The Little New Year was approaching.
It always felt like the New Year came early this year.
After finishing exams around the tenth of January and staying in Chunming for a few days, I returned to Yan City around mid-January. I stayed at Miss Zheng's for about a week, and by then, it was already past the twentieth of the twelfth lunar month.
Zhou Li got up very early, but when he went downstairs, he found Little Cousin already there. She was sitting on a Taishi Chair, a small blanket draped over her legs, her feet on a warming basket, nibbling on a baked sweet potato of which only half remained. The core of the sweet potato was orange-red, soft and rich in sugar, shimmering from within.
To prevent crumbs from falling on the blanket, she leaned forward, eating with extreme care.
"Morning, Baozi."
"Morning, Zhou Ni…"
"Mixing up your Ls and Ns now?" Zhou Li teased.
"It's hot…" Little Cousin mumbled, her mouth full, still not stopping her careful chewing.
