Returning from the clan elder's house, Dabao and Lin Erniu rushed towards Dabao's maternal grandparents' home. It was in the neighboring village, not terribly far, perhaps a dozen li or so. But traveling by ox-cart made the journey swift; they arrived in less than half an hour.

Dabao's grandmother and grandfather broke into wide smiles when they saw Dabao and Erniu arrive. Erniu and Dabao unloaded the cart. Dabao's grandmother chided them gently, "Erniu, what is all this? You only just finished building your new house this year, how can you afford to spare the money? Just coming to visit would have been enough. Why bring so many things? You should keep this food for your own children."

Erniu had always held his in-laws in high regard. They hadn't minded his poverty when they married their only daughter to him. For many years, he had remained poor, yet his in-laws had never once complained, always sending things for his children every year. Now that his family was finally better off, he naturally had to show his filial piety.

Erniu scratched his head and smiled, "Father-in-law, Mother-in-law, we still have plenty of these things at home. It was Dabao’s mother who asked me to bring them. Look, it’s not much, just a token of our regard." Saying this, he pulled out two hundred large coins from his chest and offered them to Dabao’s grandmother.

Dabao’s grandmother certainly didn't want to accept, but she couldn't resist Erniu's insistence, finally taking them. As they were chatting, Dabao’s maternal uncle and aunt entered with several small children. They were also delighted to see Erniu. The uncle, Huang Dashan, looked at Dabao and said, "Dabao, you’ve grown quite a bit, and filled out a little too. I hear you've been studying—how is it going?"

Dabao answered each question in turn. The surrounding children clustered around Dabao, asking this and that. Among them was Dabao's younger maternal uncle, who was only eight years old, the youngest child of Dabao’s grandmother.

The uncle's family also had three children: the eldest son was twelve, the second son was eight, and the youngest daughter was only six. They rarely saw Dabao, so they immediately tried to pull him outside to play.

Dabao glanced at Erniu, who smiled and said, "Go play with your young uncle and cousins for a while. I’ll call you when it’s time to go home."

The farmers watched quietly, speaking little, their conversation revolving around nothing more than farming matters. Dabao’s aunt was a virtuous woman, sitting to the side, occasionally joining in with a gentle remark.

Meanwhile, Madam Huang, accompanied by Lin He, was also delivering gifts to various relatives' houses. The gifts for Lin He’s grandmother had been sent by Erniu early that morning. Madam Huang and Lin He only needed to visit the houses of her brothers. First on the list was Aunt Xu’s home. Just as Madam Huang picked up her bundle of gifts to leave, Aunt Xu’s voice sounded from outside, "Erniu's wife, are you home?"

Madam Huang quickly went out to greet her and saw Aunt Xu approaching with a basket loaded with goods: several dozen eggs, a piece of cured meat, and a length of cloth. She must have been bringing gifts for the Laba Festival as well. Madam Huang laughed, "Aunt Xu, you are something else. I was just getting ready to take He'er over to your house, and here you are! Really, we’ve taken so much from your family every year; I’m almost ashamed."

Aunt Xu laughed heartily, "Why are you talking about such things with me? Just let me take what you have and save yourself the trip. Look, I'm not being polite this year; whatever you give me, I’m taking it all!"

Lin He thought Aunt Xu was truly a straightforward person, asking for gifts so openly. Such a character was rare at this time, but it was also clear that Aunt Xu truly didn't treat their family as outsiders. A family like Aunt Xu’s was worth forming a deep friendship with.

Madam Huang went inside to retrieve the gifts meant for Aunt Xu’s household, adding, "The gifts for the scholar, we let him take them back himself the day before the Laba Festival; we won't bother sending them over."

Then, she placed the intended gift for Aunt Xu into the very basket Aunt Xu had brought. Aunt Xu looked at the items and said, "Sister-in-law, why so much? A small token would suffice. Honestly, why do our two families stand on such empty courtesies?"

Madam Huang replied, "It’s nothing much. These are just things we have plenty of at home. These dried sweet potatoes were dried by us ourselves. Taste them, and take them home for your Er Gouzi to eat. If he likes them, come back for more; they aren't worth much."

Aunt Xu looked at the dried sweet potatoes with curiosity. "These look quite nice. Well then, I won't refuse. I’ll shamelessly take these things back with me."

After visiting for a short while, Aunt Xu departed, saying she still had other relatives to deliver gifts to and couldn't delay too long.

When Madam Huang brought Lin He to Zhou Shi's house, Zhou Shi was home. Seeing Madam Huang enter, a flush of embarrassment crossed her face. She actually knew she should be giving gifts to her relatives for Laba, but the house held very few things to give. She hadn't even visited her own natal family, only sending a few things to her mother-in-law’s side.

Seeing Madam Huang enter with a basket, knowing she was there to give a gift, Zhou Shi quickly urged her to sit down and said, "Second Sister-in-law, I was actually planning to visit your place later, but I don't have anything good to give. I embroidered a sachet for each of Dabao and the other children. Let me get them for you."

Madam Huang took out the sachets. Lin He took the four small bags; though the cloth was ordinary silk, the workmanship was superb, clearly made with great care. Furthermore, each of the four had a different color and boasted a beautifully tied knotting cord.

Lin He said sweetly, "Third Aunt, these sachets are so pretty! I truly love them. This is actually my very first sachet. My mother is always so busy, she never makes me one, and I don't know how to make them myself. In a few days, I'll come over and ask you to teach me how to tie the knots."

Zhou Shi was pleased that Lin He liked them and said, "Of course, come over, and I'll teach you."

Madam Huang gave her a playful, reproachful look. "This girl is blaming me because I haven't made her a sachet. From now on, you’ll learn from your Third Aunt; her sachets are much better than mine."

Madam Huang took the contents of her basket and handed them to Zhou Shi, who gently pushed them back. Madam Huang smiled, helped place the items securely, and said, "Third Sister-in-law, we are all family. Don’t think so much about it. Just take these things. Look at the sachets you made for He'er and the others; she cherishes them dearly. In her heart, they are probably worth more than anything else. Giving gifts is ultimately about the sentiment."

Seeing Zhou Shi like this, Lin He felt a pang of sympathy. Zhou Shi was a woman with great self-respect; perhaps this time of year was the hardest for her, unable to offer decent gifts from her home and having nothing to reciprocate when others offered gifts.

The New Year was fast approaching, which naturally made things difficult. Alas, it was hard enough for a woman without a husband, but in such a feudal age, it was infinitely harder.