The landlord has multiple personalities and wants everyone to pay him.

Ye Shu's hometown, that small county town in the north, seems to have been preserved in the passage of time.

Red bricks and old tiles, plane trees lining the road, the old tofu shop at the alley entrance that makes fried dough sticks every morning...

Everything looks like it was printed from an old photograph, year after year, with almost no change.

Even the unique winter smell in the air, a mixture of coal smoke, firewood, and the aroma of stewed meat from every household, was exactly the same as I remembered.

Today is Lunar New Year's Eve, and there are many more colors that we don't usually see.

The faded Spring Festival couplets pasted on the doors of every household have been replaced with new ones, written in black ink on red paper, with auspicious phrases such as "May Heaven add years to people's lives and may spring fill the universe and may blessings fill every door."

Occasionally, a child wearing a cotton-padded coat would run across the road holding a small firecracker, leaving behind a trail of tiny sparks.

The sporadic sounds of firecrackers echoed in the distance. Although they were banned in the city, there were always some corners where one could secretly find traces of the old New Year's sounds.

In the living room, the television was on, playing a program promoting the Spring Festival Gala. The volume was turned down low, becoming background noise with a festive atmosphere.

The air was filled with the aroma of food and the sound of spatulas hitting iron pots. Ye Shu's aunt had been busy in the kitchen for a long time.

On the sofa, Zhi Qiu sat dressed in pajamas. Her hair was tied up, and she was holding a soft little baby in her arms.

The little dumpling is a little over a year old. She is dressed in a bright red cotton-padded jacket and pants embroidered with little golden carp, which makes her little face look like a freshly peeled boiled egg. It makes people want to take a bite.

This little dumpling has a very unique design, with two pigtails and bare little feet, but it doesn't have two wheels of fire on its feet, nor does it have a magic ring in its hand.

She's not Nezha, she's Ye Xiaohua.

Little Flower seemed more interested in her toes than the TV, and was looking down, trying hard to reach her toes with her little hands.

Zhi Qiu had one arm around her to prevent her from falling, and in the other hand, she was slowly flipping through an old-looking photo album.

Her already serene temperament gained an even softer glow after becoming a mother.

Turning to a certain page, her gaze stopped, and her smile deepened.

On that page was a color photograph of a little boy who looked no more than three years old.

The little boy sat naked in a large bathtub, holding an empty bottle as a toy in one hand.

Zhi Qiu smiled and pointed at the naked child, saying softly:

"Little Flower, look, this is Daddy."

Xiao Hua temporarily gave up her pursuit of the toes, raised her little head, and looked at the photo in the direction her mother pointed.

But she didn't quite understand anything either, she just imitated her mother's voice, opened her little mouth, and spoke in a childish voice:

"Ah... ba... ba ba..."

Zhi Qiu lowered her head and kissed her daughter's soft little face:

"Yes, it's Daddy. When Daddy was little, was he just a tiny little thing like Xiaohua?"

Just then, a hand suddenly reached out and slammed the photo album shut.

Ye Shu had just finished putting up the couplets when he came in and heard Zhi Qiu's words. He had seen this photo album before, so he naturally knew what kind of dark history was in it.

"Let's give the child some privacy."

Zhi Qiu let him take the photo album, wrapped her arms around Xiao Hua, and looked at him with a smile, saying:

"It's alright, Xiaohua is still young. What does a child know? Look how cute Daddy was when he was little."

The door was pulled open from the outside, and a gust of cool air blew in.

The voice arrived before the person.

"Mom! Brother! Sister-in-law! I'm home! I'm freezing! Where's Grandma?"

Tang Xiaotao, wearing a long down jacket, a scarf, and a woolen hat, walked in carrying a large suitcase. Her little face was red from the cold.

"I'm sleeping inside, keep your voice down."

Ye Shu looked at her younger sister and gestured towards the inner room with her chin.

Tang Xiaotao immediately nodded, covered her mouth, and even pursed her lips. But her eyes were fixed on the little bundle of milk in Zhi Qiu's arms.

He ignored his suitcase and ran over in a few quick steps.

"Little Flower! My little Flower! Auntie's back! I missed Auntie so much!"

But just as he was about to hug her, Ye Shu stopped him:

"Stop, you're cold. Wait until you're warm before you hug me."

Tang Xiaotao pouted, said "Oh," took off her down jacket, hat, and scarf, and went into the kitchen.

"Mom! I'm home! What's good to eat? Let me warm up first, then I'll hug my little flower!"

Ye Guoqiang came out of the inner room, carrying several glasses, and placed them on the table.

He was still in good health, though time had added a touch of gray to his temples. He said to Ye Shu:

"Xiao Qiu's parents should be arriving soon on that train. Go to the bus station and pick them up."

Upon hearing this, Zhi Qiu said to Ye Shu:

"I'll go with you."

As she spoke, she gently bounced her daughter in her arms. The little girl thought her mother was playing with her and grinned.

Ye Shu shook her head and reached out to poke her daughter's little cheek:

"It's cold and windy outside. Don't bother coming along. Just stay home and look after Xiaohua. I'll pick her up. Besides, what will happen to Xiaohua if you go out?"

"I'll do it! I'll do it! I'll do it!"

Tang Xiaotao immediately emerged from the kitchen, her body warm from the sun, and reached out to take Xiaohua from Zhi Qiu's arms:

"You can go without worry, I'll take care of Xiaohua."

Tang Xiaotao lowered her head and buried her face in Xiaohua's cotton-padded jacket, taking a deep, satisfying sniff like she was petting a cat.

"Ah~! Our little flower still smells the best! It's the most intoxicating! It's the most healing!"

Little Flower was tickled by her, and she wiggled her little body in Tang Xiaotao's arms, giggling.

Ye Shu narrowed his eyes, unable to bear watching his sister's infatuated expression.

He turned around, picked up the down jacket and handed it to Zhi Qiu, then grabbed the car keys:

"Let's go."

Even on New Year's Eve, people carrying large and small bags kept leaving the bus station.

Ye Shu parked the car on the side of the road and stood with Zhi Qiu. Zhi Qiu took his arm and leaned slightly closer to him.

Her voice sounded a little sleepy.

"Little Shu, I'm going to take a nap now..."

Ye Shu understood what she meant by "take a nap." He turned his head and saw that Zhi Qiu had slowly closed her eyes.

He adjusted his position to make her more comfortable, and responded softly:

"Okay, goodnight, Sister Zhi Qiu. See you later."

A few minutes later, the person leaning on his shoulder slowly opened their eyes, straightened up slightly, and released their grip on Ye Shu's arm. The expression on their face also faded, becoming a face devoid of any emotion.

"Ye Shu".

Just by calling her name, Ye Shu understood what she meant, so he began to explain the current situation to her:

"Okay, Xiaonuan. We're here at the bus station to pick up Mom and Dad. They're coming to celebrate the New Year with us today. The bus will be arriving soon."

Xiao Nuan didn't say much, just nodded to indicate that she understood. Then she turned to look at the exit without saying a word, switching to "greeting" mode.

After a while, she suddenly spoke:

"arrive."

Ye Shu also saw Shen Jingwan and An Jianxing carrying their luggage as they walked out with the crowd.

Ye Shu and Xiao Nuan immediately went to greet them, and Ye Shu took the suitcase from An Jianxing:

"Dad, Mom, you must be tired from the journey?"

"Not tired at all, this trip was pretty smooth."

Shen Jingwan smiled, reached out and took Xiao Nuan's slightly cold hand, and asked:

"Nuan Nuan, have you been waiting for a while? Are you cold? Where's Xiao Hua? Is she at home?"

"Yes, at home. Xiaotao is with her."

"Okay, okay, it's good to stay home. It's windy outside, don't let the wind blow on the child."

At this moment, An Jianxing also walked over. He didn't rush to speak, but instead straightened up, took a deep breath, and as the cold air filled his lungs, he let out a sigh:

"The air here is so fresh! It's so clear and the smell is so invigorating!"

Ye Shu smiled awkwardly. He glanced at An Jianxing, who was enjoying his inhalation, and then at the public toilet a few steps away on the side of the bus station building, which was faintly emitting a smell.

"Dad, the air is nice, but... why don't you walk a couple more steps outside and breathe in some fresh air somewhere else?"