Lin Li didn't reply, she just looked at him.

"Then, I secretly followed him and saw that after he returned home, he was beaten by his grandmother because he hadn't earned enough money, and she took away all the money he had earned from selling scrap."

Lin Laosan sniffed, "I felt sorry for him, so I went and bought some steamed buns and dumplings. Just as I was about to take them to him, I saw him eating the spoiled food while burying his head in his studies."

"so……"

"Mom... if that child has changed for the better, can we accept him back?"

After hesitating for a long time, Lin Laosan finally asked the question.

Lin Li didn't reply; she was recalling the original owner's past experiences.

In the original owner's memory, she could never see her grandchildren, as her siblings never brought their children back to see her.

Then I think about how that child was taught by the second son's family to be foul-mouthed and act like a bully.

"Let's see. If you're worried he'll starve, give the money to the village chief and ask him to take care of him!"

When Lin Laosan heard that Lin Li did not stop him from helping, the corners of his mouth turned up.

He knew that his mother was still kind-hearted; even though that child had treated her that way before, she still didn't want him to starve to death!

? ? ?

Lin Li: I didn't, I'm not, you're lying!

Lin Laosan decided to go talk to the village chief later and ask him to help look after the child, since the child was only 7 years old!

Once the mother and son made their decision, they let go of the matter!

Lin Laosan quickly finished his meal, picked up the installation manual and instruction book, and started reading them!

Lin Li smiled as she looked at his infatuated expression and quickly took the bowl back to the kitchen.

Just as he finished washing his hands, Lin Laosan walked in, wiping them dry, with half a piece of electrical tape sticking out of his pocket.

"The instruction manual says to set up an outdoor antenna, but our bamboo pole isn't long enough..."

Before she finished speaking, Lin Li walked to a corner of the courtyard and took out a bamboo clothes drying pole: "Use this!"

The two men carried bamboo poles and walked towards the courtyard. "We need to put the antenna on the roof so the signal will be better."

As he spoke, he climbed the wooden ladder in his house, and just as he was about to climb up, Lin Li grabbed him.

"Wait! You tied the aluminum wire to the end of the bamboo pole; the instruction manual says that this will improve reception."

The aluminum wire was stripped from scrap electrical wires and had a grayish-white metallic luster.

Lin Laosan squatted on the stone slab of the courtyard, using pliers to bend aluminum wire into a rhombus shape, his fingertips reddening from the metal.

Lin Li squatted down beside her and helped hand over the tape.

When the rhomboid antenna was finally shakily mounted on the roof, the evening glow in the west was burning intensely.

Lin Laosan gripped the bamboo pole and slid down, completely unaware that his trouser leg was being torn open by the wooden ladder.

Lin Li had already moved the television to the octagonal table in the main room. Her entire palm was burning hot as she plugged the power cord into the newly installed wall socket.

The knob made a hissing sound as it turned, and snowflakes on the screen fell like an overturned salt shaker.

"Turn left! Then turn half a circle!"

Lin Li leaned over the TV, her nose almost touching the screen.

Lin Laosan's hand hovered above the channel knob, beads of sweat rolling down his temples and into the collar of his Zhongshan suit.

Suddenly, a figure flashed across the screen, and the two of them held their breath at the same time.

The woman in the cheongsam in the picture is twirling her flowing sleeves, but the sound and the picture are always out of sync, like an old record being blown off track by the wind.

"It's 'The Drunken Beauty'! Quickly put it on the Spring Festival Gala, it's going to start in half an hour!"

Lin Laosan wiped the sweat from his forehead; dark sweat stains were already visible on the back of his clothes.

"Let's try again! I heard that this year's Spring Festival Gala is being held at the Workers' Stadium, it's going to be a huge event!"

His hand trembled slightly as he turned the knob. Suddenly, a figure flashed across the screen, followed by a piercing electrical hum.

"We have a signal!"

The two shouted at the same time, their voices filled with undisguised excitement.

"Third brother, go and call the village chief, and tell him to inform the whole village to come and see!"

"Hey!"

After Lin Laosan fixed the image on the Spring Festival Gala screen, he was about to run out when he heard Lin Li's words of advice behind him.

"Tell them to bring their own stools; we don't have enough!"

"Eh~~~" The last syllable had already disappeared into the cold wind!

A short while later, Lin Li heard the village loudspeaker blaring.

"Attention all villagers! Attention all villagers! The Lin family's new TV can watch the Spring Festival Gala live. Everyone who wants to watch, come and bring your stools. It starts promptly at eight o'clock!"

The village suddenly became lively!

Aunt Li carried an enamel mug full of roasted melon seeds, followed by her bouncy grandson; Grandpa Zhang carried his own bamboo recliner, and Brother Wang held his daughter, with snacks in his hands...

"Come in quickly!"

Lin Li warmly welcomed the villagers who came, her face beaming with smiles!

Ten minutes before eight o'clock, the courtyard was already packed with people.

Bamboo beds, benches, and even upside-down rice washing basins became temporary seats.

The women gathered at the entrance of the main room, chattering about the clothes Lin Li was wearing; the men squatted against the wall smoking, occasionally glancing up at the television and muttering about the wonder of this foreign contraption.

"It's starting! It's starting!" someone shouted.

Lin Laosan frantically changed channels, and finally the image of the Workers' Stadium appeared on the screen.

The golden words "CCTV Spring Festival Gala" exploded on the screen, and the courtyard instantly fell silent; even the noisiest children held their breath.

The opening song and dance performance was lively and exciting, with the performers dressed in bright costumes singing and dancing on the stage.

The villagers stared in disbelief, and Aunt Li wiped away tears, exclaiming, "Oh my, city people are just different! They dress like they're in a painting!"

Grandpa Zhang took out his pipe to smoke, but forgot to light it, and just stared blankly at the screen.

But before the show had been going on for long, problems arose.

The signal became unstable, the picture became distorted, and the sound became intermittent.

"Third brother! Quick, check the antenna!"

"Is it crooked again?"

A commotion broke out in the courtyard!

Lin Laosan grabbed a flashlight and ran towards the antenna, while Lin Li stood below directing, "Move a little to the left! Higher!"

After a while of fiddling around, the image finally became clear again.

Chen Peisi and Zhu Shimao's skit brought laughter to the entire courtyard, with children slapping their thighs and laughing heartily; when Li Guyi's singing began, the women hummed along softly.

Lin Li and Lin Laosan stood at the back of the crowd, looking at everyone's smiling faces illuminated by the television lights, and felt a warm glow in their hearts.

When the clock struck midnight, everyone in the courtyard counted down together.

Looking at the fireworks display on the TV and then at the smiling villagers around her, Lin Li felt that spending New Year's Eve like this was quite fun!

As night deepened and the Spring Festival Gala ended, the villagers left with satisfied smiles.

The octagonal table in the main room was piled high with food brought by everyone: salted duck eggs stuffed in by Aunt Li, fried broad beans placed by Brother Wang, and a few fruit candies secretly placed by the children.