They arrived at Su Wei's house, where Su Wei and her sister were clearing snow from the yard. Li Yuzhu said, "They're busy."

Su Wei put down the shovel she was holding and said, "Why did you come in such heavy snow?"

Dongqing handed her the fish and said, "It's Chinese New Year, so I bought you some New Year's goods."

Su Wei was surprised that her boss would bring her New Year's gifts. She accepted the fish and meat and said, "Thank you. Please sit down and rest for a while."

Li Yuzhu said, "We're not stopping now. You go ahead with your work; we're going back."

Su Wei handed the fish to her sister and saw Dong Qing and his wife out of the village.

When they returned home that evening, Dong Sanmei and Fang Lin had already cleaned the house thoroughly and put up the New Year couplets.

Dong Sanmei was frying oil in the kitchen, and the house was filled with the festive atmosphere of the Chinese New Year.

Dong Sanmei placed the fried chicken and fish on the table and said, "Eat something and go back to your rooms for a nap. We won't call you for dinner."

Dong Qing said okay and sat down with his wife to eat.

Dong Sanmei made two cups of milk for her younger brother and sister-in-law.

After they finished eating, Fang Lin took the baby from Li Yuzhu. The six-month-old baby was already showing signs of stranger anxiety, and the baby started crying loudly as soon as Fang Lin held the baby in her arms.

Fang Lin said, "This child is shy around strangers. You all go to sleep. I'll take him outside for a walk and he'll stop crying."

After Fang Lin finished speaking, she carried the child and walked outside. The child kept crying when they reached the edge of the village. She looked around and saw that no one knew her. Helpless, she pulled up the front of her shirt and put her nipple into the child's mouth.

The baby stopped crying when suckling, but since she was a girl, where would she get milk? When she couldn't get any milk, she sucked harder. Fang Lin pulled the nipple out of the baby's mouth in pain. Perhaps the baby was hungry, because she still cried after the nipple was pulled out.

Fang Lin dared not let her child suckle at her nipple again; it was too painful. She carried the child for a long time outside the village before the crying stopped, and then carried the child home.

When they got home, Dong Sanmei had already prepared dinner. She said, "My brother and sister-in-law probably slept until midnight. Let's eat."

After Dong Sanmei finished speaking, she took the nephew from Fang Lin's hands and put the milk powder into the child's mouth to let him drink milk.

After dinner, there were only three rooms in the house. Dong Sanmei used to only have one bed when she lived at home, but at night she could only share a bed with Fang Lin.

Once the child was full, he stopped fussing, and Dong Sanmei carried him to bed and sat in the quilt.

After washing her feet, Fang Lin poured the water into the yard, went into the bedroom, got into bed, and sat on the bed to take out nail clippers to trim her toenails.

Her feet were beautiful; they weren't big, she wore size 37 shoes, they were well-proportioned and full, delicate and upturned, truly slender and jade-like feet.

Dong Sanmei exclaimed, "Your feet are so beautiful!"

"Really?" Fang Lin paused for a moment and then laughed, "Hehe, no matter how beautiful your feet are, they still smell. Otherwise, they wouldn't be called 'stinky feet.' Running around all day without washing your feet can still suffocate people with the stench."

Fang Lin speaks in a very easygoing manner, and one of her remarks even amused Dong Sanmei. She embodies the straightforward personality of a Sichuan girl.

However, you won't find the spiciness typical of Sichuan girls in her; she's all about elegance and gentleness, and you can easily see the virtues of a woman in her at any time.

Dong Qing and his wife slept until dawn the next day, then got up to wash their faces and brush their teeth.

After washing her face and returning to the house, Dong Sanmei had already prepared breakfast. She said, "Hurry up and eat."

Dong Sanmei's breakfast was very simple: two dishes, one meat and one vegetable, three bowls of porridge, and a few flatbreads.

After finishing the meal, Dongqing said, "The roads in our village are impassable on rainy days, and the repeated thawing and freezing of the snow makes them even more impassable. Besides, we only have three rooms, which can't accommodate so many people. We're moving to the city today."

There are only three days left before the New Year. Moving before the New Year is considered unlucky. Dongqing originally planned to move after the house in the city was completed next year, but with so many people, there really isn't enough room at home, so he has no choice but to move before the New Year.

When Dongqing's father was alive, the family had a house to live in. The three siblings used to live in the side rooms. Three years ago, the three dilapidated side rooms collapsed due to a rainstorm, leaving only the three dilapidated main rooms.

Dong Sanmei didn't know that Dong Qing had just bought a house. She asked, "Sister-in-law, where will you live in the city?"

Li Yuzhu laughed and said, "Of course we have a place to stay. We just bought this house, and it has all the furniture we need. We just need to bring our bedding and food!"

Dong Sanmei was surprised to hear this, not expecting her younger brother to have bought a house in the city so quickly. She laughed and said, "Really? Looks like I won't have to live in the company dormitory anymore."

Staying in the dormitory after get off work was a practical necessity. It was really inconvenient for four women to live in one dormitory room. It was not as comfortable as living at home. Dong Qing bought a house in the city, so Dong Sanmei, as the older sister, had no reason to be unhappy.

Actually, there's really nothing to move from this house. There are only a few pieces of old furniture, the furniture from Dongqing's wedding, and the old furniture that my parents used when they were alive. Back then, the paint was scraped off and repainted red. Even if we move these pieces of furniture to the city, they'll just be thrown away in the future, and they'll be even less useful there.

Dong Qing first cleared the grass and snow off the tractor trailer, then swept the vehicle clean with a broom. Several people then loaded their personal belongings onto the tractor trailer.

Dong Sanmei boiled a pot of water, and Dong Qing added the boiling water into the tractor's water tank.

Li Yuzhu locked the door, and the three of them, carrying the child, got into the vehicle and sat on the back berth. Dong Qing started the tractor and drove towards the city.

Driving to the gate of the house in the city, there were few vehicles in those days, and there was no such thing as tractors not being allowed into the city. Even if you were herding a flock of sheep or a herd of cattle into the city, no one would care.

Dongqing parked the tractor against the wall of his own yard.

Li Yuzhu took out her key from her bag and opened the gate. The courtyard was covered in snow, and snowflakes were falling from the sky. The entire courtyard was shrouded in a thick layer of white, as if it were covered with a thick layer of cotton wool.

The icicles hanging from the eaves are like a masterpiece of nature, crystal clear, like jade hanging upside down, or like a jade maiden standing on the eaves. This scene is captivating and unforgettable.

As Dong Sanmei walked into the courtyard, she exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, what a big courtyard! This scene is truly beautiful."

Dong Qing said, "I bought this place because of its large yard. There are eight rooms here. We'll stay here for now, and we'll tear down the old house and build a new one next spring."

Dong Sanmei longed for a home of her own; living in the company dormitory every day was simply not right. She said, "It seems I finally have a place to stay at my parents' home before I get married."

Dongqing said, "You'll live here after you get married. I'm planning to build four villas here, one for my eldest sister, one for my second eldest sister, and of course, one for you!"

Dong Sanmei felt as sweet as if she had eaten honey after hearing this. Who wouldn't long for a home of their own in the city? She looked at her younger brother with disbelief in her beautiful eyes and asked, "Is what you said true, brother?"

"Of course it's true." Dong Qing paused for a moment and said, "You guys tidy up the house, I'll go out and buy a coal stove, some coal briquettes, and all the household supplies."