◎ First update ◎ 

For several days afterwards, the aroma of fish wafted through the courtyard from time to time. and some people even thought about raising fish to eat during the New Year, but unfortunately, they couldn’t keep them for that long. 

Before the Chinese New Year, there was another long line in front of the Spring Festival special store in the city. This time Liang Baozhen did not go because her belly was already quite big, and she could not stand the cold wind at midnight. 

The two brothers, Xu Shengjie and Xu Shengwei, planned to buy a few pounds of meat. Xu Shengwei took two small stools and went out with his older brother. Before they left, Xu Shengya, as usual, checked to see if her brothers were dressed warmly before running back to sleep.  

Liang Baozhen, still feeling sleepy, noticed that her husband was getting up. She half-opened her eyes and called out to the living room, “Shengjie, Shengjie.”  

“What’s wrong?” Xu Shengjie strode in. Seeing his wife struggling to get up, he hurried over, “Are you not feeling well?” 

“No.” Liang Baozhen looked at him, who had just come back from the night shift yesterday, with a scruffy beard that hadn’t been shaved clean. She reached out and touched the short, hard stubble. “Be careful not to catch a cold when you go out. Remember to wear a cashmere hat and woolen gloves with Xiao Wei.” 

“I know. I’ve brought them all with me. Don’t worry.” Xu Shengjie felt warmed by his wife’s words, like a comforting warmth in winter. As he tucked the quilt around her, he checked to make sure that no cold air was coming in before preparing to leave. 

He leaned over and kissed his dazed wife on her red lips. “I’m leaving now. You go to sleep.” 

Liang Baozhen only felt a dark shadow approaching, and her lips felt cold. More importantly, there was a stubble sweeping across her face. She smiled and slapped the man, “Come back and shave your stubble.” 

“Okay.” 

Xu Shengjie and Xu Shengwei set off, stepping into the night and braving the wind and snow. Zhou Yun slipped out of bed in her cotton shoes, sent her two grandchildren away, and then closed the door. She noticed how Xiao Wei was nearly at his brother’s shoulder height—he had really grown a lot. 

As the Spring Festival approached, Liang Baozhen was always asked to stay home and rest. Whenever she went out to work, Xu Shengjie would support her the entire way, afraid that something might happen to her. 

There were five strips of bacon hanging from the hooks on the wall at home, yellowed by smoke. To celebrate the New Year, Xu Shengjie and his brother lined up to buy three pounds of pork belly that day. Winter was a natural storage season, so if left there, they would freeze solid and not spoil. 

Liang Baozhen wanted to go out to buy New Year’s goods, but Xu Shengjie stopped her and said, “Write down what you want to buy on a piece of paper and I’ll go get it.” 

“No, you can’t buy them all. There are different kinds of melon seeds and peanuts. And I want to buy something for my parents. Don’t I need to see what it’s like in person?” 

“There’s a lot of ice outside and the road is very slippery. What if you slip?” Xu Shengjie didn’t even dare to ride a bicycle with her, fearing it would be a big problem if the wheels didn’t cooperate. 

“Baozhen, your belly is big now, so it’s better to be careful.” Zhou Yun advised from the side, “Xiao Jie knows what he’s doing.” 

“Okay.” Liang Baozhen leaned over the table and wrote a long list, detailing everything from sunflower seeds, peanuts, and candied fruits to cigarettes, alcohol, and cloth, specifying how much and what size to buy, and which brands to choose if there were different options.  

After passing the note over, she didn’t forget to remind him again, “Make sure not to buy the wrong things, and confirm with the salesperson at the supply and marketing cooperative.”  

“Got it.” 

“Sister-in-law, don’t worry, I will supervise my brother.” The weather was too cold, and Xu Shengwei could not play table tennis for a long time. He had to take a break after playing outside for a while, and his little face was red from the cold. 

“I’ll supervise too!” Liang Baozhen had wrapped most of Xu Shengya’s face in a beige scarf, with a cashmere hat on top, leaving only a pair of beautiful almond eyes exposed. Her voice floated out from the gap in the scarf, with a hint of excitement. 

Today’s New Year’s shopping team consists of the three siblings of the Xu family. 

“Be careful, the road is slippery.” 

Zhou Yun couldn’t help but remind them; every winter, someone would slip and fall on the road. Fortunately, everyone was bundled up; otherwise, they would really suffer. 

As soon as they left and the door was closed, the room instantly became warm again. Zhou Yun and Liang Baozhen sat by the fire in the living room and gradually warmed up. 

“It’s inconvenient for you to go back this year because you’re pregnant. Let Xiao Jie deliver the New Year gifts to your home.” 

“There’s no need Grandma, my second brother sent someone to tell me the day before yesterday that he will come to the city in the next few days. You can just ask him to bring it back when the time comes.” 

“That’s good,” Zhou Yun nodded. Now, all she did was housework and make clothes for her unborn great-grandchild at home.  

Because she didn’t know whether it was a boy or a girl, she used white and beige plaid material to make small clothes that can be worn by both boys and girls. They are small and adorable. 

“Conditions are better now. When Xiao Jie was born, he wore only old clothes from home that were altered; he hardly had any new clothes as a child.” Zhou Yun recalled the past when Xu Shengjie was just a little boy, and now he was about to become a father. 

“Grandma, did Shengjie cause a lot of trouble when he was little?” 

“He did; he was the most mischievous kid when he was a few years old. But by the time he was eight or nine, his temperament calmed down. He acted like a little old man and was more mature than the other kids his age. He was always the leader of the group, and it wasn’t just because he talked a lot; everyone respected him.” Zhou Yun seemed to be recalling how her grandson looked as a child among the family members of the State Cotton Factory.  

“His parents were still working in the factory at that time.” Every New Year, one can’t help but think of relatives, Zhou Yun sighed. 

“Then we have to show the child a picture of their grandparents so they can recognize them, right?” Liang Baozhen touched her belly and comforted Zhou Yun. When Xu Mingyuan and Wu Huacui died unexpectedly, Zhou Yun was only 50 years old. It was truly a case of the old sending off the young. 

Zhou Yun smiled and nodded. She had three children in total. One married far away, one died early, and another lived as if they were enemies. Thinking about it on such occasions made her feel a bit uncomfortable. 

“Grandma will take care of the children for you then. Xiao Jie, Xiao Wei, and Xiao Ya were all raised by me.” With the birth of a new life, there is always hope. Zhou Yun focused on sewing clothes. Children grow quickly, so she planned to make four sets of clothes first and then slowly add more as they grow. 

When Xu Shengjie and his siblings returned from buying New Year goods, they came back loaded with a big bag of things. They had prepared gifts for several places they needed to visit, and the house needed to be filled with sunflower seeds and snacks. Xu Shengjie was truly busy that day, carrying New Year gifts while also going to the Hong family’s home to pay New Year visits. The Hong family had always treated him well, but unfortunately, this year, Liang Baozhen couldn’t move around easily, so he had to go alone.  

“No wonder people say the New Year is like swallowing gold. After saving some money and tickets all year, a lot gets spent during this time.”  

“That’s right. No matter how hard or tiring it is during the year, the New Year must be celebrated well; otherwise, it feels like the whole year was wasted.” 

Suddenly someone came rushing into their house.  

“Godfather, godfather!” Biaozi hurried to the door of Xu’s house, looking around for someone. 

“Biaozi, what’s the matter? Your godfather went out to pay New Year’s greetings.” 

“Godmother, Xiaolong and Xiaohu’s father is here and wants to take them away to celebrate the New Year!” Biaozi spoke with heavy breathing, exhaling a cloud of white air. He ran in a hurry and tried to explain the matter clearly. “Xiaolong didn’t agree but their father carried Xiaohu and wanted to run away. Aunt Zhang is trying to stop him right now.” 

“Ah? Let’s go take a look.” Liang Baozhen and Zhou Yun stood up and prepared to go to the west wing. At the same time, they told Biaozi to go out and find Xu Shengjie. “Your godfather is in the Hutong in Shanhao. Do you know the way?” 

“Yes.” 

“Go find your godfather and bring him back.”  

“Xiao Wei, go to the bus company and ask the other workers if they can contact your Aunt Nianhua. Tell her that Zhou Guoping is back and wants to take the children away, and ask her to come back as soon as possible.”  

“I got it, sister-in-law. I’ll go right away.” Xu Shengwei was in a hurry to go out. 

“Xiao Ya, go find someone at the neighborhood office and tell them that something happened in our courtyard and that someone wants to snatch a child away,” Liang Baozhen said to Xu Shengya.  

“Okay!” 

“Everyone, be careful on the way; the road is slippery.” 

“Yes, we’ll be careful.” 

Today is the last rest day before the New Year. Every household has gone out to buy New Year’s goods, leaving only a few people in the courtyard. Zhou Guoping probably calculated the timing of his visit for that reason. 

Liang Baozhen and Zhou Yun walked out, but they didn’t see many adults. Most of the children were in inside their houses. Zhang Rong didn’t go out to buy New Year’s goods because she had a sore waist today, so she let Yao Guangrong go out alone. 

At the entrance of the west wing, Zhou Guoping was arguing with Zhang Rong. Zhou Guoping was dressed better this time than last time; at least he looked like a decent person, and he even combed his hair. 

“Aunt Zhang, this is my son. Is there something wrong with me taking him to celebrate the New Year? You just have to poke your nose into other people’s business, don’t you?” 

“Nianhua isn’t home; where do you think you’re taking the child?” 

*** 

Liu Nianhua didn’t waste her time this past year. On the 26th before the New Year, she was working and had two days off coming up. As the year-end approached, the bus was getting increasingly crowded, filled with people out buying New Year supplies. 

In the already crowded bus, everyone was carrying large and small bundles, all bundled up in thick clothes, making it even harder to fit more people in. 

As soon as the door opened, everyone rushed to squeeze in, fearing that they would not be able to get on the bus. Some people had been waiting for almost half an hour, their hands and feet frozen while waiting in the cold wind. 

A group of people filled the bus in an instant. Liu Nianhua held the ticket in her hand and walked in shouting loudly, while she moved among them and started collecting money and tearing up the tickets. 

“Where to?” 

As Liu Nianhua reached the back row, she looked up and saw Zhou Qingdang smiling at her. He said in a low voice, “Crescent Alley.” 

Liu Nianhua collected the money skillfully and tore off a ticket and gave it to Zhou Qingdang. Seeing a familiar face from the courtyard naturally made her feel more at ease, especially since their family had helped her quite a bit. 

“Just got off work?” 

“Yes, just in time to catch your bus.” Zhou Qingdang looked at Liu Nianhua. She nodded and smiled before squeezing in next to another passenger. She has become quite skilled at her job, working in an orderly manner and no longer allowing herself to be bullied by arrogant passengers. 

When they arrived at the bus stop near the Crescent Alley, Zhou Qingdang walked to the door of the bus and turned around to say goodbye to her, but Liu Nianhua was already collecting tickets with her back to him. 

Zhou Qingdang wanted to say something but held back. 

“Those who just got on the bus, please move inside. There is still space inside. Don’t crowd at the door.” Liu Nianhua thought of Zhou Qingdang, who was going to get off at Crescent Alley. She turned around and saw that he had already gotten off the bus and was walking towards the entrance of the alley.