On the morning of the second day of the Lunar New Year, while it was still pitch black, Cuihua and Xuemei were already busy in the kitchen, boiling water and cooking porridge and making flatbread in two pots. Yan Xiaoqiang and Dongnan also got up early; one was feeding the chickens and sweeping the yard, while the other was feeding the cows and packing things.
Looking at the sleeping Yan Xiaonan, Grandma Yan was a little worried. In such cold weather, she wondered if the little girl would catch a cold if she went out while still asleep. Cuihua quietly came in: "Mom, don't worry about her for now. Eat your food. She'll probably wake up by the time you're done."
Grandma Yan thought it made perfect sense, so she quickly got off the kang (a heated brick bed) to wash her face, hands, and comb her hair. She had to be all presentable when she went to her mother-in-law's house today, so as not to embarrass Cuihua.
She changed into the padded jacket her eldest son had bought in Beijing, and stood in front of the mirror looking quite dashing. Just then, Yan Daqiang came out of the house and immediately showered her with compliments: "Who is this lady? Oh my, Mom, how come you look so young? I thought it was some lady coming to visit."
Grandma Yan grinned from ear to ear, deliberately grabbing a comb as if to hit Yan Daqiang, while cursing, "You ungrateful little brat, you even dare to tease your own mother."
Yan Daqiang straightened Grandma Yan's body and said to her in the mirror, "Look, Mom, don't you look really young?"
Grandma Yan looked closely in the mirror and it was true. The wrinkles at the corners of her eyes had become noticeably smaller, the white hairs on her head were decreasing while the black hairs were increasing, and her skin was becoming smoother. Could it be that the little girl's magical aura had nourished her? Alas, the Yan family has accumulated good karma, and the ancestors have shown their power.
With a happy heart, Yan Daqiang's complexion improved even more. Seeing that his mother was living a particularly fulfilling life because of Yan Xiaonan, Yan Daqiang liked the little girl even more. Knowing that the little girl was still fast asleep, he told his mother to just carry her, blanket and all, onto the oxcart later.
Grandma Yan thought it made sense, so she told Yan Daqiang to sit down quickly. She then called Yan Xiaoqiang and Dongnan to come in and have breakfast, otherwise it would get cold. Yan Daqiang looked around and wondered where his sister-in-law and Xuemei were. Yan Xiaoqiang said they would wait for the boys to get up before eating together.
Just as the group was enjoying their meal, Bei Nan and Xin Nan opened the door and came out. Seeing the room full of people, they quickly called out to them one by one: "Grandma, Uncle, Dad, Mom, oh, where's Nan Nan?"
Zhongnan paced back and forth with a soft whimper, as if he were sleeping. As soon as Yan Daqiang saw Zhongnan, he asked, "Mom, is Zhongnan going?"
Grandma Yan said she didn't know, it depended on whether Nan Nan took him or not. If she did, he would go; if not, he wouldn't. Upon hearing this, Zhong Nan immediately ran towards where Nan Nan was sleeping.
When the wolf peeked inside, it saw that the little girl was still asleep, so it quietly withdrew. Yan Daqiang was amazed, thinking how clever the wolf was. He said he would have someone find some better wolfhounds when he got back.
As dawn broke, Yan Xiaoqiang carefully checked each room, extinguished the fire on the kang (a heated brick bed), closed the windows, and locked the doors. Cuihua carried Yan Xiaonan out, blanket and all, and handed the little girl to Grandma Yan, who was already on the oxcart. Xinan and Beinan quickly wrapped Nannan loosely in a blanket so that the wind wouldn't blow on her face.
Southeast and Xuemei, carrying food for their family on the road, climbed onto the oxcart. Yan Daqiang and Yan Xiaoqiang sat in front driving. Cuihua checked the doors and windows one last time, locked the gate to the courtyard, and quickly got onto the oxcart. Yan Xiaoqiang cracked his whip on the ground and off they went.
Southeast ran to the side of the old ox. Now the old ox was no longer afraid of Southeast. Southeast not only did not act fiercely towards it, but it would also chase away people who bullied it. When it saw Southeast coming, it mooed. Southeast howled, its voice revealing its wolfish nature.
As the oxcart traveled along, Yan Xiaoqiang chatted endlessly with his older brother. Several people from the southeast surrounded Grandma Yan and Nannan, shielding them from the cold wind. Yan Xiaonan finally woke up, swaying slightly.
The first thing Yan Xiaonan did after waking up was to pee, but how could she do it in the carriage? Her eyes darted around trying to figure it out. Grandma Yan knew exactly what her darling was up to, so she quickly told Yan Xiaoqiang to stop the carriage. Together with Cuihua, they carried the little girl to a grassy spot, squatted down, and the important matter of life was taken care of.
Xuemei was already busy opening the small pot hidden under the thick quilt. It was the breakfast she was cooking for Yan Xiaonan: millet porridge with egg drop. The little girl was being creative, so Xuemei beat the eggs and slowly poured the beaten egg mixture into the porridge when it was cooked, stirring with chopsticks as she poured. She also added some salt and oil.
At first, everyone thought the little girl was just messing around. But when the egg drop porridge entered her mouth, Southwest was the first to pick up Yan Xiaonan. "My sister is so capable!" Xuemei was also quick to apply what she learned to other dishes. She ate one variety of porridge after another, from egg drop porridge to preserved egg and lean pork porridge, and then to fish porridge.
It was Yan Xiaonan's first time eating on an oxcart, and the feeling was simply wonderful. The old ox smelled terrible, but the egg drop porridge smelled amazing, driving Yan Xiaonan's sense of smell completely wild.
I would occasionally smell the cow odor on my clothes. I'm glad that beautiful coat was too big to wear, otherwise it would have smelled like cow too.
Everyone watched as Yan Xiaonan ate her fragrant egg drop porridge, occasionally covering her nose with her sleeve and looking at Lao Niu with a disgusted expression. They found the little girl incredibly amusing.
Bei Nan deliberately said, "Third Uncle is really something. Has this cow not been bathed for a year? Look how smelly it is on my Nan Nan."
Unexpectedly, the old ox mooed, its eyes revealing a sense of helplessness, which almost made Yan Xiaonan laugh to death. It seemed that his consciousness was becoming stronger and stronger.
The oxcart traveled along, stopping frequently, with everything covered in snow. Yan Xiaonan was a little worried that her family members would get snow blindness, so she could only talk to each of them from time to time so that they wouldn't keep looking at the snowy scenery.
Yan Daqiang was somewhat suspicious, but the little girl was too young after all, so he decided to test her: "Mom, you shouldn't keep looking at the snow, or you'll get snow blindness."
After saying that, he stole a glance at Yan Xiaonan's expression and saw her relieved look. His heart was in turmoil. How could a young girl know this?
Southwest asked, "Uncle, what does snow blindness mean, and what happens if you get it?"
Yan Daqiang glanced at Yan Xiaonan, sensing that the girl wasn't going to speak and was probably playing dumb. He smiled and replied, "It's caused by the reflection of snow, resulting in eye damage from ultraviolet rays. In severe cases, it can even lead to blindness, what's called being blind."
Everyone was so frightened by Yan Daqiang's words that they all closed their eyes, no longer daring to look at the snow. But they couldn't keep their eyes closed forever, so they decided to take turns watching the road, and as for Nan Nan, she was not allowed to open her eyes.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
