For a moment, the wilderness was filled with lively celebration, as if the entire Eagle's Beak Cliff was infected. Qi Yuanshan, standing on the slope of the guard post, saw it all and was filled with emotion.
He even thought that if time could rewind, he wouldn't have left his elderly mother and son behind in Qi Family Village.
He would have kept them by his side, and like those villagers, he would have run with his son in the snow. His mother, watching them smile from the courtyard entrance, would surely have lived a long, healthy life.
…
After dinner, with four fewer people at home, it felt rather empty.
Grandpa Meng, worried about his granddaughter, who lived alone in the small building behind, suggested that Ke'er keep her company.
Fu Xinci initially wanted to refuse, but catching Ke'er's delighted little eyes, she swallowed the word "no" and simply nodded.
When Mrs. Tian learned that her daughter was going to accompany Xinci, she quietly admonished her daughter in private, "Ke'er, you must listen to your cousin Xinci, and don't touch her things carelessly."
"Mother, I understand."
"Our Ke'er is the most obedient."
The little girl was quite sensible and did as she was told, preparing to go to the small building behind with her cousin Xinci.
Yu'er saw this and became a little anxious, mumbling with a whimper, "I want to share a room with sister too."
Grandpa Meng seemed a bit hesitant, but Fu Xinci didn't mind. Yu'er was only three years old, a tiny tot, what could he possibly understand?
With his sister's permission, Yu'er was about to fetch his own bedding.
"Sister can do it."
"Mhm." The little fellow nodded vigorously, pulling on his sister's clothes, and happily followed behind her.
Han Zhi was well-behaved and said nothing, simply sitting quietly beside Brother Qi and Grandpa Meng.
Tonight was destined to be a taxing one. Ke'er could bathe herself, but Yu'er, though he wanted to wash himself, was not something Fu Xinci could be at ease with.
Seeing the little guy covering his private parts, Fu Xinci simply used a small ladle to rinse him briefly, then dried him off.
Alas, in their hasty arrival, she had forgotten to bring the little fellow's inner garments. In such cold weather, and at night, Fu Xinci was too lazy to run back and forth.
She took out her own pullover home clothes and put them on him.
Oh, and it looked quite nice, like a little skirt reaching his calves.
Yu'er was particularly fond of the little blue dolphin pattern on it. The little fellow cherished it immensely, pointing at the dolphin with his chubby little fingers and repeatedly asking his sister, "What is this?"
"It's a little dolphin."
"What is a little dolphin?"
"A little dolphin is an animal that lives in the sea and looks like a fish."
Fu Xinci had wanted to say "small creature," but considering the dolphin's size, she removed the word "small."
There was also a very important point that Fu Xinci didn't quite know how to explain. She only knew that dolphins were not fish, and she wondered if her explanation would mislead.
Yu'er, however, listened with great interest and even posed his own question, "Sister, will there be dolphins on our seashore?"
"This, sister truly doesn't know."
Yu'er was very understanding and shared his thoughts with his sister. "Sister, when we go to the seaside in the future, we can look for them, and maybe we'll find little dolphins."
"Mhm, Yu'er's idea is wonderful. When the weather warms up next year, we'll go to the seaside to look for them."
"Sister Xinci, can Ke'er go too?"
Seeing the little girl's expectant eyes, Fu Xinci smiled and nodded.
Ke'er was so happy that her sister Xinci agreed to take her to the seaside that she couldn't sleep.
Yu'er was even happier. When the weather warmed up, he could go to the seaside to find little dolphins.
Fu Xinci was almost driven to despair. Looking at the two little heads peeking out from their blankets beside her, she wished she could tuck them back in and stop them from talking.
But the two little rascals were unaware of her plight, their little mouths chattering away, unable to stop.
Finally, Fu Xinci couldn't hold on any longer and fell asleep. The only thought in her mind as she closed her eyes was, when would this world ever be quiet?
Little did she know, as soon as she closed her eyes and began to drift off, Ke'er quietly whispered to Yu'er, "Shh, Yu'er, Sister Xinci is asleep. Let's sleep too."
"Okay."
Seeing Yu'er agree, Ke'er got up to blow out the oil lamp, then climbed back into her own blanket.
When Fu Xinci woke up, she was momentarily dazed. It wasn't until she heard the steady breaths beside her that she remembered the two little rascals sleeping next to her.
She couldn't see anything in the darkness. She gently felt around with her left and right hands. Fortunately, neither of the little ones had kicked off their blankets.
She thought to herself, they are truly easy to care for.
She then pondered if she should enter her space to inform her companions that she wouldn't be able to spend time with them tonight.
In the dead of night, every sound seemed amplified several times compared to the daytime, and she could easily discern that the breathing of the two little ones was unstable.
Without much thought, Fu Xinci could guess that they needed time to adjust to their new sleeping arrangements.
Fearing that they might wake up at any moment, Fu Xinci quickly dismissed the idea of entering her space.
She was also quite good at convincing herself. Being able to have a good night's sleep peacefully was also a very good thing.
Perhaps the two little ones were truly tired from their exertions. As dawn broke, when Fu Xinci woke up again, the two little ones were still sleeping soundly.
Fu Xinci quietly got up. After washing, she first went to the main hall and checked that the fabric pieces hung on the ropes were all dry.
She was pondering whether she should ask her cousins to come over to help after breakfast when she heard rustling sounds from the east room where she was staying. She knew it must be the two little ones waking up.
Indeed, when she walked over and lifted the curtain, she saw Yu'er groggily lying on his pillow rubbing his eyes, and Ke'er also sleepily searching for her clothes.
"They're under the blankets at the head of the kang." Fu Xinci, afraid the morning jacket would be cold, and the little ones would be reluctant to put on their clothes, had placed their clothes at the head of the kang to keep them warm.
"Sister Xinci, you're so smart." Ke'er saw her own jacket there, feeling its warmth. She just touched it once, then picked up Yu'er's clothes, wanting to help Yu'er dress.
"Ke'er, you can dress yourself. I'll help Yu'er with his clothes."
"Okay."
After Fu Xinci helped Yu'er get dressed, she let them go to the washroom to clean up themselves, while she folded the bedding.
After breakfast, she went to find a few more cousins to help with making quilts.
However, the process of adding cotton was a bit difficult, and the skills of the three cousins seemed insufficient.
Later, Meng Yusou went back and brought Tao Shi and Li Shi as reinforcements, which made everyone feel a bit more relaxed.
Experiencing it firsthand, Fu Xinci realized that adding cotton was indeed a meticulous task, not something just anyone could do.