Chapter One

  It was winter in 1980, and this winter was particularly cold, with much more snow than previous years.

  In a small county town in the northeastern part of China, there lived a family with the surname Xing.

  "Hey, kiddo's mom, are you up? Why didn't you light the stove?" Xing Dad opened the door of the outer room and walked in, patting the snow off his body with one hand while loudly shouting towards the inner room.

  "Son, your dad is back... Ahh~~ I'm done for, I..."

  "Mom, mom." The eldest son Xing Hai struggled free from his father's grasp and quickly ran into the house.

  "Hey mom, what's wrong?"

  "I think I'm going into labor... My, my stomach hurts..."

  Xing's mom was already over eight months pregnant, with a huge belly, alone at home, waiting for her husband to come back from his night shift.

  Xing Dad just got back from the night shift, first went to pick up his eldest son from his grandmother's place, then rode his bike against the strong wind and heavy snowfall, finally arrived home.

  Logically speaking, his wife still had more than 20 days before giving birth, but this morning, for some reason, he felt a little flustered in his heart, always feeling that something was making him feel uneasy.

  "What's going on? Why is it about to be born?"

  "It might be premature labor, hurry up and send me to the hospital!"

  Looking at the children who are eagerly spinning around on the ground, Xing Mama deeply felt that sometimes men are also unreliable.

  In the wind and snow, Mr. Xing was making an effort to pull a cart in front, on which Mrs. Xing was lying in great pain, while Liu Auntie from next door and Wu Brother from the east end of the courtyard were pushing the cart together.

  "Son, you go from here to that yard, to find Grandpa and Grandma, can you find them?"

  "Uh-huh, I can." Four-year-old Xing Hai nodded solemnly with a little man's demeanor.

  "Go quickly to your grandparents' house and tell Grandpa and Grandma that your mom is going into labor."

  "Got it!" Xing Hai shouted loudly, the tender voice of a child was transmitted in the howling wind, and only flashed by Xing Dad's ear, then disappeared without a trace.

  "Boy, 6 jin and 2 liang, mother and son are safe." When the nurse came out of the emergency room and told this good news to Mr. Xing, he knelt down on the ground and cried.

  Although it was not his first time having a child, the baby was going to be premature and the water had broken on the way. In the midst of the wind and snow, he thought he would lose his wife and unborn child. He pulled the cart with all his might, but it seemed to weigh a ton, and although he walked as fast as he could, he felt like he was moving too slowly, slow enough to become a man who had lost everything. The anxiety and fear he felt at that time were more unbearable than being thrown into a pot of boiling oil and stirred eighteen times.

  "Silly boy, what are you still crying about? Hurry up and go home to tell your father the good news. And bring me those things I put on the kang for the child: clothes, diapers, bottles, and a small quilt." The old lady had long been looking forward to the birth of her grandson, and she had already prepared all these things in advance.

  "Also, go to your elder sisters' and second sister's homes and tell them to come to the hospital immediately."

  "Mom, my sister is still at work."

  "No way, my grandson was born, what work are you talking about? The old Xing family is having a big gathering, what's more important than this? Let me go, just let me go quickly."

  At this time, the nurse brought out the wrapped Lucky.

  "Oh my! My big grandson! My dear grandson! Look, look, how handsome he is! Look, this is the most beautiful child I've ever seen! Wu Da Ge, Liu Shu, take a look, isn't it?"

  "Ah! Ah! Mrs. Xing, this child of yours is really handsome!"

  "Really! Really!"

  The little kid in the cotton blanket was all scrunched up, with a red face and a bit of black around the edges. His eyes were tightly closed, and he had no idea what was going on around him.

  He was just tired, so he opened his little mouth and let out a big yawn.

  "Oh dear! Look at this little thing, it's so adorable!" The old lady was overjoyed.

  Raising her head, she saw Xing Dad also grinning from ear to ear and lowering his head to gaze foolishly at the child.

  "Old Xiao, what are you still smiling about? Hurry back!"

  "Uh-huh, mom." Xing's dad reluctantly walked away, taking a few steps before turning back to look again, but all he saw was a circle of people.

  At the end of this year, the country introduced a new policy: one couple, one child. It is no longer allowed to have a second child.

  "Our child is really lucky, if he was born a few months later, he would not be here." Xing's mother sat on the bed, gently patting her eldest son Xing Hai, who had been running wildly outside all day and was now asleep, with happiness overflowing from her face.

  "It's not like that now, how many people envy our family?" Xing Dad hugged his little son and swayed back and forth on the floor in the house, this good boy, no matter how much he looked at him, it was not enough.

  "Yao'er, give Daddy a smile."

  The child in her arms opened his small mouth and burst out laughing.

  "Oh, my good son! My good son! Give daddy a smile! Give daddy a smile!......" Xing Daddy slowly lifted the child up and down, and with each lift, the child laughed even more happily.

  Haha, the adults laughed even more happily now. Mr. Xing felt that he was the luckiest person in the world at this moment.

  "Hey dad, what's your son's name?"

  "My son's name is Xing Yun."

  "Lucky. Sounds good. But sounds good is one thing, will Dad agree?"

  "Regardless of whether he agrees or not, let's call him Xing Yun. This child I'm in charge of, last time Haihai's name was also given by him, now it's my turn. My son is called Xing Yun. Lucky! Son, how does that sound? Daddy chose the name, how about it?"

  "Look, our son is smiling, he likes this name. Let's just call him Lucky then, I'll go to the household registration office tomorrow."

  Outside, the heavy snow was still falling silently, dressing the world in a pure white color. Inside, the fire was burning brightly, reflecting the happy smile of the man and the contented smile of the little baby in his arms.

  "Our hometown, in the fields of hope. Ah... The radio flowed out cheerful music, accompanied by this happy family, gradually entering a dreamland."