The kang (heated brick bed) for left-behind women

"You still want to fight me? You're so petite, where would you get the strength?"

Li Ruoxue retaliated and started arguing with Lin Dachun.

"No, I'm begging for mercy."

Li Ruoxue couldn't stop laughing.

"Begging for mercy?" Lin Dachun laughed. "With your strength, you think you can play with me? I used to be able to carry two hundred pounds for ten miles."

"Wow, that's amazing! Aren't you ticklish?" Li Ruoxue asked curiously.

"What's so scary about itching? Poverty is what's truly terrifying." Lin Dachun's words were quite profound.

"Oh, is that so? I'll go try on the clothes and see if they fit," Li Ruoxue said coquettishly.

"it is good."

Lin Dachun also wanted to see if the clothes he bought looked good and fit Li Ruoxue. If the size was wrong, he would have to go to town to exchange the clothes, which would be troublesome.

Li Ruoxue got up and went to find the two pieces of clothing that she hadn't tried on.

She returned to the kang (a heated brick bed), turned her back to Lin Dachun, and put on all the new clothes she had bought in town.

Then, Li Ruoxue turned around.

Lin Dachun was engrossed in watching.

"What's wrong?" Li Ruoxue asked.

"It fits perfectly and looks beautiful." Lin Dachun's gaze fell on Li Ruoxue's clothes, which did indeed fit her very well.

The black dress clung tightly to Li Ruoxue, its novel design making her look as beautiful as a black swan.

"You look so beautiful! I'll buy you more of these clothes in the future, and you can wear them for me, okay?" Lin Dachun teased, feeling embarrassed.

"There are only the two of us in this house. If I don't wear it for you to see, who will?" Li Ruoxue said, pulling the blanket over her legs.

"So you're not leaving, are you?"

Lin Dachun was afraid she would run away.

Li Ruoxue shook her head and said, "No."

"Okay, okay, I will definitely take good care of the family." Lin Dachun made his decision.

In this remote, desolate, and sparsely populated village, simply surviving is no easy feat.

But Lin Dachun not only wants to live well, but also to live a remarkable life so that Li Ruoxue can have a good life.

The next day.

Before the Spring Festival, Lin Dachun began preparations for the holiday.

Lin Dachun found a newly made broom, tied it to a long bamboo pole, and began to sweep the accumulated dust from the ceiling and corners of the cave dwelling.

Li Ruoxue moved a small table onto the kang (a heated brick bed), spread out the red paper she had bought, picked up scissors, and carefully began to cut, relying on her memory and ingenuity.

The scissors made a soft "snip-snip" sound as they cut through the red paper, and scraps of paper fell to the ground.

After Lin Dachun finished cleaning, he saw that Li Ruoxue had already cut out several designs: a simple "福" (Fu, meaning good fortune) character, an adorable carp, and magpies on intertwined branches.

Although it's not particularly exquisite, its bright red color exudes a simple and joyful atmosphere.

"Very well cut," Lin Dachun praised, then picked up a "福" (Fu, meaning good fortune) character and looked at it. "This one should be pasted upside down; good fortune has arrived."

Li Ruoxue smiled and said, "Yes, I know."

Lin Dachun found some leftover flour from boiling maltose and made some paste.

He held the bowl of paste, while Li Ruoxue held the paper-cut window decorations and the character "福" (good fortune). The two began to decorate their home.

"Put this on the window."

"This is for pasting on the lintel."

"Paste the character '福' (fortune/blessing) upside down here..."

Under the dim light of a kerosene lamp, the old man and the young man worked together seamlessly.

The cold mud walls and simple wooden lattice windows suddenly became lively and warm because of these few bright red accents. For the first time, the atmosphere of the New Year filled this house, which had once been filled with sorrow, so vividly.

After putting up the paper-cut window decorations, Lin Dachun remembered that he was still missing Spring Festival couplets.

He hesitated for a moment, then said to Li Ruoxue, "You write the Spring Festival couplets. Just write something practical, something that expresses your hopes for a good year ahead."

Li Ruoxue hesitated for a moment: "My handwriting isn't very good..."

"Don't worry, it's our own family business, the gesture is enough."

Li Ruoxue then cut another piece of red paper, took out the precious pencil, thought for a moment, and solemnly wrote down two lines.

She wrote slowly, stroke by stroke, striving for neatness:

First line: Sweat brings forth fragrant mountain produce

Second line: Skillful hands brew sweet days

Without flowery language, it fully conveyed their hardships and expectations over the past six months.

After thinking for a moment, she wrote down four characters for the horizontal scroll: "After hardship comes happiness."

Lin Dachun was illiterate, but seeing Li Ruoxue writing so earnestly, and the clear and powerful black characters on the red paper, he felt at ease and at peace.

As usual, he applied the paste, and Li Ruoxue pointed out the positions. Together, the two of them carefully pasted the self-created Spring Festival couplets on both sides and above the door frame of the cave dwelling.

After they finished pasting it, the two stepped back a few paces to look at it.

A brand-new maroon coat, bright red paper-cut window decorations, red Spring Festival couplets with ink still wet, and a house that has been cleaned spotlessly...

This simple cave dwelling, now enveloped in a simple yet intense hope and a prayer for a new life, radiates an unprecedented brilliance.

"It's starting to look good. It's very festive. Even if it's just the two of us, we should still have a lively and auspicious New Year," Lin Dachun murmured, a rare, contented smile on his face.