"Twenty-three, the honeydew melon is sticky, and the kitchen owner wants to go to heaven." Sacrificing stoves in off-year is an ancient folk custom. Sacrificing the kitchen stove is also called "sending the kitchen god". According to legend, Kitchen God reports the good and evil of a family to the Jade Emperor on this day every year, and returns on New Year's Eve to reward the good and punish the evil, or to bless or eliminate the disaster. So every family should clean up, provide candy to the kitchen and let the kitchen god put in a good word. Now that urban families have no stoves, we can prepare more sweets and cakes to symbolize the sweetness of life in the coming year. In addition, jiaozi and Huoshao are also the special seasonal foods in off-year period.

Twenty-three, honeydew melon is sticky; Twenty-five, grinding bean curd; Twenty-seven, slaughter the rooster; Twenty-eight, send face; Twenty-nine, steamed bread; Thirty nights, one night.