There is Room for Rebirth in the 1950’s

New Year's Eve, the last day of the lunar year, is the most important traditional festival for Chinese people. On this day, not only the house and the outside must be cleaned, but also Spring Festival couplets, New Year pictures, and lanterns must be posted. Every household must prepare delicacies and delicacies, and the whole family will reunite and watch the new year. In particular, dumplings at midnight are indispensable.

Sending off Aunt Chen to go home for the New Year, the Zhou family Zhou Xiaozheng and Lin Lishan and his wife are in the army all day long, and they are getting more and more busy. Considering that their family could not eat dumplings together on New Year's Eve, Zhou Jiao could only have the family get together to eat dumplings for reunion at breakfast on New Year's Eve.

For this meal, Zhou Jiao made five kinds of dumplings including pork sauerkraut, pork, mushroom and cabbage filling, shrimp and pork filling, leek and egg filling, and beef dumpling filling. A lot of coins and red dates are put in each dumpling for good luck.

In the early morning, there was a burst of firecrackers. In the compound, military members from all over the world came from one place and one custom, and the only constant was posting Spring Festival couplets, New Year pictures, and hanging lanterns. Every household is going all out to prepare a table of beautiful New Year's Eve dinner.

The Zhou family got up early in the morning, put up Spring Festival couplets, New Year pictures, and hung red lanterns. After the firecrackers were let off, the family gathered together and ate dumplings in advance.

Zhou Xiao was going to the army to arrange duty personnel, and Lin Lishan went to the art troupe to arrange performances without stopping, leaving Zhang Guoqing and his wife at home to take care of the children.

During the day, Mrs. Cheng secretly took Zhou Jiao to hide in the room to prepare sacrifices to the ancestors, and then took her to the nearby large dining hall to make dumplings with the military members. Before an hour had passed, the old lady took the opportunity to drive her home to take care of the child.

Out of the cafeteria, children can be seen everywhere lighting small firecrackers and throwing them at passing lesbians. The sound of bang frightened the girls and made the naughty children laugh. On this day, no one speaks badly about pranks, and the lesbians who are being teased are smiling regardless of whether they recognize them or not.

The door of the Zhou family was open, and many children from the big courtyard came and went. Friends with close contacts gathered in the living room. The boys chatted about the troops returning from the peninsula battlefield, and each talked about internal news. For tonight's performance and dinner, they no longer had the excitement they had when they first moved into the compound.

Zhang Guoqing hugged the child with a smile, and he didn't make any comments, and avoided sensitive topics. In the living room, there will be no shortage of topics for boys and girls of similar age to gather together. Obviously they already have the concept of superior and inferior levels, and the children with the highest parental position usually like to make summaries.

The remarks of these second-generation children are influenced by the environment, and their chats often concern political issues. They usually look very noble and straightforward, but once they get along well, they really spend their lives making friends. When they have a good relationship to a certain extent, they will be very casual without distinguishing between you and me. Asking the other party to do something is just a word, and they will scold each other if they don't do it well, and they won't beat around the bush. Fang Fei and the others who have been working usually will be dragged to the restaurant for a meal as soon as they receive their wages, and they often have no money in their pockets in the middle of the month.

They are very clear about the inside and outside of the courtyard. Everyone in the courtyard had a problem with fighting until their heads were broken and bloody, and they swore that they would never communicate with each other, but as long as the other party was bullied outside the courtyard, they would naturally unite and help fight.

Every now and then, a primary school student in the compound would say that he was being bullied by another compound, and he would yell casually, and immediately a group of brothers, big and small, would come forward and lead them to fight for justice. Once there was a group of six or seven-year-old children who followed behind and yelled Beat me!

Ever since Zhang Guoqing came into contact with these people and the relationship between the two parties has been harmonious, every time he sees them at home, he asks them to pour tea by themselves, and makes arrangements for themselves when they are hungry. It's not polite for them to come to Zhou's house now. If Zhou Xiaozheng was not at home, it would be as casual as if he was at his own home.

When it was meal time, they didn't go home, and a few of them gathered together to touch each other's pockets, and when they saw people coming one after another, they called for people to go to the service agency to get fish and meat, and to move wine jars. Knowing that Zhou Jiao is ready, but they like to spend the money in their pockets, and they want to have fun. After drinking, he didn't eat any food, and said with a smile that he would eat dumplings with his stomach full.

The noise and noise arrived at the gathering time in the auditorium, leaving a mess and no one would clean it up. Everyone held the military quilt to protect themselves, closed the door and crowded into the auditorium.

The auditorium has been refurbished. Huge presidential New Year pictures, red paper couplets pasted on the wall, red lanterns of all sizes hung up, laughter and laughter everywhere. Except for the first few rows reserved for leaders. Later, all age groups gathered together, and the partners who usually put on the shelves when they disagreed were also laughing and laughing today.

Didn't you see that many parents were watching them? Soldiers educate their children by kicking them directly. If they are scolded or beaten in full view, no one will look good.

Living in the compound, Zhang Guoqing saw soldiers whipping children more than once. The children in the compound are relatively estranged from their parents. Parents are busy with work and are often not at home. The children go to and from school in the compound, and live with a nanny to take care of them. Families without a nanny have three meals a day in the canteen. As long as their children are safe, they lack communication with each other. As for the children, some of them who were born 50 years ago never saw their father once or twice during their growth, so where did the feelings come from?

This is also the reason why he and Zhou Jiao's family received attention when they returned to the compound. Now people who saw Zhou Jiao in the compound, old and young, jokingly called her the baby of the Zhou family. Two days ago, Zhou Jiao was exercising in the morning, and a five or six-year-old child ran over and called her baby sister.

As the leaders above entered the arena, the auditorium burst into warm applause. After the opening remarks, there will be a cultural performance. Watching the same program over and over again made people excited, and several leaders were unaware of their withdrawal from the midfield.

Zhang Guoqing smiled and nodded to the old man who was leaving. On this day, his father-in-law will go to the army to accompany the soldiers, and the mother-in-law will arrange performances on the first day of the first lunar month. On the New Year's Eve when thousands of families are reunited, their family can't wait to eat dumplings together and welcome the bell of the New Year.

Northeast Zhangjia Village. At this moment, the long-awaited New Year's Eve finally came. On this day, the whole family of Zhang Guoqiang, the second child, gathered in the old home to celebrate the New Year with Zhang's father and Zhang's mother.

The two families sat around the big table, smiling and waiting for Zhang's father and mother to say a few words according to the habit of previous years, and then started.

In the past, Father Zhang would sigh a few words about the hard work of the family this year, and make persistent efforts in the coming year.

Zhang's mother will praise her daughters-in-law and encourage them to add more people in the coming year, work hard after the spring, and manage the family diligently and thriftily.

Father Zhang looked at the children in front of him with a smile on his face, and said with a smile that the days are getting better and better, and he is very satisfied, and then he will rely on their own efforts. Advise family members to learn to be satisfied and think twice before doing everything.

Zhang's mother followed closely and threatened that she was no longer in charge of the house, and hoped that the two daughters-in-law would take good care of the man and child in the coming year.

After Father Zhang started to use the chopsticks, he saw the two sons below were busy taking care of the children, and when he remembered that his old son and his family were far away, he was very disappointed.

Now that his old son is at home, the first thing to do is to pour him wine, bring food to his mother, and tell some jokes to make him laugh. He looked out of the house from time to time, as if expecting them to come back.

The second child, Zhang Guoqiang, had braved the heavy snow to set up red lanterns in the county town and the village and his younger brother's yards as early as the twelfth lunar month. He knew that his parents would miss Xiaowu on New Year's Eve. At this time, he deliberately joked that Zhang Guoqing and his wife escaped fast enough to save the lucky money for the children.

His words made everyone laugh. Everyone knows this is a joke. Since Zhang Guoqing's family went to the capital, their parcels have not stopped, and Aunt Fang from the county seat sent them to Zhangjia Village in three to five days.

In addition to the children's cloth toys, Zhang's father and Zhang's mother even have various styles from cotton boots to hats, and there are three sets of new clothes. Not to mention that Zhou Jiao knitted two sets of sweaters and trousers for the two elders a few years ago, and Zhang Guoqing had already given the children fifty cents each before leaving.

I really feel that something is missing when Xiao Wu is not at home. I don't know if I am used to living in the capital? There are many noble people there, so it must not be as comfortable as ours.

Everything is worse than being at home. After Zhang's mother left the old son's family, she fell asleep. In her dream, the old son laughed and called his mother.

Seeing that she was getting worried, Zhang Guoqiang quickly said with a smile, Mother, don't you understand our little five? That means you are welcomed wherever you go.

Sure enough, Zhang's mother was shocked, and she was very happy when she talked about her old son's past deeds.

Father Zhang couldn't help asking: Do you think Xiao Wu will really wait until he comes back to work? A few days ago, his godfather came over and told him that they would definitely come back. The kid didn't say anything when he sent something over. When you come back, it will be fine, fine.

Zhang Guofu laughed when he heard this, Father, it's not a few days before the 15th and the end of the first month. I guess Xiao Wu will definitely come back at the end of the first month. Uncle Zhou must be reluctant to part with his daughter. You, just wait for your old son to come back with peace of mind.

Thinking of Zhou Xiaozheng's father and daughter being bored, Zhang's father and Zhang mother laughed, and felt relieved.

After the New Year's Eve dinner, the deafening firecrackers in the village went off one after another. Xizi and the others knelt on the ground to kowtow to Zhang's father and mother. The ceremony of kowtow is very solemn, kneel down, forehead on the ground, repeat three times. After receiving the New Year's money of 10 cents per person, they all hid in the house happily.

Father Zhang and his two sons took turns setting off firecrackers in three courtyards. The children are not afraid of the cold weather and follow around, gathering a group of friends to play with small firecrackers outside.

Zhang's mother and daughter-in-law started cooking dumplings. As soon as the dumplings came out of the pan, the children ran back without being too cold. After the family had eaten dumplings, Zhang's father refused to let the children watch the new year, and let them all go back to the house. On the first day of tomorrow, the family will inevitably go to the ancestral hall and visit the elders' homes to pay New Year's greetings.

In the main room, Zhang and his father were left leaning on the kang, chatting about the old things in a low voice, and watched quietly until dawn.

At this time, in the compound of the Beijing Military Region, as everyone counted down the countdown, the New Year finally came. 58 years came quietly.

In front of the bonfire in the square outside the auditorium, several art lovers were playing accordion, harmonica and erhu to play cheerful music. The onlookers were also reluctant to go back and sang loudly.

Ping'an was taken back by Mrs. Cheng early on. Zhang Guoqing and Zhou Jiao watched the fireworks in the distance, forgetting all their troubles and worries and throwing themselves into it.

On the New Year's Eve in 1957, all the scenes in the compound became unforgettable memories in their lives. Such a lively scene is gone forever, things are people, things are not things, and old friends are still sighing when they meet again in the future.