Carrying a Jurassic on me
Chapter 972 - 524 Fifteen Lion Dances_3

Chapter 972: Chapter 524 Fifteen Lion Dances_3

The crowd burst into laughter upon seeing this, the little one was still a bit scared. Seeing the lion dance toward him made him somewhat daring not to look, yet he didn’t want to back down, wanting to show off in front of his family—he stood with his body tilted, as if ready to run back at any moment. One hand was raised diagonally toward the direction of the lion, his head turned to one side, watching the lion with a sidelong glance.

That expression of wanting to look yet not daring to, not daring yet wanting to, where curiosity triumphed over fear, truly made people double over with laughter.

The lion dance performer naturally wouldn’t scare the child. Approaching this point, the movements slowed, gently lowering the lion’s head, then "swallowing" the little one’s arm into its mouth—with this cover, the performer inside took the red envelope.

When his arm extended into the "lion’s mouth," the little guy got so scared he covered his eyes with his other hand, only daring to peek through the gaps in his fingers. Once he felt the red envelope being taken from his hand and the lion bowing its body to slowly back away, he saw this scene through the slits of his fingers and immediately removed the hand covering his eyes.

Then, as excited as if he had done something extraordinarily brave, he came running back with a flushed face, slightly inarticulate with excitement, "Brother, I... I stuck my arm into the lion’s mouth, and it didn’t bite me..."

Yan Fei scooped up his little brother in a hug, "Good, if there’s a dragon dance later, will you dare to stick your arm into the dragon’s mouth?"

The little guy, still thrilled from his "great adventure," replied without hesitation, "I dare!"

On the other side, the lion dance team handed the red envelope to the band of drummers and gong players. Upon opening the envelope, the group grew excited. For them, receiving a hundred-yuan red envelope from the first house was definitely a great start to their collection.

The group became even livelier until another team performing a land boat dance arrived, and only then the lion dancers left.

The land boat dance essentially involved a person carrying a boat-shaped frame in the middle, with someone at the front pretending to row with paddles, appearing as if they were rowing a boat. Since there was no water on the road, it was called a land boat.

A single land boat wasn’t lively enough, so this team was also accompanied by several endearing big-headed dolls.

This time, Yan Chao was much braver. Holding a red envelope, he ran up to a big-headed doll, not knowing whether the person inside was male or female. The costumes were both masculine and feminine. Handing over the red envelope, he asked, "Auntie, can I touch this?"

This small request was easily accommodated. The big-headed doll referred to as "auntie" removed the "big-head," leaving Yan Chao stunned. Inside was actually a young man—rustic craftsmanship meant the "big-headed doll" was quite heavy, challenging even for a strong laborer to tolerate for half a day.

Yan Chao looked at the young man handing over the "big head" in a daze. Not sure whether he touched it or not, he turned and bolted back as if fleeing, leaving the young man wondering if he had done something wrong. The face already reddened by the "big head" blushed even more.

Next up was the bridal sedan chair procession, led by a "matchmaker" at the front, dressed in the most flamboyant way possible, with a big red gown, a black kerchief with gold trim wrapped around the head, and a large cattail leaf fan in hand. As the "matchmaker" walked, the fan fluttered, swaying coquettishly as if about to take flight.

At first glance, it was clearly an old man in disguise, but the goal was to bring joy. Regardless of whether it was tacky or artistic, as long as the spectators were amused, that was all that mattered. Following behind was someone riding a donkey, of course, a fake one, made to resemble a donkey with colorful decorations, adding a touch of humor and silliness.

The bridal sedan chair came next, also a fake, bottomless so someone could walk inside. However, curtains hung on both sides of the sedan chair, obscuring the view unless one looked carefully.

Yan Chao made another funny mistake. He rushed forward excitedly, calling out "big sister" and handed a red envelope to the person in the sedan chair, turning the "bride" inside into a blushing mess — and yes, this was another young man in disguise.

Generally, those who perform in such acts are males. These traditional customs started a long time ago when just a few women dared to show themselves in public like this. Over time, it became a habit to use males in disguise.

Seeing how hilarious Yan Chao was, Xu Xiaoyan was so amused she was nearly lost. She didn’t care that her future in-laws were standing behind her, as she grabbed Yan Fei’s arm and laughed uncontrollably.

Then Yan Chao ran back and shouted at her, "Sister-in-law, when are you and my brother getting married? Will you also arrive in a bridal sedan chair like this?"

"Ha..." Yan Fei couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing. Yanfei’s father and Yanfei’s Mom were also struggling to contain their laughter, while Xu Xiaoyan was blushing so much her hands turned into flying claws, scratching at Yan Fei’s arms!

They waited quite a while but the dragon dance team didn’t show up. Yan Fei guessed there wouldn’t be one this year, since dragon dancing is harder than lion dancing. It requires good coordination among a group of people to make it look nice, unlike the lion dance which only needs two people.

They might have missed the dragon dance, but to their surprise, Director Wang from the Forestry Bureau showed up — none other than Ma Yongming’s father-in-law, the big shot at the county Forestry Bureau.

Seeing how warmly he smiled after getting out of the car, Yan Fei knew he wasn’t here for a casual visit. Immediately, an idea popped into his head, and he smoothly pulled over Xiaochao, who was eagerly waiting and hopping around, hoping to see the dragon dance team coming from the west: "Xiaochao, come and wish Uncle Wang a happy new year!"

He may call Ma Yongming Uncle Ming, but that’s just an old connection left by his grandfather, with no family ties. So when Director Wang came over, he was a bit reluctant to use the familial terms dictated by Ma Yongming’s side. He went according to age instead, letting his brother call him Uncle Wang.

Seeing Yan Chao wishing him a happy new year, the little guy even made a proper bow quite adorably. Director Wang was taken aback for a moment and instinctively took out a wad of money from his pocket, drew out a bill, and handed it to the youngster: "Hmm, good boy, here is some lucky money from your Uncle."

If it’s not yet past the fifteenth, then the new year isn’t considered to have been fully celebrated. When the younger generation greets the elder ones, they should give lucky money — although they weren’t really relatives, Director Wang’s visit on the fifteenth day was a clear sign that there was no such thing as an unimportant visit, so even though he realized he was being made fun of by Yan Fei, he handed over the money promptly.

However, he clearly underestimated someone’s shamelessness. After Yan Chao happily took the lucky money and ran off, Yan Fei let out a sly laugh and stretched out his hand too: "Uncle Wang, happy new year, wish you wealth and prosperity. May your rank rise higher every year. Lucky money, please..."

The richer a person is, the better they are at making money!

Director Wang was frustrated beyond belief. You’re at least a big boss, and although I’m called a director, that salary of mine — you probably wouldn’t even notice it if I gave all of it to you as lucky money.

Seeing his face full of "How can you even have the nerve" expressions, Yan Fei was unabashed: "Uncle Wang, happy new year, wish you prosperity and ever-increasing success..."

Being shameless is an art form in itself!

Feeling inferior, Director Wang’s face showed his heartache as he pulled out the money he had just tucked away...