In late February in the Northeast, the temperature outside at night would drop to more than twenty degrees below zero.
But despite the frigid weather, Jin Xiaomei and Wang Meilan had been chatting outside for over ten minutes.
When Wang Meilan returned to the house, she pulled a small stool over to the stove pit and sat down to warm her hands before getting up to continue slicing pickled cabbage.
Inside, Zhao Jun was being pestered by his two younger sisters. The two little girls wouldn't stop nagging him for soda. Zhao Jun managed to stick his head out the door for a quick peek. Seeing his mother's grim expression, he couldn't help but rejoice inwardly.
Tonight, Wang Meilan was making wild boar stew with pickled cabbage, served with mixed-grain steamed buns.
