On the first day of the Lunar New Year, anyone who wanted red envelopes had to scramble to get up early and run around making New Year's visits to grab them. So, even though Xiao Man had set her alarm for five o'clock sharp, she had gone to bed too late the previous night. It felt like she had only just dozed off when she heard a clamor of cheerful noise and laughter from downstairs—car horns honking, New Year's greetings being shouted, and firecrackers and fireworks popping and crackling all over the place. She figured it wasn't just the Gu family crowd; kids from other relatives and friends' families must have arrived too.
