What was the most comfortable thing about spending New Year's at his grandparents' house? Nothing more than getting to sleep until he woke naturally every day, then getting dressed and going out to crack sunflower seeds and eat sugar tangerines until noon. He could chat with Grandpa and wait for Grandma to cook.
But this morning was different. Today was the twenty-third day of the lunar month. According to custom, today was the day to make offerings to the Kitchen God.
"Froga?" "Aron?"
Frogadier and Aron looked at the long sticks covered in sesame seeds before them, not knowing what to make of them.
"These are called candy sticks." Cheng Tian picked one up with a smile. "They're covered in sesame seeds, so they're really fragrant to eat."
"Xiao Tian! Bring five tangerines over!" Grandma's voice came from the kitchen, and Cheng Tian immediately put down the candy stick in his hand to fetch the tangerines.
Legend had it that the Kitchen God was Heaven's messenger in the mortal world. He lived in every household's stove and recorded whether that family wasted food during the year. At the end of each year, he would ascend to Heaven to report to the Heavenly Emperor, who would decide whether to bless that household in the coming year.
Kitchen God Worship involved placing sweet foods before the stove as offerings to the Kitchen God, symbolically coating his lips with honey so he would put in more good words when reporting to the Heavenly Emperor.
Frogadier and Aron watched curiously as the family bustled about, while Noibat kept flying back and forth through the house to train.
Noibat had already finished all the Moomoo Milk Cheng Tian had bought. The little fellow had now fully passed through infancy and could battle.
"Grandpa, I want