When Li Gengtian and his wife, Mrs. Fang, heard their two sons had returned, they rushed out of the house.
Mrs. Fang pulled her younger son close with one hand while her eyes darted to her elder son. She chided, "Why come home in such heavy snow? What if you catch a chill?"
Despite her words, her face was beaming with joy.
Her two sons studied at the county school in Qinghui County and lived at their aunt's house, only returning home every few months. She missed them terribly, but she also knew that not just anyone could study at the county school. For the sake of her sons' futures, she had to endure the separation.
Now that her sons were back, she was overjoyed. Her chiding was merely words spoken out of habit, tinged with genuine concern that they might have gotten cold.
