Da Huang left proudly. Jiang Xia's mouth rounded wide once more. She cupped her hands around it, and another howl rang out.
An Ning walked ahead, smiling. An Jing, who was trailing behind, finally gave in after the third howl and followed after An Ning.
One walking in front of the other, the two arrived at Uncle An's house. An Ning kept playing outside while An Jing went into the house.
Around one in the afternoon, Aunt An called everyone to come and eat.
The two children cheered and ran inside. The group of adults and children who had been playing outside, all covered in sweat, followed suit, rushing into the house.
Aunt An, carrying a large bowl of food, called out with a beaming smile.
"Look at the state of your clothes! Hurry up and wash your hands. It's time to eat."
All the washbasins in Aunt An's house were brought out. SPLASH, SPLASH, SPLASH—the sound of water was constant. After everyone washed up, they took off their thick padded jackets and got ready to eat.
