In the howling cold wind, a thinly dressed little boy shivered as he knocked on the gate of a household.
It was New Year's Eve, and laughter could be heard from inside the courtyard.
After waiting for a long time without a response, the little boy lifted his hand to hold the door ring and gently knocked a few more times.
It was so cold that after knocking, he immediately placed his hand near his mouth to warm it up with his breath.
Not only his hands, but his feet, which were only wearing straw shoes, were also almost numb from the cold.
Fortunately, someone in the courtyard finally responded.
The little boy's face lit up with joy.
Not long after, the courtyard gate opened, and a middle-aged man with a kind face poked his head out from the gap.
"Oh, it's Taiping. What brings you here so late?"
The middle-aged man asked the little boy.
"Uncle… Uncle Er… the charcoal at home is all used up. I… I want to borrow a few pounds of charcoal from you. I'll definitely pay you back when I can go up the mountain to cut firewood next year."
The little boy said, his eyes darting away, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"How much can a few pounds of charcoal be worth? Wait here, I'll get it for you!"
The man waved his hand and immediately agreed.
"Taiping, have you eaten?"
After taking a few steps, the man suddenly stopped and turned to ask the little boy.
"I… I… I have… Grandpa… Grandpa hasn't eaten…"
The little boy's hand tightly gripped the edge of his clothes, and his voice became almost inaudible by the end of his sentence.
Seeing this, the middle-aged man sighed lightly and then smiled, saying,
"Taiping, wait here, Uncle will be right back."
The little boy nodded lightly.
Another gust of cold wind blew, making the little boy shiver, but his heart wasn't as cold as before.
Not long after, the middle-aged man came out carrying a sieve.
The man, with white breath coming from his mouth, quickly walked to the gate and thrust the sieve into the little boy's arms.
The little boy looked down and saw that in addition to a few pounds of charcoal, there were also four steaming white steamed buns in the sieve.
Seeing the large white buns, the boy was a bit frightened, but after not eating for a whole day, he couldn't help but swallow his saliva when he saw the buns.
The middle-aged man smiled kindly.
"Erniu, why are you still loitering in the courtyard?"
At this moment, a rather robust woman quickly walked to the gate.
Seeing this woman, both the little boy and the middle-aged man changed their expressions.
"Taiping… Taiping came to borrow some charcoal."
The middle-aged man gave the woman a sheepish smile, his eyes darting around, full of fear.
The little boy called out to the woman.
The woman first glared at the middle-aged man, then looked at the little boy, and finally at the sieve in his hands.
When she saw the white buns on top of the charcoal, her face immediately fell.
"These white buns are for Xiaohu. I don't even eat them myself, and you're being so generous!"
The woman glared fiercely at the middle-aged man and then angrily grabbed two of the white buns with one hand.
"Mom, is the roast goose ready? I want to eat roast goose, not white buns!"
At this moment, a chubby boy in a new cotton jacket came out of the house, looking displeased when he saw the white buns in the woman's hand.
"Son, why are you out here? It's cold outside, go back inside quickly, don't catch a cold."
The woman looked worried and hurriedly walked towards the chubby boy.
"Mom, I don't want white buns, I want roast goose!"
The chubby boy stomped his foot in displeasure, as if he was about to cry.
"Okay, okay, the roast goose will be ready soon. These buns are for Ahuang."
The woman, with a doting smile, threw the two white buns into the dog cage under the eaves.
Seeing this, the middle-aged man frowned and then sighed helplessly.
The little boy watched the white buns being eaten by the dog, bit his lip, and then hugged the sieve of charcoal tightly, looking up at the middle-aged man and smiling,
"Uncle, thank you. I'm leaving."
"Be careful on your way. When you burn the charcoal tonight, remember to leave a gap in the window and cover your grandpa well with the blanket."
The middle-aged man waved his hand.
"Xu Erniu! If you don't come back inside, you won't be able to sleep on my bed tonight!"
The woman's scolding voice came from inside the house.
The man quickly responded, gave the little boy a sheepish smile, and then closed the gate.
After the gate was closed, the last bit of light in the snow disappeared, and the world was once again swallowed by the darkness. Only a small light could be seen in a nearby thatched cottage.
"With this charcoal and two white buns, Grandpa will definitely get better."
The little boy in the darkness didn't feel afraid. He pulled his head in, smiled, and muttered to himself, then tightly hugged the sieve of charcoal and the two white buns, and skipped quickly towards the small earthen house with a light on in the distance.
In front of the small earthen house.
The little boy pushed open the door.
As soon as he entered, a hoarse and weak voice came from the room with the light on.
The little boy rubbed his frozen face, forcing a smile, and then quickly walked to the door, lifting the curtain and entering the room.
As soon as he entered the room, a strong smell of herbal medicine hit him.
Without a stove, the temperature inside was no different from outside.
At the far end of the room was a bed made of a few wooden planks, and under the old, tattered quilt, a thin, emaciated old man was curled up.
"Grandpa, Uncle Er lent me a few pounds of charcoal and gave me two white buns. We'll roast them and eat them later."
The little boy Taiping poured the charcoal into the stove and said happily to the old man on the bed.
The old man smiled and nodded.
Although the old man looked frail, his cloudy eyes regained their light when he saw the little boy Taiping.
"Taiping… these past few years… you've suffered a lot following me."
The old man looked at Taiping with loving eyes and spoke with difficulty.
"Grandpa, I'm not suffering, not at all."
Taiping, who had lit the charcoal stove, looked up and smiled at the old man, shaking his head.
"Foolish child, you're such a foolish child… if it weren't for your care, I would have been gone long ago…"
The old man reached out and touched Taiping's head, sighing with pity.
"Grandpa, don't say such unlucky things. You will live a long life."
Taiping shook his head while roasting the buns.
"Taiping, have you ever heard of immortals?"
The old man suddenly asked Taiping.