"In nineteen twenty-nine, we don't let go; in three-nine four-nine, we walk on ice."
While the old folks were huddled at home avoiding the winter chill, or leaning against the wall basking in the sun, the nearby children were going crazy. Ping'an had already made quite a few friends in just a couple of days.
No matter how cold it got, nothing could stop the children from running wild at the alley entrance. On snowy days, they were unstoppable, from snowball fights at the alley to skiing once the snow was packed solid. Zhou Jiao couldn't see any of the kids until dinner time.
Their family quickly integrated into the neighborhood thanks to these kids. With Zhang Guoqing's childish enthusiasm creating all sorts of ice-skating contraptions, in less than a week, the neighbors started calling out for Xiao Wu whenever they met. Even Zhou Jiao, who was supposed to be resting during her pregnancy, often received small dishes of pickled sour dates or pieces of sauerkraut.
