On the final day of the year, it was customary to write up new couplets to replace the ones from the year just passed. Many sheets of blank red paper for writing couplets had already been purchased, and a total of four couplets had to be replaced, one at the entrance of the shop, and one each for the three rooms in the backyard of the shop.0

Chen Ping'an, Pei Qian, Zheng Dafeng, and Lu Baixiang each wrote a set of couplets, copying directly from a small brochure of generic couplets sold at the market without bothering to make any innovations.0

Chen Ping'an's couplets had impeccable, textbook handwriting; Lu Baixiang's were very graceful and free-flowing; and Zheng Dafeng's couplets were also quite exceptional. Pei Qian volunteered to write a set of couplets herself, and she did so very diligently, but the outcome wasn't what she had hoped for. 1

Zhu Lian was constantly shaking his head at the sight of her handwriting, and even Wei Xian praised her for her efforts but admitted that the results were rather lackluster. Pei Qian was also feeling rather sheepish, but much to her relief, Chen Ping'an told her that couplets were only written for good luck, so there was no need to be overly pedantic on the quality of the handwriting. 0

Pei Qian, Wei Xian, and Sui Youbian were responsible for putting up the couplets, while Chen Ping'an and Zheng Dafeng gave them instructions from the sidelines. Having already done a rather lackluster job writing her couplets, Pei Qian was determined to redeem herself by making absolutely certain that her couplets were plastered straight, and before long, she was already sweating profusely. 0

In the end, it was only after Sui Youbian told Chen Ping'an and Zheng Dafeng to shut their mouths that Pei Qian was able to get the job done.0

The "spring" characters were all written by Chen Ping'an, while the "fortune" characters were all written by Zheng Dafeng.1

Zhu Lian spent close to the entire afternoon cooking up the final meal of the year, with Chen Ping'an and Pei Qian helping him prepare certain ingredients. During this time, Sui Youbian paid a visit to the kitchen, then stood at the entrance for a while before departing.1

In the end, Zhu Lian prepared a delectable feast that had a good balance of both meat and vegetable dishes, and the two main dishes consisted of a braised fish, which heralded a year of excess, and a pot full of slow-cooked pig trotters. [1]1

Zheng Dafeng was seated on the main chair at...1