Chapter 173

After a long day of busyness, the family of six became too exhausted. As soon as everyone left, they quickly lit the kang in the room and took a nap. 

In the cold winter, they didn’t want to burn too many kangs. Su Xiaoxiao and Han Cheng slept in the east room with Xiao Tangyuan, while the three boys slept in the west room. Xiao Tangyuan would only return to her own room when the weather warmed up.

Xiao Doubao was full of energy. After helping his mother move things all day, he wasn’t tired when he returned to his room. He took out the colored drawing pens that Grandpa Zhang bought for him and squatted on the ground, intending to paint New Year pictures on the kang.

Xiao Roubao sat on the kang, swung his two short legs, pinched the flesh on his belly, and asked his Second Brother: “Brother, do you think I’m fat?”

Xiao Doubao, who was trying hard to recall the image of the New Year’s doll, looked up and saw his chubby brother. In an instant, the image of the New Year’s doll became vivid—it looked just like Xiao Roubao! He made the New Year baby look cuter like Xiao Tangyuan and Xiao Roubao, changing the hairstyle and adding a bellyband. It was indeed a New Year baby!

Xiao Doubao: “Not fat, not fat at all. My younger brother is not fat at all. Put your clothes down quickly, or your belly button will ache from the cold later.” 

Xiao Roubao pursed his lips and put down his clothes, looking gloomy.

Xiao Doubao, facing his brother, outlined the silhouette of the New Year baby. He stood up, straightened his face, and said, “Brother, don’t move. Give Brother a smile.”

Xiao Roubao has always listened to his second brother’s words the most, he smiled with his eyes squinted and mouth open.

Xiao Doubao captured this moment with a few strokes.

Xiao Roubao’s face froze from smiling too much. He held his chubby cheeks with his hands and said, “Brother, what are you drawing? My face is frozen; can I stop smiling now?”

Looking at his overly cute brother with his eyes squinted, Xiao Doubao said, “Alright, alright, let it go. You’re really our silly little brother.”

Xiao Roubao’s bun-like face instantly drooped. “Brother, Sister Tiantian said I’m fat, and now you are calling me silly. I declare that I’m not happy!”

Xiao Doubao, who had been helping move things with Su Xiaoxiao and didn’t know what was happening outside, asked Xiao Roubao, “Who is Sister Tiantian?”

Speaking of Tiantian, Xiao Roubao instantly had an aggrieved face. “It’s the little sister next door at Granny’s house. She cried and tricked us out of a lot of candy. I won’t play with a crybaby again!”

Fantuan, who was reading a book, found it hard not to laugh at the conversation between his two silly little brothers. “Xiao Roubao just made the little girl next door cry, and so we compensated her with a lot of candy. Xiao Roubao, let me tell you, as long as you eat only three meals a day, eat one less bowl per meal, and only one candy per day, and eat fewer snacks, Big Brother guarantees you’ll be as thin as Brother. Then Tiantian Sister won’t call you fat.”

Xiao Roubao widened his eyes in horror, counting on his fingers. “I only eat three meals a day now; if I eat one less bowl per meal, that’s only two bowls. Mom only allows me to eat two candies a day, and now I have to eat even fewer candies and snacks.”

After finishing his calculations, Xiao Roubao quickly shook his head like a tambourine and said, “I won’t do it! That would make me hungry! Compared to being hungry, I would rather be fat!”

For Xiao Roubao, being fat was a minor issue compared to being hungry. Eating was the greatest thing in the world!

Fantuan chuckled and tapped his little brother’s head with the book. “Oh, our Xiao Roubao can actually do the math. It seems you’re good at it. In the afternoon, Big Brother will teach you some more advanced lessons. You eat three proper meals a day, but you keep complaining of hunger in between. Sometimes you want rice cakes, sometimes you want buns or dumplings. Did Great Uncle Yang secretly make those for you? If you count carefully, you eat more than five meals a day. If Mom really opens a restaurant, you’ll eat from morning till night.”

Fantuan thought he had a good appetite. When he was young, his mother worried that he would overeat. Unexpectedly, Xiao Roubao could eat even more than him. If it weren’t for his high level of activity and controlling the amount of candy and snacks he ate, he would surely become a little meatball.

As for who in the family was most looking forward to Su Xiaoxiao opening a restaurant, it must be Xiao Roubao. In his concept, a restaurant meant endless food that would never run out. Then he wouldn’t just eat five meals a day.

Xiao Doubao said: “Don’t worry, brother. Mom said that both Xiao Roubao and Xiao Tangyuan will go to kindergarten. Xiao Roubao won’t have time to stay in the shop all day and eat.”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Roubao protested, shaking his head like a tambourine again. “I’m not going to kindergarten; I want to go to the restaurant!”

Fantuan laughed happily and said, “You go and tell that to Mom. If you say that, will you believe me if I say that Mom will not open the restaurant?”

Xiao Roubao rolled his eyes and tilted his head. “Big brother, did you go to kindergarten?”

Fantuan shook his head and said, “No.”

Xiao Roubao asked again, “Second brother, have you ever attended kindergarten?”

Xiao Doubao also shook his head and said, “No.”

Xiao Roubao confidently said, “So you haven’t even attended kindergarten; why do I have to go to kindergarten?”

Fantuan tapped his head again. “I didn’t go to kindergarten because I had to help Mom take care of your second brother and you and Xiao Tangyuan. Your second brother also didn’t go to kindergarten because he had to help Mom take care of you and Xiao Tangyuan. Do you have younger siblings to take care of? Do you?”

Xiao Roubao was like a deflated ball. He shook his head and said, “No, Xiao Tangyuan is even more obedient than me. She doesn’t need me to take care of her.”

Fantuan chuckled and ruffled his hair. “At least you’re self-aware. If you don’t sleep, come over. Big Brother will teach you math. If you learn well, you might skip a year of kindergarten.”

Xiao Roubao obediently crawled over and nestled into Fantuan’s blanket. After thinking for a while, he said, “Big Brother, can I ask Mom to have another little brother or sister for me? Then I won’t have to go to kindergarten. Oh, I’m so smart~~”

Fantuan wanted to knock his head again and said, “Mom said you’re too naughty that she won’t give birth again.”

Xiao Roubao mumbled something that only he could understand.

Fantuan planned to switch to a math book to teach him arithmetic. When he turned his head to grab a book, the little guy was already fast asleep.

Fantuan pinched his cheeks, feeling helpless with this carefree little guy.

“What are you drawing, Xiao Doubao?” Fantuan asked Xiao Doubao.

“New Year, babies,” Xiao Doubao replied.

Fantuan glanced at the rosy face under the blanket and seemed to understand something. “Are you drawing New Year babies based on Xiao Roubao’s appearance?”

Xiao Doubao nodded and said, “Yes, and Xiao Tangyuan. They both look like lucky children.”

Fantuan: “…” 

‘Okay, the dragon and phoenix twins do look very similar to the lucky boy in the New Year painting.’ 

“Okay, but you should not draw on the walls outside.”

“Why not?” Xiao Doubao asked back. “If the weather gets better in a couple of days, I also want to draw two outside our house gate.”

Fantuan said, “Don’t do it, don’t do it. Just draw a picture of our house. Think about it: if you show everyone how cute Xiao Roubao and Xiao Tangyuan are, what if someone comes to steal them from us?”

Xiao Doubao tilted his head and thought for a moment. “That’s true; then I’ll draw something else outside.”

………………….

On the 28th day of the lunar new year, Su Xiaoxiao’s new home was spotlessly clean, without the need for washing. Since coming to the capital, she has been busy with household matters and hasn’t had a chance to go out properly. In the afternoon, she planned to take the children out to buy New Year’s goods.

The Spring Festival of 1978 was still a time of scarcity of goods and ticket supply. Poverty and hardship were still the majority situation for most ordinary families. Perhaps due to the end of the political movements and being in the capital, there was a noticeable change in the atmosphere compared to previous years.

Everything has become lively. There are more theatrical parties, concerts, and sports competitions that people can also participate in, and even some domestically produced old movies that had been banned for many years were re-released. It was said that there would also be riddle lanterns, temple fairs, and lantern exhibitions during the Lantern Festival.

Han Cheng somehow managed to get tickets for a television set and wanted to buy one to celebrate the New Year. The children were thrilled because TVs were rare commodities in the 1970s; they were usually black and white, and only 1% of households could probably buy one. Only some government officials and households of cadres could buy them. If Su Xiaoxiao remembered correctly, it would probably be the late 1980s before TVs became more common in ordinary households.

When Su Xiaoxiao’s family arrived at the bustling Capital Department Store, there were New Year stalls set up in the square in front of the store, adorned with lanterns and couplets. There was a wide variety of New Year’s candies, cookies, couplets, and clothing. According to some locals, it had been ten years since the Capital Department Store had been so lively.

There were so many people buying New Year’s goods that Han Cheng worried about the two little ones getting lost. He carried his daughter, while Fantuan carried Xiao Roubao. Su Xiaoxiao held Xiao Doubao’s hand as she struggled to move forward.

The children found it difficult to move in the crowded space, and their eyes were everywhere. They had seen the world before when they accompanied their parents to the market to buy New Year’s goods, but they had never seen such grandeur and liveliness. They can’t help but be stunned.

Xiao Doubao: “Mom, the state-owned shopping malls in Beijing are really different from other places.”

Su Xiaoxiao: “It’s not that Beijing is different; it’s because everything has changed since the beginning of this year, and it will only get better and livelier in the future.”

Han Cheng hugged his daughter with one hand protected Su Xiaoxiao with the other and said, “Your mother is right. This is the atmosphere that the Chinese New Year should have, and it will only be better in the future. The Central Television Station will also resume broadcasting the Spring Festival Gala this year. Let’s buy the TV first.”

Su Xiaoxiao: “Isn’t it necessary to place an order in advance? Do they even have stocks we can buy when we go there?”

Han Cheng: “I’ve already ordered it. Today is the day for pickup.”

Su Xiaoxiao gave him a sideways glance and said, “You didn’t tell us about such a big matter in advance.”

Han Cheng said: “The production of TV was so low that it’s hard to order. I was afraid that there wouldn’t be any stock later, and everyone would be disappointed, so I couldn’t inform you in advance.”

Su Xiaoxiao remembered. “Zhang Hongtu vaguely mentioned something about the TV being confirmed to be in stock before he left.”

Han Cheng nodded. “His family also ordered one. I don’t know if they’ve picked it up.”

Su Xiaoxiao nudged him with his elbow and said, “You, Han Cheng, are keeping secrets about big matters.”

Fantuan asked, “Dad, does that mean we can watch the Spring Festival Gala on the kang at home this year? “

Han Cheng said: “In theory, yes, but we still need to set up an antenna. We’ll see if we can get a signal when the time comes.”

Fantuan, with an excited expression on his face, walked ahead with Xiao Roubai on his back and said, “Let’s hurry up and set up the antenna when we go back. Maybe we can watch TV tonight. Sorry, everyone, please make way, make way. We’re in a bit of a hurry.”

After squeezing through the crowd for a while, Fantuan felt something was wrong and turned back. “Dad, give Mom my little sister, and you go in alone to buy the TV. Mom and I will be at the outside stalls buying New Year’s goods. After you buy it, find us outside. If we get separated, we’ll meet at the big flower bed at the entrance. If we don’t see each other in two hours, we’ll go home separately.”

Su Xiaoxiao smiled and said, “It’s good that our eldest son is smart. Let’s do that.”

The whole family split up and went their separate ways, each with their own mission.