Winter came early again this year; as soon as I opened the door, I could feel the cold wind blowing straight in.

When Xu Yan noticed Xie Zhuo getting up and leaving, he yawned, closed his eyes, and fell asleep again. When he woke up, it was already bright outside, and Xie Zhuo brought in the prepared water for washing his face.

"Awake?" Xie Zhu put the basin back on the washstand, walked over and kissed Xu Yan on the forehead.

"Hmm," Xu Yan raised her hand and touched his face, "Where's Xiao Wu?"

"I went to play with a little girl in the alley," Xie Zhuo grabbed Xu Yan's hand and kissed her palm again. "Get up?"

“Okay,” Xu Yan nodded. “We still have to go to the airport to pick up Lin Dong later. It’s been almost three years since I last saw him. I wonder how he is doing.”

"It should be alright," Xie Zhuo said, taking the clothes Xu Yan had brought from the suitcase. "He always sounds very energetic when he calls."

“Listen to what you’re saying,” Xu Yan glared at him. “There’s a time difference of more than ten hours. You call him at noon, and he answers in the middle of the night, and he’s full of energy. Doesn’t that mean you have insomnia every time you call?”

“It’s not that exaggerated,” Xie Zhuo chuckled. “He calls every two weeks, and he calls himself. When you pick him up in a bit, you’ll see if he’s lost weight from making phone calls all these years.”

Xu Yan: "..."

Lin Dong wasn't thin, but he wasn't fat either. He was tall and had well-proportioned muscles. He was wearing a solid-color turtleneck sweater that Xu Yan had knitted for him a few years ago, with a long cashmere coat over it. When he pushed his suitcase out of the airport, he looked like a movie star, and many people turned to look at him.

Before Xu Yan and Xie Zhuo could even see him, Xiao Wu scrambled open the car door, jumped out, and rushed into the crowd.

"elder brother!"

Lin Dong's face was expressionless at first, but when he heard Xiao Wu's voice, a smile instantly appeared on his face, like ice breaking. He then let go of the suitcase and picked up the little girl who ran over.

“Sanbao has grown so tall!” Lin Dong said with a smile as he looked at Xiao Wu.

"Brother has grown taller too," Xiao Wu grinned, but because he was still losing his baby teeth and had lost a few that hadn't grown back, he almost choked on a gust of wind.

“You’re such a big girl, why are you still letting your brother carry you?” Xu Yan and Xie Zhuo also came over. Seeing that Xiao Wu was clinging to Lin Dong and wouldn’t let go of his neck, Xu Yan patted her arm.

"Third Aunt, Third Uncle," Lin Dong's smile deepened.

"Welcome back, my dear Daddy," Xu Yan said happily when she saw him. She reached out and hugged him, then looked at his clothes. "Are you cold? It's windy today."

“It’s not cold,” Lin Dong said, raising his arm towards Xie Zhuo.

Xie Zhuo smiled, walked over and hugged him, then patted his back, "You're a big boy now, why do you still like hugging and cuddling so much?"

“No matter how old you get, you’re still your and your third aunt’s little brat,” Lin Dong said with a smile.

Because Lin Dong had mentioned on the phone that he wanted to spend the Lunar New Year at his great-aunt's courtyard house, Xu Yan and Xie Zhuo asked Da Bao and Xiao Bao for their opinions. With the children's consent, the family returned to the courtyard they had lived in before.

However, Xu Yan and Xie Zhuo had already arrived and stayed for two days in advance.

So when Lin Dong came in, he found that the room had been cleaned up and the coal stove was lit, making the whole room warm and cozy.

He carefully looked around the room where the three of them used to live, and then he saw again the wishes that Xiao Bao and he had written on the corner of the wall for each year's birthday.

Xiao Bao's wishes are basically all about wanting gifts, wanting his third uncle and aunt to take them somewhere to play, or getting first place in his exams.

His wish each year is simple and persistent: that his family will always be together.

"What are you looking at?" Xu Yan lifted the curtain and walked in. Seeing Lin Dong standing to the side in a daze, she followed his gaze.

"It's nothing," Lin Dong shook his head, "I was just wondering if Da Bao and Xiao Bao have grown taller."

Xu Yan laughed upon hearing this, "Still thinking about comparing heights? The three of you are about the same height, aren't you?"

There are still differences.

Lin Dong was two centimeters taller than Da Bao and Xiao Bao.

After the three of them arrived home, the first thing they did was ask Xie Zhuo to help them measure their height.

Xiao Wu acted as the referee on the sidelines.

“My brother is a little taller,” she said, gesturing with her index finger and thumb.

"I'm not convinced," Da Bao bent down and ruffled her hair. "You've always favored Lin Dong since we were little."

"It's because my brother is the best to me, hmph," Xiao Wu hugged Lin Dong's waist tightly and stuck out her tongue at Xie Dabao.

"Okay, now is not the time for you to ask your brother to buy you a gift?" Xiao Bao pulled her arm and then pinched her cheek. "Then next time it's your birthday, don't ask us for gifts."

“That won’t do,” the little girl let go of Lin Dong and went to hug Xiao Bao. “Next year I still want my little brother to give me a puppy, but my mom keeps refusing to buy it for me.”

When the puppy was mentioned, all three of them thought of Kaixin.

Kaixin passed away a month after her great-aunt. The neighbors all said that it was afraid her great-aunt would be too lonely on her journey alone, so it accompanied her.

The three grown-up kids felt a little better because of those words.

Now, bringing up the old story again feels like going back to many years ago, when an old lady with a smile was leaning against the wall, listening to a storyteller in the sun, while a small white dog lay lazily at her feet, also sunbathing.

When the courtyard gate creaked at noon, and the three monkey-like children carrying schoolbags darted into the yard, they opened their eyes at the same time. Auntie stood up with a smile and went to cook for them, while Kaixin wagged her tail around their feet.

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