After taking the photo, the men dispersed, each going about their own business. The children were herded by Mother Sun like ducks into a room to play. The women began preparing the New Year’s Eve dinner.

Zhou Yu found the qipao underneath inconvenient, so Sun Jingfei lent her clothes to change into. Second sister-in-law inadvertently saw the bite mark on Zhou Yu’s nape and spoke bold words, “Being a few years younger really makes a difference in energy. Second brother and I barely have a sex life anymore.”

…

Zhou Yu’s face flushed red with embarrassment. Eldest sister-in-law, seeing this, said second sister-in-law had no sense of how a sister-in-law should behave. Second sister-in-law extended those scarlet long nails of hers, cracking sunflower seeds, completely fearless. “Eldest sister-in-law, you and eldest brother are almost done too, right?”

Eldest sister-in-law spat at her, scolding her for being perpetually improper!

Mother Sun heard and told her to gossip less.

The kitchen continued the topic that had just been interrupted. Eldest sister-in-law complained that nowadays schools, afraid of liability, had all canceled children’s spring and autumn field trips. Mother Sun said that teachers’ status today was far less respected than before. “Back when they were in school, whenever I saw a teacher I always had an extremely grateful attitude. During autumn harvest I’d even have the eldest son help the teacher break corn. When families had difficulties, teachers would even help advance tuition fees.”

“Two months ago, your Aunt Zhang’s grandson got a bump at school, and his mother went to the school and wouldn’t let the teacher off the hook. I ask you, isn’t it normal for kids to get bumps and bruises while playing around? You can’t tie every single one to a bench, can you?”

“Mom, today’s teachers can’t compare to those in the past. Teachers back then were truly dedicated to education, but teachers now just want those summer and winter breaks.” Second sister-in-law chimed in from the living room.

“No matter how you put it, kids nowadays are just too delicate. Every little trivial matter, they go to the school. In the end, it’s the kids who suffer. Once the school closes its doors, they use a one-size-fits-all approach—just control recess activities and don’t allow field trips. Last time a child in Zhou Yu’s class had an accident, the school was afraid parents would make trouble, so they suspended her classes for a few days.”

“The nature is different.” Eldest sister-in-law said while scaling fish, “Bumps and bruises are normal, but that incident at Zhou Yu’s school made the news—a child’s eye went blind… lost vision, right?”

“Temporarily lost vision.” Zhou Yu said while sorting vegetables. “His parents took the child to Beijing for treatment.”

“Such a pity, just two more years until the college entrance exam.” Eldest sister-in-law lamented.

“I say life is unpredictable, and this can’t really be blamed on anyone.” Mother Sun boiled a pot of hot water to pluck the feathers from the freshly slaughtered local chicken. “My maternal family had seven or eight siblings, only five or six grew to adulthood. I had a younger sister the same age as me who suddenly died when she grew to eight or nine years old. No one knew what she ate that she shouldn’t have.”

“When she died, no one felt particularly sad. Back then, every family had lost children. Parents gave birth to a whole bunch, and whichever ones made it to adulthood counted.” Mother Sun’s hand was scalded by the hot water, and she quickly pinched her earlobe. “If you don’t believe me, go back and ask your parents, see if any of them haven’t lost siblings.”

“That old lady who sits in the stroller at the street entrance in summer is almost 103 years old, right? She personally experienced the Great Famine. Her entire family starved to death, only she survived. With great difficulty she fled to Shaanxi, but the place was already packed with disaster victims and the city gates were closed. In the end, she returned the same several hundred miles back.” Mother Sun deftly plucked the chicken feathers. “I’m not saying life is bitter, I’m saying that at any time we must accept the fact that life is unpredictable. You might take off your shoes at night and not be able to get up the next day. For some things, besides accepting fate, there’s no one to blame.”

“Mom, what’s wrong with your eye corner?” Zhou Yu asked.

“What’s wrong?” Mother Sun rubbed it and saw a bit on the back of her hand. She lowered her head to smell it. “Why does it smell like chicken droppings?”

Everyone laughed. Zhou Yu helped her wipe it clean. “It probably splashed up while plucking chicken feathers.”

In the living room, eldest sister-in-law’s daughter wanted to get her teeth straightened and was consulting with second sister-in-law. Eldest sister-in-law just perked up her ears to listen. Her daughter had wanted braces since last year, but she’d never spoken up. Yesterday she’d gotten a bit impatient and told her to consult her second aunt.

Second sister-in-law stood at the kitchen entrance and told eldest sister-in-law, “Your daughter’s teeth should have been straightened long ago, they’re already affecting her face shape.”

“I’m too lazy to manage her. Yesterday her dad just scolded her.” Eldest sister-in-law said.

“After New Year’s I’ll make an appointment. Before school starts, I’ll get them straightened for you.” Second sister-in-law looked at Sun Yuyi’s short little eyebrows. “While we’re at it, I’ll find someone skilled to fix those eyebrows too.”

“Okay…” Sun Yuyi was happily blurting this out when she glanced at her mom and changed her tune, “Second aunt, let me just get my teeth straightened first. I’ll do the eyebrows next year.”

“Why next year? If you’re going to do it, do it all at once.”

“If you want to do it, just do it all at once.” Eldest sister-in-law gave permission.

Sun Yuyi pinched her little bangs, hesitated for a long while, but still shook her head. “Let’s do it next year.” The teeth were urgent, but the eyebrows could wait. These past few days she’d been clamoring for her dad to agree to let her be an exchange student, so she couldn’t spend money recklessly.

Second sister-in-law saw through her little thoughts and said to her, “Look at you. Second aunt won’t charge you. If your second uncle found out, he’d scold me.”

Sun Yuyi was even more embarrassed. She looked at her mom, then pretended to pick at dirty things on her clothes, reluctantly saying, “It’s not that…”

“Second sister-in-law, then I’m going too.” Zhou Yu said while washing vegetables. “I’ve wanted to fix my eyebrows for ages, just never had time.”

“Go ahead, I told you all to come last year.”

“Great, then make an appointment with someone skilled. Before school starts, Yuyi and I will go together.” Zhou Yu said.

“Go where?” Sun Jingfei poked her head over.

“To second sister-in-law’s place for eyebrow tattooing.”

“Free?” Sun Jingfei said, “I’ll go if I don’t have to pay.”

“Go, go, go…” Mother Sun shooed her away. She’d been particularly annoyed with her these past few days. “You talk just like the fourth son. Would your second sister-in-law charge you?”

“Hard to say.”

“You absolutely mustn’t come. If you do, I’ll extort you.” Second sister-in-law told her.

Zhou Yu finished washing the vegetables and asked Sun Yuyi to help her find a small basket to drain them, then asked her a few questions about her studies. Sun Yuyi was very diligent, chatting with her while helping out. When they finished, she went to the fruit plate, picked out a candy her mom loved, unwrapped it and fed it to eldest sister-in-law’s mouth.

Eldest sister-in-law quietly chatted with her, saying it was fine, before school started she could just go with little aunt.

Sun Yuyi hugged her mom, smiling without saying anything.

Eldest sister-in-law’s eyes welled up. She buried her head in marinating the fish, saying nothing more.

Compared to second, third, and fourth sons, she and Sun Jingyue were the most ordinary economically. Their daughter was clamoring to study abroad. It wasn’t that they were unwilling to spend money, but that the family truly had no spare money. She and Sun Jingyue had saved some money over the years, planning to buy their child an apartment, but her younger brother urgently needed to buy a house for marriage, so first they lent out a sum, then later her mother got cancer and they took out another sum. That little bit of family money was just sufficient for a family of four to live on, but studying abroad became a problem…

…

By rights, with five women in the house, preparing New Year’s Eve dinner should have been more than adequate, but with so many people, second sister-in-law and Sun Jingfei just slacked off. The former had elaborate manicures on both hands—she couldn’t do this, couldn’t do that—but she also wasn’t idle. In the kitchen she touched this and touched that, looking like she’d also been busy all afternoon, but actually hadn’t done anything. Yet you couldn’t say she hadn’t done anything. The other one would go out to take phone calls for a while, then hold a laptop saying she was replying to emails. Her reasons were very legitimate, but in reality she was being lazy and slippery.

Only Mother Sun, eldest sister-in-law, and Zhou Yu were genuinely working.

The children in the bedroom weren’t idle either. One would come crying to tattle, another would demand justice be served. Sun Jingfei found it too noisy, gave each of them a hundred yuan, and whoosh—they all madly went to the arcade.

In the afternoon, the men gradually returned. Sun Jinghui came back earliest, carrying two bottles of red wine and tea leaves. Then came Sun Jingcheng, who somehow brought back a box of fireworks. Sun Jingyue arrived right at mealtime. Sun Youping also closed the clinic at four or five o’clock.

The clinic closed early only on this one day all year. Usually it stayed open until ten at night.

In the kitchen, some were busy stir-frying, others setting the table. In the living room, Sun Youping drank tea with Sun Jingyue and Sun Jinghui. He could only have a calm, peaceful chat with eldest and second sons.

Sun Jingcheng stood watching TV for a while, then holding the remote control, plopped down on the sofa. Sun Jingfei finished a phone call and also sat down beside him.

Sun Youping didn’t look at them or acknowledge them.

Eldest and second sons tried to mediate, but neither party appreciated it.

The siblings sat there bored, whispering again, discussing that it was New Year’s, they should make Sun Youping feel comfortable. Then they got up to go to the bedroom to discuss important matters. They went to one bedroom and were driven out by the children’s foot odor… went to another and were driven out by foot odor…

All the dishes were set on the table—ten main dishes, eight side dishes, and three soups. Everyone took their seats, clinked glasses, said auspicious words befitting the occasion, then began eating in order of seniority. The New Year’s Eve dinner lasted from six to eight o’clock. Sun Youping put down his chopsticks first, then the younger generation gradually left the table and set up the mahjong table.

As in previous years, they’d stay up until after midnight for good luck.

Sitting at the mahjong table were Sun Jingcheng, eldest sister-in-law, and the Sun Jinghui couple. Zhou Yu sat beside Sun Jingcheng watching. Sun Jingfei washed dishes in the kitchen. Sun Jingyue kept Sun Youping company drinking tea.

Every time Sun Jingcheng won a round, he’d turn his head to instruct Zhou Yu, “Look, that’s how you win.”

Second sister-in-law said to him, “Don’t show off. Zhou Yu is better than you at mahjong.”

Over there, Sun Jingfei finished and came over, shooing Sun Jinghui away. “Second brother, let me take your place.”

Sun Jingcheng found playing with three women boring and also got up to let Zhou Yu play.

Aside from eldest son and his wife, everyone else in the family were mahjong experts, each brain sharper than the last. But counting who was most formidable, it was still Zhou Yu and Sun Jinghui. Those two could keep their composure best. The other three were all a notch below.

Zhou Yu had learned to play mahjong after marriage.

Mother Sun had once joked that Zhou Yu was best at calculating tiles, the best player she’d ever seen. Zhou Yu took it to heart. After that, when playing, she restrained her edge, giving others opportunities to win if she could.

Zhou Yu glanced at the tiles in the discard pool and threw out a fifty-thousand tile. Across from her, eldest sister-in-law shouted that she’d won. Sun Jingcheng whispered in her ear, “Expert.”

Zhou Yu elbowed him, telling him to go far away, that sitting behind her affected her performance.

Sun Jingyue couldn’t stand him crowding among the women and wanted him to come drink tea. After repeated invitations, Sun Jingcheng reluctantly moved his bottom and sat down at the tea table to drink tea.

Sun Jinghui made conversation, asking how his company was doing. He said just so-so, hanging on, about to go bankrupt.

…

Sun Jingyue made conversation, saying yesterday he went to their uncle’s place, and uncle said he’d been inquiring about Chinese medicine succession. Then he asked kindly, “Do you have some kind of plan?”

“I do.” Sun Jingcheng said, “With nothing else to do, I’ll take a physician qualification exam…”

“That’s a great idea!” Sun Jingyue was overjoyed, as if relieved of a burden. He patted his shoulder—the prodigal had returned, had an epiphany. After going in circles for eighteen years, he was finally returning to the right path.

“Excellent! Our family has doctors, teachers, police officers, individual restaurant owners, real estate managers… all related to people’s livelihood!”

“Eldest brother.” Sun Jingcheng’s face was asking for a beating. “I’m not taking the exam because I want to practice medicine. It’s to prove I have this ability but choose not to do it…” Before he could finish, he was cursed out and chased away from the tea gathering.

Sun Jingcheng stole a glance at Sun Youping. The man sat steadily drinking tea, completely ignoring him.

Finding it boring, he checked the time and urged Zhou Yu to return to the family compound. This morning the two had discussed spending the first half of the night at the clinic, the second half at the family compound.

Compared to the Sun family’s bustle, the family compound was much quieter. Just two people, and they couldn’t finish four dishes. After dinner, children successively set off fireworks. Some sounds were loud, startling Grandma into crying for quite a while, saying there was a war. Feng Yiqun led her downstairs to look. When she saw it was children setting off fireworks, her face lit up with smiles, saying the stars in the sky were bursting into flowers. Then she went street by street looking for children, insisting on standing among the kids to watch.

On the way to the family compound, Zhou Yu happened to see Grandma looking up at the fireworks. Zhou Yu called to her. She looked at her blankly for a moment, then continued looking up at the fireworks.

Sun Jingcheng took some fireworks from the trunk and coaxed Grandma to go to a secluded area, saying setting them off in busy areas would get them arrested by police. The family drove to the suburbs. Grandma was very happy, saying the bursting fireworks looked not only like stars but also like popcorn. In her early years, she’d made popcorn for Zhou Qi. Kernel by kernel, the corn would tumble in the hot pot, then one by one they’d pop pop pop into little white flowers.

Thinking of popcorn, her laughter abruptly stopped. She suddenly became anxious again, saying they needed to go home, Zhou Qi was still at home. Feng Yiqun comforted her, saying Zhou Qi had gone to his maternal grandmother’s house for school.

Only then did Grandma have a sudden realization. Then she became happy again, saying school was good, his maternal grandmother’s place had school, but here wasn’t good, the schools wouldn’t accept him.

Feng Yiqun looked out the window, saying nothing more.

Zhou Yu was also saddened. The hand on her knee was grasped by Sun Jingcheng. He drove with one hand while chatting with Grandma. When they reached an open area, Sun Jingcheng set up the fireworks. Grandma, when he wasn’t paying attention, bent down to light a firework, then turned and ran with her clumsy little body, shouting loudly, “It’s going to blow up my bottom!”