Xu Mo stood by the stove, eyeing the clay pot and swallowing hard as he asked, “Sister, when will this soup be ready?” Seeing his eager expression, Xu Ning grabbed a bowl and served him a portion, telling him to sit and enjoy it.

She picked up the flatbreads that had stuck to the sides of the big pot and placed them in a basket. Then, she ladled the braised pork with pickled vegetables and vermicelli into a large basin, ensuring there was enough for the three of them. She planned to take it all to the cow shed, so she also scooped out a big bowl of chicken soup from the clay pot to bring along.

Xu An carried the dishes while Xu Ning held the clay pot, and her backpack was filled with flatbreads and two pounds of white liquor. Grandpa Qi opened the door for them. In the kitchen, Father Xu was tending to the fire while Mother Xu was stir-frying vegetables. When Mother Xu saw her daughter and son bringing so much food, she breathed a sigh of relief; she had been worried about not having enough dishes.

Hearing their arrival, Uncle Lu and Aunt Lu came out with their son.

Xu Ning greeted them, “Uncle Lu, Aunt Lu, Big Brother Lu, I cooked a couple of dishes at home for you to try.”

The three of them looked at the spread on the table: a large basin of braised pork and cabbage with vermicelli, a basket of flatbreads, and a big clay pot releasing wisps of steam. Lu Xiaotang glanced at her, while Aunt Lu walked over, took her hand, and said, “Xiao Ning, thank you.” She understood that the extra dishes were a gesture since their son was visiting.

Uncle Lu approached as well, saying, “Good child, thank you so much.”

Xu Ning smiled and replied, “Uncle Lu, Aunt Lu, why are you being so polite? Please sit down and eat. It’s cold, and the food will get cold soon.”

Father Xu and Uncle Lu accompanied the siblings to the door, mentioning to Xu Ning that Lu Xiaotang would be staying with them for a few days.

Xu Ning replied, “Uncle Lu, just let Big Brother Lu stay with us comfortably. I’ll just tell others that he’s my cousin visiting me and Xiao An. If he comes again, he can stay with us too. Don’t worry; we have plenty of space. Xiao An’s room is spacious enough.”

After the three finished their meal, Xu Ning sent Xu An and Xiao Mo to play on the kang. She planned to retrieve some items from her storage space. If Big Brother Lu was staying at their house, she couldn’t take things out as easily. The bin of white flour was running low after using quite a bit today, so she decided to take out another 30 pounds. She still had some cornmeal left from the last 30 pounds she took out, and since both she and Xiao An had received corn as rations, they could just mill it in the village later. There was no need to take more cornmeal. The jar of rice was still full, so she didn’t need to bring any of that either.

There were ten pounds of meat left in the jar, so she took out the washed pig offal from the previous day and placed it in an empty jar. After a moment’s thought, she also retrieved a pig’s head.

Opening the door, Xu Ning noticed that the snow was falling thicker outside, covering the ground in a thick layer. Even sitting on the kang felt less warm than usual, and she decided she would light the fire wall tomorrow.

Checking her watch, she saw it was nine o’clock. Xiao Mo was already asleep, while Xiao An was still looking at a picture book. Xu Ning was busy knitting a sweater.

Suddenly, she heard the small door creak open outside. Xu An and Xu Ning put on their shoes and headed out. Just as they reached the door, Father Xu called out, “Xiao Ning, open the door!”

Xu Ning opened the door to find her father, Uncle Lu and Big Brother Lu standing outside. Big Brother Lu was holding a suitcase, and snowflakes were dancing around them in the heavy snowfall. Xu Ning quickly ushered them inside, but Father Xu and Uncle Lu said it was too late for them to come in, so they left.

Hurrying to bring the others inside, Xu Ning noticed Big Brother Lu looking around their modest living space. Everything was neatly arranged, with each corner filled with items that gave the room a cozy, lived-in feel.

Xu An led Big Brother Lu to the bedroom, where a large kang took up half the room, capable of sleeping three or four adults. A row of cabinets lined one side, with a table on top. The walls were adorned with newspapers, brightening the space and making it appear clean. On the other side stood a large shelf piled high with bags that looked like grain, and a big wooden tub was tucked into one corner.

While Big Brother Lu continued to assess the room, Xu An returned with a new towel and a porcelain basin. “Big Brother Lu, wash your face first,” he said.

Big Brother Lu immediately took the basin from him, saying, “I’ll do it. You should go to bed; it’s getting late.”

Xu An didn’t reply and dashed out, soon returning with another porcelain basin. “Big Brother Lu, this one’s for washing your feet. The water’s a bit hot, so soak your feet for a while and relax.” He handed over a towel for drying his feet, then took the basin with the water he had just used to wash his face and went outside to dispose of it.

Big Brother Lu couldn’t help but laugh at the boy’s enthusiasm. Xu An stood by, ready to wait for the foot-washing water. Big Brother Lu urged him to go sleep on the kang, insisting he would handle it himself.

Once they were on the kang, Xu An handed Big Brother Lu the larger quilt. “Big Brother Lu, this quilt is new and very warm. You can stay here as long as you like; we have plenty of food. You see all those bags on the shelf? They’re all wild goods we collected from the mountains. There’s more in the kitchen and in my sister’s room—it’s all grain.”

Big Brother Lu felt a warmth in his heart and smiled. “Then I’ll settle in here.”

Xu An nodded enthusiastically.

When Xu Ning got up, she noticed the water tank was full, and there was a pile of firewood neatly stacked beside the kitchen stove. She wondered to herself, when did this person get up?

She opened the door to find that snow was still falling, though it had lightened a bit compared to yesterday. The snow at the entrance had been cleared away. As she walked over to the woodshed, she heard the rhythmic sound of someone chopping wood. She looked closer and saw that the wood they had cut a few days ago had nearly all been split.

“Big Brother Lu, why did you get up so early in this cold? You should come inside and warm up instead of chopping more wood,” she called out.

“It’s nothing; I’m not cold. I’ll come in after I finish chopping this.” he replied.

Seeing that she couldn’t get Big Brother Lu to come in, Xu Ning went inside to prepare breakfast. She lit the stove and started to cook some millet porridge and made dough for fried flatbreads. Just as she finished rolling out the dough and was about to start frying the pancakes, she realized that Xu An hadn’t woken up yet. He probably stayed up late the night before, so she decided not to call him. In winter, there wasn’t much to do, and kids needed their sleep to grow taller, so he could wake up whenever he was ready.

When Big Brother Lu came inside and saw her frying the pancakes, he settled in front of the stove to help with the fire.

Xu Ning made twelve fried flatbreads, stir-fried some shredded radish, and boiled a few salted duck eggs.

By the time Xu An got up, breakfast was already ready. He felt a little embarrassed for sleeping in. Xu Ning smiled and said, “Go wake up Xiao Mo for breakfast.”

When Xiao Mo got up and saw another person in the house, he asked, “Sister, who is he? Why is he in our home?”

Xu Ning replied, “Xiao Mo, this is Big Brother Lu, the son of Uncle Lu and Aunt Lu. He’ll be living with us from now on. Go say hello.”

“Big Brother Lu!” Xiao Mo greeted.

“Xiao Mo is really good,” Big Brother Lu said, smiling as he patted Xiao Mo’s head.

After they finished eating, Xu Ning decided it was time to light the fire wall; it was just too cold.