After transmigrating, he supported his family by working at a garbage dump.

On the weathered wooden door of the Mijia store, the door gods and couplets that were pasted up before the Lunar New Year are still pasted on.

The couplet above is written very simply.

May the spring breeze bring new life every year, and may you live a long and healthy life every year.

Her brother's youthful yet energetic voice came from beside her ear. Grandma Mi was immediately delighted. "It sounds like nice things. I didn't know much about it, so I just bought a set on a whim before the New Year."

Because of the long-term soaking in rain and snow, it has faded to pink. The part torn by the gale has only half of the ribbon left, desperately hanging on it, silently accusing God of the inhumane destruction these days.

Xu Zhuzhu reached out, trying to piece together the loosely glued parts, but she failed. The paste had dried completely, and to stick it back on, she would have to boil another pot of soy sauce.

Zhang He reminded her to be careful and not to tear the couplets down roughly.

Xu Zhuzhu knew that there was a rule to this: once the couplets were pasted up, they could not be torn down by hand until the next Spring Festival, unless they fell down on their own.

As for the specific meaning of the ritual, she only vaguely remembered her mother saying that this thing was for praying for good fortune, and that tearing it would have a bad omen, but she didn't know exactly what that meant.

"We'll cook this rice paste later, then we can stick it on firmly. It's the same as paste, just a little thinner."

Grandma Mi smiled.

I couldn't help but complain in my heart that this sudden cold snap and several snowfalls had almost completely faded the colors of the couplets, which was a real pity.

Immediately afterward, while shaking his head, he beckoned Zhang He and her son to hurry into the inner room, saying, "This is by the stream. It's quite cold standing in the yard. Hurry up and come in to warm up. There's a brazier inside."

Xu Zhuzhu was still looking around at Grandma Mi's yard.

This was her first time visiting Grandma Mi's house. Although it was in town and prices were different, the yard didn't look small; it was about the same size as their yard in the village in the countryside.

However, it looks quite old; it's probably been passed down through many generations.

The courtyard is divided into two parts, front and back.

The front yard isn't big, only about a hundred steps away, but Grandma Mi keeps it very clean, so from a distance it feels quite spacious.

The backyard is accessible only by going around the house, but it is spacious and has a side gate.

According to Granny Mi, that door leads directly out from the back to the mill next door.

However, since the mill had been broken for a year and hadn't been repaired, and the side gate was locked, it seemed like it wasn't used often anymore.

Grandma Mi's backyard was piled with a lot of things, making it look a little crowded.

For example, those large wooden barrels in the east corner, with two adjacent wooden beams supporting a tall frame, look like they're used for making rice noodles.

There was a small stone mill next to it, which had been cracked in two and looked unusable, but it was still pieced back together and used as a table to put things on. There were many odds and ends on it, the most eye-catching of which was a gourd ladle.

On the other side, just like their house, a shed was built, and a stove that could hold three pots was installed in the shed. Two of the pots were normal size, and one of them was so big that it could be used as a bath pot.

It was covered with a heavy wooden lid, which looked like it would take a lot of force to open.

Xu Zhuzhu thought to herself that she definitely couldn't lift it, and even her mother might not be able to.

Looking closely, there were several burlap sacks in the corner of the wall near the stove, and several bundles of firewood next to them. The firewood was tied up vertically, but the branches looked very thin, and it was nothing like the kind of firewood they had taken out from their own space.

Her mother was helping Grandma Mi start a fire in front of the stove when she saw the two children still standing in the yard in a daze. She quickly pushed the two children into the house: "Go in and warm yourself by the fire, and keep Grandpa Mi company while you're at it!"

She turned around and went to help Grandma Mi boil water.

Grandma Mi kept saying no, but she couldn't stop Zhang He, and her smile only grew wider.

Zhang He couldn't care less about the two children. Seeing that there was nothing they could do to help in the yard, Xu Zhuzhu suggested to her brother that they go inside to check on Grandpa Mi. "Brother, let's go see Grandpa Mi."

Xu An's face was a little red, whether from walking or from being cold in the wind, she didn't know, but her brother didn't show anything unusual, his hands were normal in temperature, and he nodded as usual.

I lifted the curtain and went into the inner room.

What comes into view is a typical southern-style inner room, with a bed with a canopy hanging against the wall, and paper windows, so the room is not very dark.

A basin of glowing red charcoal sat in front of the bed.

Old Man Mi was half-lying on the bed, propping his head up with one hand, shaking his head and squinting his eyes, as if he had already fallen asleep.

Compared to when I saw Old Man Mi a while ago, he looked much thinner now, and his eye sockets were deeply sunken. He had completely lost the vitality he had when I first met him. Especially now.

Even with his eyes closed, his brows were tightly furrowed together.

Xu Zhuzhu knew that Uncle Mi was really in pain.

According to Grandma Mi, Grandpa Mi has been sleeping poorly at night these days. He often wakes up in pain, but he doesn't want to disturb his own sleep. He just endures the pain, even in the dead of winter when he's covered in sweat, without making a sound.

Seeing this scene, Xu An and Xu Zhuzhu were both surprised and worried about Grandpa Mi's health.

The two children, who didn't want to disturb Old Man Mi's rest, exchanged a knowing glance, then turned around quietly and walked towards the door in unison.

Unfortunately, at that moment, a clanging sound suddenly came from outside the yard, as if something had fallen to the ground.

Xu Zhuzhu and her two small figures froze in fright.

Mr. Mi, who was resting against the headboard, was startled awake. Although he couldn't see outside, he was worried about his wife and immediately called out to Mrs. Mi, asking what had happened and if she was injured.

His tone betrayed his deep concern.

Grandma Mi responded quickly, speaking through the window, saying that she was fine. To reassure Grandpa Mi and put his mind at ease, she said in a very relaxed tone, "I accidentally bumped into the wooden bucket while getting something, and the contents of the bucket fell over. It's nothing serious."

Xu Zhuzhu guessed that the sound was probably from a bowl or something similar.

Old Man Mi was slightly relieved, but when he looked up, he found that two radish heads had appeared in the room at some point.

"An'an, Zhuzhu? What brings you here? Where are Daddy and Mommy? Did they come too?"

Surprised, yet overjoyed.

As he spoke, Old Man Mi peeked out and then remembered that it was market day again, and he guessed that his family had come to town to do business.

However, this time, he guessed wrong again.

"Father didn't come, Mother brought us."

Xu Zhuzhu noticed that the brows that had been furrowed silently before he fell asleep had finally relaxed, so she guessed that Old Man Mi probably couldn't sleep anymore.

To liven things up, she jumped up to the bedside, tilted her head back and said, "Grandpa Mi, Grandma Mi said you're sick. Are you feeling better? Zhuzhu still wants to eat the rice noodles you make. You need to get better soon."

"it is good."

Old Man Mi gently rubbed Xu Zhuzhu's slightly frizzy head. Despite his weakness and pale lips, his smile remained as kind and gentle as ever.

He was covered with a thick quilt and wore a big cotton-padded coat. Judging from the temperature of his head and hands, Xu Zhuzhu knew that Uncle Mi was very cold.

Xu An followed along, acting like a little adult. Upon seeing Grandpa Mi, he asked with concern about Grandpa Mi's condition, "Grandpa Mi, you must take your medicine properly and get better soon."

Grandpa Mi was indeed very happy to see the two children. He was usually cooped up in the house, and Grandma Mi was busy in the yard, so he was often alone in the house.

Seeing new faces now makes me feel like my stiff muscles and bones have come alive again.

Grandpa Mi's breathing was somewhat heavy. Xu Zhuzhu was closer and could hear his heavy and slow breathing, which sounded very uncomfortable, as if he was using a lot of effort.

Before her grandmother passed away, she was just a little kid under one year old. Her mother would often take her to her grandmother's room, and that's when her grandmother, who was lying next to her, would breathe like this.

At that moment, a nameless fear spread through her heart, making even her smile seem forced.