Chinese Traditional Festival Story: Grandma and the Rooster/中国传统节日故事·外婆和大公鸡

Grandma lived a comfortable life in the countryside, raising chickens and growing vegetables. But for her granddaughter, Xiaoyue, she decided to change her habits and spend the Lunar New Year in the city. On New Year's Eve, Grandma brought a large rooster to the city, intending to make chicken soup for Xiaoyue to nourish her body. Unexpectedly, Xiaoyue hugged the rooster tightly and insisted on keeping it. Dad said that keeping chickens was not allowed in the city, and Mom worried that the rooster's crowing would disturb the neighbors, but in the end, everyone allowed the chicken to stay. On New Year's Day, Grandma took Xiaoyue to visit the neighbors and explained her idea of keeping a chicken. The neighbors all readily agreed—a rooster in the Year of the Rooster was especially popular. Xiaoyue discovered that Grandma, Mom, and she were all born in the Year of the Rooster, so she asked the rooster for feathers. Grandma used the feathers to make new cotton shoes and a shuttlecock, which made Xiaoyue extremely happy. For the next seven days, the rooster crowed on the balcony every day, sparking a discussion among citizens about whether it was okay to keep chickens in the city, and also awakening many people's memories of their rural childhood. A year later, Xiaoyue's grandmother, who missed her rural home, returned to the countryside with Xiaoyue's family to celebrate the Spring Festival. The roosters, fields, and friends in the village gave Xiaoyue a different kind of festive atmosphere.

外婆住在农村，养鸡种菜日子惬意，却为了外孙女小悦，决定改变习惯去城里过年。除夕这天，外婆带着一只大公鸡进城，本想做鸡汤给小悦补身体，没想到小悦抱着大公鸡爱不释手，执意要养它。爸爸说城里不许养鸡，妈妈担心鸡叫影响邻居，可大家最终还是留下了这只鸡。 年初一，外婆带着小悦给邻居拜年，说明想养鸡的想法，邻居们都欣然同意——鸡年的大公鸡格外招人喜欢。小悦发现外婆、妈妈和自己都属鸡，便向大公鸡要了羽毛，外婆用羽毛做了新棉鞋和毽子，小悦开心极了。接下来的七天里，大公鸡每天在阳台打鸣，还引发了市民对“城里能不能养鸡”的讨论，更唤醒了不少人对乡村童年的回忆。一年后，牵挂农村家园的外婆，和小悦一家回到农村过年，村里的大公鸡、田野和小伙伴，让小悦感受到了不一样的年味。