Tang Xiaonan was completely unaware of what was happening back at the old house. After the reunion dinner, she watched the Spring Festival Gala for a bit, then watched Amanda Chapman and Jim Thorne play with firecrackers. She was in bed before nine o'clock. Kids didn't have to stay up for the New Year's vigil, so Felix Thorne and the other adults gathered around the stove to welcome the first day of '79.
As the first day of the new year arrived, the grandfather clock began to chime. It struck twelve long, resounding notes. Goldie Thorne went out into the courtyard to set off firecrackers, welcoming the new spring. Meanwhile, Byron Thorne went to the kitchen stove and bowed a few times in reverence, while Raina and Phoebe Huxley started boiling dumplings for everyone.
