It was past ten in the evening when Liu's parents finally finished their work and sat by the fire in the firebox, keeping watch.
"Mom, I want to eat canned oranges. We have run out of them." Qingya pulled Liu's mother's arm and acted coquettishly.
"Eat, eat, eat. You only think about eating good food every day. Have you finished your homework? You guys have already eaten almost half a pound of the fruit candy I bought. Especially you, Qingya. You should change your teeth soon, or you will have bad teeth in the future."
"Mom, I'm almost done with my homework. It will be finished soon after the New Year. I'm feeling so hot by the fire, I want to eat something cold." Qingya winked at Xuemei and Liu's father.
"Mom, it's so hot inside, I want to eat canned food too." Xuemei also said.
"Mother, don't say anything, I feel so warm, it's really comfortable to eat some canned food. Ruirui, Feifei, what do you think?"
Ruirui and Feifei also nodded in response. Mother Liu looked at the six faces in front of her, one large and five small, staring at her eagerly and glared at Father Liu. "I was wondering why our children were so greedy. It turns out it was brought up by a greedy person like you."
After saying this, Mother Liu came out of the firebox, put on her shoes, and walked towards her room. Father Liu called out from behind, "Give me some more of the oranges we bought last time."
Liu's mother said without even turning her head: "This is a good thing that can't last overnight. It will be finished in a moment."
"Dad, you also bought oranges, how come we didn't know about it?" Qingya asked.
"I bought it at the market a few days ago, but I forgot to tell you. Qingya, go to the kitchen and get some bowls."
When Qingya came back with the bowl, Liu's mother shared the can of oranges and six oranges with the family.
Not long after, Xuemei and her three siblings were sitting inside the firebox and fell asleep.
"These little guys said they would keep watch with us, but they went to sleep after eating. I think they just came here to eat for free." Father Liu said to Mother Liu with a smile.
"I'll wake Xuemei up, and you take the little ones into the room."
"Xuemei, Xuemei."
"Mom, what are you doing?"
"Go to bed."
"Oh, okay, Mom."
When Liu's father carried Qingya to Xuemei's room, Xuemei and Liu's mother also came in.
"Go and carry the two little ones to our room. Remember to take off their clothes."
"good."
Liu's mother took off Qingya's clothes and put them next to Xuemei.
"Xuemei, try the new quilt to see if it's warm."
"Mom, stay warm. Do you have a new quilt?"
"Little housekeeper, mother made two quilts this year, and we'll use the new ones tonight. Go to bed early, or you'll be awake tomorrow. When mother calls you tomorrow, you'll get up with your sister, okay?"
"Okay, Mom."
Liu's mother put away Xuemei and her sister's old cotton-padded jackets and placed their new ones at the head of their beds so that the two sisters could see them when they got up tomorrow.
…
Mother Liu looked at the clock hanging on the wall. It was bought when Liu's parents got married, when tickets were not required. "It's eleven o'clock. Just wait another hour. Come up and warm yourself by the fire, Brother Da."
"Li Niang, after returning from the old house today, I thought about it. We should not have children in the future. Four is enough."
"Why do you suddenly think like this?"
"Look at my second brother's children. They've finished their dinner tonight, including a basket of steamed cornbread, a pot of sweet potato porridge cooked by my sister-in-law, and a basket of steamed sweet potatoes, but they're still not full. I think it's enough for us to just take good care of these four children. To be honest, it's heartbreaking to see them so skinny and hungry."
"Don't mention that my second brother's children don't have enough to eat. Which children in the village can eat to their heart's content right now? You may feel sorry for my nephew, and I do too. But we can't send them food. Our family is just a little better off than others, just enough to eat. In two years, when the two little ones are older and all four of us have big appetites, we don't know what will happen then. We still need to save more money and food coupons."
"I know. I'll definitely prioritize you and the kids first."
"When we have good things at home, we can still give some to the old house. We can do this and we still have to do it."
"Thank you, Li Niang. I'll go to the hospital after the New Year to get the birth control product. I heard it can be used as a contraceptive."
"I've really decided not to have children. We already have a son and a daughter, so it's okay if we don't have one. I was worried I wouldn't be able to make it through the birth of my two little ones last time, and now I'm worried the next ones won't have a mother to make it through."
"Pfft, pfft, what are you talking about? You should have told me earlier. We don't want children in the future. Four is enough. Just like you said, I should be content with having a son and a daughter. I can just raise these four well in the future."
"Thank you, Da Ge. Our family will get better and better."
"Li Niang, it's almost twelve o'clock. I'm going to get some firecrackers to set off."
After the firecrackers were set off, Liu's parents went to bed. The next day, they both woke up a little after five to prepare their belongings. After breakfast a little after seven, the family went to the old house to pay New Year's greetings. In this way, New Year's Day passed with the comings and goings of each household in the village.
…
"Mom, what are we having for dinner tonight?"
"Qingya, you haven't given me your red envelope today."
"Mom, I'm eight years old now, I can save it myself."
"No, I said you have to be eight years old. How many months do you still have? I've already given your two younger brothers to me, so you have to turn them in too."
Qingya could only take out three red envelopes wrapped in red paper from her pocket and hand them to Liu's mother. "Mom, why didn't you give birth to me just before the Chinese New Year like my elder sister?"
"Is this a decision for me, your mother? I can't do anything if you want to come out at that time." Liu's mother said with a smile.
Qingya was very dissatisfied, but she had no choice but to stomp her feet and leave.
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