As the saying goes, if the moon is obscured by clouds on the fifteenth of August, snow will fall on the lanterns on the fifteenth of January.

This proverb means that if the Mid-Autumn Festival is cloudy and rainy this year and the moon is not visible, then the fifteenth day of the first lunar month next year will be cloudy or snowy.

It was 4 PM on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month in 1978.

Zhao Sufang and Li Lan were busy preparing the Mid-Autumn Festival dinner in the kitchen, Li Jin was washing fruit outside, and Li Xiangdong was helping Li Jiabao set up the round table and benches.

Li Ping was making a small orange lamp, while Zhang Huan and Li Yan rested their chins on their hands, looking at Li Ping with admiration.

The tangerines were brought back from western Sichuan. They are not Sichuan red tangerines, but a kind of early-ripening tangerine with a yellow-green peel and a slightly sour taste.

Li Ping first rolled the orange on the bench a few times to separate the peel from the flesh.

Then, use a knife to cut the top of the orange open horizontally, remove the orange segments one by one, and put a small piece of leftover candle stub into the empty orange peel to secure it.

Finally, thread a thick thread through a needle, hang the thread in a cross shape around the rim of the orange, and tie the thread to a thin stick. A small orange lamp is now complete.

Li Ping made a small orange lamp, and Li Yan and Zhang Huan clapped and said that Fifth Sister/Fifth Aunt was amazing!

Li Ping handed the finished little orange lantern to Li Yan, but Li Yan was unusually sensible now and refused, saying, "Fifth Sister, give it to Xiao Huan'er first, I'm the aunt!"

Li Ping patted Li Yan's little pigtails and praised, "Little Swallow has really grown up, she's so sensible!"

Li Yan proudly raised her head, and Fen'er said bluntly, "Of course!"

Zhang Huan felt a little embarrassed. She was older than her aunt, so how could she compete with her aunt for something?

The two were politely deferring to each other when Li Jin came in and saw them. He smiled and helped them make the decision, "Give it to Xiao Huan'er first, and Xiao Yanzi next."

When Grandpa spoke, Zhang Huan happily accepted it.

However, Li Ping got the hang of it and quickly finished the second and third ones.

Li Yan and Zhang Huan each carried a small orange lantern and first ran into the yard to show it off. After receiving praise from Zhao Sufang, Li Lan, and Li Xiangdong, they ran to the street to show it to other children.

Upon seeing this, Li Jiabao excitedly ran into the house, wanting to take a small orange lamp out to play as well. After looking around for a while, he finally settled on an orange...

"Fifth Sister, this orange is big, can you use it to make one for me?"

"Silly boy, you only care about the big one! Give it to me, I'll make it for you!"

As darkness fell, Li Ping finished making a bunch of small orange lanterns. She lit the candles with a match, and then a ball of orange light shone warmly in the darkness.

Li Ping, along with Li Jiabao, Zhang Huan, and Li Yan, each carrying a small orange lantern, strolled slowly down the street, playing with them.

Other children on the street were also playing with lanterns. Some were made by opening windows in wine boxes, and some were made by inserting sorghum stalks. They were all different, but they all contained candles.

There aren't any plastic lanterns with batteries and light bulbs for sale yet, so everyone makes them by hand using whatever materials they have on hand.

The children were used to seeing wine box lamps and sorghum stalk lamps, but they had never seen such a novel thing as a small orange lamp before, so they all came over to watch.

Xiao Xiangzi said to Li Ping with great envy, "Fifth Sister, can I have one? I want one too!"

"Okay! There's another one at home!"

"Hooray! Long live Fifth Sister!"

Suddenly, a timid voice came from below, "I want one too!"

Li Ping looked down and saw it was Douzai.

Not knowing who Douzai came with, Li Ping looked around but couldn't find Li Weijun and Liu Yuxiu.

Who did you come with?

Douzai didn't answer, but stretched out his little hand for the little orange lamp.

Li Ping handed him the small orange lamp, bent down, and reminded him, "Be careful not to get burned by the candle!"

Douzai happily took the little orange lamp and wobbled away.

Li Ping was worried that he would fall, so he followed a few steps behind. Then he saw Liu Yuxiu come out of the alley next to them and hug Douzai tightly.

Li Jiabao muttered unhappily, "She's corrupted the very foundation of the family; she's ruined all the good kids!"

Li Ping said nonchalantly, "He's just a little nephew, after all. Let's go home and have dinner!"

......

The moon was obscured by dark clouds today, and only a round shadow could be seen, but this did not dampen everyone's spirits for family reunion.

On the round table in Li Jin's house, there was a plate of mooncakes in the center, followed by glistening purple Kyoho grapes, bright red apples, yellow pears, and a green-skinned, red-fleshed watermelon on the left, and a whole braised carp, a whole braised chicken, and other stir-fried dishes on the right.

Once everyone was seated, Li Jin looked at his children and grandchildren and felt a surge of satisfaction.

He raised his glass, his voice filled with deep emotion, and said, "May we all live long and share the beauty of the moon, even though we are thousands of miles apart. Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, the moon is full, and our families are reunited. Cheers!"

Except for Zhao Sufang, who had the same baijiu (Chinese liquor) as Li Jin, everyone else was drinking orange juice. They clinked glasses, cheered, and downed their drinks!

The family was eating and drinking when there was a sudden knock at the door, followed by footsteps.

Li Xiangdong's position was directly facing the main entrance, so he could tell who it was at a glance.

At the front was Li Weijun, and behind him was Liu Yuxiu, who was holding Douzai.

At this moment, the others at the table also saw the three of them, and the lively atmosphere immediately quieted down.

Li Jin and Zhao Sufang didn't speak, and neither did Li Weijun; the atmosphere was a bit awkward.

Liu Yuxiu reached out and poked Li Weijun in the back. Only then did Li Weijun awkwardly say, "Um, Dad, Mom, it's Mid-Autumn Festival. Yuxiu and I are bringing you two some mooncakes."

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