"Chang Nian fell into the water when she was young, so she has a psychological aversion to ponds, rivers, ice, and the like. You shouldn't try to persuade her otherwise."
Xie Shi'an nodded, recalling what she had told him: that she had fallen into the water as a child but was fortunately rescued.
Watching her friends skate while she was too scared to go down, was the only time in her entire childhood when she felt isolated.
Jian Changnian was playing with stones on the shore. Halfway through, a shadow fell in front of him.
She looked up and saw that Xie Shi'an had returned.
"Let's go play something else."
A smile appeared on the boy's lips as he clapped his hands and stood up.
"Then I'll take you up the mountain to pick pine nuts."
"good."
Although there wasn't much scenery in the mountains in winter, it had its own unique charm. After crossing halfway up the mountain, there was a pine forest. Jian Changnian and his group walked along, picking up the pine cones that had fallen all over the ground, picking ripe wild fruits, and digging up tempting winter bamboo shoots, until the sun set.
Smoke rose from the foot of the mountain.
Jian Changnian wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Let's go home and have dinner."
The three people walked home along the ridge of the field.
As far as the eye could see, there were endless fields, with the occasional flock of wild geese flying by.
As Xie Shi'an was walking, he suddenly heard a sound.
She stopped in her tracks.
"Listen, isn't that some small animal making a sound?"
Zhou Mu said, "Impossible, they're all hibernating this time of year."
Jian Changnian listened intently for a moment, and the intermittent animal whimpers seemed to be coming from under the ridge of the field.
The boy jumped down from the ridge and rummaged through the weeds, finally making a new discovery in a pile of wheat straw.
"Come quick, there's a litter of puppies here."
Xie Shi'an jumped down as well, and when he parted the wheat stalks, he saw a litter of puppies huddled together. The larger spotted dog, their mother, was motionless and frozen stiff.
Jian Changnian gently poked at the puppy with the branch in her hand. The only surviving puppy was on its last breath, barely breathing and trembling incessantly.
Zhou Mu: "What should we do? It's so small, it'll freeze to death if we leave it here."
Xie Shi'an took off the scarf around his neck, gently picked up the puppy, and looked at Jian Changnian with a pleading look in his eyes.
"Can I take it back first?"
Jian Changnian nodded, got up, and ran ahead to lead the way.
"Okay, let's go back and let Grandma see if she can be saved."
***
"Grandma, we're back!" Jian Changnian's voice preceded her arrival as she rushed into her courtyard.
"You're back just in time. I was just about to call you for dinner." When Grandma saw the puppy Xie Shi'an was holding, she also felt a little sorry for it.
“Oh my, it’s so small. In this cold weather, Chang Nian, go find a cardboard box and get some hay.”
Jian Changnian dashed into the inner room and rummaged through the woodpile behind the house to find some dry grass.
Grandma mixed freshly boiled water with cold water, tested the temperature with her hand, and when it was suitable, she poured it into a plastic bottle, wrapped it with a cloth, and made a simple thermos.
The cardboard box was lined with a thick layer of dry grass, and Grandma added a few pieces of cotton wool before putting the thermos flask inside.
Xie Shi'an gently put the puppy inside.
"Put it in the kitchen, it's warm there," Grandma said.
Xie Shi'an nodded, carried the cardboard box into the warm and dry kitchen, and placed it next to the stove to keep it warm.
Zhou Mu also ran in, panting.
"Here, I got some clean syringes from the clinic, and some goat milk powder from my house. Mix some up for the dog to drink."
Xie Shi'an had just brought the syringe close to the puppy when the puppy, smelling the food, closed its eyes and came closer.
She gently pushed the puppy along, and it drank happily, tears welling up in its eyes.
The boys' hearts were filled with tenderness.
"Wow, it's so cute! Let's give it a name."
Jian Changnian slapped his thigh.
"Let's call it Wangfu!"
Xie Shi'an pursed his lips.
"That's so tacky."
"Oh dear, it's just a mongrel, and this name has such a good meaning, bringing prosperity and good fortune!"
"Wang Fu, Wang Fu, Wang Fu..."
Jian Changnian tried calling out to it a few more times. The puppy, which had been on the verge of death, seemed much better after drinking milk. Although it still didn't open its eyes, it tentatively licked her finger.
Jian Changnian was overjoyed.
"Look, it likes this name too!"
Xie Shi'an: "..."
It would be strange if dogs could talk; they just obey whatever you call them.
Grandma brought the food to the table and smiled.
"Children, wash your hands and eat. Mumu is eating here too. Grandma has already spoken to your mother."
Zhou Mu sat down casually and picked up his chopsticks.
"Then I won't be polite! Grandma's braised goose in an iron pot is so delicious!"
Upon hearing this, Jian Changnian and Xie Shi'an, who had just washed their hands, exchanged a glance and, without bothering to dry their hands, rushed to the table.
Grandma couldn't stop smiling.
"Hey, slow down, eat slowly, there's still some left in the pot."
Jian Changnian was the first to raise the empty bowl.
"Grandma, I want more."
Zhou Mu let out a burp.
"Grandma, I want one too."
Xie Shi'an placed the chopsticks on the empty bowl.
"And me too."
After eating and drinking their fill, it was already late at night. Zhou Mu said goodbye to them and went home. Grandma was cleaning up the pots and pans in the kitchen, while Jian Changnian and Xie Shian moved a small chair next to her and sat down to peel pine nuts.
This was Xie Shi'an's first time seeing wild pine nuts. He curiously tried to break off a pine cone, but his hands turned red and he still couldn't peel it off.
Jian Changnian smiled and tossed her the hammer beside her.
"Like this, tap the pine cone hard to break the scales, then break it open from the top and the pine nut will fall out."
Xie Shi'an followed her example and did the same thing, and the pine nuts fell down one after another.
"Hey, catch it, don't spill it."
They peeled the pine nuts while Grandma roasted them, and the rich aroma of pine nuts soon filled the air.
Looking at the freshly roasted pine nuts, Xie Shi'an couldn't resist. He pulled his hand away because it was too hot, and then peeled one and stuffed it into his mouth.
A smile appeared on the boy's lips.
It's sweet and delicious.
She seemed to have a better understanding of what the joy of a harvest meant.
When she went to bed that night, she realized that Jian Changnian's home was truly bare.
The doors and windows let in drafts; the broken glass was patched with paper that rattled in the wind. There was hardly any furniture, not even a television. The most valuable thing was probably the old wardrobe against the wall.
The only light in the room was covered with a thick layer of dust, and the light was very dim.
She and her grandmother lived in this environment, year after year.
Grandma came in carrying a new quilt, looking a little embarrassed.
"I changed the sheets and pillowcases during the day. This quilt is a dowry I sewed for Chang Nian. Every stitch is made of good cotton, clean and warm. Please don't mind it."
Upon hearing the words "dowry," and seeing that the quilt was decorated with dragon and phoenix patterns and was a bright red wedding quilt, Jian Changnian blushed and felt somewhat uneasy.
"How old am I? You've already prepared my dowry."
“These are things that our elders have to worry about since we were young. If we wait until the last minute to prepare, it will be too late.”
Xie Shi'an shook his head and took the blanket.
"Thank you, no problem."
She carried the quilt to the bed, and when she reached out to touch it, she found the bed was warm. Xie Shi'an turned around.
"you……"
Jian Changnian also realized something was wrong and touched the bed sheet.
"Grandma, you gave us the electric blanket, what are you going to do? It's so cold in the side room."
Grandma's face was covered with wrinkles and deep lines, but her smile was so heartwarming.
"Grandma isn't cold, she has a thermos. The temperature is low in the mountains, so Shi'an should make sure she doesn't catch a cold during her visit."
Xie Shi'an pursed her lips, unplugged the electric blanket, and before her grandmother could stop her, took it off and returned it to her.
"Grandma, I'm healthy and not afraid of the cold, please use it. If you don't agree, I won't come again."
Grandma had no choice but to accept it.