That night, Zhang Guoqing was still alert. His son woke up and made some noises around 2 a.m. Before he could even cry out, Zhang Guoqing rolled over and immediately picked up his son. He prepared the milk powder with one hand, tested the temperature, and then quickly put it into Ping'an's mouth.

"Baby Ping'an is so good. Go to sleep with your mother. When you've eaten, Daddy will sleep with you. My Ping'an grows fast after eating. When you grow up, Daddy will take you out to play. In spring, Daddy will take you for an outing and pick wild vegetables. In summer, Daddy will take you swimming and fishing. In autumn, Daddy will take you to the mountains to pick wild fruits. In winter, Daddy will take you to build snowmen and play ice sleds. Good baby, grow up quickly. Good baby, go to sleep."

Soon, Zizhen fell asleep. Zhang Guoqing truly believed that his little Ping'an could hear his words. If his grandfather could see this from Heaven, he would be happy too. He should have no regrets before his death. It was fortunate that he was gone, and his family left that world. Otherwise, the elderly would be heartbroken to see their children die one after another.

He carefully brought her to his side, wrapping his arms around her to protect her. He had seen too much news that children couldn't lie in the middle of the bed. He would have to find a way to deal with it when winter came.

He woke up on time again in the early morning. This was the body's natural reaction. At this time, his father had already gone to the backyard to see if the pigs were starving, to see if the chickens were well protected, to see if there were any yellow foxes, and to check if the walls around the backyard had been robbed. Then, the sons followed him to check on the private plots. Those who had room to clean up did so before going to work. Those who had no room to clean up usually plowed the land to ensure a good harvest next year, or went to the backyard to clean the vegetable garden. There was also a lot of work to do at home. In addition to farm work, there was also twisting hemp rope, weaving straw sandals, making baskets, and collecting firewood, all of which had to be done before going to work.

In the countryside, the Zhang family's men were undoubtedly diligent and caring for their wives. Unlike other rural families today, women now shouldered the responsibilities of childbirth, housework, and farm work. They'd start cooking from the rooster's crow before dawn, feed the pigs and chickens, do laundry, fetch water, and tend to the vegetable garden and private plots before going to work. The men would lie on the kang and sleep until dinner was called, then get up, eat, and go to work. After work ended in the afternoon, they'd cook, do laundry, tidy the yard, and busily take care of the pigs, chickens, and ducks. For this reason, all the women in the village, young and old, envied the Zhang family's women.

According to the usual season, the sweet potatoes in the backyard should have been harvested quickly these past few days, followed by the white radishes and cabbages, all stored in the cellar. The cabbages and radishes from the private plots had already been squeezed into jars of pickled cabbage and radishes. Besides the jars of pickled cabbage and radishes, the utility room was overflowing with dried beans and vegetables, preparing for the winter's lack of vegetables and also for the family's food next year. The cucumbers in a corner of the yard were being carefully tended. This was the last bunch of cucumbers for the year. They also needed to be stored in the cellar before the frost. In Northeast China, cucumbers and green onions are a staple in every household, indispensable year-round.

Zhang Guoqing ran to the well to wash his face and brush his teeth, then changed into a patched coat and pants and went to the backyard to meet up with his father and brother. They all took hoes and threw out the sweet potatoes in the 8-mu field in the backyard. The four of them worked together and finally finished picking up half of them before breakfast. Then they went back to work, and when they got off work in the afternoon, they would find time to continue picking up the sweet potatoes.

Today, the table was filled with red date rice porridge and sweet potato pancakes. As the family sat together, enjoying the rice porridge, it felt like Chinese New Year. As Xiao Mie Miao ate, she lamented how nice it would be to have rice porridge every day.

Zhang Guoqing felt deeply saddened when he heard this. He then looked at Mai Miao, who licked his bowl again and again, fearing it wouldn't be clean. He took a few sips from his own bowl and then shared the food directly with Mai Miao and Mai Sui. The two little ones happily thanked their uncle. When Zhang's mother saw that he had finished eating, she wanted to serve him more, but he refused. She probably still counted the grains of rice when making porridge. If he ate less, his parents and two brothers, or his sister-in-law and children, could eat more. He had thought about reminding his mother to cook more, but he let it go. His mother had been the head of the family for so many years, and she had planned everything. This was her authority, her right as the head of the family. Why should he bother to make her unhappy? Besides, if he ate less, he could always ask Jiaojiao for food.

Before leaving, the second son and his wife hurried out first. By the time Zhang Dad and the eldest son and his wife finished eating, they were nowhere to be seen. It was clear that they were not afraid of making things worse.

Everyone burst into laughter. Zhang Guoqing took the two little ones back to the west wing. Zhou Jiao had already finished breakfast and had just fed her son. She was very happy to see the two little ones. She was bored in the room alone, so it was really nice to have the children play with her.

Zhang Guoqing put the diaper in the foot basin and took it out. Seeing that her mother was not in the front yard, he hurried to wash it first. He was afraid that the soap would be irritating and that the wood ash would stain the hemp. He found some soap beans and washed them carefully several times. After making sure they were clean, he hung them in the yard. After seeing that there was nothing wrong, he ran to Jiaojiao and leaned against the pit to rest for a while. It was too early in the morning and he was a little tired after working for a while.

"Why don't you lie down and take a nap? You must wake me up tonight. I didn't even hear Ping An's cry last night and slept until dawn." Zhou Jiao looked at his dark circles under his eyes and his tired face with heartache.

Zhang Guoqing couldn't let her misunderstand. He was worried that she wouldn't take good care of herself after the baby's confinement, so he was taking care of his son with such concern. He was afraid that his son would cry and wake up his wife, and he wouldn't be able to sleep well.

"I deliberately didn't wake you up so that you could sleep more soundly. As soon as Ping'an started crying, I picked him up and fed him. You should take a nap while he's still asleep. He won't wake up until around 10 o'clock. You won't have time to rest in the afternoon." After saying this, he thought about it and laughed out loud.

"Do you want to eat anything? Brother, you should buy some picture books when you have time, otherwise it will be too boring." Zhou Jiao said depressedly.

Mai Miao thought about it and decided not to eat it. Her mother had instructed that the food from her aunt should be given to her younger brother.

"No, I just had rice porridge today, and I still have some candy my aunt gave me."

Zhang Guoqing gave them a thumbs-up and praised them, "You are so good. I will go to the city to buy some snacks and leave them at home so that grandma can give them to you later."

Zhang Guoqing thought about it and decided there was nothing to do. "Jiaojiao, I'd better go to the backyard to pick up the sweet potatoes. Now that I'm not busy at work, Maimiao, you guys stay here and play with your aunt. If you need anything, call uncle. He's in the backyard."

After saying that, he left the two little girls to accompany Zhou Jiao. He went to the backyard, found a hoe, and worked hard to turn the soil and dig sweet potatoes by himself. When his mother saw this, she quickly finished the work at hand and came to help pick up the sweet potatoes. The mother and son worked together, one used the hoe to shovel out a piece of sweet potatoes, and the other bent down to put the sweet potatoes into the bamboo basket. They chatted from time to time, and after a while, the rest of the field was cleaned up.