Outside, it’s below minus ten degrees, and there are over a dozen stoves working inside. It’s so warm that you want to take off your thick cotton coat as soon as you walk in.
"No wonder the hotpot restaurant is doing so well. Who wouldn’t want to find a warm place to eat out in the middle of winter?" Liang Hongmei said, glancing around the hall, "Xiao Wan, are there fewer customers than before recently?"
"Mom, that’s normal. It’s almost New Year, and most workers are on holiday these days. Recently, it’s just friends’ dinner parties coming in. Here, we’ll probably have a break in a couple of days too."
"If business is slow, just take a holiday. You all deserve some rest." Liang Hongmei felt sorry for her two kids. Ying Hui was doing okay, only occasionally coming back from school to help out. Xiao Wan, a young girl, was busy from morning till night. When Ying Hui rarely came back to look after the shop, Xiao Wan would go to the casserole shop to replace her.
Liang Hongmei didn’t say it, but she felt extremely guilty inside. Her daughter was just turning eighteen after the New Year.
"Brother," Lin Wan and Liang Hongmei had just exchanged a few words when Lin Yinghui returned. Lin Wan nudged his arm playfully and said, "Who was that female classmate you were with earlier?"
"What could it be? It’s obviously a classmate relationship."
"Really?" Lin Wan asked skeptically.
"Really, last time I bought the tricycle from her uncle’s place. Without her, I couldn’t have found such a great one. I promised to treat her to a meal to show my gratitude, but it’s been delayed until now."
Seeing her brother’s honest explanation, Lin Wan thought she might have overthought it and didn’t press further.
After discussing it, the three of them decided to officially close the hotpot restaurant on the twenty-eighth of the month.
Lin Wan wasn’t stingy, giving each of the restaurant employees an extra five yuan as a reward.
After closing the doors, Lin Wan and Liang Hongmei packed up the kitchen, and the three of them rode the tricycle home with their bedding.
This was their first time spending the New Year away from their hometown, and it was the most lavish New Year they had in more than a decade. Both restaurants had left-over meat and vegetables, and as they didn’t have many relatives here, it was enough for their family to enjoy. For the past few days, Liang Hongmei had been busy steaming buns and making dumplings.
Following the local customs, they even made some dumplings. It wasn’t the first time their family had dumplings; before, when Lin Guozhi was still around, during New Year, Liang Hongmei, feeling for her husband, would learn to make him some dumplings, even if they were just vegetable fillings. But Lin Guozhi was especially content. This year was the most prosperous year for their family.
It’s New Year, and everyone has to wear new clothes. Now that they can earn money, Lin Wan wanted to buy a sewing machine. She can make clothes, and they’re just as good as the ones bought in stores.
The mother and daughter decided to buy one.
Since Liang Hongmei came here, she had never really gone out to enjoy a stroll. This time, when they went to buy the sewing machine, Lin Yinghui took his mother and sister to the city for a good day out on the tricycle.
During this time, the mall was bustling, selling all kinds of New Year goods. There was even a TV shop in the most prominent place. The TVs weren’t big or square, just about a dozen inches and only in black-and-white.
Lin Wan and Liang Hongmei were curious and felt an itch. Considering the money they earned this year, the mother and daughter hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to buy one.
They later bought a sewing machine too, priced moderately—neither expensive nor cheap. Thinking of her daughter’s love for making clothes, Liang Hongmei didn’t hesitate and let her son pay directly. The shopkeeper even threw in two trays of thread and needles.
Lin Yinghui watched as more than half of the money he brought out was spent. He shook his head with a smile and silently followed them, feeling very thoughtful.
Lin Wan also pulled Liang Hongmei to buy a few feet of fabric, planning to make clothes for each of the three of them back home.
In the middle of winter, most people wore thick cotton clothing with an overcoat on top.