Chapter 107: Spring Festival

To quickly improve *Economic* magazine, Xia Yu personally participated whenever he had free time. With his involvement, the development of *Economic* magazine progressed as if it had been fitted with a rocket engine. The magazine changed daily, and the other staff members in the Economic Research Department were initially astonished by this speed, eventually becoming numb to it.

Xia Yu initially wanted to complete *Economic* magazine all at once, but with the New Year approaching, he had to postpone the plan.

Time flies by, and before he knew it, Xia Yu's rebirth had been more than a month. Today was already December 28 of the lunar calendar, and the day after tomorrow would be New Year's Eve.

In Hong Kong, two New Years are celebrated. The first is the Gregorian New Year on January 1, known as New Year's Day. On December 31, a countdown ceremony is held along the harbor (Victoria Harbour) to welcome the new year. This day is a public holiday almost worldwide, and Hong Kong is no exception.

The second is the Lunar New Year, also known as the first day of the lunar calendar. Hong Kong celebrates this as well, though not as exuberantly as the Gregorian New Year. The Lunar New Year has a three-day public holiday, typically involving visiting neighbors or relatives for New Year greetings.

Xia Yu did not celebrate New Year's Day, as he had just reborn and the Gregorian New Year had already passed.

What he could still celebrate was the Lunar New Year.

In truth, Xia Yu preferred celebrating the Lunar New Year. After all, the Spring Festival had become a cultural symbol deeply embedded in every Chinese person's bones. Even though Xia Yu had been reborn, his feelings for the Spring Festival had not faded in the slightest.

The significance of celebrating the Spring Festival is manifold.

On the surface: The Spring Festival is the most important, grand, and unique traditional festival in China. The Chinese have been celebrating the Spring Festival for over 4,000 years. It is a time for family reunions, where people return home to celebrate with loved ones and express their fervent hopes and best wishes for the coming year. The Spring Festival is not just a holiday; it is an important carrier for emotional release and psychological needs for the Chinese people. It represents an annual carnival and an eternal spiritual pillar for the Chinese nation.

On a deeper level: The Spring Festival is a significant carrier of the excellent traditional Chinese culture, embodying the wisdom and essence of Chinese culture, reflecting the life pursuits and emotional attachments of the Chinese people, and inheriting the social ethics and values of the Chinese.

...

Although Hong Kong has a three-day public holiday for the Lunar New Year, the media industry is no different from other sectors in terms of its demand for spiritual civilization.

Moreover, *Jiuding Daily* is a new newspaper and is in a critical period of rapidly building its credibility, so it is best not to suspend publication.

Therefore, Xia Yu offered triple overtime pay and suggested that employees work during the holiday. Perhaps because people in Hong Kong value the Gregorian New Year more and pay less attention to the Lunar New Year, Xia Yu's request for overtime did not meet resistance, and the employees mostly agreed to work, which relieved Xia Yu.

Soon, New Year's Eve arrived. Xia Yu handed over all work to Yan Wenhan, who had already gone home to prepare and also took his family to buy clothes and various foods.

Xia Yu also specifically visited Xia Lei to ask if he wanted to celebrate the Spring Festival together. Since Xia Lei's injuries did not involve any bones and Li Chunqiu's medical skills were impressive, Xia Lei's wounds had scabbed over, and he could move around. Unfortunately, Xia Lei declined the invitation, wanting to stay with his mother, so Xia Yu did not insist.

Yan Shining and his son Yan Hong came to Xia Yu's home.

After so many days of treatment, Yan Hong's health had improved significantly. Because he was treated with traditional Chinese medicine, his normal activities were not affected, and as long as he took his medicine on time, leaving for a day or two was not a problem.

In the evening, the family, along with Yan Shining and Yan Hong, sat around the table. The table was filled with a variety of delicious dishes. Seeing the happy smiles on his parents and younger siblings' faces, Xia Yu felt very content.

During this period, Xia Yu had been juggling between home, the Spring and Autumn Medical Clinic, and the company, with very little time at home. It was rare for him to be able to completely relax and have a meal with his family. At this moment, Xia Yu felt a deep sense of emotion.

Raising his glass, Xia Yu stood up to toast his parents: "Dad, Mom, the year is about to end, and the new year is approaching. I wish you both good health and all the best!"

"Good, good!" Xia Da Hai and Chen Mei, the couple, could not hide their smiles and happily accepted their son Xia Yu's blessings, their eyes filled with pride and satisfaction.

...

After that, the family enjoyed the reunion dinner together. Xia Yu's family did not neglect Yan Shining and Yan Hong, and Xia Yu's parents warmly hosted them.

By the time the meal was finished and the table was cleaned, it was already 8:30 PM.

Xia Yu went into his room and took out a stack of prepared red envelopes.

Red envelopes, as Xia Yu called them, are known as "lai see" in Hong Kong.

Lai see, also known as red packets, is a small gift made by placing money in a red envelope. In Cantonese and Vietnamese, it is called "lai si" (Cantonese pronunciation can also be "lei si" or "lei si"), and is a customary gift during the Lunar New Year.

"Ah Ming, Xiao Mei, and Yan Hong, come and take these. Make sure to study hard in the future!"

Xia Yu handed out three red envelopes to his expectant younger siblings and the slightly shy Yan Hong, encouraging them after handing them out.

"Don't worry, Brother. We will definitely study hard!" Xia Ming and Xia Xiao Mei, receiving the red envelopes, beamed with joy and said loudly.

During the New Year, receiving red envelopes is the most anticipated event for children. Due to the family's poverty and relatives being from lower-income backgrounds, Xia Ming and Xia Xiao Mei had not received many red envelopes in the past and could only envy other children.

But this year, their brother gave them red envelopes, and they could feel the substantial amount of money inside. They were naturally delighted.

"Yan Ge, thank you for taking care of us during this time. Please continue to look after us in the future!" Xia Yu handed a bulging red envelope to Yan Shining, who did not refuse, as it was a blessing from Xia Yu, though the envelope seemed quite large.

"Yan Ge, in a few days, ask Dr. Li if Yan Hong can go to school. If so, I will find a good school for him. He is still young and should not miss the opportunity to study," Xia Yu said, patting Yan Hong's head and instructing Yan Shining.

"Thank you, Boss!" Yan Shining said gratefully.

No parent wishes for their child to be anything but better. Yan Shining certainly wanted Yan Hong to study well, and now that they had come to Hong Kong and would be living there, Yan Hong needed to learn Cantonese quickly and integrate into Hong Kong society.

Xia Yu's arrangement for Yan Hong was highly appreciated, and Yan Shining's only concern was whether Li Chunqiu would agree to Yan Hong attending school.

"Dad, Mom, I wish you all the best and may all your wishes come true!"

Finally, Xia Yu took two red envelopes and respectfully gave them to his parents, who were sitting on the sofa with cheerful expressions.

"Our son has grown up, haha!" Xia Da Hai laughed happily, his eyes filled with affection.

Mother Chen Mei felt the same, with a sense of happiness as she looked at her son, feeling proud of his achievements.

Although it is usually the elders who give red envelopes to the younger generation, Xia Yu was now able to earn money, and substantial amounts at that. His parents were naturally happy to accept the red envelopes.

"Let's go, Ah Ming, help move the fireworks out and set them off!"

After giving out the red envelopes, Xia Yu called out to the eager Ah Ming. The children cheered and carried the fireworks outside.

In previous years, they only watched others set off fireworks and could only secretly envy them. But this year, their brother Xia Yu had bought a large number of fireworks, and Xia Ming and Xia Xiao Mei had been eagerly anticipating this moment since the afternoon.

"Mom and Dad, come out with us!"

...

"Bang… Bang…"

"Wow! So beautiful!"

Watching the fireworks shoot into the sky and burst into colorful patterns, and hearing the cheers and clapping of his younger siblings, Xia Yu's smile appeared unconsciously.

Seeing the smiles on his family's faces and their anticipation for the future, Xia Yu felt a profound sense of peace.

"It's so good to have a happy, harmonious, and healthy family!" Xia Yu felt deeply moved.