After the car left, he turned to Chen Shaokang and the others and said:
"You really can't go play with those fireworks by the reservoir right now—one slip and someone could get killed. Wait till we've had dinner and it's dark, then we can watch together, it won't be too late."
"Okay, Uncle Shen."
Shen Guofu pointed toward the gate:
"Go lock the main gate, so nobody comes over and fiddles with the fireworks while we're eating. If something happens it'll still be on us."
As soon as Chen Shaokang heard that, he and Lin Bin immediately drove the commuter van over to the gate to lock it.
In the dining room, Chen Meijuan and a few old ladies finished wrapping all the dumplings they'd be eating over the next few days, then carried them to the kitchen to freeze them one by one.
After freezing the dumplings she asked curiously:
"How long till dinner?"
"Almost there. Once the hot dishes are ready, we'll start serving."
