Winter Solstice, 1986.
Earth, Liucun Village in Xianshan County, Zhongzhou, was shrouded in a low, leaden cloud as dusk settled and a biting north wind blew.
A light drizzle mixed with the first snowflakes fell gently, adding a touch of poignant winter beauty to this tranquil land.
It's snowing!
The children's laughter broke the tranquility of the village as they excitedly rushed outside to greet the first snowfall of the year with their tiny hands.
The adults, on the other hand, all huddled inside the house, warming themselves around the brazier to escape the bitter cold outside.
At the eastern end of the village, in front of a simple mud-brick house, Liu Changqing and his father, Old Man Liu, stood under the eaves, silently watching the sudden snowfall.
Liu Changqing kept turning his head to look into the room, where he could hear the noisy voices of the women. He frowned, looking anxious and uneasy.
The old man Liu standing beside me, who was over fifty years old, looked somewhat hunched over as he stood next to his son, who had a straight back.
He was wearing a tattered cotton-padded coat, and a cold pipe was hanging from his waist.
A biting wind howled towards the two of them.
Occasionally, a withered yellow leaf would flutter in the wind and snow, then drift down to their feet with the falling snowflakes.
The cold weather made the two of them instinctively tuck their hands into their sleeves.
Suddenly, a flock of magpies flew down to the tree branch by the door and chattered incessantly.
Liu Changqing looked in the direction of the sound, and when he saw that it was a magpie, a smile finally appeared on his tense face.
He exclaimed excitedly, "What a good omen! To see so many magpies in this kind of weather is truly a lucky sign!"
"A good omen, auspicious and prosperous!" Old Man Liu chuckled and nodded in agreement.
"Yes, it's a good omen, a very auspicious sign!" Liu Changqing kept repeating, his face full of anticipation.
"I hope they, mother and child, are safe!" Liu Changqing murmured to himself, praying incessantly.
"Don't worry, your wife has a strong character, she'll definitely be able to give birth smoothly. Besides, these magpies will bring us good luck," Old Man Liu patted his son's shoulder, comforting him.
The two stood at the doorway, looking at the snow scene in front of them while anxiously waiting to see what would happen inside.
More than an hour later, amidst the pregnant woman's desperate cries and the busy sounds of everyone inside, a new life was finally born into this world.
It's a boy.
"Wow, this baby has such a big head! He'll definitely be a smart little guy!" a midwife exclaimed with delight.
However, another midwife frowned with slight concern: "Huh! Why are this baby's arms and legs so thin? And why isn't he crying at all?"
Everyone immediately tensed up.
A midwife gently slapped the baby's bottom twice, but the baby still didn't cry.
"How about we try using a little more force?" someone suggested.
"No need." A gentle voice rang out, interrupting everyone's attempts. "Look, the child's breathing is steady, and his face is rosy. He should be fine."
As the sound faded, the two women came out of the room.
One of them was a midwife in her fifties, slightly plump. She approached Old Man Liu and Liu Changqing with a big smile and warmly congratulated them, saying, "Congratulations, Old Man Liu, on the new addition to your family! Congratulations, Changqing, you finally have a son!"
Liu Changqing was overjoyed upon hearing this. He quickly took out the red envelopes he had prepared beforehand and handed them to the midwife and Dr. Tang, who was assisting with the delivery.
Dr. Tang is relatively young; she is the daughter-in-law of Dr. Wu from the next village.
After accepting the red envelope, she walked over to Liu Changqing and whispered, "Brother Changqing, the child may be malnourished. His limbs seem to be developing slowly. He needs more attention and care in the future."
After saying that, Dr. Tang picked up his medicine box and left in a hurry. The midwife also said that she had something to do at home and did not stay any longer.
Watching them leave, Liu Changqing had a bad feeling.
The joy on his face gradually faded, replaced by a look of seriousness: "The child is malnourished? This must be because he didn't get enough nutrition during the pregnancy! We usually can't even afford to eat an egg at home; we're used to saving it to buy oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar. This is terrible!"
Liu Changqing could no longer care about anything else and hurriedly pushed open the door to enter the room.
He saw his wife, He Qunfang, lying on the bed holding their newborn baby, her face filled with worry.
At the head of the bed, a little girl, about two years old, with pigtails, was leaning over the edge of the bed, curiously craning her little head and calling out in a clear voice, "Mommy, I want to see my little brother."
Seeing this, Grandma Fang Shuxiang quickly stood up, stepped forward and hugged her granddaughter without saying a word, and sat around the fire pit with her eldest and second sons' wives, her face displeased.
Suppressing his unease, Liu Changqing quickly walked to the bedside and asked with concern, "Qunfang, are you alright? How is the baby?"
He Qunfang was beautiful, but she looked very tired at the moment. Her long black hair was scattered on her forehead, making her look even more haggard.
She forced a smile that looked like a cry and said slowly, "I'm fine. My son weighs 3.6 pounds. His head is a bit big, but his body is a bit thin. He hasn't cried or moved at all. I'm very worried."
Liu Changqing carefully took the swaddled baby and examined him closely.
He was surprised to find that the child's head was indeed much larger than that of children of the same age, but his limbs were as thin as withered branches.
His son's condition was clearly abnormal, which instantly plunged his heart into an ice cave.
Overwhelmed with emotion, he murmured to himself, "Qunfang, it's all my fault for being negligent and failing to take good care of you, causing you and the child to suffer. I should have slaughtered an old hen to nourish you a long time ago." As he finished speaking, his eyes gradually reddened, and tears welled up in the corners of his eyes.
He Qunfang gently reached out her slender hand and tugged at Liu Changqing's sleeve, saying softly, "Changqing, look at this child. His eyes are like black gems, so beautiful! He must be a smart child. As long as we take good care of him, he will definitely grow up healthy."
Liu Changqing lowered his head and gazed at the baby in his arms.
The father and son locked eyes, neither blinking.
His initially cold heart slowly melted under the child's clear gaze, and a warm current welled up within him.
After a long while, he carefully placed the child back into He Qunfang's bed and gently tucked the blanket in.
Fang Shuxiang saw all of this. She felt sorry for her son's pain and was also dissatisfied with He Qunfang.
She frowned, thinking that her daughter-in-law's womb was uncooperative. The first child was a girl, and the second child was a freak for the Liu family. Was this all fate?
Fang Shuxiang couldn't hold back any longer and angrily dragged Liu Changqing out of the room. The eldest and second sons' wives followed closely behind and came to the door, whispering among themselves.
"Changqing, look at this child! He can't cry or move. This is so abnormal! Our Liu family can't raise such a freak. We should smother him or throw him away!" Fang Shuxiang said sternly.
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