Rebirth: It's Not You, It's Me

New Year's Eve arrived in a blink of an eye. My mother woke us up early in the morning and started to paste window flowers, Spring Festival couplets, door gods, lanterns and colorful hangings.

In fact, we didn't need to help. My uncle's eldest brother had already come to help, and we just kept running after him. Not only could we not help, but we also made things worse. But we were still very excited.

After hanging the couplets, my little brother pulled me and said, "Sister, let's go to my aunt's house with my uncle's brother to put up Spring Festival couplets, okay?"

"There's no need for us to go. Big brother should have gone to Third Uncle's house long ago."

"Then shall we go there too?"

"Let's go and take a walk around my aunt's house." My uncle lived next door to us, so he took my brother with him, and the three of us happily went to my aunt's house.

I visited my aunt's house early in the morning and had breakfast before returning.

"It's New Year's Day and you're going to your aunt's house instead of eating at home. How can you be so ignorant?" Mom couldn't help but scold.

"Okay, it's New Year's Day, don't scare the children, they are only there because they are close to their aunt." He said this while winking at us, telling us to run quickly.

I heard my mother muttering behind me, "Taotao is so young and doesn't understand things. Luoluo and Yongyong are so old now. It's really worrying."

Even if I had a new life, I still want to experience the feeling of childhood. I don’t want to enter the adult world and act willful and naughty in front of my relatives.

In the afternoon, my second aunt and my old aunt came over to prepare dinner, and I was assigned to sprinkle water in the yard and at the gate.

After sprinkling the water, I called up my childhood friend Jiaojiao and started the compulsory activity every New Year’s Eve before getting married: walking around the street hand in hand.

Look at the wet ground, the streets with colorful decorations and every row of decorations, the couplets and lanterns, the red and peaceful atmosphere. The New Year atmosphere is full.

If you add fireworks, then, wouldn't it be perfect? ​​Wait for the fireworks to go off in the evening.

When I got home, there were a lot of people at home, including my second uncle’s family, my second uncle and second aunt, my eldest brother with his sister-in-law who was still not divorced, my niece (my niece was four years older than me), and my youngest sister (adopted, four years older than me and the same age as my niece). Of course, the one I had the best relationship with was this little sister. We were of similar age and could play together.

My third uncle and third aunt, along with my brother, sister-in-law and two nephews (the eldest nephew is the same age as me, and was in the same elementary school classmate, seven days younger than me, and the youngest nephew is four years younger than me), and my eldest sister and brother-in-law.

My uncle and aunt came with my eldest brother, sister-in-law, two nieces, second sister and youngest brother.

My aunt’s family hasn’t come yet. My aunt’s family consists of my aunt, uncle, and two sisters.

There are really a lot of people in my family. If you want to know why my father is the eldest in the family, why my brother and I are so young and can be almost the same age as my nephews and nieces, I will explain it later. My father is a super great head of the family.

Together with grandma and grandpa, my second uncle and aunt, my younger brother Ming, my younger uncle and aunt, and my younger sister Su, there was a large table and two small tables.

At the big table there are grandma and grandpa, mom and dad, second uncle, second aunt, second uncle and second aunt, youngest uncle and aunt, third uncle and third aunt, eldest uncle and aunt, and aunt and uncle.

The remaining married brothers, sisters-in-law, sisters and brothers-in-law sat at one table, and the rest of us younger ones, brothers, sisters, nephews and nieces sat at one table.

There are twelve dishes on the table. (My mother and my second aunt are the chefs.) She is the female chef in our family.

My older sisters, after drinking a little wine, started saying, "It's rare for a family to get together, so who knows, maybe we won't have time next time."

"My second and third sisters are getting married next year. I feel uncomfortable. Sisters, you must come back to see me often after you get married." The young lady was a little sentimental.

"It's a given that you have to take good care of my uncles and aunts at home. They are old. You can do more and let them rest more." The eldest sister of my aunt's family has always been the most filial. She cried.

The married brothers and sisters at another table looked at our table and said, "You little kids are getting emotional. We are all at home, what are you worried about?" said the eldest brother from my third uncle's family.

"I am just worried about my eldest uncle and second uncle. My eldest uncle is old and my second uncle is not in good health. Brothers, please take care of them at home. I offer you a toast." The eldest sister of my aunt's family is very polite. In fact, she is a strong woman.

"Let's toast to grandma and grandpa, wishing them good health and longevity. Let's all raise a glass. The eldest brother from my second uncle's family suggested it. Let's all raise a glass to bless.

"I would like to offer my thanks to my uncle and aunt for their hospitality." The elder brother from my second uncle's family raised another glass.

"Don't just toast by yourself, let's toast to today's chefs and their assistants." suggested the eldest brother from my uncle's family.

"We also have to respect all the elders in our family and wish them good health and success." The eldest sister from the third uncle's family suggested.

Everyone raised their cups together again. This scene had not happened in many years.

After three rounds of drinking, my second uncle got drunk and started crying (he always cries when he gets drunk). "My eldest brother had a hard time. When we were very young, our mother had just given birth to my younger sister and our father passed away. Less than half a year later, our mother also passed away on the Ghost Festival. My eldest brother was only fourteen or fifteen years old, and he took care of us brothers, acting as both a father and a mother. He raised us, built a house for us, and helped us find wives. He wasted his life."

"Woooooo~"

"Don't cry, second brother. Let's have a drink with us and thank you for raising us." Uncle San was a man of few words, and he choked up a little as he spoke.

"Brother, you have worked hard these years," several uncles and aunts said in unison.

"We two brothers would like to offer a glass of wine to my brother-in-law and sister. They helped us financially and physically when we were in such a difficult time. They also brought my parents to live with us to help us fulfill our filial duties. Brother-in-law, I won't tell you what will happen when I get better. Just wait and see what I do in the future." After saying this, my second uncle drank it all in one gulp, as if he had made up his mind.

Actually, my second uncle was just as he said. In his previous life, when my father was sick and passed away, my second uncle served him like his own parents, running around and contributing money and effort. After my father passed away, until my younger brother got married, my second uncle took care of all matters on his own, just like a father. These are all later stories.

"Now that the atmosphere has become like this, I will take advantage of my seniority to tell you young ones why we are grateful to your uncle. You should all remember that the life you have today is all because of your uncle." The taciturn Third Uncle said the most words ever.

"Your second uncle is right. We have been like orphans since we were young. Our parents died early, and your eldest uncle raised us as both a father and a mother. He took us to the garbage dump to pick up clothes and shoes that others didn't want. Sometimes they weren't even a pair."

"With no money and no food, your uncle made a small flatbed cart and went to the neighboring coal-producing province to haul coal. He came back to sell the coal for money to buy food for us. Others used ox carts and donkey carts, but your uncle worked like an ox or a horse, hauling carts back himself. He walked dozens of miles a day."

"Now your aunt doesn't recognize us. It's not that your uncle didn't want her and gave her away, but he couldn't afford to raise her. At that time, your aunt was only a few months old."

"Your uncle was only three or four years old at that time. In order to keep us alive, they had to send him to our eldest aunt's house to be adopted by them. But he ran back home by himself. He went back and forth several times. Your eldest uncle was afraid that he would get lost, so he took him back. He gritted his teeth and raised us all."

"Until we grew up and got married, we were still single at our old age. It was because of us, the burden, that your uncle was dragged down."

"Fortunately, your aunt didn't mind us marrying your uncle. Now your uncle is old and Taotao is still young. When Taotao grows up and gets married, you have to come back no matter where you are or whether you are doing well or badly. You have to contribute money and effort. Do you hear me?" The third uncle shouted loudly.

"We all know it," we shouted back. The atmosphere was heavy.

"The hard days are long gone, why are you still talking about this? It's New Year's Day, stop crying, let's go set off the fireworks, and we have to take family photos, right?" The dad interrupted the sentimental scene at the right time.

"Come on, arrange according to seniority. The elders sit in the middle, the younger ones squat in the front, and the rest stand in the back." The uncle directed.

The younger brother is younger than him and older than him, so he can't see him running behind, so he just squats in front. This is the case that although the carrot is small, all the elders are on it.

My nephew and my brother lit the fireworks and quickly ran back to their seats. The fireworks exploded. Snap, snap.

The whole family took two group photos, the relatives on my father's side took a few group photos, and the relatives on my mother's side took a few group photos.

"Aunt, please print a few more of these. I want to keep them as souvenirs." My aunt's eldest sister said while hugging my mother's arm.

"We want it too. We want it too."

"Okay, every family has one," replied the mother, nodding happily.

After a good meal, meeting and photo shoot, the two brothers and nephew went out to party together, and finally they were brought back by the uncle on a tricycle.