Hearing Ning Shu’s voice coming from inside the house, Yi Bao ran to his mother’s room, a little worried. “Mom, are you sick? Is your throat uncomfortable?” His mother’s voice sounded strange, different from usual.

It was only when she was sick or had a sore throat that her voice sounded like this.

Thinking that his mother might be… sick, he felt very worried. “Mom, does your throat hurt? Let me go get you some hot water to drink.”

Ning Shu: “…”

She really wanted to call Lin Guodong and let her son torture him. “I’m fine, you don’t need to worry. My throat just feels a bit hoarse from sleeping too much. It’ll be fine in a little while.”

Ning Shu quickly put on her clothes. Today was the first day of the lunar new year, and everyone was wearing new clothes, but Ning Shu was wearing last year’s clothes.

She used to make a lot of clothes herself, but she didn’t make any for herself this year.

She wore black wide-leg pants and cotton shoes made by Zhang Shenshi.

Ning Shu quite liked the handmade cotton shoes from this era.

Not only was the craftsmanship excellent, but they were also very warm.

For the upper body, she wore a white sweater with a long dark gray cotton coat. Having worn down jackets all winter in her past life, she genuinely felt that cotton coats weren’t warm enough.

To make them warm enough, they had to be long.

Ning Shu got dressed and went out, holding the red packets for the children in her hand.

So, when she opened the door, the red packets hanging from the red yarn in her hand swayed, catching the attention of all the children in the yard.

Everyone’s eyes gleamed as they looked at Ning Shu… and the red packets in her hand.

Yi Bao naturally saw them too, but he was more concerned about his mother.

He looked at her face, which was rosy and her skin was fair.

She should be fine, right? He remembered his grandmother saying that if someone’s complexion was rosy, they were probably not sick.

But Yi Bao still couldn’t be sure and asked again, “Mom, are you really okay?”

Ning Shu patted Yi Bao’s head. “I’m really okay. If Mom has any problems, I’ll definitely tell Yi Bao, okay?”

Like many children who didn’t doubt adults’ words, Yi Bao also didn’t doubt his mother’s words.

Seeing his mother repeatedly saying she was fine, he felt relieved. “Okay.”

Ning Shu smiled and said, “Come on, children, Happy New Year to all of you! Line up from the youngest to the oldest and get your red packets for the new year.”

As soon as they heard “the youngest,” Yi Bao said, “San Bao is in the house, I’ll go get San Bao.”

“San Bao is here,” Lin Haiwu brought San Bao out from inside the house.

Every child was eager to receive their red packet.

“Mom, are you really giving out red packets?” Er Bao also asked eagerly.

He had never received a red packet before.

He had heard other children talk about how their elders would give them red packets, and he had always been envious.

Was he going to get one now?

Ning Shu raised her left hand, and the red packets tied with red yarn swayed again with her movement.

With about twenty red packets, it was quite a scene.

“Hehe…” Er Bao laughed.

Next, San Bao lined up in the front, followed by Er Bao, then Yi Bao, and after that… no one else.

The children from the old house didn’t come to line up. When Ning Shu mentioned giving out red packets, they didn’t think they were included, so they didn’t come.

Seeing this, Ning Shu said, “Haiwen, Qingmei, bring your younger siblings to line up and get their red packets. Everyone gets one today.”

Upon hearing Ning Shu’s words, Lin Haiwen and Lin Qingmei brought their younger siblings to line up. No child could resist the allure of red packets.

“Hai Cai, you stand behind Yi Bao…” Lin Haiwen immediately arranged. “Next is Hai Quan… and so on.”

Behind Hai Cai was the eight-year-old Hai Quan, followed by nine-year-old Lin Haiwu, ten-year-old Lin Qingzhu, eleven-year-old Lin Haiwen, twelve-year-old Lin Qingju, thirteen-year-old Lin Qinglan, and fourteen-year-old Lin Qingmei.

There were a total of eleven children, lined up according to their ages, making quite a long queue.

Ning Shu put a red packet around San Bao’s neck and said, “Wishing San Bao a happy New Year. May you grow up healthy and safe every year.” Looking at San Bao in his camouflage coat, Ning Shu smiled but also felt a pang of sadness.

The plot in the novel she had read depicted her San Bao not surviving past this year, and it broke her heart.

“Mama, San Bao happy too!” San Bao happily touched the red packet around his neck and wished his mom a happy New Year.

Ning Shu was surprised, “Wow, my San Bao is so clever! He can say ‘Happy New Year.’ How smart.” At 17 months old, San Bao was growing healthy and strong, although he still couldn’t speak fluently, he was learning more words every day.

“It was big brother who taught him last night,” Er Bao proudly said, “San Bao is so slow, it took a long time to teach him.” He seemed proud as if he had taught San Bao himself.

“Then our Yi Bao is really amazing for teaching his little brother,” Ning Shu praised Yi Bao generously.

Yi Bao’s cheeks turned red.

Ning Shu then put the second red packet around Er Bao’s neck and said, “Wishing Er Bao a happy New Year. May you become smarter as you grow older.”

Er Bao touched the red packet around his neck and happily wished his mom, “Wishing Mom a happy New Year and lots of money to spend.” Since his mom liked money, he wished her more and more money.

“Thank you, Er Bao…” The New Year’s blessings worked, Er Bao indeed became smarter.

Watching Er Bao full of vitality, she hoped he would be happy for the rest of his life and wouldn’t end up like the character in the novel, seeking revenge and meeting a tragic end.

Her Er Bao was meant to be a bright and cheerful little sun. “Next is Yi Bao.”

Ning Shu put the red packet around Yi Bao’s neck and said, “Wishing Yi Bao a happy New Year. May all your wishes come true every year.” Compared to carefree Er Bao and innocent San Bao, Yi Bao was the one she felt most heartbroken for.

In the novel’s setting, Yi Bao’s inner journey wasn’t described, but witnessing his younger brother’s tragic deaths from freezing or drowning must have filled him with immense guilt, perhaps even more agonizing than if he had literally had his heart ripped out.

Ning Shu hoped that her Yi Bao could live a carefree life in the future, free from the pressure of being the eldest, and truly be himself.

“Thank you, Mom.” Yi Bao really loved the way his mother looked at him, as if he were the only one in her eyes, making him feel like the happiest child in the world.

“I also wish Mom a happy New Year, and may you become even more beautiful.”

“Thank you, Yi Bao.” Ning Shu rubbed his little head, then put the red packet around Hai Cai’s neck. “Wishing Hai Cai a happy New Year, filled with joy.”

Hai Cai was the one Ning Shu wanted to compensate for, even though the plot hadn’t materialized yet, and his fate hadn’t occurred.

But just thinking about his ending in the novel, she felt sorry for him.

So she wanted to be good to him.

“Thank you, Third Auntie, and Third Auntie, happy New Year to you too.” Hai Cai smiled so much that his eyes narrowed.

After distributing the red packets, one by one, everyone received Ning Shu’s New Year blessings, and, of course, Ning Shu also received theirs.

After distributing the red packets, Ning Shu brought out some snacks from the kitchen. Snacks were the highlight of the New Year, as they were given by every family you visited, unlike the red packets, which were only given by relatives and elders.

Ning Shu gave each child six White Rabbit candies and an apple. They each had a large cloth bag made of scraps, into which they put all the snacks they received from each house they visited.

After receiving the snacks, Lin Hai Wen asked the three boys, “Yi Bao, Er Bao, San Bao, are you going out to visit people for the New Year?”

“We are.” Yi Bao fetched three small bags from the room.

They were made by Mom for the three brothers to carry. After putting them on, they followed their older siblings out to visit people.

Yi Bao and Er Bao had gone out with their older siblings to visit people last year, but at that time San Bao was only a few months old, so he didn’t go.

This year, with San Bao included, they would receive even more snacks.

Ning Shu watched as the eleven children left in groups, their voices mixing together in laughter and conversation.

She felt very satisfied watching this scene unfold.

Then, Ning Shu went back to the kitchen and made a bowl of sweet rice balls with fermented rice.

She had bought the rice balls and fermented rice from an app, as was the custom in Qinglin Bay Brigade to eat sweet rice balls on the morning of the first day of the lunar New Year.

Since the app didn’t have stuffed rice balls, she bought the plain ones made of glutinous rice flour.

But looking at the half-eaten tangyuan (sweet dumplings), it’s likely that Lin Guodong had already made some for his three kids when he woke up in the morning. Now, with no sign of Lin Guodong around, no one knew where he had gone.

Just as Ning Shu finished cooking the tangyuan and was about to eat, she heard voices of other kids outside.

“Hey Aunt Ning, Happy New Year!”

“Auntie , Happy New Year! We’re here to wish you a happy New Year!”

“Auntie, Happy New Year! Is Yibao and Erbao here?”

Ning Shu came out from the kitchen and saw it was Yang Meihua, Yang Youfu, and a few other kids.

She immediately smiled and said, “Wishing you all a happy New Year too! Yibao and Erbao went out with their older siblings to visit others for New Year’s. Wait a moment, Auntie will get some snacks for you.”

Ning Shu went back to the kitchen and took out snacks she had prepared earlier: three pieces of White Rabbit creamy candies and three pieces of fruit candies for each kid.

Because these kids were close to her three kids, and she had a good relationship with Meihua’s mom, she gave them three White Rabbit candies and three fruit candies each, totaling six candies for good luck.

The kids were thrilled to see Ning Shu not only giving them so many candies but also including three White Rabbit candies in each pack.

“Thank you, Auntie!”

“You’re so nice, Auntie!”

“Auntie, we’re off to visit other houses for New Year.”

“Auntie, if Yibao and Erbao come back, please ask them to visit our house too!”