Chapter 39

On the morning of the first day of the New Year, it was time to set off the opening firecrackers. This task, of course, fell to Feng Zhenchang, who got up first and set off a string of two thousand firecrackers.

Feng Yiping put on the new clothes his parents had bought for him: a blue plaid jacket, a pair of dark green corduroy pants, and a pair of suede leather shoes. When buying the clothes, Mei Yiliang had helped choose them, considering both durability and fashion, so they were quite good.

It had been many years since Feng Yiping had worn a completely new set of clothes on New Year's Day. He felt quite good about it. He especially liked the leather shoes, which had a lining and were very warm.

Unlike the north where people eat dumplings, his family ate noodles for breakfast, and specifically fish noodles, symbolizing "surplus every year."

A carp was cleaned, cut into pieces, and fried until golden brown on both sides. Water was then added and boiled, and noodles were added along with many eggs. After the soup boiled again, scallions and a bit of MSG were added, and it was ready to eat.

The preparation was simple but very delicious. Feng Yiping later tried to make it multiple times outside, but he could never recreate the same taste.

The family-made oil noodles were something Feng Yiping never tired of. His parents, of course, gave him a lot of fish and eggs, while the noodles were just a side dish.

Before breakfast was even finished, people came to pay New Year's greetings. On the first day of the New Year, only the younger generation from the same village visited the elders. Feng Weidong's youngest daughter was the first to arrive, followed by Feng Yiping's cousins Wen Hua and Wen Hui, and other young relatives from the same lineage, all wearing new clothes.

It wasn't their fault for coming early; the custom was to pay New Year's greetings in the morning. Paying them in the afternoon was considered impolite.

Feng Yiping understood the feelings of these young visitors; he had been like them before. It was the only time of the year when they could receive various treats from different households, and they were afraid of not finishing their rounds before lunch, which would mean missing out on a significant amount of "income."

To avoid having to run back home to empty their pockets, many children brought their schoolbags.

At this time, they were very sweet, greeting everyone nicely and saying the auspicious words they had learned. Feng Zhenchang put down his bowl and set off firecrackers to welcome them, while Mei Qiuping greeted each one, giving them candies, apples, oranges, cookies, and sunflower seeds. As for peanuts, which every household had, it depended on whether they wanted them.

This year, they had bought more, and Mei Qiuping was more generous than in previous years. Knowing that there were many good things to give, even children from other lineages came. In terms of seniority, all the children in the village were juniors to Feng Zhenchang, and most were his grandchildren or great-grandchildren, so it was natural for them to pay their respects.

Although they gave out a lot, Feng Zhenchang and Mei Qiuping were very happy. In previous years, they had only given out sunflower seeds, peanuts, and some fried snacks, which were not very special. The younger generation from the same lineage would come, but few others from the village. This year, with so many children from the village coming, it was a form of recognition, a sense of achievement that couldn't be bought with money.

After finishing breakfast, Feng Yiping also went to pay New Year's greetings. He wasn't doing it for the treats but out of politeness. Teenagers going to pay New Year's greetings usually didn't go empty-handed and typically brought two bottles of wine. Fortunately, there weren't many places to go—just three uncles' homes, Feng Weidong and Feng Jiasheng's homes next door, and Feng Zhenchang's good friend Feng Mingzhi's home, making a total of six homes.

Six homes meant twelve bottles of wine, but he didn't buy that many. For every bottle he gave, he would receive one in return. For example, when he went to Feng Weidong's home with two bottles of wine, Feng Hongbing would also bring two bottles to his home later. This was how the exchange worked.

At this time, every household had many visitors, mostly young people paying New Year's greetings in waves. He would stay for a short while at each home, chat a bit, and then leave the gifts. Of course, he wouldn't leave empty-handed; each home would give him a pack of cigarettes and some treats, so by the time he returned home, his bag was full of wine bottles, and his pockets were also full.

Mei Qiuping smiled, "Looks like it was a good trip. You brought back so many things. Do you want to visit a few more homes?"

Feng Yiping found it quite interesting. He took out the cigarettes for Feng Zhenchang and emptied his pockets into the bag, giving it to Mei Qiuping, "Just in case more people come to pay New Year's greetings, and we don't have enough."

Mei Qiuping said, "We have enough for ten more. I thought about it when buying."

Feng Zhenchang also smiled, "These are the good things you brought back from paying New Year's greetings. You should keep them for yourself."

On the second day of the New Year, it was time to visit the maternal grandparents' home.

Feng Hongbing's maternal grandparents' home was even further away than Mei's village. He went with his sister, making a group of three. This was their first long trip of the New Year, and both families set off long strings of firecrackers. The parents saw them off at the hill, repeatedly reminding them to be careful and wishing them a smooth journey, and to be careful with the gifts they were carrying, which included candies, wine, and canned goods.

Along the way, the sound of firecrackers could be heard from every household, as people were welcoming and sending off visitors. They gradually met other people on the same mission. Feng Yiping encountered his cousins from his aunt's and uncle's homes, and one of his cousins said, "Oh, Yiping, you look really good in that outfit."

His male cousins felt that, although it had only been a year, the once shy and quiet cousin had become more outgoing and talkative.

They arrived at the maternal grandparents' home around 9:00 AM, but many people were not there. His uncle was not at home, and his maternal grandmother's brother, who was still unmarried, was the one who went to pay New Year's greetings. His cousins were also not there, as they had gone to their own maternal grandparents' homes. His second and third uncles and their wives were also not there, as they had gone with their children.

His grandfather had prepared candies and wine, and his eldest uncle took Feng Yiping to pay New Year's greetings to the other relatives in the village. To be honest, he didn't know most of these relatives, and he couldn't distinguish who was who. There were about twenty households, and he paid New Year's greetings to half of them. He would go into each home, call out "Uncle," wish them a happy New Year, drink a cup of sweet tea, and the uncles would ask about his family and his studies. After leaving the gifts, he would go to the next home. Finally, before noon, he arrived at Wang Changning's home.

Wang Changning had also gone to his maternal grandparents' home, but his sister was at home, still as simple and down-to-earth as he remembered. There were other guests, and Feng Yiping didn't recognize most of them. It was lunchtime, and he was invited to stay for lunch.

He hadn't eaten much when Wang Changning's uncle came to invite him, seeing Feng Yiping, "Oh, this is Uncle Jianzhong's grandson, Changning's classmate, right? I heard you do well in school. Why don't you come to my home for a visit? Let us share in your talent."

This was too much praise, and Feng Yiping felt a bit embarrassed.

Feng Yiping followed a group of people to another home, and just as he started eating, another family came to invite him. If it weren't for Mei Jianzhong coming to call him, he wouldn't know how many homes he would have to visit for lunch.

By the time his grandfather called him, he had already eaten at four different homes.

Back at his grandfather's home, he couldn't eat in peace, as uncles kept coming to invite him. Mei Jianzhong turned them away, saying Feng Yiping had already eaten at Wang's home.

His grandfather's home also had to entertain guests, and his eldest uncle went to invite people to come for lunch. Feng Yiping decided to go to his third uncle's home.

His third aunt had taken her three children back to her parents' home, so only his third uncle was there. There were fewer guests, and Feng Yiping stayed in the room to watch the rerun of the Spring Festival Gala.

The 1992 Spring Festival Gala was held in a small hall with a modest stage. The decorations were simple, with just some colored paper, fake flowers, and three large red lanterns.

In terms of hardware, it seemed to be inferior to some local enterprise galas that came later.

But the content was quite good.

When the three hosts came out, Feng Yiping recognized Ni Ping and Zhao Zhongxiang. The third host, a long-haired girl, took him a while to recognize as Yang Lan, who looked very young and fresh.

Zhao Zhongxiang looked similar to how he did twenty years later, whether he looked old then or young later, it didn't matter.

Ni Ping looked great, with no crow's feet and a natural glow, not from makeup, but from being in her prime.

With nothing else to do, Feng Yiping decided to be a quiet and handsome young man and stayed there until it got dark, finishing the rerun.

Objectively speaking, apart from the two veteran hosts' emotional speeches and some bizarre costumes that sometimes made him cringe, the overall quality was quite good.

He was surprised to learn that Yang Liping had already performed on the Spring Festival Gala at this time, looking young and natural, unlike the later version he saw on outdoor ads in Kunming, which was hard to look at. Later, her chin became so sharp it could be a weapon, and her nails were so long they curled, which was quite disgusting.

Singers like Li Guyi, Peng Liyuan, Mao Amin, and others were, of course, present.

Li Guyi was still very important, appearing at the beginning and the end.

Dong Wenhua, at this time, was still a people's artist, singing "Happy Tonight."

Yang Yuying, who was very popular at the time, sang "Wind with Affection, Water with Laughter," a sweet song that was popular nationwide, but she didn't appear on the Spring Festival Gala that year.

Mao Ning, who later became infamous, sang "Happiness Enters Every Home" with Chen Hong, but the song wasn't very good.

Feng Yiping was surprised to see Hong Kong actress Wu Huizhong singing, wearing a dress and makeup that were hard to look at, but her song "City Backpack" was quite good.

The crosstalk by Jiang Kun and Tang Jiezong, Feng Gong and Niu Qun, and others was just okay, making people laugh at the time but leaving no lasting impression. Feng Gong didn't have his famous catchphrase "I miss you so much!"

Several skits were quite good and became classics, still remembered twenty years later.

Zhao Lirong and Gong Hanlin's "Mom's Today" was particularly good. Zhao Lirong's definition of tango was very culturally specific, and the skit was close to real life, not forced for laughs. Her performance was natural and seamless, and Gong Hanlin was a good supporting actor. However, without Zhao Lirong, he didn't have any standout works.

Zhu Shimao and Chen Peisi were not yet at odds with CCTV and performed "Brother-in-Law and Little Brother-in-Law." Their chemistry was perfect, and if they had continued, the title of "King of Skits" would not have gone to Zhao Benshan.

Zhao Benshan and Huang Xiaojun's "I Want a Home" was