On the first day of the Lunar New Year, firecrackers are set off to open the door.

Six firecrackers were placed at the entrance of the discount supermarket. Xia Jianguo and Xiao Wu lit the firecrackers with lighters.

Li Chunmei greeted the employees who came to work with a gentle voice, saying, "May everything go smoothly for you this year."

"Boss lady, Happy New Year! Wishing you prosperity and good fortune!"

"Happy New Year! Everyone hurry to the cafeteria for dumplings. Don't clean the supermarket today."

"Boss lady, we understand!"

Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year. There weren't many customers, so Xia Minmin didn't go downstairs to help. After a simple breakfast, she went to her small study room to preview the second year of junior high school physics and biology. There was a lot going on at the supermarket before the New Year, so she didn't have time to preview the material.

Knock knock…

Xia Minmin looked up, and Li Chunmei opened the door and walked in. "Xiaomin, Uncle Xie, who delivered the dumplings yesterday, is here. Go out and say hello in the living room."

"Uncle Xie? The police station gatekeeper?" In Xia Minmin's memory, she had only delivered dumplings to the police station gatekeeper yesterday.

Xia Minmin gripped the edge of the chair with both hands, stretched out her legs and desperately reached for the shoes she had kicked far away with her toes. But the shoes had been kicked too far, and her buttocks had already moved to the edge of the chair. She would fall off if she wasn't careful. Even so, she still refused to get down and pick up the shoes.

To avoid making the guest wait impatiently, Li Chunmei simply kicked her slippers to her feet.

Xia Minmin said sweetly, "Thank you, Mom. You're so good to me. What would I do without you!"

Although she knew it was a half-hearted remark, Li Chunmei was still very happy to hear it. "Hurry up and don't keep the guests waiting."

Xia Minmin ran her fingers through her hair and checked her clothes for stains. Everything was fine. She then walked out of the room.

Xia Jianguo chatted with the police station guard. When he saw his daughter coming over, he waved and said, "Xiaomin, this is your Uncle Xie."

Xia Minmin greeted Lao Xie with a smile, "Hello, Uncle Xie."

Old Xie picked up the bag that was at his feet, placed it on the coffee table, and pushed it in front of Xia Minmin. "Thank you for dinner yesterday. These are the books I gave you. I heard from Officer Qian that you are in the first year of junior high school. I picked out three dictionaries for you. The bookstore owner said they can be used until you graduate from university. I hope they will be helpful for your studies."

Xia Minmin was dumbfounded as she stared at the half-meter-tall cloth bag; this was the first time she had ever received a dictionary as a gift from someone.

Xia Minmin placed the cloth bag on the sofa next to her. "Thank you, Uncle Xie."

Seeing that the matter was settled, Lao Xie got up to say goodbye, "Then I'll be going now."

Xia Jianguo stood up. "Since I have nothing else to do today, I'll just have a simple meal at home."

"No need for that!"

Li Chunmei came out of the kitchen. "It's no trouble at all. We need to eat lunch too. One more person will just mean one more pair of chopsticks. The dishes for today were already prepared yesterday. We can just heat them up and eat right away. We can eat right away."

"Uncle Xie, you'll just be eating steamed buns when you go back home. You might as well have a nice meal at my house to improve your life."

Old Xie blushed when Xia Minmin bluntly revealed his secret. He knew the girl didn't mean any harm; she was just worried that he wasn't eating well.

Xia Jianguo said with a stern face, "Xiaomin, how dare you talk like that?"

Xia Jianguo turned to Lao Xie and said, "Brother, I'm sorry, I've raised my child to be too willful. Please forgive me!"

Old Xie had a faint smile on his face. "I understand. The child was worried about me. Otherwise, he wouldn't have brought me dumplings and roast goose yesterday. To be honest, this was the best meal I've had in twenty years. Those pork and cabbage dumplings were the best meal I've ever had. No delicacy could compare."

Xia Jianguo was very surprised, "How could this be?"

Li Chunmei gave Xia Jianguo a wink, and Xia Jianguo dragged Lao Xie to the dining table to sit down.

Li Chunmei brought out the stew she had prepared in the kitchen and simmered it on a small stove. "Xiaomin, go and call your aunt and uncle for lunch."

Xia Minmin called Xiao Wu's office directly, "Uncle, bring Aunt up for lunch!"

Xia Jianguo and Xiao Wu accompanied Lao Xie for drinks. Amidst the clinking of glasses and toasts, Lao Xie released the emotions he had suppressed for twenty years and cried his heart out.

The other people at the table also had tears in their eyes. Xia Minmin and Xia Xiaomei were both easily moved to tears, and when they heard Lao Xie's past stories, tears streamed down their faces.

It's already hard for outsiders to hear, let alone know how Lao Xie has managed to persevere all these years.

Old Xie is a veteran and the captain of the advance team during the self-defense counterattack. His class, as the advance team, always rushed to the front, and every time they faced danger, they survived.

During a mission, they were ambushed. One by one, his comrades fell, and he was powerless to stop them. The enemy threw a grenade, and his wounded comrades used it to shield him. He only lost his hand, while all his other comrades were killed...

He was taken to a rear hospital for treatment and developed severe post-traumatic stress disorder. After his injuries finally healed, he was discharged from the army and assigned to his current police station as a security guard.

When he returned home, his elderly parents were already gone. He was suffering from severe external injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder, which reduced his will to live. His older siblings discussed it and decided not to tell him about their parents' passing, fearing that their little brother might die.

Later, he settled down at the police station post. He didn't get married, and after deducting necessary expenses, he sent all of his monthly salary to the families of his deceased comrades. During holidays, his sisters and friends would bring him homemade dishes to visit him.

"Second Brother, let's help Brother Xie to my room to sleep for a while!"

Li Chunmei wiped away her tears. "Jianguo, I'll go find someone to make some pork and cabbage dumplings. I'll cook them for Brother Xie when he wakes up."

"Okay, you go and make the arrangements. Xiao Wu and I will help Brother Xie to bed first."

Xia Minmin suddenly remembered a sentence she had seen in her past life: "A cup of wine to drown sorrows and toast to tomorrow, a cup of strong liquor to toast the past."

All afternoon, Xia Minmin felt a mix of bitterness and unease, as if she couldn't breathe.

Ring ring…

Xia Minmin was the only one sitting in the living room reading; they had drunk too much at noon and were resting.

Xia Minmin, wearing slippers, ran over to answer the phone.

Hello, who is this?

"Is this the young boss? Officer Qian, who came the day before yesterday, is here. He's looking for you."

"I understand, I'll come down right away."

Xia Minmin hung up the phone, and Li Chunmei said she was going downstairs.

Officer Qian, dressed in plainclothes, asked, "Hello, Xia Minmin, has Lao Xie gone home from your house yet?"

"No, Uncle Xie is drunk and sleeping upstairs. Come up with me!"

Officer Qian was somewhat surprised. "Is it Old Xie who's been drinking? I remember he hasn't touched a drop of alcohol for twenty years."

"Yes, Uncle Xie cried very sadly after drinking. He has been locking himself in a cage ever since."

Officer Qian noticed that Xia Minmin's voice was a little hoarse, as if she had been crying.

"Officer Qian, would you like to have dinner at my house tonight with Uncle Xie? My mom specially asked someone to make pork and cabbage dumplings."

Officer Qian was surprised that Xia Minmin's family was so thoughtful.

Dinner was quiet; no one spoke, they just ate their dumplings in silence, but they would remember the taste for a lifetime.