Outsider: The Fifth Young Master of the Kang Family

Chapter 45: New Year's Eve (Part )
After pasting the couplets, Kang Qirui and Diana returned to the living room and saw Tianxiu holding a bunch of red envelopes and hanging them one by one on the peach tree. When Diana saw it, she hurried to help, while Kang Qirui moved the table back to the utility room.

When Diana was hanging the red envelopes, she saw the words on them and was very curious. She asked Tianxiu: "Tianxiu, it says here that next year is the Year of the Snake. Do you know what it means?"

"It means you're born in the year of the snake." Tianxiu is so cute.

"Huh?" Of course Diana still didn't understand.

After Kang Qirui put the table away and returned to the living room, he just happened to hear Diana's question and explained, "China has twelve zodiac signs, also known as animal signs. They are twelve animals that match the twelve earthly branches with the year a person is born."

"Oh wow, what kind of animals are they?" Diana is very interested in Chinese traditional culture.

Kang Qirui had just sat down to drink some tea, so he didn't answer Diana right away. His father acted like a teacher and took the initiative to say, "They are rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, chicken, dog, and pig. These are the twelve animals."

Kang Qirui couldn't help but laugh when he saw it. At the beginning, his father was so angry that he fainted when he saw A-Zu bringing Diana back. Now, only half a year has passed, and he has completely accepted Diana, a foreigner. The father has made great progress, from not being able to accept people from other provinces to accepting a foreigner as a daughter-in-law.

"Why are there no cats? Instead, there are mice. Aren't mice the ones that everyone chases and kills?" Diana didn't understand why there were no cats. It seemed that Diana was a cat lover.

The old man asked Diana to sit on the sofa, "Come, come, sit down. There is a story behind this." After Diana sat down, he continued, "It is said that Tom and Jerry were originally good friends. One day, the Jade Emperor wanted to make a table of the twelve zodiac animals."

"No matter if it's the birds in the sky or the beasts on the ground, everyone can line up on a first-come, first-served basis. The cat and the mouse were very happy when they knew this, and they immediately ran to line up."

"But the mouse ran too fast and fell into the water. The cat thought that it must save its friend who fell into the water, so it stretched its tail into the water. The mouse was very happy when it saw it, and pulled the cat's tail. The mouse came out, but the cat was pulled into the water."

"The mouse didn't even look at the cat, it just ran by itself. In the end, the mouse was first in line, and the cat was miserable. After finally getting ashore, the queue was already full. So the cat would catch and bite the mouse whenever it saw it."

The old man was telling one of the versions of the story, and Diana was very happy to hear it. She praised him, saying, "So that's how it is. This story is very interesting."

"Grandpa told me this story a long time ago." Tianxiu has the nature of a child and wants to fight for everything.

"Everyone has a Chinese zodiac sign. A baby born today is still a dragon, and a baby born tomorrow is a snake." Dad continued. This aroused Diana's curiosity, "What about me? What's my Chinese zodiac sign?"

"I know, I know, you are a goldfish." Tian Xiuzi laughed.

There are two meanings of "goldfish girl" in Cantonese: one is to refer to a girl who has no brain and speaks without thinking. This name is not malicious, but because the girl is too naive and cute. The other meaning is to describe a girl with a very delicate and pleasant voice, like the gurgling sound of a little goldfish.

Although the words were not malicious, they were still impolite overall, so the old man scolded him immediately: "Tianxiu, are you so rude?" Tianxiu had no choice but to apologize obediently.

"What year were you born?" After talking about Tianxiu, Da Dou asked Diana directly, and Diana replied that it was 77. This made Kang Qirui look a little embarrassed. Why? Because by this calculation, the four brothers, the eldest, the second, the second, the third, the fourth, the fifth, the sixth, the eighth ...

"I was born in 77, and my zodiac sign is snake. After today it will be my zodiac year." Dad thought for a while and gave the answer.

"Benmingnian?" Another new word, Diana didn't understand it again.

"You are born in the Year of the Snake, and tomorrow begins the Year of the Snake. Being born in the Year of the Snake, this is your zodiac year, don't you understand?" Dad explained it very clearly. Diana understood it immediately and clapped her hands and cheered. She thought that her zodiac year was a good thing.

"It's your birth year and you're offended by Tai Sui. Tai Sui is sitting on your head, so there will be no joy but only disaster. This is a bad omen, Diana." Kang Qirui explained from the side.

Diana looked bitter after hearing this, and her voice became low, "What should we do then?"

The old man waved his hand, signaling Diana not to worry, "It's nothing, these are ancient customs and feudal superstitions. I don't believe in them."

"You don't believe it, but I do." Diana was still very worried. She admired Chinese culture very much and believed in it without a doubt.

My eldest sister-in-law happened to pass by at this time, and she interrupted and said, "Let me tell you, it is best to wear red things next to your body during your birth year, such as a red belt or red underwear."

"Red underwear?" Diana grasped the key words, "How did you know?"

"The Year of the Snake is also my zodiac year," Xianglan said shyly, "My mother called me and told me this a few days ago."

Diana thought for a moment, then said to her father, "Uncle, I'm going out first. I have something to do." Halfway through her walk, she came back and asked Tianxiu, "Tianxiu, I have a gift for you. What do you like?"

When Tianxiu heard about the gift, he became excited, "There are many things I like." Kang Qirui couldn't help but speak up when he heard it, "Tianxiu, why are you so rude?" He didn't want others to say that the Kang family had no manners.

After talking about Tianxiu, Kang Qirui said to Diana: "You don't have to buy it specially. If you want to buy one, remember, don't buy a real snake." Kang Qirui remembered that Diana seemed to have given Tianxiu a snake, and finally had to call the police, so Kang Qirui left in advance.

"Hahaha, how could that be?" Diana smiled and went out. She came back soon because Kang's house was not far from Shangxiajiu and it was very convenient to buy anything. This time, after Kang Qirui's advance arrangement, she did not give Tianxiu a snake, but bought a Transformer for Tianxiu. Because it was the Year of the Snake, she also specially chose the role of Snake-Bird Warrior.

"It's time to eat, it's time to eat." When it was time for the reunion dinner, Auntie Zhu also came to join in the celebration. Because Zhu Wanling had to be on duty at the hospital today, they had already agreed that Auntie Zhu would spend the New Year together at the Kang family. After all, the two families would become one family in less than a month.

"Dear audience, wish you good fortune and prosperity." The second brother and his wife's family made their debut on the stage. The whole family wore traditional costumes, looking like an aristocratic family of three from the old times.

"Congratulations on your prosperity, give me the red envelope." Tianxiu immediately reached out to his father for a red envelope. "Hahahaha." His father smiled and patted his hand.

Diana heard the red envelope coming, so she ran over and took out the red envelope to give to Tianxiu. Tianxiu was a very cute boy, and she liked him very much. "I have some here."

The second brother and the old man quickly stopped them, "Hey, hey, hey, Diana, you're not married yet, you don't need to give a red envelope."

"Yeah, you don't have to give it." A-Zu also echoed.

"No need to give." Diana was a little surprised. She thought that all adults had to give red envelopes to children. "In Guangdong, the red envelopes during the Chinese New Year are given by married people to unmarried people. If you are unmarried and thick-skinned, you can also receive red envelopes everywhere in your twenties." Kang Qirui explained with a hidden meaning.

"You can still receive red envelopes when you're in your twenties?" Diana was a little surprised. "Doesn't that mean I can still receive red envelopes, too?"

"Yes, as long as you are thick-skinned enough, you can accept it. Fourth brother is the most experienced in this regard. Just follow fourth brother." Kang Qirui said with a smile. A Zu was not embarrassed to hear this. Anyway, he was not married yet. According to the rules, he could accept the red envelopes. If he didn't accept them, it would be a waste. He even started to show off: "Yes, Diana, you will go with me to accept the red envelopes this year. Don't learn from A Rui and refuse to accept them. It's a pity."

"Come on, try my fried shrimp." The dishes were served while they were joking. Sachiko brought out a large plate of shrimp, which smelled delicious. But A Yao said worriedly, "My father likes it boiled."

The New Year is so festive, so the old man doesn’t mind these things. “It’s okay, it’s okay. Such fragrant shrimps are perfect to go with wine.” Everyone laughed. It was rare to see the old man so amiable.

While everyone was laughing and chatting, Xianglan saw the old woman carrying a broom and a mop to the attic, so she asked, "Mom, it's so inconvenient to put the broom so high up in the attic."

The old lady replied, "If you don't sweep the floor on the first day of the new year, you will sweep away your fortune." Xianglan didn't understand, what should she do if the floor is dirty? But A-Zu said that he knew where the clothes were, so he could just take them when he wanted to use them.

"You poor boy, I locked it up and didn't let you take it." The old lady was also good at joking, but A-Zu retorted: "Ma, if you are afraid of sweeping away the fortune, then buy a vacuum cleaner and suck all the fortune back."

A Zu's words reminded Kang Qirui, and he decided to buy a vacuum cleaner tomorrow. It was not because he believed in the nonsense that it could suck all the wealth back, but because the house was twice as big now, and the old lady was very tired from cleaning every day. If there was a vacuum cleaner, it would be much easier, so he would give it as a New Year's gift to the old lady.

"Tianxiu, stop being lazy." While everyone was talking, a large group of children came in from outside. When Tianxiu saw his friends coming, he immediately wanted to go out.

"Wait, eat first." The second sister-in-law quickly stopped him, as they hadn't eaten yet.

"I don't want to eat anymore." The friends outside kept urging him. How could Tianxiu eat here obediently? He wanted to run away.

"Wait a minute, get a lantern and light up the street." The second sister-in-law had no choice but to tell Tianxiu to watch the road carefully.

“Be lazy, be lazy, be lazy until New Year’s Eve. After the New Year you will be a grown-up, don’t be lazy anymore.” Tianxiu and his friends gathered together and walked out singing.

Selling laziness is a seasonal custom in Guangdong Province. Legend has it that in the Peach Garden of the Queen Mother, there was a big lazy bug. It often curled up in the Peach Garden, sucking peach nectar in spring and eating peach fruits in autumn. One autumn, there was a bumper harvest of peaches, and it wanted to steal some again. When the Queen Mother found out, she was furious and sent the lazy bug down to the mortal world.

After this lazy bug came down to earth, it got into the child's nose and turned into a slug. When the child fell asleep at night, it crawled onto the quilt and turned into a big lazy bug. This is why the child often stays in bed in the morning.

Therefore, on New Year’s Eve, children would go out and act lazy in order to be diligent and make progress in the new year.

In the past, children who sold laziness would go to the nearby land temple to stick incense on the incense table, or walk to the well on the street and stick incense on the edge of the well, and then return along the way they came, eating red eggs as they walked. Eating the eggs symbolized that they had sold all their laziness. In some places, children who sold laziness did not eat the eggs, but went home to share them with their family members. The more people ate them, the cleaner the "laziness" was sold.

Of course, these latter customs gradually disappeared.

"Since Tianxiu is so well behaved, there is no need for him to act lazy. It is you lazy bums that should be acted lazy," the old man said jokingly, and specially pointed out A-Zu.

"No way, dad, we cooked this meal." A-Zu retorted.

"Hahaha, Fourth Brother, what does this meal have to do with you?" Kang Qirui couldn't hold it in any longer. It was no wonder that his elder brother said that A-Zu was lazy. This guy went out early in the morning and came back just before dinner. He even had the audacity to say that he also had a share in this meal.

"Knock, knock, knock." At this time, someone was knocking on the door outside. It was obvious that they were from outside. The Kang family only closed the outermost ceiling fan door today, so locals didn't need to knock at all and came in directly. Just like the group of children just now.

"I'll go open the door." Outsiders are usually my sister-in-law's relatives, so my sister-in-law took the initiative to open the door. When she opened the door, it turned out to be my sister-in-law's relatives, my sister-in-law's second uncle's family. They were wearing big cotton jackets and kept saying that Guangzhou was too hot. They brought two super-large pumpkins as gifts.

Then Sachiko's cousin came, saying that he was going to Hong Kong and the casino for a trip, and he would visit Sachiko when he passed by Guangzhou. They brought some New Year cakes from Shanghai. Finally, even Diana's mom came.

Fortunately, the Kang family now has a lot of space. In addition to the room where the Kang family lives, there are two guest rooms and two attic rooms, which are just enough to accommodate this large group of people.

(End of this chapter)