Once the fire wall was lit, the room became warm. Xu Ning prepared a bowl of dough, intending to steam some buns for lunch, and she also took the big pig’s head out to clean, planning to marinate it in the afternoon.

When Da Lin, Jian Min, and Er Dan arrived, Lu Xiaotang was on the kang, telling stories to Xu An and Xu Mo.

As soon as Jian Min arrived, he said to Xu Ning, “Xu Zhiqing, when are we going to ride your bike around the village?”

Xu Ning thought to herself, With this thick snow, you want me to ride a bike with you around the village?

Hearing that Jian Min and the others had come, Xu An quickly put on his shoes and stepped outside. Lu Xiaotang also brought Xu Mo along behind him. When Xu An learned that Jian Min wasn’t looking for him, but rather wanted Xu Ning to take him cycling around the village, he couldn’t help but feel speechless.

“With this thick snow, you want my sister to ride a bike with you around the village? Aren’t you afraid of falling?”

In the end, it was Lu Xiaotang who cleared a patch of ground outside. He pushed the bike around a few laps with the others, satisfying their desire to ride. Seeing how cold the others were, with their noses turning red, Xu Ning invited them inside to look at the picture book on the kang.

Noticing Xu Ning holding the big pig’s head while plucking its hair, Lu Xiaotang took it from her and said, “How did you get such a big pig’s head?”

“Someone I know works at the slaughterhouse. He helped me get it without a ticket,” Xu Ning said mysteriously on purpose.

Seeing her making funny faces, Lu Xiaotang chuckled and asked, “Is the person reliable? You’re still young; you have to be careful.”

“It’s a relative of ours from this side, Big Brother Lu. I know what I’m doing,” Xu Ning replied.

Lu Xiaotang nodded in acknowledgment.

At noon, Xu Ning made two pots of two-mix dough buns, stir-fried a fatty intestine with chili, and stewed some cabbage and vermicelli with oil residue.

She invited Jian Min and the others to eat there instead of going home, but they insisted on returning, promising to come back to play in the afternoon. Xu Ning handed each of them a bun filled with a few pieces of fatty intestine to take with them.

The stir-fried fatty intestine received unanimous praise from the group. Xu Ning had initially planned to cook the leftover intestine with the pig’s head meat in the afternoon, but since they enjoyed it so much, she decided to keep it for frying again.

In the afternoon, Xu Ning sent Xu An to the cattle shed to tell them not to cook dinner that night; they would bring food over.

In the evening, Xu Ning cut up the marinated pig’s head meat, pig lungs, pig heart, and pig liver, filling a large bowl. She also prepared another bowl of marinated vegetables—kelp, wood ear mushrooms, frozen tofu, and potato slices—along with a bowl of steamed rice.

Xu Ning and Lu Xiaotang carried the food over. After delivering the meal, Xu Ning returned, while Lu Xiaotang stayed to eat and would come back later to sleep.

When Lu Xiaotang returned after dinner, Xu An immediately jumped down from the kang and said, “Big Brother Lu, you’re back! I’ll go get you some water to wash your face.”

Lu Xiaotang lifted him back onto the kang, laughing, “Go to sleep. I can wash up myself.”

Xu Ning had been knitting until late the previous night. Thinking she could finish a bit more before sleeping, she lost track of time. When she finally checked the clock, it was already past eleven. She woke up late in the morning, and Xu Mo had already gotten up without her noticing.

Opening the door, she saw that the snow had stopped, and the sun was out, but it somehow felt even colder. Xu Ning shivered.

In the kitchen, Lu Xiaotang sat by the stove, stoking the fire, while Xu Mo sat beside him. Xu An was pouring dough into the pot, saying, “Big Brother Lu, my dumpling soup is super delicious! You have to drink a couple of bowls later. This is my specialty! I can also make rice porridge, millet porridge, and corn mush. I’m still learning! My sister said she wants to train me to be a little cooking expert.”

Hearing this, Xu Ning couldn’t help but laugh, catching the attention of the others. She noticed Lu Xiaotang’s eyes were also smiling.

Xu An blushed and looked at his sister. “Sis, why are you laughing?”

Cough, cough “Oh, Xiao An, I’m not laughing at you. I’m just happy to see that you’ve already made the meal, and it’s my favorite dumpling soup,” Xu Ning replied.

Only then did Xu An blush further and continue pouring dough into the pot.

After breakfast, Lu Xiaotang looked at the nice weather and wanted to take a stroll up the mountain. Xu An also wanted to join him.

Xu Ning thought that since Xu An was at an age where he was lively and active, it wouldn’t be good for him to stay cooped up at home all the time. So, she helped him put on his hat and gloves. Noticing that Lu Xiaotang didn’t have a hat, she went inside to get him a large cotton hat and a pair of cotton gloves.

Lu Xiaotang glanced at the hat and gloves in her hands and accepted them, putting them on.

Xu Mo watched the two leave for the mountain, tears welling up in his eyes. Xu Ning didn’t dare let him go; he was too young, and the weather was cold. With a lack of medicine and supplies, getting a cold could be serious.

She told Xu Mo to stay inside and enjoy some roasted chestnuts by the stove. She helped him sit on the kang and brought the stove over. After placing an iron plate on top, she carefully cut a cross into the chestnuts to prevent them from bursting while roasting. She also brought over a plate of pine nuts, which smelled even better when roasted.

The siblings enjoyed their snack, but then they heard someone calling for Xu Zhiqing outside. Xu Ning opened the door to find Wei Lanlan and Yang Xiaomei.

“Xu Zhiqing, what are you up to? We’ve been so bored inside that we came here to visit and get some fresh air,” Wei Lanlan said with a smile.

“Oh, I’m just roasting chestnuts at home. Come in and try some!” Xu Ning said, welcoming them inside.

As soon as they stepped in, they spotted Xu Mo on the kang. Wei Lanlan asked, “Xu Zhiqing, isn’t this the little boy from the cattle shed? What’s he doing here?”

Xu Ning explained, “It’s because Old Man Qi from the cattle shed saw that we weren’t working right now and asked the village head to let us help look after him. There’s too much work at the cattle shed, and the adults can’t take care of him.”

Wei Lanlan said, “Oh, I see. This little boy is quite well-behaved.”

“Yes, he’s very good—doesn’t cry or make a fuss. He just sits there every day looking at picture books. Since the village head arranged for him to be here, he listens well, so I thought I’d help take care of him,” Xu Ning replied casually.

“Xu Zhiqing, why is it so warm in your house?” Yang Xiaomei asked from the side.

“I built a fire wall. It’s warm enough, but it wastes a lot of firewood. Come on, let’s sit on the kang; it’s warmer up there,” Xu Ning said.

Ever since Lu Xiaotang arrived, Xu Ning had rarely gone to the other room. Although her kang was a bit smaller, it could still accommodate a few people.

Xu Ning offered the roasted pine nuts to them, and Wei Lanlan sighed enviously, “Xu Zhiqing, you really live comfortably! You have no idea—we seven people share one kang at the youth camp, and it’s so cramped at night. When Lin Miao was still here, we even had eight people on one kang. The boys have it a bit better with four to a room, because three of the male youth have moved out to build their own places. I really don’t know when this situation will end.”

Xu Ning smiled but didn’t reply. Their lives seemed more comfortable compared to those at the camp, but they hadn’t seen the siblings chopping firewood and foraging in the mountains every day. Good days were earned through hard work.

As they sat on the kang eating pine nuts and chatting, time flew by. Xu Ning learned about the recent happenings at the youth station: since Lin Miao moved out, she rarely came back. Gu Wenjing wanted to move in with her, but Lin Miao refused, using the excuse that it was inconvenient to stay with others. Gu Wenjing had even thrown a tantrum at the youth station over it.

Gu Wenping often visited Lin Miao, but she didn’t meet with him much; sometimes Gu Wenping would go three times and still not see her. He even asked her good friend Yang Wenli to talk to Lin Miao on his behalf. Xu Ning listened intently as she enjoyed the pine nuts.