As the New Year arrives, the whole family gathers around Grandma. The kids' lopsided little dumplings fill the whole kitchen with laughter.
The Whole Family Comes Home
离春节还有三天，李奶奶就把窗户擦得干干净净，又在门上贴了红色的。
Three days before the Spring Festival, Grandma Li had already wiped the windows spotless and pasted red couplets onto the door.
中午，二叔一家从上海开了五个小时的车赶回来。
At noon, Second Uncle and his family arrived after a five-hour drive from Shanghai.
Grandma Li
哎呀，路上累坏了吧？快进来坐，水我都烧好啦。
Oh my, you must be worn out from the trip! Come in and sit down, I've already got the water boiling.
Second Uncle
妈，您别忙了，我们自己来。这屋里收拾得真亮堂！
Mom, don't fuss over us, we can manage. You've got the place looking so bright and tidy!
Learning to Wrap Dumplings
Grandma Li
今晚我们包，不去外面买，自己包的才有。
Tonight we'll wrap our own dumplings instead of buying them — homemade ones are the only way to get that real New Year feel.
她把肉和擀好的端上桌，孩子们一下子围了过来。
She carried the meat filling and the rolled-out wrappers over to the table, and the children instantly crowded around.
小宝学着奶奶的样子捏了一个，结果露了出来。
Little Bao copied the way Grandma pinched hers and made one, but the filling ended up spilling right out.
Little Bao
奶奶你看，我这个怎么站不起来呀，一放就倒。
Grandma, look — why won't mine stand up? As soon as I set it down it topples over.
Grandma Li
哈哈，放太多啦。来，边上多按几下，像这样捏紧。
Haha, you put in too much filling. Here, press the edges a few more times and pinch them tight, like this.
A Meal Full of Laughter
下了锅，没过多久就一个个浮了上来。
The dumplings went into the pot, and before long they bobbed up to the surface one by one.
盛到盘子里一看，有的圆鼓鼓的，有的，谁都认得出哪个是小宝包的。
Once they were scooped onto the plate, some were plump and round while others were all crooked — everyone could tell at a glance which ones Little Bao had made.
Second Uncle
我专挑歪的吃，这个最有意思，咬一口还会漏汤。
I'm going for the crooked ones on purpose — they're the most fun, you take a bite and the soup squirts right out.
一家人挤在小桌子边，越吃越热闹，窗外的声也响了起来。
The whole family squeezed around the little table, the meal growing livelier by the minute, while outside the window the firecrackers began to crackle and pop.