The day after Yan Xiaonan's birthday, Bei Nan and Xin Nan were severely beaten by Yan Xiaoqiang. He repeatedly warned them not to go up the mountain on their own, but the two boys were too audacious. Of course, they were going to be beaten, but Grandma Yan stopped them. Today is Bao's birthday, and she can't let Bao be unhappy.
So Yan Xiaoqiang saved up for the beating all night, and the next day he hit her even harder, beating her while cursing: "You have a brain as stupid as a pig, you only caught the pheasant when it flew into your hand, and you waited for it to come to you. You can't even read a few words, yet you can recite idioms to me. Even Zhongnan is more sensible than you. You still want to complain to Zhongnan? Let Zhongnan bite you to death."
Originally, Yan Xiaoqiang didn't know that the two brothers had gone up the mountain, but from their smug words, he learned the whole story of the pheasants and rabbits. He hurriedly went into the house to check on Yan Xiaonan, and sure enough, Yan Xiaonan was lying on the kang with his eyes closed. He was so angry that he wanted to beat the two boys to death on the spot, but was stopped by Grandma Yan.
The beating was quite severe; the two boys were unable to get out of bed for three days. Moreover, when Yan Xiaoqiang was beating them, Grandma Yan and Cuihua kept the door tightly closed, pretending not to hear. When Bei Nan complained that Zhong Nan had become wild and wanted to bite them, they were so frightened that they went down the mountain. They knew very well that it must have been Nan Nan who had Zhong Nan protect them.
The two boys meant well, but their good intentions backfired. Nan Nan fainted again because of them, especially since it was Nan Nan's birthday that day. They were so inconsiderate. Dong Nan was furious and thought, "Good for them!" Everyone in the family was told not to go into the mountains without permission. Fortunately, Zhong Nan stopped them.
Nan Nan's coma was actually a misunderstanding. The little girl was enjoying a relaxing soak in the hot spring. It wasn't until the next day, when Xinan and Bei Nan were beaten so badly they couldn't get out of bed, that they realized their father had misunderstood. However, Yan Xiao Nan felt that the two of them deserved the beating and should be taught a lesson. Wild animals are especially ferocious in winter, and running into one would definitely be fatal.
The Lunar New Year is just half a month away, and the villagers of Mushroom Village are all busy. Yan Xiaonan, wearing a newly made rabbit fur coat, a rabbit fur hat and gloves, is playing with Zhongnan in the yard. Ever since Zhongnan stopped the two boys last time, his status in the family has risen rapidly. Now, Nannan is number one in the family, and Zhongnan is number two.
Xuemei and Cuihua were busy washing and airing the quilts, while Yan Xiaoqiang and Yan Dongnan were busy fetching water from the well and chopping firewood outside the mountain. That well really saved the lives of the whole village. Even though the temperature was below zero, the well water was warm in winter and cool in summer, relieving the villagers' suffering from water shortage.
Those with water tickets could collect water according to their tickets, while those without tickets could collect one bucket of water per day, which they could exchange for surplus grain the following year. This practice warmed the hearts of the villagers, since water is the source of life and cannot be lacking.
Grandma Yan looked at the yard full of firewood, the kitchen cabinet full of oil, salt, rice and grains, and several full vats of water. She felt extremely at ease. She also had nearly a thousand kilograms of cornmeal and nearly a hundred kilograms of pork in her own house. She didn't have to worry about this winter. Her eldest son would be back in a day, which would put his mind at ease.
Yan Daqiang, far away in Beijing, had no idea that his mother was using him as a shield, nor did he know that Zao Xuemei was planning to reward him. Half a year ago, he had already begun preparing to return to his hometown. He hadn't been able to go home to see his mother for more than ten years. Although he sent money and tickets every month, nothing could compare to the peace of mind of having her by his side to take care of him.
In early November, he had already boarded the train back to his hometown. This slow train kept stopping and starting, and it would take at least two months to get home. He had finally managed to save up half a year of vacation, but the round trip would take up four months of his time, and that was under normal circumstances.
So we had to leave on time and return to the city more than half a month early, which meant we only had a month left to spend with our mother. We were so grateful to our younger brother, who stayed by our mother's side and took care of her. Our sister-in-law was even better; she treated our mother better than her own mother and had given birth to a daughter for the Yan family.
His wife and three sons were either at work or studying, so they didn't have time to go back to their hometown with him. They could only occasionally buy things to put in his luggage for him to take back. As the luggage kept increasing, Lao Yan felt quite sweet inside, because the things his wife bought were all good things.
My own mother can't read many words, so my younger brother's eldest son, Dongnan, writes for her. He writes a letter every quarter, clearly explaining everything that's going on at home. The letter specifically mentions that my second brother, who hasn't been home to see his mother for over ten years, came home empty-handed, and how his wife caused trouble at home. I sneer to myself, "Second brother, you're really something. Don't let me see you this Spring Festival."
And then there was the addition of a little niece. This little girl is the only girl in the Yan family. Looking at the little girl's photo in my hand, I can't help but want to go back and hug her as soon as possible. I remember my wife glanced at the photo and the next day asked a colleague to buy a coat for the little girl. This coat cost my wife half a month's salary.
Then my wife kept pestering me to have a girl too, but it's been almost a year and her belly isn't getting any bigger. I guess she won't be able to give birth. This girl is so lucky. You know, I'm barely getting enough to eat here, and I still have to take pictures of a girl. Looking at the incredibly beautiful little girl in the photos, it was all worth it.
The train chugged along, and Yan Daqiang's heart was filled with excitement. He would be home in another half month. Just now, when the train stopped at the station, he went to the post office and wrote the arrival time and train number of the shuttle bus in a letter and sent it out. The letter was faster than the train, and he estimated that his mother would receive it in a week.
Yan Daqiang's guess was accurate. When Dongnan returned from the post office with the letter, it was less than a week before Yan Daqiang arrived home. Today was the 20th of the lunar year, and the New Year was just ten days away. Grandma Yan got excited and repeatedly told Yan Xiaonan to move into her own room, leaving the empty room for her uncle.
Although Yan Xiaonan was unwilling, her grandmother missed her eldest son so much that as her granddaughter, she absolutely had to do as her grandmother said. She packed her things into a small basket, picked up the basket, and went to her grandmother's house.
Southeast couldn't help but laugh. The little basket contained nothing more than Yan Xiaonan's hat, gloves, and hair tie, along with some candies and snacks. The little girl was folding them one by one and putting them into the basket with great seriousness. Her earnestness was really amusing.
Grandma Yan lovingly took the small basket, carried the little girl to the kang (a heated brick bed), touched her little hand—it was warm—and felt relieved. Then she began to tell Yan Xiaonan about her eldest son's life from childhood to adulthood. When she got emotional, she even wiped away tears with her handkerchief. Yan Xiaonan felt a pang of heartache listening to her; her uncle was truly a good man.
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