After a heavy snowfall, the outside world had become nearly deserted, and Xu An’s school was closed. The three siblings spent their days sitting on the kang, listening to the radio, looking at picture books, and making various delicious foods. Life was quite pleasant.

Xu Mo held a steamed bun in one hand and picked up some braised pork with chopsticks in the other. He said, “Sister, can I take the radio to the cattle shed this afternoon for Grandpa Qi and the others to listen to?”

Xu Ning wiped his mouth with a handkerchief and replied, “Go ahead! Take it with your second brother and bring along the egg cake I just put in the basket.”

Originally, Xu Ning had planned to send the egg cake with Xu An that afternoon. She had just figured it out that morning, using milk powder, eggs, and flour to steam it. The result was quite successful: fluffy and soft. She packed a whole basket to share with them.

In the afternoon, the two of them took the radio to the cattle shed. Xu Ning intended to tidy up her storage space, as she had just bought things and put them away without organizing them properly. Now, many items were buried underneath.

In Xinshi, Dawan Village, at the youth camp, someone shouted, “Lu Xiaoran, Lu Xiaoran, you have a letter and a package!” Lu Xiaoran had just returned from school and was in the kitchen cooking when she heard someone calling her from outside.

She said to Li Xiaoyu, who was tending the fire, “I’m stepping outside for a moment. Can you keep an eye on the pot?”

Li Xiaoyu replied, “Go ahead! I’ll watch the pot. I heard the mailman calling you for a package.”

Lu Xiaoran walked to the entrance of the youth camp and saw the mailman bringing down a large package from the truck. When he spotted her, he asked if she was Lu Xiaoran. After confirming her identity, he had her sign for it and handed over the package and the letter.

Lu Xiaoran noticed that both the letter and the package were from Yushu Village in the northeastern province of Huaguo. She took them inside, planning to lock them in the cupboard and look at them after dinner. It was her turn to cook with Li Xiaoyu that day, and she didn’t want to leave all the work to her.

In Dawan Village, there were seven educated youths: three males and four females. She and the three other female zhiqing lived in the west room, while the three males stayed in the east room.

As Lu Xiaoran opened the door with the package in hand, Chen Guo, who was lying on the kang, caught sight of what she was holding and flashed a look of envy. However, she dared not provoke Lu Xiaoran. This girl, though seemingly gentle, had quite the sharp methods. Now she was dating one of the village’s notorious delinquents, who was tough and fierce, and whose parents were known as bullies in the village.

Lu Xiaoran opened the cupboard, placed the package and the letter inside, locked it up, and then stepped out to continue cooking, not even glancing at Chen Guo on the kang.

Back in the kitchen, Li Xiaoyu smiled and asked, “Is it from your brother?”

“Yeah, it’s from my brother and sister,” Lu Xiaoran replied as she took the steamed corn bread out of the pot and stir-fried some cabbage.

Li Xiaoyu stood at the kitchen door and called out, “Dinner time!”

The other young intellectuals opened their doors and came out. Each took a small bowl of cabbage and two pieces of corn bread. The kitchen was too cold, so they carried their meals back to their rooms to eat.

After the others finished their meal and lay down to rest, Lu Xiaoran opened the letter. It began with Xu An’s greetings and an explanation of how the items were sent. Next came Xu Mo’s innocent words, followed by Xu Ning’s updates and reassurances.

As Lu Xiaoran finished reading the letter, her eyes reddened. She opened the package and looked at its contents, unable to hold back her tears any longer.

Seeing her so upset, Li Xiaoyu quickly sat up and asked, “Xiaoran, what’s wrong? What happened?”

Lu Xiaoran hurriedly wiped her tears and said, “It’s nothing, I just saw a letter from home and started to miss my family.”

Just then, a low male voice called out for Lu Xiaoran from outside.

Li Xiaoyu teased her with a raised eyebrow, “Why aren’t you going? Hurry up!” Lu Xiaoran felt embarrassed by her laughter and quickly put on her shoes before stepping outside.

As she opened the door, she saw Song Mingyuan standing at the entrance of the compound, pushing a bicycle. When he spotted her, he parked the bike and walked over with a package in hand.

Noticing her red eyes and somber expression, he asked, “Why are you crying? Did someone bully you?”

“No, it’s just a letter from home,” she replied, pulling him toward the kitchen.

They sat down in the kitchen, and Xiaoran, seeing what he was holding, asked, “Did you go to the city again today? Didn’t I tell you to stay away from the black market? It’s too dangerous!”

Song Mingyuan cleared his throat awkwardly and said, “Don’t worry! I was careful. I haven’t been going much lately.”

He then opened the package on the table, revealing some pastries inside. Holding one piece up to her mouth, he said, “These are snacks from the capital. Try it and see if it tastes like you remember.” ^[1]Capital – Beijing

Lu Xiaoran looked at the yellow pea cake in front of her and then at the man across from her. Although he wasn’t particularly handsome and didn’t fit the image of a diligent son-in-law her mother might prefer, he had never done anything wrong in her eyes.

Lu Xiaoran took a bite of the pastry in front of her and smiled gently at the man across from her. “It’s so delicious! I haven’t tasted this flavor in over three years.”

Seeing how much she enjoyed it, Song Mingyuan placed the box of pastries in front of her so she could have more. However, he noticed her still-red eyes and asked, “Did something happen with your parents?”

Lu Xiaoran, seeing the concern in his eyes, smiled and replied, “No, it’s fine. My parents are doing well. My sister and brother are there to take care of them.”

She went inside to retrieve the package and showed it to him. “These are the things they sent me. Take some back for Uncle and Aunt to try.”

Afterward, she found a bag and took half of the pine nuts, hazelnuts, and dried meat to give to him. She also filled a jar with half of the brown sugar.

Song Mingyuan hurriedly stopped her, saying, “Just take a handful of pine nuts and hazelnuts. Keep the rest for yourself!”

Lu Xiaoran ignored him and continued packing. She wrapped the blue scarf around his neck, placed the cotton hat on his head, and handed him a pair of cotton gloves.

“I haven’t worn the cotton hat you bought me last time. This one my sister sent me is for you. We can each have a pair of gloves, and I have two scarves—yours is blue and mine is red.” After saying this, Xiaoran handed him the bag of dried meat.

“Take this food back for Uncle and Aunt. Aunt has always treated me so well, giving me whatever she can. This is my way of showing gratitude.”

Watching Lu Xiaoran as she busily gathered things and wrapped the scarf and gloves around him, Song Mingyuan felt a warmth swell in his heart, filled with tenderness.