Huang's didn't have time to chitchat with her daughter, she needed to go inside and have her mother-in-law find Xiao Cong. It was too cold outside, and she couldn't bear for her son to freeze.
Zhang's, upon hearing her daughter-in-law's words, also worried about her grandson. Just as she was about to get up and put on her shoes, her son stopped her.
"Mother, don't worry. Xiao Cong is already twelve. He knows what's cold and what's not. Just let him play for a while. If he feels cold, he'll naturally come back."
"But Xiao Cong's padded jacket isn't thick, and he doesn't have a heavy overcoat. How can he withstand the weather after the snow?"
"Didn't Xiao Cong wear the padded jacket you made him?"
"That jacket is how many years old? It's not warm anymore."
Mentioning her grandson's winter jacket, Zhang's heart ached. It was their fault as adults for not taking better care of the child.
"It's so cold in winter, it's really hard on our Xiao Cong. If only we had new cotton, we could make Xiao Cong a new padded jacket."
"Mother, new cotton is very expensive, and even more so by the time it reaches us."
Her daughter-in-law's words made Zhang's sigh again.
Dan Yinyin, hearing the conversation from the east room, couldn't help but curl her lips. She looked down at the padded jacket she was wearing and couldn't even husk corn.
Dan Yinyin threw down the corn cob in her hand, put on a stern little face, and walked into the east room.
Zhang's, seeing her eldest granddaughter's expression, knew the child was being difficult again. She let out an impatient huff and asked, "Have you finished husking that basket of corn?"
"Not yet."
"Why are you being lazy, child? What are you coming in here for if you haven't finished the corn?"
Dan Yinyin didn't like hearing her grandma accuse her of being lazy. "I'm not being lazy. Grandma, didn't Second Master Meng give us ten catties of cornmeal yesterday? Why aren't we eating it?"
"Oh, you spendthrift! You're eyeing that ten catties of cornmeal? I think you're asking for a beating." Thinking of that fine cornmeal, Zhang's wanted to save it for the New Year. To her surprise, her eldest granddaughter was thinking of eating it, and she couldn't help but be angry.
Huang's, afraid her daughter would be beaten, quickly reprimanded her, "Yinyin, you mustn't talk nonsense. Second Master Meng sent fine cornmeal yesterday, and we're saving it for the New Year."
"..." Dan Yinyin thought fine cornmeal was still cornmeal. What was so special about it? The steamed buns made from it were still rough.
"You just don't know any better." Huang's, afraid her daughter would say something more unpleasant, quickly opened the cupboard and took out the flour bag to show her daughter. "Look."
Dan Yinyin reached into the bag and grabbed a small handful of fine cornmeal, happily discovering, "Mother, it really is different."
"Of course it's different. This is precious stuff, and we have to save it for the New Year."
"Yes, and with that horse meat, we can also make dumplings twice this year for the New Year."
Hearing her mother's words, Dan Yinyin's expression also improved. Before her mother could urge her, she went out to continue husking corn.
Zhang's sighed. They were all children, easily satisfied with a little treat.
...
In the wilderness, the snowball fight had been too fierce, eventually turning into a free-for-all.
Yu'er and his older sister stood at their doorstep watching, their little eyes not enough to take it all in. He kept shouting and his little hands were clapping red.
Qi Yuanshan arrived and saw this scene.
In the snow, several boys were rolling around, continuously grabbing snowballs and throwing them at each other's faces.
It didn't matter who it was; whoever got hit was unlucky.
If a snowball got stuffed into their padded jacket, they were even more unlucky.
"Hahaha." Qi He had just accurately thrown a snowball at Meng Yutang's face. Then he turned and ran back. He had caught a glimpse of his father out of the corner of his eye.
Qi Yuanshan muttered, "This rascal."
Fu Xinci heard the sound and turned around. Seeing that it was Qi Yuanshan, she quickly pulled Yu'er to greet Uncle Qi.
"Uncle Qi."
"Uncle Qi."
"Ahem, ahem."
Running in the snow, like teenagers in slow motion, they stopped throwing snowballs upon seeing Qi Yuanshan and came over laughing to greet him.
"Dad."
"Sergeant Qi."
"Sergeant Qi."
"Ahem."
Looking at the boys running with sweat dripping from their heads, Qi Yuanshan first urged them, "Quickly brush off the snow on your clothes and stomp your feet. If the snow on your clothes and shoes melts, it won't be good."
"Ahem."
They all answered in unison and then obediently did as Qi Yuanshan had told them.
Fu Xinci watched from the side, thinking it was good this way. A group of young colts really needed a leader.
Fu Xinci didn't know that her casual thought had hit upon something her Uncle Qi had been contemplating for a long time.
Dan Xiaocong brushed the snow off his body and, with a boy from Wujia Village who had come with him, bid farewell to his playmates. "We're going back."
"Okay, hurry back. Let's play together again sometime."
"Ahem." After Dan Xiaocong finished speaking, he called out to Tian Erxi and ran back.
"Hehe, it's too cold, let's run quickly."
"Yeah, we need to get home before our sweat cools down."
"Yeah, otherwise we'll freeze into popsicles."
As they spoke, the two ran back as if in a race.
"Haha, Erxi, will your dad scold you when you get back?"
"My dad won't, but my mom will." Erxi thought of how his mother would scold him for running around and then have to eat an extra bowl of porridge at dinner, and he couldn't help but smile.
"My mother was shouting a few things when I came out. When I go back now, I expect her to keep nagging."
"Your mother is so nice, she only nags and doesn't scold you. When my mother gets really angry, she even hits."
"Then why did you come out?"
"How can I not come out? We're the same age. My family is large. If I don't come out and find my own way, I'll have to follow behind them my whole life, working like a horse and an ox for them without complaint."
Dan Xiaocong thought of Tian's family's biased old lady, who only cared about her youngest son's family, and felt worried for Erxi.
He secretly gave him advice, "Why don't you quietly talk to your parents about splitting the family?"
"If my dad dares to talk about splitting the family, my grandma will beat my dad with a fire poker."
Dan Xiaocong also felt intimidated thinking of Old Mrs. Tian's fierce face.
"My home is so much better. My grandparents only had my father, and my parents only had me. Hehe, even if they are biased, they are biased towards me."
At this moment, Dan Xiaocong felt so happy, he ran even faster on the main road.
Tian Erxi chased after him desperately, shouting loudly and frankly, "Xiaocong, I wish my grandparents had only had my dad."
"Alas, Erxi, we don't get to decide that."