A few days after Wei Tuantuan’s full-moon celebration, Wei Hu set out on another escort mission. With nothing to do in the fields during winter, he figured he might as well go out and earn some extra silver.

Chen Cuihua wasn’t very busy these days; whenever she had free time, she’d wander around the shop. Business was getting better and better.

Before they knew it, winter had arrived, and the air had turned cold. The school was on winter break. Song Ning sat with Wei Tuantuan in the sun, while Lan-ger was hunched over a small table practicing calligraphy. A charcoal stove burned nearby, filling the room with warmth.

Wei Tuantuan is now three months old. Wearing the little cotton jacket made for him by Chen Cuihua, the little guy was restless in his cradle, grunting and kicking his little legs. Song Ningy was reading a book when he heard Wei Tuantuan grunting, so he reached out to pat him gently to soothe him.

But Wei Tuantuan kept grunting, his little fists clenched and his face flushed. Song Ning put down his book. “What’s the matter?”

Even though the little guy was only three months old, he was as heavy as a solid little weight; Song Ning found it a struggle just to hold him. He had to sit the baby on his lap and soothe him for a while before the whining finally stopped.

Chen Cuihua had just returned from the shop by then. She warmed her hands and took the chubby little guy from him. “Tuantuan, come here and let Grandma hold you.”

“Mom, this little guy’s so heavy.”

“Nonsense, our Tuantuan isn’t at all,” Chen Cuihua said, coaxing Wei Tuantuan.

Chen Cuihua held him and soothed him for a while before placing him back in the cradle, but the little guy wasn’t happy—he kicked his little feet and whimpered.

“Mom, look at him. As soon as I put him in the cradle today, he started whining and squirming so hard his face turned red.”

Chen Cuihua thought Wei Tuantuan had peed, so she lifted his little leg to check his diaper—but it was still dry. “I guess he’s getting too big and doesn’t want to lie down anymore.”

Song Ning tapped Wei Tuantuan’s little foot. “Don’t be such a handful. Lie still now.”

Lan-ger also dropped his calligraphy brush and ran over. “Little Dad, it looks like the little brother wants to lie on his stomach.”

Song Ning looked and saw it was true. Chen Cuihua burst out laughing. “I knew it! Tuantuan’s trying to roll over. He’s three months old now and can roll over, but he’s dressed too warmly in winter to do it, so he’s getting frustrated.”

The three of them gathered around the cradle, finding the scene amusing. The little guy was quite well-behaved—he didn’t cry much. When he was hungry or needed a diaper change, he’d just scrunch up his little face and whimper. No wonder he’d been whimpering all morning.

Wei Tuantuan lay in the cradle, still kicking his little feet, looking just like a turtle that had flipped over. Song Ning found it amusing, so he stuck out a finger to give him a hand. The little guy finally rolled over, then, exhausted, let his little head droop as he clenched his fist and started chewing on his hand.

Everyone doted on Wei Tuantuan, especially Chen Cuihua. She believed that the rosy glow at the time of his birth was an auspicious sign. Since his arrival, business at the shop had been booming, Wei Hu had earned a good deal from his escort runs, and Ning-ger’s academy had even gained more students in the second half of the year.

As a result, they grew to love Wei Tuantuan even more, seeing him as a blessed child.

At bedtime, Song Ning first tucked the hot water bottle into the blankets. Only after the bed had warmed up did he bring Wei Tuantuan to bed. The little boy had slept a lot that afternoon and was now happily playing, his big eyes blinking rapidly.

Song Ning took off the little jacket he was wearing, and the little guy was absolutely delighted—he grinned so widely his teeth were showing. He kicked his little legs a few times, then rolled over onto his stomach, much more smoothly than he had that morning.

Song Ning smiled. No wonder Lan-ger had said he didn’t even know the little guy could roll over yet—now that his jacket was off and he was free of any constraints, the little guy simply stretched out his legs and rolled over all by himself.

Now that the little guy could roll over, Song Ning didn’t dare let him sleep on his side anymore. Previously, he’d had him sleep on his side to make it easier for his mother to get up at night to feed him. But now that the little guy could roll over, Song Ning was afraid that if he fell fast asleep at night, the little guy might roll himself off the bed, so he put him inside the bed for the night.

The little guy was happiest when taking off his clothes at night. Now that he could roll over, he wouldn’t stay still once he lay down in the blankets. He’d start playing and roll over, but then he couldn’t roll back, so he’d babble for his dad to help him turn around. Song Ning played with him for a while before coaxing him to sleep.

But the little guy got so caught up in playing that he refused to sleep. Just as Song Ning was about to drift off, the little guy next to him kicked him awake. Song Ning gave him a light pat on the bottom. “Wei Tuantuan, go to sleep. If you don’t, Daddy’s coming back to spank you.”

You can’t pay attention to this little guy—the more you do, the more he gets into it. Now he’s kicking the covers with both feet, kicking all the warmth right out of the bed.

Song Ning was getting a little annoyed. He pulled the boy into his arms and ignored him, paying no attention to the mumbling coming from the boy beside him. Before he knew it, he’d drifted off to sleep.

In his half-asleep state, Song Ning thought to himself that he shouldn’t let the boy sleep so much in the afternoons from now on—a little brat who doesn’t sleep at night is just too much for his dad to handle.

Bai Xiaoyun would drop by from time to time when he had nothing else to do. That day, clutching the hem of his shirt and blushing, he asked Song Ning, “Ning-ger, when is your man coming back?”

“He should be back soon—I’d guess within the next few days.” Song Ning had known Bai Xiaoyun for quite some time, and seeing him like this, he sensed something was off—he was actually blushing. “You don’t have a crush on someone, do you? Could it be someone Brother Wei Hu knows?”

Song Ning was quick to pick up on things, and he figured it out right away. He grabbed Bai Xiaoyun’s sleeve. “Who is it? Do I know him?”

“Song Xiaoning, you’re so annoying.”

“It’s true!”

It used to be Bai Xiaoyun who teased Song Ning, but now the tables had turned. Bai Xiaoyun felt a bit embarrassed; he’d held back for a long time before coming over to ask about it. “It’s that guy named Zhao Tieniu. Okay, don’t ask anymore. If you keep asking, I’ll get mad.”

Song Ning laughed. “So it’s him, huh? He seems like a decent guy. I heard he’s the only one left in his family now—he’d actually make a pretty good husband for our Yun-ger.”

Bai Xiaoyun glared at him. “Song Xiaoning, you’ve changed!”

By the end of the year, Bai Xiaoyun had already been betrothed. Shopkeeper Bai was in a rush—his ger was finally getting married, so he didn’t bother with formalities. Not long after the betrothal, he set the wedding for the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month.

Song Ning started school after spring began; he couldn’t very well keep relying on Bai Xiaoyun to shoulder the burden for him. With just his mother and him looking after Wei Tuantuan, they managed just fine. They also hired a maid to come every day to handle the heavy chores, so the two of them weren’t too busy taking care of Wei Tuantuan.

By spring, Wei Tuantuan had learned to sit up. Dressed in a little fine cotton outfit, he would sit there playing by himself. Now that he was older, he was even more reluctant to lie in his cradle and would fuss every day, demanding to go out and play.

Chen Cuihua would often take the little one to the shop to play. With people coming and going in the shop, the little one would sit quietly in his cradle and watch the goings-on for quite a while without fussing, which made things much easier.

Chen Cuihua noticed that every time Wei Tuantuan came to the shop, business was exceptionally good. She became even more convinced that Wei Tuantuan was a little good-luck charm, but she didn’t boast about how wonderful her child was; when people complimented the child’s cuteness, she would simply smile politely.

During the wheat harvest, the school was on break, and Wei Hu drove the ox cart straight home. Wei Tuantuan was overjoyed; everything looked new and exciting to him.

They now owned twenty mu of land. The wheat in the dry fields—covering twelve mu—ripened first. Wei Hu certainly couldn’t harvest it all by himself, and since rain was the biggest fear during the wheat harvest, he hired a few men from the village to help with the reaping.

Even Chen Cuihua had some free time now; all she had to do was bring lunch out to the fields around noon. Chen Cuihua wasn’t the type to treat people harshly; she made sure the midday meal included meat, and everyone could eat as much rice and steamed buns as they wanted—after all, you need to eat your fill to have the strength to work.

Song Ning sat in the courtyard with Lan-ger and Wei Tuantuan, enjoying the cool shade. In summer, the countryside was much cooler than the town, and with so much open space, the children had plenty of room to play. Song Ning thought that when school let out for summer break, he’d bring the two little ones back to stay here, and Wei Hu would come back to rest as well—after all, there was always more money to be made.

Song Ning spread a straw mat under the shade of a tree, and the three of them sat on it playing. Wei Tuantuan could crawl now; he wore a little red bodice embroidered with lotus flowers, with two shiny silver bracelets on his wrists, his skin as white as a giant white radish come to life.

Don’t let his young age fool you—he’s quite the little troublemaker. He’d flop down on the mat, kick his legs, and try to “run” away. Song Ning kept an eye on him; just as he was about to crawl off the mat, he’d scoop him back up. The little boy would grumble and whine in protest, but before long, he’d be crawling toward the edge again.

Song Ning put on a stern face. “Wei Tuantuan, do you want another spanking?”

Although Wei Tuantuan was still very young—he didn’t even know how to say “Daddy” yet—and though he didn’t understand what his little dad was saying, he was good at reading expressions. As soon as he saw his little dad’s stern face, he kicked his little legs and slid backward, making Song Ning chuckle in exasperation. Such a tiny person, and already so good at reading expressions.

Until now, he’d only known the child could crawl forward—he hadn’t expected him to be able to scramble backward as well.

Qiu-ger also came over, holding his little ger. They didn’t have much land, and their wheat had been harvested two days ago; Sun Dazhuang had been helping Song Ning harvest wheat these past couple of days.

Qing-ger was over a year old and walking steadily now. The little guy sat quietly on the mat without making a fuss, while Wei Tuantuan crawled back and forth beside him.

“Wow, our Tuantuan crawls so fast!” Qiu-ger fanned Wei Tuantuan. “He started crawling even earlier than our Qing-ger.”

“Don’t even mention it. It’s so hot in this summer heat that he’s covered in sweat. He doesn’t listen to a word I say, and the moment I take my eyes off him, he’s crawling on the ground. By the time I go to pick him up, I’m drenched in sweat too.”

Qiu-ger was quite fond of Wei Tuantuan. The little boy was chubby—much chubbier than his own ger had been as a baby—and so handsome; he’d never seen such a good-looking kid.

“That undershirt is the one I gave him that year, isn’t it? My dad even embroidered it.”

“That’s right—it fits him perfectly now.” Song Ning didn’t know how to embroider, and neither did his mother; any embroidered items they owned were either gifts from Qiu-ger or things they’d bought.

Fearing Qiu-ger might send another one, Song Ning hurriedly said, “This little guy already has several vests. Please don’t embroider any more for him—he can’t even wear them all.”

Qiu-ger had already given him several embroidered vests before—and embroidery takes so much time! Song Ning didn’t want him to give any more; he figured the child had enough to wear.

The three little ones sat together playing nearby, while Song Ning and Qiu-ger chatted idly. With fruit and pastries laid out beside them, the two fanned themselves, enjoying the gentle breeze.