New Year's Day Extra: Winter Warmth in the Lychee Village
January 1, 2026, sunny weather, outdoor temperature 22 degrees Celsius, Lixiang Town.
At nine o'clock in the morning, on the ridge of a seven-tenths-acre field at the west end of the town.
The children were dressed in the same new Year of the Horse sportswear: red crew neck T-shirts, black and red striped trousers, and lightweight children's water shoes.
Xining had her hair tied in a high ponytail, while Xiyu had her hair cut very short. The two of them stood on the edge of the field, looking like two little teachers.
Mimi's hair was tied into two small buns, adorned with blue snowflake hair clips, while Nuonuo wore a small sun hat.
Lin Siyu, with her hair in pigtails, was rather quiet. Although Lin An'an was six years old, she was even quieter than Lin Siyu.
"Today we'll learn how to plant sweet potatoes." Huo Xining cleared his throat and, imitating the teacher, said, "You should hold the sweet potato seedlings like this, root down, and place them at an angle into the hole."
She demonstrated, holding a sweet potato seedling in her small hands, while Xiyu added from the side, "The hole needs to be dug this deep."
He used a small shovel to dig a shallow hole in the ground, about ten centimeters deep.
Five little heads huddled together to look. Mimi reached out to touch the sweet potato seedling leaves, but Nuonuo gently stopped her: "Be gentle, Mom said it will hurt."
"Does it feel pain?" An'an asked earnestly.
“Plants also have life,” Xi Yu explained. “So we have to be careful.”
They began to divide the work: Xiyu and Xining were responsible for digging holes, Nuonuo and Mimi handed over the seedlings, and Siyu and An'an were responsible for filling in the soil.
"One seedling per hole," Xining taught her younger siblings. "Don't have too many, or they'll compete for nutrients."
Mimi carefully handed them out one by one, holding them tightly in her little hands, as if afraid they would fall to the ground.
Nuonuo counted: "One, two, three..."
Siyu works very slowly when adding soil, and An'an will gently press the soil down with her hands after adding it.
After planting about ten plants, the children's attention began to drift to other corners of the field.
Mimi found an earthworm, "Woof!"
So all the children gathered around, their heads huddled together.
Huo Xiyu explained, "These are good insects; earthworms help loosen the soil."
After planting a dozen or so more, the children completely let loose.
Mimi picked up a sweet potato stalk and held it up: "Look, a little flag!"
Nuonuo immediately imitated her, raising a flag as well: "My flag is higher!"
An'an joined in, sticking the seedling into her hair, "I'm a scarecrow!"
Siyu, who was originally quietly planting, couldn't help but join in when she saw her younger siblings having fun.
Xining and Xiyu exchanged a glance and joined in playing with their younger siblings.
Soon, planting sweet potato seedlings turned into a game.
The children chased each other in the fields, pretending to be swords with sweet potato seedlings, planting them in the soil to make small groves, and even weaving "sweet potato seedling wreaths".
Finally, they ran around in the soft field, their little water shoes leaving footprints.
On the other side, the adults were turning the soil into mounds and planting sweet potato seedlings, letting the children plant them first.
The seven people were also dressed in the same sportswear as the children, each wearing a straw hat.
The tracksuits were the uniforms that Huo Nanyu gave to the company employees for the year-end team building activities, so he also got a set for everyone, for a festive touch.
The brothers Huo Nanyu and Huo Nanchen were at the forefront, raising their hoes, lowering them, inserting them deeply into the soil, and then turning them over.
Sweat trickled down Lu Qingshu's temples from under the brim of her straw hat, and her movements as she turned the soil were clumsy.
“Grandma said I’ve been under too much work pressure lately, so she told me to come to this small town to farm.” She said to Lin Xili beside her, her voice unusually light. “Grandma is right. Being down-to-earth brings peace of mind.”
Lin Xili nodded, "When the body is tired, the tangled threads in the mind seem to loosen on their own."
Lin Junsheng and Chen Jinyue worked together to turn over the soil. Lin Junsheng turned over the clods of earth, and Chen Jinyue broke them up with the back of a hoe.
Compared to a few years ago, the detached detachment they once had has faded, replaced by a peaceful immersion in their work.
Lin Xuenuo was in charge of a row all by herself. Her design studio had gotten on track in the past few years, and a small patch of her back was soaked with sweat.
But her face showed a carefree expression, as if she was releasing the anxiety of hitting a creative block and the exhaustion of raising a child as a single parent to the inclusive land in the most primal way.
After Lin Xili finished turning over his own furrow, he came over to help her. The two of them stood side by side, their hoes rising and falling.
“Snow,” Lin Xili said gently, “it’s so good to see you and An’an like this now.”
Lin Xuenuo wiped the sweat from her forehead and smiled: "Sister, I only now realize that life needs to be carefully managed. It's tiring to be busy at the studio, but I'm doing what I love. Taking care of An'an is hard work, but watching him grow up day by day makes it all worth it."
Lin Xili smiled, "Yes, but if you meet the right person, don't miss the opportunity. It's also wonderful to be able to support and tolerate each other."
Lin Xuenuo hummed in agreement.
At the other end of the field, the children, tired from playing, were sitting on the earthen slope. Xiyu was pointing out different vegetables to her younger siblings, explaining, "This is lettuce, that's romaine lettuce, that's green beans..."
After explaining, Xi Yu stood up first. "Alright, we need to go back and finish today's task: plant all the sweet potato seedlings. No more playing around now!"
"Okay!" the children answered in unison.
On the other side of the field ridge, Grandma Huo, Huo Donghua, Lin Weihua, and Song Yuan sat on folding chairs, with a pot of licorice and chrysanthemum tea brewing on the small table in front of them.
Grandma Huo watched her younger relatives working and playing in the fields, a kind smile spreading across her face.
"When people are under too much pressure, it's good to go back to the countryside, look at the land and the crops, and your heart will be at peace."
Lin Weihua looked at Lin Xili in the field, his voice hoarse: "I wasn't a good father, back then..."
He didn't finish speaking, but everyone knew what he was going to say: the neglect of Lin Xili over the years, the doting on his eldest son and youngest daughter, and all the biases and mistakes.
Huo Donghua also looked at Huo Nanchen in the field. The relationship between father and son had improved a lot over the years, but there were still some things that were difficult to say directly.
He remained silent for a long time before saying, "And I am no different."
Song Yuan's eyes reddened. She had changed the most in recent years, and had begun to learn how to truly care for and treat her children and grandchildren with fairness.
She said softly, "Actually, it was Huo Nanchen who made us realize that our vision and perspective were really wrong. We always thought that marriage was the best way to bring out the greatest value of our children."
Grandma Huo waved her hand, "Actually, I insisted on getting them a marriage certificate despite Nan Chen's disagreement and Xi Li's impulsiveness. I also had my own selfish reasons. I wanted Nan Chen to let go of the past and return to Hong Kong."
She then looked at her descendants one by one, from her sons to her grandsons, from her daughters-in-law to her great-grandsons, as well as her in-laws, and those little figures running around tirelessly.
She couldn't help but sigh, "People learn to be elders, parents, and children by making mistakes."
"Family ties are something that can't be severed or untangled. You may feel angry, annoyed, or hateful, but in the end, you still want to have a meal together and talk on a day of reunion."
"Today is New Year's Day, let's not talk about the unpleasant things of the past, let's just enjoy the happiness of family life."
The three elders present all nodded in agreement.
In the evening, the two-story building was brightly lit.
In the kitchen, Huo Nanchen and Huo Nanyu, wearing aprons, were cooking.
Huo Nanchen held the wok, the flames illuminating his calm face as they leaped up.
Huo Nanyu is skilled with his knife, turning ingredients into even shreds, slices, and chunks.
The two brothers occasionally exchanged hushed conversations about cooking time and seasonings, working together seamlessly.
Lin Xili and Lu Qingshu were washing vegetables in front of the sink, Lin Xuenuo was peeling garlic cloves, Lin Junsheng was mashing ginger, and Chen Jinyue was setting out the dishes.
The children were seated in the living room to chat with the elderly.
After the food was served, everyone sat around the round table. Xi Yu and Xining, who were young, no longer needed children's chairs, while the other four children had their own chairs, and the bowls and spoons were neatly arranged.
Grandma Huo raised her glass: "Happy New Year, may your family be reunited."
Happy New Year!
Glasses clinked together—adults' wine glasses, children's orange juice—all reflecting beaming smiles.
Laughter and conversation filled the room throughout the meal.
Halfway through the meal, Huo Nanchen put down his chopsticks and looked at the children.
Xi Yu and Xining ate their meal properly, finishing each dish before taking another.
Siyu was poking at the fish balls, clearly not liking them, while An'an was also looking at the fish meat with a wrinkled face.
Nuonuo was trying to secretly push the carrots she didn't like aside, and several grains of rice fell onto the edge of Mimi's bowl.
"Siyu, An'an, Nuonuo, Mimi," he said in a gentle voice, but the children immediately sat up straight. "Did you enjoy planting sweet potato seedlings today?"
"I'm so happy!" Mimi exclaimed, "I planted 'Little Green'!"
Nuonuo nodded: "My 'Zhuangzhuang' will be the biggest."
Siyu and An'an nodded as well.
Huo Nanchen smiled: "Hmm, isn't it fun to come out and connect with the land like this every now and then?"
The children nodded.
“But,” Huo Nanchen’s tone became more serious, “you must remember, for us, this is relaxation, it’s a game.”
"But for real farmers, farming is their daily work, their way of supporting their families. It's hard work, working under the sun and in the rain."
He pointed to the abundant food on the table: "So every grain of rice and every vegetable is hard-earned. We can't waste it. We must cherish food. Take only what you can eat. If your parents give you too much food, tell them right away. Understand?"
The children listened quietly. Nuonuo silently put the carrot back into her bowl and started eating. Mimi picked up the rice grains that had fallen on the table and put them in her mouth. Siyu ate the meatballs, and An'an scooped up the fish with a spoon and ate it.
At this moment, Xi Yu raised her head to look at Huo Nanchen, then at Huo Nanyu and Lu Qingshu, "Father, Mother, Uncle, I want to study agricultural machinery in the future."
Xi Yu continued, "I observed today that the farming machines used in the town are all very large and expensive, and many farming families cannot afford them. They are still using very laborious old methods."
"I wonder if it's possible to design smaller, cheaper, and easier-to-use agricultural machinery in the future? So that farmers won't have to work so hard, and the harvest can be even better."
The boy spoke clearly, his eyes clean and resolute.
The adults at the table fell silent for a moment, then Grandma Huo smiled first, tears glistening in her eyes.
Lu Qingshu looked at her son with admiration, "Good ambition."
Huo Nanyu nodded: "That's a great goal. Remember what you said today, study hard, and achieve it in the future."
"Yes!" Xi Yu nodded vigorously.
“When I grow up, I want to be like my mom and aunt, upholding fairness!” Xining said.
Lu Qingshu gave her daughter a thumbs up, "Good!"
“I will protect Mom,” An’an said to Lin Xuenuo.
"I will study hard, learn from Sister Xining, and help my parents share some of the burden," Lin Siyu said.
"I want to be like my mom," Mimi said.
“Then I’ll become a doctor like my dad,” Nuonuo said.
"Okay, okay, okay..."
The adults all laughed when they heard this.
After dinner, it was completely dark, and the children's most anticipated part arrived: setting off fireworks.
Huo Nanyu and Huo Nanchen brought out the handheld fireworks they had prepared and set them up in the open space in front of the building.
It's a long, thin tube of colored beads that sprays out dazzling sparks when lit.
"Stand back a bit." Huo Nanchen lit the first cigarette.
"laugh--"
Xi Yu carefully took it, raised it high, and sparks bloomed in his hand. Xining also lit one, and silver sparks intertwined with gold.
With a soft sound, golden sparks burst forth, drawing bright arcs of light in the night.
The adults stood under the eaves, smiling as they watched. Grandma Huo wore a shawl, Huo Donghua stood beside her, Lin Weihua and Song Yuan were close together, Lin Junsheng had his arm around Chen Jinyue's shoulder, Lin Xuenuo was holding An'an, and Lin Xili was holding a child in each hand.
More fireworks were lit, red, green, and blue lights leaping, swirling, and blooming in the darkness.
The children's laughter and exclamations echoed in the courtyard, their little faces illuminated by the flickering firelight, and their eyes sparkling with starlight.
Mimi was a little scared at first, hiding behind Lin Xili's legs and peeking out. Nuonuo was brave and wanted to take it herself.
Lin Xili then squatted down, held her son's little hand, and together they held a lit firework.
When the sparks burst forth, Nuonuo exclaimed "Wow!" and Mimi, no longer afraid, wanted to play too.
Soon, with the help of adults, the children started setting off fireworks.
The night breeze carried the laughter of children and the chatter of adults as it gently blew by, while the starry sky above twinkled silently, vast and tender.
In the new year, may you have your beloved by your side! May your family be happy and prosperous! May every day be filled with joy! Happy New Year!
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