By the time Claire Lacey and her family settled into the living room, Claire had brought Daniel Mu Lin some coffee. After a short rest, Mu Lin said to Claire, “Madam, thank you for taking care of my two younger sisters during this time. We plan to return to Salt Lake City tomorrow for the Chinese New Year. Is there anything I can assist you with?”
Claire sent the girls off to rest, then turned to Mu Lin and said, “Daniel, I think your sisters might not be able to stay here next semester?”
“Oh! May I know why?” Mu Lin asked, somewhat surprised.
“It’s like this,” Claire replied. “My company has run into trouble, and I’ve been unemployed for a month. If I can’t find a job next month, my house will be taken by the bank and sold by court order to repay the mortgage. High-paying jobs are hard to find right now, and you know I have two children to support. We plan to move next month to a smaller place.”
No wonder Claire had seemed unhappy lately. Carefully, Mu Lin said, “If I may be so bold, Madam, I could offer you some money unconditionally.”
“I’m sorry, but I cannot accept your kind offer!” Claire replied sternly.
“Then, I’m sorry too. We’ll leave tomorrow. Thank you very much for your help with my sisters these days.” Feeling hurt by Claire’s attitude, Daniel continued, “We’ll come tomorrow to pick up my sisters. Good night, Madam!” With that, he left and returned to his apartment.
Thinking about Claire’s situation, Daniel couldn’t quite figure it out. The next morning, he planned to temporarily move his two sisters’ belongings to his apartment. However, when he arrived at Claire’s house, Bess and Daisey insisted on going to Salt Lake City with them, claiming they didn’t want to part with Mei Fang and Mei Zi. Despite Claire’s attempts to persuade them otherwise, she was helpless, and Daniel reluctantly agreed.
Refusing the money Claire offered, Daniel and the girls returned to Salt Lake City to their own home. Bess and Daisey were amazed when they saw the motorhome at the airport. When they saw Daniel’s house and their servants, they began to exclaim in astonishment, as they had not expected Daniel and his sisters to be wealthy. Seeing the interior furnishings, they were completely stunned.
The Chinese New Year celebrations traditionally begin with the Kitchen God’s Festival, marked by the saying, “On the twenty-third, the candy is sticky.” This refers to the annual ritual on the twenty-third or twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month, when families offer sacrifices to the Kitchen God. There is a saying that officials observe this on the twenty-third, commoners on the twenty-fourth, and boat-dwelling families on the twenty-fifth.
After the Kitchen God’s Festival, preparations for the New Year officially begin. From the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month until New Year’s Eve, this period is known as the “Welcoming Spring” or “Spring Cleaning” period.
Spring cleaning is a traditional year-end thorough cleaning. In the north, it is called “sweeping the house,” while in the south, it is known as “dusting.” Before the New Year, it is customary for families to clean their homes, wash utensils, change bedding and curtains, sweep courtyards, dust cobwebs, and clear drains. Across the country, people joyfully clean their homes in preparation for the New Year.
In addition to pasting couplets and paper cuttings, families also hang New Year pictures in their living rooms and bedrooms. These pictures add a festive atmosphere to every household.
One of the most popular New Year pictures is “The Rat’s Wedding,” depicting the amusing scene of rats holding a wedding ceremony in human fashion. The composition is lively and vibrant. According to folklore, New Year’s Eve is the auspicious night for the rat wedding, and people leave food under beds and near stoves as gifts for the rat groom, praying for a bountiful harvest in the coming year.
Some grandmothers often tease children before bedtime with, “Quickly hide your shoes, or the rats will steal them for a sedan chair!” This saying originates from that tradition. Therefore, the New Year picture “The Rat’s Wedding” especially resonates with children.
New Year’s Eve is extremely important for Chinese people. On this day, people prepare to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new, enjoying a family reunion dinner. In ancient China, some prison officials even allowed prisoners to return home to reunite with their families for the New Year, highlighting the significance of the reunion dinner.
The annual reunion dinner vividly demonstrates the mutual respect and love among family members, strengthening familial bonds. Family reunions often bring spiritual comfort and fulfillment to the head of the household, as elderly parents see their children and grandchildren gathered together, sharing family moments. The care and effort invested in raising their children over the years finally feel worthwhile—what a happy moment this is.
For the younger generation, this is also an opportunity to express gratitude for their parents’ upbringing. As children play and set off firecrackers, the housewives are busiest in the kitchen. Most of the New Year dishes are prepared in advance, but the New Year’s Eve dinner is always cooked on the thirtieth day itself.
In the north, dumplings for the first day of the New Year are also made on New Year’s Eve. At this time, every household is busy chopping meat and vegetables on their chopping boards. The sound of chopping, the crackling of firecrackers in the streets, the clattering of abacuses and rhythmic chanting of accounts from small shops, mixed with laughter from everywhere, rise and fall, filling the air and forming a joyful symphony of New Year’s Eve.
Chinese people have a tradition of staying up late on New Year’s Eve. The custom begins with the New Year’s Eve dinner, which is meant to be enjoyed slowly, starting from when the lamps are lit and sometimes lasting until late at night. According to the “Jing Chu Yearly Customs Records” by Zong Lin, the tradition of having a New Year’s Eve dinner already existed during the Southern and Northern Dynasties.
On this night, “connecting two years in one night, dividing two years at the fifth watch,” families gather together joyfully. They sit around a table full of snacks and fruits. An essential part of the New Year’s Eve dinner is a plate of apples, symbolizing “peace and safety.” In the north, some families also prepare a pot of rice cooked the previous year, known as “leftover rice,” signifying that there will always be enough food year-round.
This leftover rice is usually a mixture of white and yellow rice, colloquially called “two-color rice” in Beijing, symbolizing “golden and silver coins” and thus referred to as “golden and silver rice.” In many places, the snacks and fruits prepared for staying up late are chosen for their auspicious meanings: eating jujubes means “spring comes early,” eating persimmon cakes means “everything goes well,” eating almond kernels means “happy people,” eating long-life nuts means “longevity,” and eating New Year cake means “progress every year.”
On New Year’s Eve, the whole family enjoys the meal while chatting and laughing. Some families play games like pai gow, dice, poker, or mahjong, creating a joyful and noisy atmosphere that reaches a festive climax. Folklore says that the fifth day of the New Year is the birthday of the God of Wealth, so after the first day of the New Year, the most important activity is to welcome the God of Wealth—on the night before his birthday, families prepare feasts to celebrate.
On the sixth day of the New Year, people “send away poverty,” a traditional custom in ancient Chinese folk culture, meaning to worship and send away the god of poverty. By the fifteenth day of the New Year, the celebrations are mostly over.
After turning ten, Daniel had started “studying while traveling.” Over the years, he had never truly celebrated the New Year properly. Last year, he had Mei Fang and Mei Zi with him, but they had not settled down and had no mood for celebration, as their mother had passed away not long before.
This year, Mei Fang and Mei Zi had their own home. Having never had a good New Year in their early years, they now wanted to celebrate a good New Year with Daniel. Therefore, starting from the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month, Daniel began directing the housemaids to get busy. Bess and Daisey joined in the excitement, and the four young ladies turned the house upside down, creating chaos.
Normally, Daniel was the one causing chaos for others, but now faced with these four “ladies,” he was both annoyed and amused. Helplessly, he chased them away, letting Mei Fang, Mei Zi, Bess, and Daisey go play with their classmates while he took over the preparations.
The New Year pictures were already in Daniel’s ring, and with his excellent handwriting, the couplets were quickly completed. Only the firecrackers, paper cuttings, and New Year goods needed to be purchased, so he rushed to Chinatown for a few days. By New Year’s Eve, Daniel had the four girls start pasting couplets, door gods, and window decorations. In the evening, Daniel prepared a sumptuous dinner, brought out new clothes he had bought for the girls, and had them change into them before the banquet.
Bess and Daisey happily accepted the gifts and ran to their rooms to change. Mei Fang and Mei Zi, holding back tears and lowering their heads, changed into their new clothes. This was the first time in over a decade that they had received new clothes not from their parents. Their hearts were filled with gratitude and sadness intertwined. Understanding their feelings, Daniel patted their heads, silently walked out of their room, changed into a new outfit himself, and sat at the dining table with the servants, waiting for the girls.
When the girls arrived, Daniel and the servants were all delighted. The clothes Daniel had bought for them were traditional Chinese attire in four colors: red, yellow, blue, and green. The silk jackets had slanted collars with white fox fur trim, matching pants and traditional Chinese embroidered shoes. Their hair was adorned with gem clips. The four girls, with different skin tones, looked like four fairies.
Seeing the looks on everyone’s faces, the usually playful four girls couldn’t help but feel shy. Daniel clapped, and the servants followed suit, loudly saying, “So beautiful!”
After the four shy young ladies were seated, Daniel had everyone raise their glasses: “Today is our traditional Chinese festival, the Spring Festival, a time for family reunions. To thank you all for taking care of my sisters and me throughout the year, and to wish everyone good health and good fortune in the new year, let’s drink!” The Spring Festival banquet began. After dinner, Daniel gave everyone a $1,000 red envelope, including his four younger sisters, and then led the sisters to set off firecrackers and fireworks.
Seeing Mei Fang and the others hiding and dodging, screaming and laughing loudly, Daniel knew that Mei Fang and Mei Zi had finally emerged from the grief of losing their parents. This would be a joyful night.
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