The Spring Festival of '84 brought especially heavy snow that hadn't stopped since the 28th. Li Xianglu and the children fixated their gaze, uncertain whether Qin Xi could make it back by the New Year's Eve.
Xu Wu had been free since the 25th and, together with Da Li, moved to the courtyard across the street.
The courtyard they purchased was simply tidied up to be livable, and by summer, Xu Wu had all the houses there torn down and rebuilt, and even the walls made higher and thicker than usual.
In total, twenty rooms were built—a few more than in Li Xianglu's courtyard, with a different layout. The four children often played there, and a swimming pool was constructed in the backyard that, come winter, was filled with water and became a makeshift skating rink.
Ever since Xu Wu took the younger ones to play there, the place had become the children's realm.
