At the end of January this year, nineteen educated youths came to Taojia Village to work in the countryside. Eighteen of them left in December, and now only Zhao Huanhuan remains in the village.

However, she was no longer an educated youth sent to the countryside, but a wife in the village.

Uncle Lin and Aunt Chu were also worried that Zhao Huanhuan would be gossiped about if she went out into the village, so they told her to stay at home every day to read books and practice calligraphy, and not to go out into the village, and to wait for Lin Yuan to come back.

Worried that Zhao Huanhuan would be lonely, Aunt Chu also fried peanuts, melon seeds, beans, and dried red dates that she had dried in the autumn for Zhao Huanhuan to eat as snacks.

Zhao Huanhuan agreed. It was cold, and she couldn't wait to lie on the kang (a heated brick bed) every day to read, sleep, draw, listen to music, play the accordion, and eat snacks.

During the holiday, she brought her accordion back and said she wanted to practice the songs in her music book.

On the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month, Zhao Huanhuan received a parcel slip, instructing her to pick up the package herself at the Shanglin City Post Office.

Aunt Chu was worried that it would be dangerous for Zhao Huanhuan to go out alone, so she and her husband went to Shanglin with Huanhuan and bought some New Year's goods.

This autumn, after the brigade distributed grain and meat a while ago, families with extra work points were given money.

They had some money now, and Aunt Chu wanted to buy Zhao Huanhuan new clothes for the New Year.

When Zhao Huanhuan received the item, she saw the address on it and guessed that it was sent by her aunt.

When she opened it, she saw that her aunt had sent her a gray wool coat and a pair of black pants.

Even in the 21st century, this outfit would still be fashionable, and Zhao Huanhuan immediately fell in love with it.

Aunt Chu kept praising the clothes, saying they were indeed typical of people from Kyoto; the coat was beautiful, and the pants were a style they had never seen before.

When Zhao Huanhuan saw that the pants her aunt had sent were black corduroy flared pants, she decided to try them on when she got home, as she had never worn flared pants before.

When Aunt Chu saw that Zhao Huanhuan already had a coat and pants, she bought Zhao Huanhuan a red and white striped sweater while shopping at the mall, which cost twenty-five yuan.

Zhao Huanhuan was reluctant to accept the clothes, but Aunt Chu said that this was the first time she had given Huanhuan clothes, so she couldn't refuse.

"Huanhuan, accept it. If you accept it, your mother will be happy. You deserve some credit for the money our family earned this year!" Uncle Lin said with a smile, helping his wife.

Seeing that the elderly couple had spoken in unison, Zhao Huanhuan smiled and nodded in acceptance.

After strolling around for a while, Zhao Huanhuan also spent her own money to buy a wool coat for each of the two elders, which cost more than ninety yuan.

The two elders didn't want it at first, but Zhao Huanhuan said it was a gift from her and Lin Yuan to them.

When the son was involved in everything, the elderly couple couldn't refuse and accepted the gifts.

Zhao Huanhuan thought that this way the whole family would be complete.

Lin Yuan had a wool coat in her closet. Now that she had one, and her parents had one too, that was good enough.

Although the two elders weren't wearing overcoats, but just ordinary woolen coats, they still looked very neat and good-looking in them.

The family bought a lot of things, including some New Year's goods, and then went home.

On the way, they also met villagers who had gone out to buy things. They walked home together, the adults chatting and laughing together, while Zhao Huanhuan rode her bike behind them, not joining in their conversation.

The adults were talking about Bai Meilan's family.

Zhao Huanhuan didn't want to listen either, so she moved away from them.

Unexpectedly, someone rode up behind them on a bicycle. When Zhao Huanhuan turned around, she saw that it was Tao Shize.

"Teacher Zhao, did you and Uncle Lin and Aunt Chu also go to Shanglin?" Tao Shize greeted him with a smile.

Zhao Huanhuan nodded and hummed in agreement, "Hmm, Teacher Tao too? Alone?"

After saying that, Zhao Huanhuan turned around and looked back.

Tao Shize smiled wryly, "Yeah, I bought some New Year's goods by myself. My parents are both busy."

"Oh, how did your talk with Fang Mei go?" Zhao Huanhuan asked with a smile.

Now that they have worked together for several months, they are familiar with each other and can talk about these topics. Tao Shize had previously asked Li Mai about Fang Mei's opinion of him.

The ambiguous relationship between him and Fang Mei was, in Zhao Huanhuan's eyes, an open secret.

After asking her question, Zhao Huanhuan saw Tao Shize's smile gradually fade and sighed inwardly. It seemed there was no good outcome.

She could also tell that Fang Mei cared about Tao Shize, but she was torn between returning to the city or staying here forever for Tao Shize's sake.

"It depends on fate. If the educated youth settlement isn't closed next year and she can come back, we'll consider it fate," Tao Shize said softly.

Zhao Huanhuan understood and nodded.

The two villagers who were talking to Aunt Chu and Uncle Lin turned around and saw Zhao Huanhuan and Tao Shize riding side by side, talking. They wondered to themselves, "Lin Yuan is never home; could Tao Shize be with Teacher Zhao...?"

They could only think about it, but they didn't dare to say it out loud or ask Uncle Lin and Aunt Chu in person.

Uncle Lin and Aunt Chu knew that Tao Shize and Huanhuan were good friends, and they also knew that Shize liked Teacher Fang, so they didn't think much of it.

They even turned around and said a few words to Tao Shize.

After returning home, the family quickly started a fire to cook, and after eating, they went back to their room to rest.

Aunt Chu even went to Zhao Huanhuan's room to see what Zhao Huanhuan looked like in her new clothes. She praised Zhao Huanhuan's aunt for her good taste in clothes.

Aunt Chu also asked Zhao Huanhuan if she wanted to send some local specialties to her aunt.

Zhao Huanhuan said she would send some red dates and goji berries to her aunt next spring, and Aunt Chu agreed, saying she would prepare some better ones for her.

For the next few days, Zhao Huanhuan stayed home with Aunt Chu making New Year's goods.

Because Lin Yuan is coming back for the Chinese New Year, they plan to make more New Year's goods so that Zhao Huanhuan and Lin Yuan can bring some back for Zhao's parents when they return to Yuancheng.

Aunt Chu said that they were working and definitely didn't have time to make so many New Year's goods, especially braised pork chunks. Aunt Chu specially prepared ten large pieces of pork for the Zhao family so that they could keep them for a while and eat them for a longer period of time.

Uncle Lin also bought a few ribbonfish and a few carp, saying that his family loves to eat fish.

On the 29th, after all the New Year's goods had been prepared the night before, Zhao Huanhuan took some red paper and sat down with Aunt Chu to learn how to cut paper.

The family is waiting for Lin Yuan to come back. Today is the 29th, and Lin Yuan will definitely be back tonight. Uncle Lin has already ridden his bicycle to the train station to pick him up.

These past two days, Uncle Lin has been going to Shanglin City every afternoon.

"Huanhuan, after Lin Yuan comes back, go and buy the gifts you need to take back to your mother's house during the first month of the lunar year, so that you won't be left without anything when all the shops are closed," Aunt Chu instructed Zhao Huanhuan.

“Okay, Mom!” Zhao Huanhuan replied.

The mother and daughter were cutting paper when two aunties came to visit.

When they saw Zhao Huanhuan, they looked at her and smiled strangely.

Zhao Huanhuan didn't take it to heart. She let them chat, said goodbye, and went back to her own room.