The Spring Festival, also known as the first day of the Lunar New Year.
Liu Yutong and Gao Min woke up early on New Year's Day—sleeping in was out of the question.
Duan Village still upheld a tradition: paying New Year’s visits early in the morning.
But these weren’t visits from adults—it was the village children who came knocking.
Every year on the first day of the Lunar New Year, the children of the village had the most exciting time because it was the day they reaped bountiful rewards.
Every household’s kids would carry a burlap sack—yes, a burlap sack—and go door to door offering New Year’s greetings.
Starting from 4 a.m., children would begin arriving, so families had to ensure their doors were open and someone was seated inside, ready to hand out candies and treats.
Generally, after making the rounds through the village, a child’s sack would be nearly full.
Today, Liu Yutong and Gao Min took on the role of distributing the sweets.
Neither had bothered with makeup, bundled instead in the military-style coats their grandfather had bought at the market, sitting in the main hall waiting for the village children to arrive.
Outside, the sky was still pitch black, with only the occasional distant pop of firecrackers breaking the silence.
Gao Min yawned and complained, "Your village’s tradition is way too hardcore. It’s only 4 a.m.—the sun isn’t even up yet."
Liu Yutong rubbed her eyes and chuckled. "No helping it—it’s an old tradition here. I remember doing the same thing when I was little. Back then, I was so excited I didn’t even feel tired dragging that huge sack around. Who’d have thought I’d be the one handing out candy so soon?"
The two chatted idly as they waited for the children.
Before long, flashlight beams appeared outside, followed by the patter of small footsteps and excited chattering.
A group of children, sacks in hand, trooped inside.
"Sisters, Happy New Year!"
"Sisters, Happy New Year! Wishing you prosperity—wait, no—give us candy!"
Liu Yutong and Gao Min couldn’t help but smile, their drowsiness fading at the sound of the children’s voices.
"Happy New Year! Come on, everyone gets some!"
The two began scooping out candies, with Liu Yutong even slipping each child a ten-yuan red envelope.
It wasn’t that she was stingy—giving more would mean the kids would have to hand the money over to their parents. Ten yuan was just enough for them to buy firecrackers to play with.
Besides, in their area, New Year’s money for kids was usually just five or ten yuan—nothing like later years, where amounts started at two hundred, turning what should be a joyful holiday into a calculating affair.
The children’s eyes lit up at the sight of the red envelopes, their little faces brimming with delight.
"Wow! Red envelopes!"
"Thank you, sisters!"
Their chorus of thanks was even louder than their earlier New Year’s greetings.
As the first group of children left with their haul, more followed—second, third, fourth batches…
From 4 a.m. until 9 a.m., Liu Yutong and Gao Min handed out treats nonstop. Only then did the stream of children finally thin out.
Duan Village was fairly large, after all, with plenty of kids—hence the long distribution.
By 9 a.m., the task was handed over to their grandfather. After freshening up, the two began helping their grandmother prepare lunch.
Just then, their cousin Liu Debao’s family arrived next door, carrying kitchen knives, cutting boards, and other cooking gear.
On New Year’s Eve, each household had cooked separately, but on the first day of the year, they gathered for a shared meal—more festive that way.
As the family bustled about, a group of uninvited guests appeared at the door.
Two middle-aged adults and two young people—a man and a woman—around Liu Yutong’s age.
Grandfather Liu Chengjiang, seated in the main hall, greeted them with a cool tone. "Well, well, what brings you here? Quite the rare visit."
The middle-aged man—none other than Liu Yutong’s uncle, Liu Jianren—paused mid-step at the words but still approached, carrying two boxes of milk. "Dad."
Liu Chengjiang remained seated, making no move to welcome him. "You’ve got the wrong person. Your dad’s in the county town."
Liu Jianren faltered, unsure how to respond.
His son and daughter, Yang Xiaodong and Yang Xiaoqian, stepped forward. "Grandpa!"
Their eyes, however, kept darting toward the sports car parked in the yard, clearly surprised that their grandfather’s household could afford such a thing. Maybe they weren’t as poor as their mother had made them out to be.
Liu Chengjiang responded with only a noncommittal hum, showing little warmth toward his grandchildren.
Meanwhile, the grandmother, hearing the commotion, hurried out from the kitchen. At the sight of Liu Jianren and the two grandchildren, she instinctively wanted to greet them—but after recalling past unpleasantness, she held her tongue.
Just then, Liu Jianren’s wife, Yang Yue, couldn’t resist a snide remark. "See? I told you. Why bother coming back? They don’t care about you. You’re just humiliating yourself."
Liu Jianren flushed, lowering his voice. "Can you not make things worse?"
Yang Yue, used to dominating him, scoffed. "Oh, now you’re talking back? Liu Jianren, have you forgotten why we’re here? If it weren’t for your niece Liu Yutong, would I even set foot in this dump, putting up with these people’s attitudes?"
Scolded, Liu Jianren immediately shrank back, not daring to argue.
Liu Chengjiang let out a cold laugh. "Ah, so that’s it. I wondered why the sun rose in the west today—you actually came to wish me a Happy New Year. Turns out you’ve got an agenda."
"From the sound of it, you’re here to cause trouble for my granddaughter?"
Just then, Liu Yutong, having finished washing vegetables, stepped out of the kitchen, still wearing an apron.
"I heard someone call my name. What’s the matter?"
The moment Yang Yue saw her, she lost control. "Liu Yutong, you little—"
Before she could finish the insult, Liu Yutong cut her off with an icy glare. "If a single filthy word leaves your mouth today, I swear you’ll never speak again."
Her tone was so sharp that Yang Yue actually hesitated, the words dying in her throat. She was, admittedly, a little afraid of this niece.
Yang Xiaodong, however, Liu Yutong’s so-called cousin, bristled at her words and stepped forward. "How dare you talk to my mother like that?"
Liu Yutong studied his face blankly. "Who are you?"
"Your cousin!" he snapped. "Where are your manners? My mother is your elder—show some respect!"
Liu Yutong smirked. "Cousin? You’ve got the wrong idea. You’re a Yang, I’m a Liu—how are we related?"
"And as for manners, I treat people according to how they act. If a dog barks at me, am I supposed to just let it?"
Yang Xiaodong’s face burned with humiliation.
Having grown up in the county town, he’d always considered himself superior to these rural folk. Never in his life had he been so openly mocked by a "country girl."
The way the other person was looking at him made him extremely uncomfortable, as if he were being treated like some ridiculous clown.
Blinded by shame and anger, he lashed out without thinking.
"Liu Yutong, your father’s locked up in prison, your mother ran away, you’re just some stray brat—"
Slap!
A sharp, resounding crack echoed across the courtyard.
