"Bang, bang, bang..."
In the howling cold wind, a thinly dressed young boy shivered as he knocked on the door of a house.
It was New Year's Eve, and the sounds of laughter could be heard from inside the courtyard.
"Bang, bang, bang..."
After waiting for a long time with no response, the boy raised his hand and gently pulled the door knocker, knocking a few more times.
"Who's there?"
Fortunately, at this moment, someone from inside the courtyard finally responded.
The boy's face lit up with joy.
"Second Uncle, it's me."
He quickly answered.
"Creek..."
Soon, the courtyard door creaked open, and a middle-aged man with a kind face poked his head out through the crack.
"Oh, it's Taiping. What's the matter at this late hour?"
The middle-aged man asked the boy.
"Second... Second Uncle... The coal is finished at home. I wanted to... I wanted to borrow a few jin of coal from you. I'll pay you back when spring comes, once I can go up the mountain to chop firewood."
The boy spoke shyly, his gaze darting away.
"How much coal could be worth that much? Wait here, I'll get it for you right now!"
The man waved his hand and quickly agreed.
"Taiping, have you eaten?"
After taking a few steps, the man suddenly stopped and turned to ask the boy.
"I... I... I've eaten... Grandpa... Grandpa hasn't eaten..."
The boy clenched the hem of his clothes tightly, and his voice became barely audible by the end.
Seeing this, the middle-aged man sighed lightly, then smiled, saying:
"Taiping, wait here, Second Uncle will be right back."
"Okay."
The boy nodded gently.
At that moment, another gust of cold wind blew through. The boy shivered all over, but his heart wasn't as cold anymore.
"Taiping!"
Not long after, the middle-aged man came out holding a dustpan.
"Here you go."
The man, his breath turning white in the cold, quickly walked to the courtyard gate and shoved the dustpan into the boy's arms.
The boy looked down, and inside the dustpan, there were not only a few jin of coal but also four steaming white buns.
"Second Uncle, I..."
Looking at the buns, the boy hesitated. However, after a whole day without food, when he saw the warm white buns, he couldn't help but swallow his saliva.
"Take it."
The man smiled honestly.
"Niu, why are you still messing around in the yard?"
At that moment, a woman with a slightly burly build quickly walked to the gate.
Seeing her, both the boy and the middle-aged man's expressions changed.
"Taiping... Taiping came to borrow some coal."
The middle-aged man gave an awkward smile to the woman, his eyes darting around nervously, full of fear.
"Second... Second Aunt."
The boy called out to the woman.
The woman first shot the middle-aged man a glare, then her gaze fell on the boy. Finally, her eyes landed on the dustpan he was holding.
When she saw the white buns on top of the coal, her face immediately darkened.
"These white buns were meant for Little Tiger. I can't even bear to eat them myself, and yet you're being so generous!"
She gave the middle-aged man an angry stare, then impatiently grabbed two of the buns.
"Mom, is the roast goose ready? I want roast goose, not these white buns!"
At this moment, a chubby boy in a new cotton jacket walked out from the house. When he saw the white buns in the woman's hand, his face immediately turned sour.
"Son, why are you out here? It's cold outside, go back inside. Don't freeze yourself."
The woman hurriedly walked toward the chubby boy, her face full of concern.
"Mom, I don't want white buns, I want roast goose!"
The chubby boy stomped his feet, looking like he was about to cry.
"Alright, alright, the roast goose will be ready soon. These buns are for Ah Huang."
While coaxing the chubby boy with a spoiled smile, the woman casually tossed the two white buns into the dog cage under the eaves.
"Sigh..."
Seeing this, the middle-aged man frowned, then sighed helplessly.
The boy bit his lip as he watched the buns being eaten by the dog. Then, clutching the dustpan of coal, he looked up at the middle-aged man and smiled:
"Second Uncle, thank you, I'm leaving now."
"Be careful on your way, and remember to leave a crack in the window when you burn the coal. Make sure your Grandpa is covered with a blanket."
The middle-aged man waved his hand.
"Xu Erniu! If you don't get back inside, don't even think about sleeping on my kang tonight!"
The woman's nagging voice came from the house again.
"Coming, coming!"
The man quickly answered, giving the boy an awkward smile before closing the courtyard door.
Once the door was shut, the last glimmer of light in the snowy field disappeared, and the entire world was once again swallowed by the night. Only a faint light still shone from a small thatched hut not far to the east.
"With this coal and these two white buns, Grandpa will surely get better."
The boy, walking through the night, didn't feel afraid. He hunched his head down, smiling as he murmured to himself. Then, tightly clutching the dustpan of coal and the two white buns, he bounced and skipped quickly toward a small, dimly lit earthen house in the darkness.
...
In front of the small earthen house.
"Creek..."
The boy pushed open the door.
"Taiping... Is that you?"
As soon as he entered, a hoarse and weak voice came from the room with the dim light.
"It's me, Grandpa."
The boy rubbed his frozen face hard, trying to force a smile. He quickly walked to the door, lifted the curtain, and entered.
As soon as he stepped into the room, a strong smell of herbs hit him.
Without a stove, the temperature inside the room was almost the same as outside.
At the far end of the room, there was a bed made of several wooden planks, so worn out that the cotton filling of the quilt was exposed. On it lay an elderly man, who was so thin he looked like nothing but skin and bones, curled up inside.
"Grandpa, Second Uncle lent me a few jin of coal, and he also gave me two white buns. We can bake them and eat them later."
The boy, Taiping, happily spoke as he poured the coal into the stove.
"Good... good..."
The old man smiled weakly and nodded.
Although the old man looked frail and worn, his murky eyes regained a glimmer of light when he saw the boy, Taiping.
"Taiping... these years... you've suffered with me, haven't you?"
The old man gazed lovingly at Taiping, his voice trembling as he spoke.
"Grandpa, I'm not suffering, not at all."
Taiping, having lit the stove, looked up and grinned at the old man, shaking his head.
"Silly child, you really are a silly child... If it weren't for you taking care of me these years, I'm afraid I would have passed away long ago..."
The old man reached out and patted Taiping's little head, sighing with pity.
"Grandpa, don't say such unlucky things. You'll live to be a hundred years old."
Taiping shook his head firmly as he baked the buns.
"Taiping... have you ever heard of immortals?"