldn't be so polite. You understand, right?" Chang Xueqin said, "Normally, I would invite you for dinner. But on such a big New Year's, you should take it back. You've been busy all year, take these few days to spend time with your family properly, fulfill your filial piety as a child and fulfill your duties as a father and husband. I've said enough, let's understand and support each other." Chang Xueqin said.
At this point, Chang Xueqin had said so much, Director Chen didn't feel it appropriate to insist, he could only pick up the gifts again, "Well... well, Magistrate, I'm really sorry to have disturbed you."
No problem... Wait... Old Chen, I reckon there should be other people in the yard, you're here to pave the way, aren't you?
"Hehe, can't deny it..." Director Chen chuckled in acknowledgment.
"You're still laughing, don't you know who's in the yard? After you leave, remember to tell the others, disperse and go home for the New Year. If one more person comes up, I'll really get angry."
"Alright..." Director Chen shook his head with a dejected expression as he went downstairs with the two bags.
As he stepped out of the entrance to the building, several people emerged from the parked vehicles on both sides of the community road, other entrances, and bushes.
These people surrounded Director Chen, seeing him go in with something and then coming out shortly afterward with something again, they asked one after another:
"What's going on, God of Wealth?"
"Why ask? Don't you have eyes? The magistrate asked me to go home early to accompany my wife and children." Director Chen replied impatiently.
"Huh? Lao Liu, what do you have in your hands?"
"I didn't know what to bring, so I brought some cigarettes, alcohol, and tea leaves."
"Oh... should've let you go first, now I'm embarrassed."
"What do you mean let me go first, be clear."
"The magistrate said he would only let me in for a while because I brought local specialties, if you had gone, we'd have had a show."
"Uh... God of Wealth, he really won't accept it?"
"Nonsense, even if you have a big face, try again."
"Forget it, even if I have a big face, it's not as big as yours, God of Wealth."
"Alright, let's disperse and go home for the New Year. If one more person comes up, the magistrate might think I didn't convey the message properly."
"Let's go, let's go, it's better this way, so we don't have to rack our brains every year."
"Disperse! Disperse!"
...
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Chang Le followed his parents back to their ancestral home in the county, the Chang family village.
Chang Le's grandparents were no longer around, and every year or two, the three brothers of the Chang family would meet up to return to their ancestral home, clean up, have a meal, proving that the hearts of the Chang Xueqin family had not dispersed.
The Chang family village was located along the provincial road, about two hours' drive from Linzhou, not too remote.
Chang Le drove while his parents sat in the back seat.
The car was an eighth-generation Accord, and Chang Le didn't like this car from the bottom of his heart, but he also loved it very much.
The reason for his dislike was that it roared but didn't go.
Even though it was a 5-speed automatic transmission, and the revs responded actively to throttle opening, the speed just couldn't pick up, lacking driving pleasure.
But he also loved this car.
The reason for his love was that in his previous life, this car ran with him for hundreds of thousands of kilometers, from south to north, from east to west, without a single breakdown leaving him stranded in the wilderness.
Inside the car.
"Xueqin, did your sister-in-law talk to you about it?" Tan Xiaoya asked.
"She did. She specifically came to Yangcheng County last time to find me, but I didn't agree. Did she also talk to you?" Chang Xueqin said.
"She didn't find me, but she mentioned it many times on the phone. She'll definitely bring it up again today." Tan Xiaoya shook her head helplessly.
"If she brings it up, she brings it up. You still don't understand my sister-in-law? Just don't agree, luckily my brother is reasonable." Chang Xueqin said.
"Big brother is reasonable, but he's also under strict control from his wife, can't control his sister-in-law." Tan Xiaoya said.
"My brother isn't under strict control from his wife, nor can he not control his sister-in-law, he just doesn't want to argue with his sister-in-law to avoid affecting family harmony." Chang Xueqin said.
"Isn't that the same thing?" Tan Xiaoya said.
"Let's not talk about it, let's just play it by ear. Hey, Lezi, you've only had your driver's license for a few months, but you drive this car pretty steadily." Chang Xueqin said to Chang Le, who was driving in the front seat.
"Dad, it's just talent."
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