(Many thanks to the few fellow students for the tips. There will be three updates today, and another one early in the morning.) On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the local custom was to eat sweet, boiled eggs early in the morning. Everyone in the Huang family cooked two eggs each, followed by dumplings, but since everyone was full from the eggs, they didn't eat many dumplings.

After breakfast, Er Niu and the Huang family took the younger children to pay their respects to Old Man Lin and Zhao Shi. Mrs. Huang packed several things to take: some of the family's sausages, a bolt of good quality hemp cloth, and a few packages of pastries. The whole family walked to Zhao Shi's courtyard. When they arrived, Da Jiang's family was already there, and Zhou Shi had also arrived early with her children, chatting and laughing with Zhao Shi.

Da Jiang saw Er Niu’s family arrive and quickly stood up, announcing, "Second Brother’s family is here." Old Man Lin and Zhao Shi came to the courtyard entrance to welcome them in. The children called out greetings, and after the formalities, they ran off to play. Lin He noticed that everyone in Mrs. He’s family, except for Da Jiang, was wearing brand-new clothes, and their complexions were rosy, not looking like they were living poorly.

Looking at Zhou Shi’s family, Zhou Shi was wearing a faded, washed-out old dress, though without patches. Xiao Shan and Xiao Yun were wearing clothes they didn't wear often, but they were also old.

The adults went inside to chat, while the children stayed in the yard. Upon seeing the Lin He family arrive, Xiao Shan and Xiao Yun immediately came over and gathered around them. Xiao Yun, still not very articulate, knew enough to cluster near Lin He and stammered, "Sister He, pretty."

Lin He pinched her cheek and laughed, "Little one, what's pretty about it?"

Yu’er was also watching Lin He and Lin Chen’s clothes, her eyes filled with envy. She rarely spoke to Lin He, but now she said, "Sister He, where did you buy the clothes you're wearing? They look awful."

Although her tone was dismissive, her eyes showed envy. Lin He saw that Yu’er, a ten-year-old girl, already knew how to say one thing while meaning another. So, Lin He deliberately said, "If they’re so ugly, why are you asking where I bought them, Sister Yu’er? Your clothes look really nice."

Yu’er pouted, saying a bit haughtily, "I made my clothes myself. The style is the most popular one in town this year."

To be honest, Lin He couldn't see what was popular about it; it was just an ordinary jacket with large flowers embroidered on the front, made of common cotton. But she still pretended to be envious. "Sister Yu'er's embroidery is wonderful; making clothes this beautiful yourself!"

Lin Chen listened from the side. Being just a child, he disliked hearing anyone say his sister’s clothes were inferior. He quickly interjected, "Sister Yu’er’s clothes aren't as nice as my sister’s. My sister's clothes weren't bought; she made them herself! Look, the clothes I’m wearing were also made by my sister."

Yu’er gasped in surprise, "He’er, you made these clothes yourself? Did you come up with the design?"

Lin He nodded. She thought children these days were so precocious. Back in her previous life when she was ten, she had no idea what she was even wearing, let alone what was fashionable, or had such a desire to be pretty.

Just as Lin He was thinking, Mrs. Huang came over and called them, saying it was time to kowtow to their grandparents. Then the children took turns kowtowing to Zhao Shi and Old Man Lin to pay their respects. The elders each gave them a red envelope containing a few copper coins. Next, they paid respects to Mrs. He and Da Jiang, and Mrs. He also gave each child a red envelope. Lin He felt hers; it only seemed to have about two copper coins. Her purse felt feather-light.

When Qing Shan and Yu’er paid their respects to Er Niu and his wife, Er Niu gave them ten copper coins each. Even when paying respects to Zhou Shi, she gave them five copper coins each. Lin He thought that if the elder sister-in-law wasn't mindful of everyone watching, she probably wouldn't have given even two copper coins.

After the kowtowing was done, Mrs. Huang took the things out of the basket she had set aside and handed them to Zhao Shi. Mrs. He looked at the items in the basket, and her expression shifted slightly. She said, "Second sister-in-law, these New Year's gifts are so valuable, and there are so many. You are truly filial. This makes those of us who came empty-handed not know where to stand."

Lin He knew that Mrs. He was outwardly praising Mrs. Huang, but she was actually feeling that Mrs. Huang was being too ostentatious, acting superior just because she had some money. It seemed Mrs. He had been quiet for a while at home and was ready to stir things up again.

Mrs. Huang didn't reply. Then Zhou Shi also took some items out of the basket: a slab of meat and several dozen eggs.

Zhao Shi glanced at Mrs. He and said, "We handled some preparations for the New Year at our own home, and you’ve brought so much more. We old folks won't be able to finish it all. Take some back with you next time."

Hearing Zhao Shi’s words, Mrs. He immediately quieted down, a smile appearing on her face. She hadn't expected to gain something even without bringing gifts. Combined with the New Year's money the children received, she felt she had made a huge profit today.

Lin He saw the smile on Mrs. He's face and couldn't help but sneer inwardly. How could there be such a person, always coming to others' houses just to freeload, never feeling embarrassed? It was truly exasperating.

The entire family had lunch at Zhao Shi's house. Zhao Shi cooked the cured duck, cured chicken, and sausages that Mrs. Huang had brought. While they didn't eat cured duck and chicken often, they weren't rare delicacies, but the sausages were certainly a rare treat.

Everyone praised how delicious they were and asked Er Niu where he got them. Er Niu said he made them from the family’s pork. When Mrs. He heard they were made entirely of pork, she started piling them onto her own bowl, filling it up, and continuously passing more food to Qing Shan’s bowl.

Yu’er, like her mother, was shoveling food into her mouth. Although Yu’er usually looked demure, she was, after all, just a child. Seeing such a lavish meal, and with her mother and older brother behaving that way, she also began to eat heartily, losing all pretense of being a delicate young lady.

When Da Jiang saw his family acting like that, he felt quite mortified and shot his mother a fierce glare. But Mrs. He was too busy eating to notice and kept piling food onto her bowl. Da Jiang couldn't say anything with everyone else at the table.

The others remained silent, eating quietly. Zhao Shi wondered how her eldest daughter-in-law could be so unrefined; she hadn't noticed it before. They didn't lack food at home, so why did they look like they hadn't eaten in days?

She observed that Zhou Shi sat quietly to the side, and even her two children were very well-behaved. Truly, what kind of mother raises what kind of children.

Then she looked at the Huang family, who were eating politely and graciously. Compared to Yu’er, the girls seemed entirely different; Lin He and Lin Chen sat properly, eating small bites. Girls should be like this.

Lin He found the way Yu’er’s family was eating somewhat amusing. Yu’er usually acted like a refined young lady from a good family, but when faced with poverty, the sudden sight of such good food made her forget the proper demeanor of a young lady, revealing her true nature.

In truth, for a child as young as Yu’er, this behavior wasn't a major issue; children are naturally fond of food. However, the usual Yu’er liked to posture and pretend her family was still in town, believing herself to be a true lady. If one's birth determined a part of one's destiny, and destiny could perhaps be changed through effort, then one's environment from childhood onward determined one's inherent temperament. Their family was just ordinary, yet they insisted on mimicking young ladies from wealthy families. Now that her true nature was exposed, the result was a jarring mismatch.