Damn it, I'm surrounded by childhood sweethearts

Affected by the virus, the Chuxi Village Committee received a notice from the higher authorities that during the New Year period, entry to the village was restricted, but departure was not. The New Year's Eve dinner originally planned to be had in the village had to be shifted to the family home in Lianhua Courtyard. But the two-bedroom, one-living room house couldn't accommodate Grandpa, Grandma, and Uncle, so this year's New Year's Eve dinner had to be shared with the Xia family. Xia Guofu and Lin Jing were from neighboring villages. Now that Chuxi Village was to be locked down, they naturally couldn't escape it either. From the kitchen came the fragrant south-milk braised mutton, stewed with refreshing sugarcane and water chestnut to whet the appetite, making Xu Qingfan's mouth water. The New Year's Eve dinner was at Xu Qingfan's house, with dishes like Grandma's stir-fried meat, Wealthy Oyster Mushroom Stewed Pig's Trotter, White-cut Chicken, roasted goose, Boiled shrimp, and Steamed Grouper. A bubbling hot pot of lamb stew was on the induction cooker, and before the meal, a bowl of stomach-warming pig stomach soup was ready, "Who wants to scoop rice?" Xu Qingfan finished his soup in just a few gulps, eager to scoop himself some rice and sample the dishes. In Hong Kong, there are many particular rules about the dining table. You mustn't directly ask "Who wants rice," as only beggars are said to want rice. Such an expression is inauspicious. Instead, the correct way is to ask "Who wants white rice or who wants to scoop rice." In addition, you shouldn't use your chopsticks to lift the dishes. You can only eat from your side of the dishes, chopsticks can't be stuck into the rice, and most importantly, you mustn't knock on your bowl! If you break these three rules at the same time during a New Year's Eve dinner in Hong Kong, you'd sadly be left with only vine-smoked pork to eat that night. "A new year, a new outlook. Let's each say a New Year blessing, starting with me. In the new year, I wish everyone to be cherished morning and night, and may everything go smoothly with the grace of the Fortune God!" Xu Qingfan filled his glass with cola, stood up, and announced to everyone. "Great!" "Hahaha, then it's my turn. I wish everyone a thriving Year of the Sheep, filled with joy and happiness!" Xia Guofu emptied the white liquor from his cup in one go and stood up laughing. Xia Xiaoxiao was well-prepared and recited content she knew by heart: "In the new year, I wish everyone a smooth sailing, a two-pronged approach, three festivals and two birthdays, stability and balance, five blessings at your door, six open roads and four spirits warded off, seven orifices delightful, well-schemed at every angle, embracing the moon from the sky, and absolute perfection!" "Well done, Xiaoxiao!" The adults in the room clapped and cheered. While they were still reciting blessings, Xu Qingfan had already stealthily scraped the tastiest part of the grouper, the belly, into his bowl. [So delicious!] Savoring the melt-in-your-mouth sensation of the fish, Xu Qingfan suddenly understood the concept of "so good it makes your toes curl," which he had seen surfers mention in his previous life. "You rascal, having us say blessings while you sneak bites!" "Hahaha, Xiaoxiao, you eat too. Don't let this little troublemaker take it all!" Yao Jiping laughed and served Xia Xiaoxiao the belly from the other side of the fish. At eight in the evening, with the room warmed by cheerful spirits, CCTV Channel 1 began broadcasting the Spring Festival Gala. This year's Gala was rather subdued, lacking any skits that would become well-known in later years, and Xu Qingfan's fading memory only recalled Guo Fucheng singing "Move It" on the Gala. As the ancestral BGM played and four hosts dressed in vibrant red appeared on stage to announce the next act, it felt as if the flavors of years past all came rushing back at once. "Burp~" Xu Qingfan took the last sip of his cola, patted his round belly, and let out a comfortable burp. "I'm going downstairs to feed the dog." He didn't have much interest in the Spring Festival Gala and scooped the chicken bones and shrimp heads from the table into a plastic bag, ready to go downstairs for a stroll. "Go on, but don't wander too far. The streets are empty; it's not safe." "Sure!" Xu Qingfan nodded in agreement, "Let's go. What's so interesting about the Spring Festival Gala? Let's go set off fireworks together!" He ignored Xia Xiaoxiao's disapproval, took her hand, and they both headed out the door. As everyone had gone home for the New Year, the usually lively Lianhua Courtyard was quiet and deserted on New Year's Eve. The corridor's light had been neglected for years, flickering on and off every few seconds; paired with the warm yellow glow, it was quite eerie, truth be told. Xu Qingfan would not admit he grabbed Xia Xiaoxiao due to his fear of the dark; Mr. Xu had his pride to consider! "Paw Patrol, time for a meeting, come and eat!" Xu Qingfan lured a few scattered dogs with the bag he was carrying. "Woof woof woof!!!" Several unfed local dogs instantly swarmed over. Today was New Year's Eve for humans, but not for the little dogs, who would have to wait until around the second day of the new year for a feast, that is, if Xu Qingfan didn't come to feed them, the dogs would likely be going hungry these next couple of days. After dividing food into each of the dogs' bowls, Xu Qingfan stood at the entrance to Lianhua Courtyard with Xia Xiaoxiao in tow. The old gatekeeper had gone home for the New Year, leaving the long street deserted; only a small convenience store about ten square meters across the street remained open. The store was run by an elderly couple who seemed to have been in business rain or shine since he could remember, never closing even during Mid-Autumn Festival or Spring Festival. Once the dogs had finished eating, Xu Qingfan and Xia Xiaoxiao took them to the opposite convenience store and said, "We're buying firecrackers." The TV in the store was broadcasting the Spring Festival Gala, and a white-gloved tabby cat came over to rub against Xu Qingfan's leg, "Everything's here, pick whatever you want." The store owner moved a box out from a corner but kept his gaze fixed on the TV. Xu Qingfan and Xia Xiaoxiao squatted down to choose; Fairy Wand, Skyrocket, Red Spider, all familiar types of firecrackers from around these parts. "Let's go!" After paying, the two youngsters excitedly led the dogs back to the courtyard. They then went home, found a lighter and some incense, and ran up to the rooftop full of enthusiasm. "Light these for me!" Xia Xiaoxiao handed two Fairy Wands to Xu Qingfan. Once lit, the previously pitch-black rooftop instantly brightened up with brilliant white light. Xia Xiaoxiao took the Fairy Wands, one in each hand, and began dancing in circles on the spot. "Do they look nice?" Xia Xiaoxiao asked with a beaming smile, as the Fairy Wands traced beautiful arcs in the air like Harry Potter's magic wand. "They do..." Xu Qingfan suddenly recalled a scene from his previous life, a high school New Year's Eve, when Xia Xiaoxiao danced under a streetlight; the two images seemed to overlap at this moment. The two Fairy Wands quickly burned out, and the rooftop went dark again as Xu Qingfan snapped back to reality. "I want to play more!" Xia Xiaoxiao passed two more Fairy Wands to him. "Sure!" Xu Qingfan lit the incense they had brought and used it to light the fuse of the Skyrocket. As its name implies, the Skyrocket is a firecracker that can fly high into the sky. Xu Qingfan linked four Skyrockets together to form a four-stage rocket, and then lit them quickly from bottom to top. The first Skyrocket shot into the sky with a "whoosh," followed by the second and third, while the last one flew so high that the explosion was no longer audible. "If countless Skyrockets were connected together, could they fly to the moon?" Xia Xiaoxiao crouched nearby while watching Xu Qingfan play and suddenly voiced the whimsical thought. "I think it's possible. Maybe it won't be long before our country's rockets will be able to fly to the moon like that!" Xu Qingfan was reminded of the Shenzhou 5 mission launched in October, where astronaut Yang Liwei became the first Huaxia person to go into space. "Yeah, and I still want to play with Fairy Wands!"