Listening to the howling wind outside the window, Xia Minmin didn't want to get out of bed at all; it was too cold! She finally had a day off, and all she wanted to do was stay at home in bed.

"Mom, can I stay at home instead of going to the county town?"

"No, there's no one at home to take care of you."

"All right."

Li Chunmei pulled Xia Minmin out of bed and handed her three sweaters and a cotton coat. Xia Minmin felt a chill run down her spine at the sight of the pile of clothes. She would have to endure at least one more winter. Next winter, she would go to Shenzhen and wouldn't have to wear so many clothes anymore.

Down jackets were not yet common in the 1990s; people mostly wore cotton-padded coats and sweaters in winter, which were bulky and not warm.

Xia Minmin also has allergies, and high-necked sweaters often make her uncomfortable. Wearing too many clothes restricts her elbow movement, which causes Xia Minmin to cry every morning in winter during her early childhood.

"Mom, my elbows hurt! My neck hurts too!"

"Bear with it. It's so cold. If you don't wear enough, you'll catch a cold, and then you'll have to get injections and take bitter medicine."

"All right."

Xia Minmin still remembers that she bought her first down jacket in 2004, when lightweight down jackets were just becoming popular.

As an adult, Xia Minmin knows how to be patient and how to make herself comfortable, so she cries and makes a fuss less.

After applying moisturizer and checking the coal stove, Li Chunmei led Xia Minmin outside. Xia Jianguo checked the windows and locked the door. The family then headed towards the station.

"Chunmei, let's go to the county town for breakfast. You get carsick easily, so I brought you some oranges."

"Um."

After the family walked out of the alley, they encountered many workers on their way to work at the cement factory.

"Jianguo, where is your family going?"

"Brother Niu, go to the county town."

"Your family has made a lot of money recently; you're all big bosses now."

"Brother Niu, stop teasing us. You know my family is still heavily in debt. It will be difficult enough to pay it off this year."

"Sigh, you really have it tough. I'm off to work, you guys should head to the station soon too."

Xia Jianguo has always said this to outsiders. He knows the principle of not flaunting wealth, and whether others believe him or not is none of his concern.

These two laws apply no matter when. Some relatives and friends may seem to care a lot, but they will actually be calculating how much money you can make.

Xia Minmin, who has always been straightforward, only understood this principle after paying a heavy price in her twenties.

This was the first time Xia Minmin had ever actually seen a minibus from the 1990s. It didn't have air conditioning and the windows were larger than those of minibuses from later generations.

"Dad, I want to sit in the first row!"

Xia Minmin directed Xia Jianguo to take his position.

Ankang Town is the starting point, and there aren't many people on the bus now, so they can still choose their seats. Li Chunmei gets carsick, so they're sitting in the first row with windows.

The bus departed shortly after Xia Minmin's family sat down. Along the way, many passengers boarded, some bringing chickens and ducks, and the smell of diesel fuel filled the air. The various odors mixed together, and Li Chunmei's face instantly turned pale!

Xia Jianguo quickly peeled an orange for her and put it under her nose. Luckily, she hadn't eaten breakfast, or she would definitely have thrown up.

Xia Minmin stared at the minibus's windshield to prevent motion sickness and pulled her scarf up to try and block out the smell of the minibus.

Even more deadly is that the road is full of potholes, swaying back and forth like a child's rocking horse, which makes people who are already prone to motion sickness want to jump out of the car immediately, and feel like vomiting every time it sways.

After a difficult hour, we finally arrived in the county town.

Xia Jianguo carried Xia Minmin and helped Li Chunmei lean against a tree to rest.

"Dad, I don't want to ride in the car either, it's uncomfortable!"

Fortunately, young people recover quickly. After resting for more than ten minutes, Li Chunmei was fully recovered and went to have breakfast.

Xia Jianguo and Li Chunmei both ate rice noodle soup. In winter, after eating the noodles, they would drink a sip of hot soup, which made their pores open up and feel very comfortable. Li Chunmei's motion sickness also improved.

Xia Minmin's noodles were easy to pick up and wouldn't get on her clothes.

The county town is roughly the same as it was twenty years ago, except that the houses have been renovated.

The atmosphere during the Lunar New Year is great now; everyone's faces are full of smiles and there's no pressure.

The clothing store was crowded. With the Lunar New Year approaching, everyone wanted to buy a new outfit to reward themselves for a year of hard work. Nowadays, most people still buy their own fabric and have their clothes custom-made by a tailor. Tailors have fewer styles and longer lead times, so even if you order something for the Lunar New Year, it might not be ready.

In comparison, buying ready-made clothes is more suitable, as there are more styles available.

Xia Minmin shook her little head, looking at the vendors on both sides of the street. She saw malt candy, which she hadn't eaten in many years, and tugged at Xia Jianguo's pants, saying, "Dad, can you buy me some malt candy?"

"Let's wait for your mom to come out before we go buy it. Otherwise, we'll worry if she doesn't see us when she comes out. Are you tired? Do you want Daddy to carry you?"

"Not tired."

Xia Minmin saw many traditional crafts that had disappeared in the 21st century, but were still very popular in the 1990s, attracting many people to watch and enjoy them.

Li Chunmei emerged from the crowd with bags and bundles, her hair disheveled. After handing the bags to Xia Jianguo, she tidied her messy hair with her hands.

"Chunmei, have you bought the clothes?"

"I've bought all the clothes. I just need to buy some pastries later. My mom loves them."

"I'll buy Xiaomin some 'stir-fried candy'; she's been craving it for ages and has been staring at that stall the whole time!"

Xia Minmin rolled her eyes quietly, but didn't stare for long, just for a short while.

"Boss, one serving of stir-fried candy."

"Okay!"

The shop owner handed the stirred candy to Xia Minmin, and Li Chunmei took out some change and gave it to the shop owner.

"Jianguo, should we go back after lunch or now?"

"Let's go back early. I'm worried you might get carsick and throw up after dinner. If we have time this afternoon, we can go visit your father-in-law and deliver the New Year's gifts."

After buying the pastries, the family left the station and took the bus home. Xia Minmin looked at the minibus and said, "Mom and Dad, I never want to ride in a bus again, it smells so bad!"

"That probably won't work. You'll be taking the bus to school to learn in the future. Your dad used to get carsick, but now he's fine and doesn't get carsick anymore."

"Okay." Xia Minmin slumped her head on Xia Jianguo's shoulder listlessly.

On the way back, the smell was better and there were fewer people. Most people would stay out until the afternoon before taking a bus back.

After getting home and tidying up, Xia Jianguo also came back with food, which he had bought from Sun Erni.

With the Lunar New Year approaching, restaurant business has slowed down considerably, and people are choosing to eat at home.

Sun Erni plans to close the shop for a break tomorrow, and Grandma Xia also needs to go back to prepare for the New Year.

Xia Minmin remembers that her grandmother once steamed something that looked like a big white steamed bun. She only steamed it once, but it left a deep impression on her. She never ate it again and didn't know its name. Later, when everyone abandoned the earthen stove, many of the dishes prepared for the New Year were also abandoned.

After dinner, Li Chunmei packed the things she wanted to take to her parents, while Xia Jianguo took out the multiplication table and taught Xia Minmin to recite it, and then gave her a quiz.