diymy Chapter 8 The First Birthday Ceremony
Chapter 8 The First Birthday Ceremony
It's one year old.
According to custom, the family will hold a "first birthday celebration" for them.
This is a long-standing Chinese tradition, a beautiful expectation for the future of children.
Today, the house was very lively.
In the staff quarters of the Wuhan Song and Dance Theater, in this somewhat old Soviet-style red brick building, Liu Xiaoli's home has become the focus of attention on the entire floor.
The house was packed with people, their laughter and the aroma of meat wafting from the kitchen filling the space with a warm and festive atmosphere.
Liu Xiaoli was wearing a red sweater, and her face was beaming with a bright smile that hadn't been seen in a long time.
She was busy serving tea and water to the guests and distributing melon seeds and candies.
Grandma spread a large red cloth on the floor in the center of the room, looking very happy.
An Shaokang also came.
He was dressed in a well-fitting gray Zhongshan suit, his hair was neatly combed, and he wore black-rimmed glasses, looking very refined.
Compared to her carefree demeanor when chatting with her adoptive father in the hospital.
There was a considerable silence at this point.
There was an invisible wall between him and Liu Xiaoli.
There were no arguments, but there was also no intimacy.
He tried to help, but Liu Xiaoli always skillfully avoided him.
"I'll do it."
"No need, you can sit and keep the guests company."
A simple two-sentence exchange, polite yet distant.
An Shaokang could only silently sit back down in his chair and talk to a middle-aged man next to him who was also wearing glasses.
"Yao Feng, you'd better have a couple of drinks today."
Grandpa held a wine glass, his face glowing.
"Of course, it's my nephew's first birthday, he has to have a good drink."
After moving here, Chen Lang has figured out the relationships among the relatives in this family.
The man called Yao Feng was the cousin who pointed at Shen Jingfang's nose and cursed her in the hospital.
His wife, Li Xinmin, who is Chen Lang's maternal aunt, was busy in the kitchen with Liu Xiaoli.
They were accompanied by a little girl with a bob haircut, about six or seven years old, with a round face and big eyes.
She was curiously peering through the door frame, looking at everything inside the room.
This is my cousin, Yao Beina.
Chen Lang felt a mix of emotions.
It turns out that my circle of relatives is full of hidden talents.
My maternal uncle, Yao Feng, is a professor at Wuhan Conservatory of Music, a renowned composer, and a vocal music educator.
My maternal aunt, Li Xinmin, like my mother, Chen Qin, is a vocal performer at the Wuhan Song and Dance Troupe.
"Come here, Rangya, Akemi, come over here!"
Grandma clapped her hands and shouted in a thick Wuhan accent.
Langya Zi.
That sounds pretty down-to-earth.
Sitting next to him, Xiao Anfeng, who was curiously gnawing on her fingers, was called Qian Meizi.
Coupled with the soft and melodious Wuhan accent, it has a unique flavor.
The baby's first birthday celebration began soon afterward.
Chen Lang was carried to one end of the red cloth by Liu Xiaoli.
Xiao Anfeng was carried to the other side by An Shaokang.
Two toddlers wearing identical open-crotch pants gaze at each other across a red cloth.
"Let's see what our Langya grabs first."
Yao Feng came over, looking very interested.
The red cloth in the center of the living room was covered with all sorts of small items, a dazzling array.
These were all items that an ordinary family could afford in the late 1980s, representing the best possible meaning.
A thick dictionary, with a brand-new Hero brand fountain pen beside it.
It represents the value of reading and being cultured.
A wooden abacus, its beads polished to a shine.
It represents being good at accounting and making money.
Several brand-new RMB banknotes, the denomination being ten yuan, the "Great Unity".
It represents good fortune and prosperity.
A small toy wooden gun, and a small car made of tin.
It represents boyishness and the ability to protect the country in the future.
A lipstick and a small round mirror.
It represents a love of beauty and being pretty.
There's also a small harmonica and a miniature wooden guitar.
It means that one has artistic talent and can make a living in the arts.
All eyes were on Chen Lang.
Liu Xiaoli's eyes were full of anticipation.
"Come on, Langya, go get them. Take whichever one you like!"
Grandma patted his little bottom.
Everyone held their breath, looking at him expectantly.
Chen Lang remained seated.
He looked at the things in front of him and found them somewhat amusing.
A baby's first birthday celebration?
He knew what his elders wanted him to grab.
A book, a pen, or that harmonica that represents artistic talent.
After all, this room was full of cultural figures and artists.
"Langlang, go ahead and take what you like."
Liu Xiaoli gently nudged him from behind.
Chen Lang glanced at the end of the red cloth, grinned, and revealed a few newly grown baby teeth.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, he began to crawl forward using both his hands and feet.
It's not a book, not a pen, and not money.
He bypassed the abacus, avoided the RMB, and ignored the gleaming fountain pen.
He kept climbing and climbing.
"Huh? This child..."
What is he going to do?
The adults were all stunned.
Xiao Anfeng was sitting there, sucking on his little finger, his big, dark eyes curiously watching his little brother crawl towards him.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Chen Lang climbed up to her.
He looked up at the little girl who was half a head taller than him.
Then he stretched out his two little arms, hugged her neck, and leaned in to kiss her chubby cheeks.
Saliva and the smell of milk instantly covered An Feng's face.
Xiao Anfeng was stunned for a moment after being kissed, and then followed suit and came over as well.
It started nibbling at Chen Lang's face, smearing his face with its saliva.
The entire living room fell silent for a second.
Immediately, a burst of laughter erupted.
"Ha ha ha ha!"
Yao Feng laughed the loudest, bending over and slapping his thigh.
"My goodness, this little Langya is so precocious!"
"If you don't grab things, grab a wife first; that'll make you successful!"
Grandpa was also beaming from ear to ear.
"Great news! Great news! This is what you call childhood sweethearts, inseparable since they were little!"
A rare smile appeared on An Shaokang's face.
Liu Xiaoli laughed so hard she was bent over, and tears were almost streaming down her face.
She picked Chen Lang up and kissed him on the cheek.
"Alright, alright, I know you two have a good relationship."
Aunt Li Xinmin, my cousin's wife, also joined in the commotion.
"He looks like a man who knows how to cherish his wife!"
The room was filled with people laughing so hard they were practically falling over.
After a while of commotion, the baby's first birthday celebration still had to continue.
"No, no, we have to start over. Today we have to secure a future for Langya!"
Grandpa spoke up.
Chen Lang was put back on one end of the red cloth.
He felt somewhat helpless.
It's just a formality, why are you taking it so seriously?
He glanced at Liu Xiaoli, whose face was full of expectation, and then at the pile of things.
Fine, I'll grant your wish.
This time he didn't hesitate and climbed to the middle to pick up the small harmonica.
Then he plopped down and wouldn't move.
He put the harmonica to his lips and blew it haphazardly a couple of times, producing a few off-key noises.
"Ouch!"
"The musical instrument you brought!"
"I knew it, this kid has talent!"
The people in this room who were involved in the arts were even happier to see Chen Lang pick up a musical instrument than to see him pick up a gold ingot.
This represents inheritance.