Over the next few days, the house busied itself with steaming, frying, boiling, and stewing dishes in preparation for the New Year feast.
The enticing aroma wafting from the courtyard each day, coupled with the steam rising from the kitchen, all radiated an air of blissful reunion.
Just as Lu Aiguo had promised, he brought home a set of mahjong tiles, intending to host an all-night game on the eve of New Year's Eve.
Everyone woke up early on New Year's Eve, gathering together to begin preparing for the New Year's Eve dinner, except for Lu Zhanguo, who had gone to the military unit.
Lu Songyuan entertained the three children while Lu Aiguo and Ji Xiangdong took on the task of hanging up couplets and lanterns.
Wen Xiuqing, assisted by Gu Xiaobei and Fang Jing, prepared for lunch, while Bai Xiaolan was tasked with affixing the paper-cuts for window decoration.
Many of the meat dishes were already semi-processed, requiring only a little more effort to finish.
