Every year after eating Chinese New Year's Eve, looking at the table of leftovers, my mother made up her mind not to prepare so many meals next year.
But in the second year, we were still happy to prepare all kinds of things we loved to eat, for fear of falling behind.
Then it is to eat leftovers from the beginning of the new year, and the leftover meals of the Chinese New Year's Eve meal may have to be eaten for two or three days in a row, and finally they are willing to throw away when they can no longer eat.
This year, Mom and Dad really made up their minds not to do so much.
After the small year in the north, we basically have to start preparing all kinds of steaming, steaming, frying and frying. My family is in the north, and fried food is definitely a must-have on the New Year's table.
Croquettes, fried sugar cakes, fried sweet potato balls, fried hemp leaves, fried hairtail, fried fish pieces, steamed meatballs, steamed eight-treasure rice, steamed fish, stewed mutton, kelp stew...
Dad even made a regular list, doing a good job of ticking off the other, like a responsible mission.
Dad once said that preparing food for the New Year is the least respect for the New Year.
However, my father, who was born in the old times, also had new ideas.
This year, I decided to go home early to accompany my parents.
Only the only New Year's holiday every year can I let go of all distractions, truly drop my mobile phone, and relax my parents with my parents.
In previous years, when I went home for the Chinese New Year, I would often lie to my parents that I didn't buy a train ticket and couldn't go back, and then wait until the Chinese New Year's Eve suddenly knocked on the door to give my parents a "big surprise".
And this year, I told my parents about my trip in advance the moment I bought my train ticket, because I knew that from the moment I told them, they had already started to enjoy the happiness of waiting for me to come home.
When we were young, we were always self-righteous, thinking that a sudden "surprise" would bring "great" happiness.
When I grew up, I gradually realized that as daughters, we can spend only a handful of time with our parents, and the little is pitiful.
Why do you childishly "play handsome and pretend to be cool" when you can make them happy for a few days, choose to give them so-called "surprises" and miss out on a lot of happiness that could have been generated by anticipation and waiting?
On the return train, two middle-aged women were chatting. Each of them has two minor children.
I haven't been home for 15 years" and "I haven't been back for 20 years."
The two people with Shaanxi accents chatted very happily, and they had a feeling of hating each other.
One of the mothers kept explaining to her daughter that she would go back to Shenzhen to buy them KFC to eat, saying that her grandmother's house had frozen to death and there was nothing to eat.
The other woman seemed to feel the same way. complained that his mother's family still ate the big fish and meat he ate when he was a child, no seafood, no shrimp, and even blamed his mother for being too economical and inconsiderate in entertaining herself.
I just looked at my phone quietly.
I really don't want to listen to a few words once in a while, and I don't want to participate in it.
Looking back on the few days I have been home, I feel more grounded and happy than ever before.
I went to the mall with my mother, who loves to go shopping, tried on countless clothes she liked, and finally bought the ones that suited her best.
Accompany my father, who was born as a chef, to make a shredded yam that I don't usually make, and take photos and record the whole process** as a souvenir, and my father explained very cooperatively, humming a little song, and the food is full of happiness.
Incarnate as the "child king" to accompany a few innocent and lovely nephews and nieces to set off firecrackers and blow up the snowman all over the sky. Accompanying them to have a snowball fight, I was embarrassed by a bunch of bear children to form a "big snowman".
In the past, there was a lack of food and drink, and eating a table of meat-filled meals was the meaning of the New Year.
Nowadays, there is no shortage of food and drink, time has become the greatest luxury, and being able to accompany the family is the meaning of the New Year.
The day before the 30th, it was supposed to be the time to prepare all kinds of fried fish and shrimp, so I booked tickets for a large family and went to the hot springs for a day.
From breakfast in the morning to the sunset, we ate, drank and played and enjoyed a whole day of "being entertained" and "being served".
Dad said it was his happiest day of the year.
He smiled, but I saw a flash of tears in his eyes.
It was the proudest and happiest expression I've ever seen.
Because of the snow in the north, our train was delayed by 14 hours, and we sat for 40 hours for the 26-hour journey. I arrived at 11:30 p.m., but it was just after 12 noon the next day.
Our train didn't arrive, and our parents' worries didn't stop.
Every hour or two, I receive a message from my parents.
It's time to **" The message didn't stop all night.
It also means that Mom and Dad didn't sleep all night.
Before leaving, Dad had tears in his eyes.
I made up my mind that I would take time out to go home to see my parents every year, no matter how busy I was, no matter how difficult it was to buy a ticket.
Because the moment I saw my parents, what KFC was, the whole banquet of Manchu and Han was not worth mentioning.