Outsider: The Fifth Young Master of the Kang Family

Chapter 42 New Year Preparations
"Okay, okay, let's not talk about other things for now. The lots have been written. You can do whatever you get." Just now when everyone was chatting, my father was writing the lots. Now that it's written, let everyone draw them immediately. "Everyone should accept their fate, from big to small."

"Grandpa, I want one too?" Tianxiu pointed at himself and asked.

"Of course." Dad nodded. There are so many things to do during the New Year, so of course the whole family should get involved together.

"I have to pee urgently. I'm going to the toilet." When Tianxiu saw that he had to do the work himself, he tried to be clever.

"You poor fellow, you're running away to pee." When the old man saw Tianma running away, he laughed and scolded, "You're just as lazy as your old man."

"He's smarter than his father." The second brother was not embarrassed when he was said that, but laughed happily instead.

"Dad, what about you and mom?" A-Zu realized something was wrong. It seemed that his dad didn't want him and mom to draw lots.

"Yeah, then the old lady doesn't have to do it?" The second brother also joined in the fun.

"Your mother and I are the least busy. I am the chief designer and your mother is the general commander. Draw the lots quickly and stop talking too much." Dad emphasized his dominant position, and everyone had no choice but to draw a paper ball.

"Hmm?" Kang Qirui opened it and saw that it said to post couplets, so he asked, "Mom, have you bought the couplets for this year?"

"Not yet. I plan to buy it tomorrow weekend. Did you win the lottery to post the couplets?" the old lady replied.

"Yeah, then you don't need to buy them. I'll write the couplets for this year." Kang Qirui didn't want to go out to buy couplets. As a university teacher, writing a few couplets was not a big deal. His father didn't object either. Anyway, it would be better if Kang Qirui could do it himself without paying for it. He, the God of Wealth, could save a lot of money.

"Oh, you want me to kill a chicken? I'm afraid of blood." Sachiko also opened the paper ball, and complaints immediately appeared.

"Third sister-in-law, yours is better than mine, take a look at mine." A-Zu opened his paper ball and showed it to Sachiko, "You need to fry something in a frying pan. I have never even held a spatula before. If you like to eat baked French fries, I have no problem with that."

"What are you talking about? I'm not asking you to fry French fries, I'm asking you to fry fried dough sticks." The old man scolded angrily. Fried dough sticks are a traditional local snack in Guangdong Province during the New Year. Because its shape resembles a "purse", that is, a wallet, it is taken as a good omen for a full wallet.

"No way? You want me, the second young master of the Kang family, to wash the dishes?" The second young master was also very dissatisfied with the result of drawing lots.

"Dad, I think it's too complicated. You can see that everyone has opinions. Why don't we delete a few steps and keep it simple?" Seeing that everyone was not very satisfied, A Yao took the opportunity to make a suggestion.

"That's how the New Year is celebrated." The old man frowned, obviously disagreeing with A Yao's statement.

"Oh, it's not a big deal. Celebrating the New Year there is more elaborate than here." Xianglan agreed with her father's idea and told everyone the rules of her hometown. "On the 24th, we have to paint the house; on the 25th, we have to buy tofu; on the 26th, we have to buy meat; on the 27th, we have to grind rice; on the 28th, we have to cook Laba Festival; on the 29th, we have to buy wine; and on New Year's 30, we have to stay up all night and watch the sun." At the end, Xianglan even clapped her hands and sang.

"Sister-in-law, I understand everything else, but why do you buy tofu?" The second brother asked curiously. During the New Year and other festivals, we eat a lot of fish and meat, so why do we buy tofu?

"I don't know either. I only know that my father and mother have celebrated the New Year like this since I was a child. I have never asked them why." The eldest sister-in-law couldn't explain it clearly either. It was just an old custom that has been passed down.

"I know, I know. It must be that the '腐' in 豆腐 (tofu) and the '富' (rich) in 富贵) are homophones, and it means I want to be rich and prosperous." A-Zu looked like he knew a lot.

"Do you think it's a Cantonese way to celebrate the New Year?" Kang Qirui retorted, "According to the old custom, after the Kitchen God reports to heaven on the 23rd day of the lunar year, the Jade Emperor will personally descend to the mortal world on the 25th day of the lunar year to inspect the good and evil in the world and decide on the fortune and misfortune for the coming year. So every household eats tofu to show their hardship, in order to win the Jade Emperor's pity and bless the coming year." So that's how it is, everyone suddenly realized.

"Okay, let's get back to the point. Dad, those fried dough sticks and fried dough balls are available on the streets. Why bother making them yourself?" A Yao still insisted on buying them if possible, just to keep things simple.

"You poor boy, what do you know? Fried dough sticks are for good luck and prosperity. Do you think it's as simple as just eating them?" The old lady came from Guangzhou, so naturally she attached great importance to the meaning of luck.

"Mom, there are auspicious things to talk about every day. Do we have to squeeze them all into New Year's Eve? Can we fry them in advance?" The second brother felt that he had to open the store and take care of family matters on New Year's Eve, so it would be better not to pile all the things on New Year's Eve.

"That's fine, then fry the fried dough sticks a few days in advance and light the frying pan on New Year's Eve." The old woman thought about it and agreed, "Frying it in advance has its benefits, and we can give some to the neighbors as New Year's gifts."

"By the way, A Yao, I have an honorable mission for you." Seeing that everything had been discussed, the old man said to A Yao, "Find me a car."

"Dad, what do you want the car for?" A Yao asked in confusion. "I'm going to Chencun to buy New Year's oranges." Dad said calmly.

"Wow, dad, are you going to Chencun to buy New Year's oranges? Are you going to sell them in bulk?" Kang Qirui was stunned.

During the Chinese New Year in Guangdong, the New Year orange is the undisputed protagonist. At home, on the road, in shopping malls, in the lobby of office buildings, you can see the round and yellow New Year oranges everywhere. All of this stems from its good intentions. The New Year orange symbolizes "good luck", and the golden color of the orange also has the metaphor of "a house full of gold and silver, attracting wealth and treasure".

Chencun is not only the largest flower wholesale market in Cantonese but also in the country. It was too exaggerated that my father suddenly said he wanted to go to Chencun to buy oranges. It would take more than an hour to go back and forth.

"That's right. New Year's oranges are sold all over the street. There are plenty of them right outside the door." A Yao nodded, and then said, "Besides, doesn't Er Lao have a truck? Why do you want me to find a car?"

"How can the New Year's oranges in Guangzhou be as good as those in Chencun? They are cheaper and have more choices." Dad shook his head. "A few days ago, Uncle Liang's son was interviewing in Chencun and brought back a large cart of flowers. That guy was so arrogant that his nose grew to his forehead. I have a son too, how can I not afford it?"

"Oh, so it's you who are feeling unbalanced." Kang Qirui understood.

"Then you haven't told me why you don't let the second brother go, old man?" A Yao was still unwilling. The main reason was that he was already tired at work, and it was not cost-effective to have to accompany his old man to Chencun on the rare weekend.

"Oh, your second son wants to do business. Chencun is so far away. The round trip plus buying flowers and oranges will take at least tomorrow. How can I let you go?" Although the old father was very face-conscious, he was still clear-headed and knew that his second son needed a car to do business.

"Okay, okay, then I'll lend you a car tomorrow." A Yao had no choice but to accept his fate.

The next morning, Kang Qirui was called by the maid to help her wrap fried dough sticks. "Madam, this seems to be the job of fourth brother, right?" Kang Qirui was still a little grumpy when he got up.

"Oh, your fourth brother has gotten up and gone out to buy breakfast. Do we have to divide the family members so clearly? Hurry up and wash your face and get to work." The old maid said unhappily.

Kang Qirui had no choice but to wash his face and brush his teeth. When he came out, he saw his father sitting on a chair studying the daffodils. Kang Qirui took a look and said, "Dad, your dish of daffodils is about to bloom. They may wither on the first day of the new year." The daffodils have buds, and I don't know if they can last until the first day of the new year.

"It's warm this year, so they will definitely bloom faster. Why don't we put them in the refrigerator?" the old lady suggested. It must be said that putting them in the refrigerator is indeed a good idea, which can effectively delay the flowering time. My father quickly took a bag and packed the daffodils and put them in the refrigerator.

Just after putting it in the refrigerator, A Yao came back from outside: "Dad, the car is here, let's go." After hearing this, Dad asked the maid to go with him, because the maid was very good at bargaining. The maid didn't want to go at first, but A Yao and Kang Qirui persuaded her to go out for a walk, saying that they, the little ones, could make fried dough sticks. The maid had no choice but to go with him.

Soon after the old lady left, everyone came back from breakfast. Grandpa brought Kang Qirui some wonton noodles. While Kang Qirui was eating breakfast, the others started making fried dough sticks. But until Kang Qirui finished breakfast, he didn't see any finished products. Kang Qirui couldn't help but ask, "Brothers and sisters-in-law, do you know how to make it?"

The second brother looked at the second sister-in-law, the second sister-in-law looked at Sachiko, Sachiko looked at the eldest brother, the eldest brother looked at Grandpa, and Grandpa looked at Kang Qirui. Everyone understood that no one knew how to make a fat man. After an awkward smile, Kang Qirui suggested, "Since no one has the ability, why don't we go out and buy ready-made ones?"

"Don't even think about it. It will be terrible if my mother finds out." Big Brother Guang firmly opposed. Kang Qirui shrugged and replied: "Then do you know how to wrap it? If you don't know how to wrap it, what else can you do?"

The second brother also agreed with Kang Qirui's idea, "That's right. If no one knows how to make it, what else can we do except buy it? And we have to fry on New Year's Eve anyway, so it doesn't ruin the mood."

The boss thought about it and thought it made sense, so he agreed. So everyone nominated A Zu, who got the fried dough sticks, to go out and buy fried dough sticks, while the others were responsible for cleaning the table. As soon as the table was cleaned, Xiang Lan came back with several large bags and put them directly on the table. The second sister-in-law asked curiously, "What did you buy? So many?"

"Pork." Xianglan said, "Today is the twenty-sixth day of the lunar year. I went to buy meat on the twenty-sixth day and bought this much pork. I don't know if it's enough. I can't carry it anymore, so I bought this much."

After everyone looked at each other, it was finally the big boss who spoke up: "Xianglan, we Cantonese are used to eating fresh food. If you buy so much, not only will we not be able to finish it, but we won't be able to put it in the refrigerator either." Cantonese is located in the south, and the temperature is very warm even during the New Year, which is not suitable for food storage. So much pork will be wasted.

"What should I do? Can I return the goods?" Xianglan also looked innocent. It was her first time to celebrate the New Year here and she didn't know anything.

"How do I return the pork? How about this, ask the boss to set up a stall at the door to sell pork, haha." A Zu joked.

"Forget it, it's just some pork. Sister-in-law, take it back to the store and share it with everyone. It'll be a New Year's gift. Sister-in-law, how much money you spent, ask Sister-in-law to reimburse you." Kang Qirui waved his hand and said. There are 12 employees in the clothing store now, and there are only about to kilograms of pork here. Share it with everyone, and the family will have a full meal.

(End of this chapter)