Jiang Jianhua steamed the egg custard until it turned a tender yellow color. He gently broke it open with a porcelain spoon, and the soft, molten center flowed out like honey.

"Nian'an, come quickly," she sprinkled some sesame salt into the soup, "the eggs will get cold if you don't eat them soon."

Nian'an ran in carrying a basket of sweet potato seedlings. The mud on the edge of the basket smeared onto the tiger-striped bib, making it look like the tiger had a ring of fur on it.

Fu Yucheng was teaching Xiaolan how to support sweet potato seedlings in the field, gently pressing the roots into the soil with his fingertips: "The roots need to be spread out, otherwise they won't grow well."

Xiao Lan studied carefully, and placed the bamboo rabbit basket on the ridge of the field, the chili peppers inside as red as fire.

"Do you think this is right?" She patted the soil around the seedlings, beads of sweat rolling down her forehead and glistening in the morning light.

The porridge pot in the kitchen was bubbling away when Jiang Jianhua sprinkled in some osmanthus flowers.

“These osmanthus flowers were dried last year,” she said, stirring the porridge with a wooden spoon. “Mixed with the aroma of sweet potatoes, they’re sweeter than sugar.”

Song Yushuang walked in, sewing the soles of shoes. The hemp thread was wrapped into a fine flower pattern on the cloth sole: "I've finished sewing Nian'an's cotton shoes. I embroidered a little tiger on the toe, which will match his bib perfectly."

On the threshing ground, Fu Yuanshan arranged the dried sweet potatoes more evenly, the strips in the bamboo trays gleaming with an amber light.

"Dry them until they're not sticky to the touch," he said, turning over the sweet potato fries. "Let them air dry for a couple more days, then they'll have a good chewy texture."

Nian'an squatted down to pick up the fallen crumbs, her little hands bulging, the silver longevity lock clinking against the bamboo tray.

Yun Tangyin sealed the sesame salt jar, covering the mud seal with a lotus leaf.

“This jar needs to be stored upside down,” she said, tying the mouth of the jar tightly with a rope, “to prevent moisture from getting in.”

Xiao Lan returned carrying a basket of sweet potato seedlings, the seedlings still covered in fresh soil: "My mother said that if these seedlings are planted, we can harvest three baskets of sweet potatoes next year."

Yun Tangyin smiled and stuffed a piece of sweet potato cake into her pocket: "Then next year I'll use the new sweet potatoes to make wedding cakes for your dowry."

The midday sun made the ground scorching hot. Fu Yucheng returned carrying half a basket of freshly picked peppers, the red and green ones swaying in the basket like flowers.

"These chilies must be pickled while they're fresh," he said, placing the basket on the stone table. "Soaking them in salt water makes them the most refreshing accompaniment to porridge in winter."

Nian'an held up a red chili pepper, ready to take a bite, but Jiang Jianhua quickly snatched it away: "Little darling, this is spicy. One bite and you'll cry for half a day."

Jiang Jianhua cut the chili peppers into rings, sprinkled them with salt, and rubbed them to extract the juice.

“It needs to be pickled until it turns red,” she said, putting the chilies into the jar. “Then add some white wine, and it’ll be so crisp you can make a crunch when you chew it.”

Aunt Zhang came to borrow a wooden mold with a basket on her back. When she saw the chili peppers in the jar, she clicked her tongue and said, "Jianhua, when they're pickled, give me some too. My husband loves them."

The evening glow painted the courtyard wall a rosy hue, and Fu Yuanshan put the dried sweet potato chips into a bamboo basket.

“This is all packed tightly,” he said, lining the basket with a layer of oil paper. “It’s going to be a treat for the children during the New Year, as a lucky money gift.”

Nian'an clung to the basket, refusing to let go, chewing the dried sweet potatoes in her mouth with a crunching sound, while the sugar residue stuck to her tiger-striped bib trembled gently in the wind.

On the dinner table were stir-fried sweet potato stems with chili peppers, sweet potato porridge with osmanthus flowers, steamed egg custard, and steamed sweet potato chunks that were soft and powdery.

Nian'an drank the porridge from the bowl, her face covered in it, and the osmanthus blossoms falling on her nose looked like gold dust.

Xiao Lan put a sweet potato stem into his bowl: "You have to chew this stem more. My mother says it will give you strength."

As the moonlight climbed to the top of the locust tree, Jiang Jianhua helped Nian'an try on cotton shoes. The little tiger on the toe of the shoe looked lifelike under the oil lamp.

"I can wear them next spring," she said, gesturing with the shoe upper. "My feet will be long enough to fit cotton socks in them."

Song Yushuang sat beside her mending socks, the ball of yarn rolling around on her knees: "I took apart my old cotton-padded jacket and stuffed it into Nian'an's cotton-padded trousers. It's warmer than new cotton."

Fu Yucheng and Fu Yuanshan sat in the courtyard smoking, the glow of their pipes reflecting off the sweet potato basket in the corner.

"Tomorrow I'll cut some reeds to build a shelter for the sweet potato pile, so they won't get wet in the rain."

Fu Yuanshan nodded: "I'll weave another reed curtain to cover the vegetable cellar in winter to keep out the wind and snow."

The sweet aroma of dried sweet potatoes wafted from the kitchen, mingling with the chirping of crickets and filling the entire yard.

Nian'an lay on the small bed, hugging a sweet potato cushion, and fell asleep with a piece of dried sweet potato clutched in her hand.

Jiang Jianhua covered him with a blanket and noticed that the pebbles on the pillow were still gleaming in the moonlight.

“This child,” she said with a smile as she tucked the blanket in, “even sleeps with food in his hand.”

The locust leaves outside the window rustled, as if counting the bamboo trays, jars, and pots in the courtyard, counting the days steeped in the warmth of daily life.

Just as dawn broke, Zhou Desheng's wife brought over freshly baked sesame cakes, the sesame seeds on them glistening in the morning light.

“My husband said thank you for helping to cut the sesame seeds,” she said, placing the pancake on the stone table. “This pancake has some sweet potato puree mixed in; the kids will love it.”

Nian'an rubbed her eyes and ran out, grabbing a pancake and stuffing it into her mouth, getting sesame seeds all over her body from her tiger-striped bib.

Fu Yucheng carried a hoe to check on the newly planted sweet potato seedlings. The morning dew on the leaves rolled into the soil, as if feeding the seedling roots with water.

“This seedling has survived,” he said, stroking the newly unfurled leaves. “Next year will surely bring a good harvest.”

Nian'an followed behind, splashing in puddles until her cotton shoes were soaked, while the silver longevity lock on her chest bounced around happily.

Jiang Jianhua cut Zhou Desheng's sesame cakes into small pieces and sprinkled some white sugar on the plate.

“This pancake goes perfectly with sweet potato porridge,” she said, handing the pancakes to the children. “Desheng’s wife’s cooking skills are getting better and better.”

Xiao Lan nodded as she ate her pancake. A bamboo rabbit basket sat at her feet, filled with little grasshoppers she had woven for Nian An, so green they looked like they had just jumped out of the grass.

The bamboo trays on the threshing ground were empty, so Fu Yuanshan stacked them up and covered them tightly with a cloth.

"We'll use it again next year when we're drying the new wheat," he said, patting the dust off the bamboo tray. "This thing is durable and can be passed down for three generations."

Yun Tangyin carried the last jar of sesame salt into the storage room. The earthenware jars in the corner were lined up neatly, as if waiting for the call of winter.

As the last rays of sunlight swept across the locust tree leaves, the minnows and little frogs in Nian'an's small fish tank had grown a bit.

Fu Yucheng put a fresh lotus leaf into the jar, and the surface of the water immediately rippled with fine waves.

“After a few days,” he said, stroking Nian’an’s head, “we will send the frog back to the lotus pond so it can catch pests.”

Nian'an nodded as if she understood, and gently touched the side of the fish tank with her little hand, startling the fish into darting silver threads.

In the kitchen, Jiang Jianhua was packing sweet potato and sesame cakes into gift boxes, covered with a red cloth embroidered with a chubby tiger.

“This is for Xiaolan,” she said, tying a red string around her neck, “so she can take it back to her parents and let them try it.”

Xiaolan took the gift box. The sweet potato seedlings in the rabbit basket had already sprouted new leaves, swaying gently in the evening breeze, as if saying that life is like these sweet potato vines. Once they take root, they will slowly climb over the fence of time and bear sweet fruit one crop after another.

As Xiaolan carried the gift box home, the sunset on the horizon was gradually fading into a pale purple.

The sweet potato seedlings in the rabbit basket still had soil clinging to their new leaves from the Fu family's courtyard. A small bamboo grasshopper swayed gently at the corner of the basket, as if it were hopping along with her footsteps.

As she passed by the lotus pond, she saw Fu Yucheng helping Nian An release frogs. The little frogs jumped into the water with a "plop," and a lotus leaf floated in the ripples they created.