Chapter 55: New Year's Eve – Firecrackers, Fortune & Family

The scent of ginger and fried sesame clung to the morning air like a warm blanket, drifting through every corridor of the Jia household. Outside, the frost painted delicate crystals on windowpanes, and inside, the hum of activity was steady—lively and familiar.

Jia Lan stretched her arms, tugging her knitted shawl tighter around her shoulders as she peered outside. It's barely dawn and yet the whole compound is more energetic than the Youth Arts Bureau on inspection day, she thought.

Her grandmother's voice floated from the kitchen, sharp as ever. "Lan'er! Come help your mother with the dumpling filling before it gets cold!"

"Yes, Grandma!" she called out, suppressing a yawn. "A filial granddaughter is but a dumpling away from redemption."

In the kitchen, Jia Mother stood over a large bowl of minced meat, fragrant with ginger, garlic, and scallions.

"Lan'er, put on the apron, and don't just stand there making clever remarks," her mother said, though the corners of her mouth lifted affectionately.

Jia Lan grinned, tying on her festive red apron embroidered with a golden rabbit. "Yes, Mother dearest. How else will I become a well-rounded lady of society?"

Her mother gave her a light swat with the chopsticks.

Xu Li appeared in the doorway, one hand on her back, the other rubbing her slightly rounded belly. "I heard there's mischief afoot and dough on the loose. Am I late?"

Jia Mother pulled out a chair. "Sit, sit. We'll handle the dough. You just oversee the stuffing."

"I've got my eyes on you both," Xu Li laughed.

Grandmother entered next, her voice brisk. "Don't let that husband of yours fuss too much, Xu Li. Pregnant or not, you're still the most capable in this house."

Xu Li's cheeks pinked. "He tried to lace my shoes this morning."

Everyone burst out laughing.

Meanwhile, in the study, Jia Zhe and Jia Wei were deep in couplet warfare.

"This ink brush was gifted to me by Director Xu. It writes only brilliance," Jia Zhe said, swirling his brush dramatically.

"It's writing arrogance today," Jia Wei retorted, carefully inking his own characters.

Jia Lan peeked in, munching a candied chestnut. "You two call this art? The lantern vendor down the street writes better couplets—and he's blind in one eye."

"You wound me," Jia Zhe gasped.

"Be grateful I didn't bring Grandma in to judge. She's been waiting to roast you both since last year's crooked 'Prosperity' character."

Jia Wei threw a towel at her. "Go knead some dough, traitor."

Outside, servants were pinning red paper charms onto the gate pillars. The aunt who assisted the grandparents bustled between rooms with hot water bottles and scarves, making sure the old master and mistress of the house remained cozy.

As the sun reached midday, Jia Lan slipped outside, walking toward the old plum tree in the garden. She pressed a palm against its trunk. System, you there?

Daily Sign-in Complete!

• 3,000 yuan

• Six red envelopes (random cash inside)

• A jar of "Prosperity Candy"

She blinked as a small red box shimmered into existence inside her room. When she retrieved it, she grinned at the neat stacks of envelopes and the vibrant golden-wrapped candies.

"Looks like I'll be the favorite niece among the little ones tonight," she whispered with delight.

At lunch, preparations continued with music playing softly on the radio. Jia Lan joined Xu Li in folding jiaozi, sneaking candies between folds like hidden surprises. "Let's see who bites into luck tonight," she smirked.

Xu Li laughed, "As long as it's not the spicy one, I'll take it."

Later, the family gathered in the drawing room. The cousins had arrived. Children ran circles around the antique vases while elders sat, sipping sweet osmanthus tea.

Grandfather was telling an old army tale. "In '58, I once made dumplings on a battlefield with nothing but cabbage and determination."

"You also mistook chili for salt that time, didn't you?" Grandmother said dryly.

"A detail!" he waved his hand. "The men cried, but no one complained."

Jia Lan giggled. So this is where I get it from.

As dusk fell, the reunion dinner commenced.

The dining room shimmered with soft yellow light and the clink of porcelain bowls. Dishes stretched across the table—steamed fish for abundance, glutinous rice cakes for rising prosperity, lotus root for family harmony.

Jia Father raised his glass. "To the year behind us and the blessings ahead. May we stay healthy, united, and slightly wealthier."

"Cheers!" they all echoed.

Red envelopes were handed to the younger ones. Jia Lan made a show of pretending to peek inside.

"Only 200 yuan? Clearly, I'm not the favorite this year," she teased.

Grandmother smirked. "Then be nicer next year."

Grandfather chuckled. "Your clever mouth gets you into more trouble than your clever hands get you out of."

Xu Li, glowing under everyone's attention, was gently guided into the seat of honor.

"You'd think I was the only one carrying the future," she murmured.

"You are," Jia Zhe said seriously, taking her hand.

"Oh, stop it," Jia Wei muttered, nudging him with a grin. "The rest of us are trying to eat, not host a romance drama."

Laughter bubbled through the room.

Jia Lan looked around the table. Her gaze lingered on her parents—still chatting like young sweethearts—and her siblings bickering gently. It's chaotic. Noisy. Crowded. But this—this is home.

Later, firecrackers exploded into the night, lighting the courtyard in bursts of red and gold.

Wrapped in layers, the family watched them together. Jia Lan leaned against her mother's shoulder.

"I used to hate the sound of firecrackers," she said softly. "Too loud, too sharp. But now… it feels like celebration, like waking up from something heavy."

Her mother stroked her hair. "That's what family does, Lan'er. Makes even noise feel like comfort."

Jia Lan smiled as the final bursts lit up the sky, their golden glow reflected in her eyes. Beneath it all, her heart felt full.

Tomorrow would come. Dreams, challenges, exams, plans. But tonight? Tonight was for warmth, laughter, and the kind of joy that rooted itself deep in the bones.

She would never trade this life—not for silence, not for success, not for anything else in the world.

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