My Courtyard Shelter

Chapter 22: Warming by the Fire

Meanwhile, Aunt Wang hurried back home carrying two buckets of formula. “Mom, you’re back.” The voice belonged to Aunt Wang’s daughter-in-law, Zheng Yan. Zheng Yan would occasionally bring her two young children to stay with her mother-in-law for a while—partly to let the children spend more time with their grandmother, and partly to check on the elderly woman’s health. Aunt Wang’s real name was Wang Xiujuan. Originally, she and her husband had lived with their son—after all, the elderly couple had only this one son. However, later on, Wang Xiujuan’s husband accidentally slipped and fell in the bathroom. Since he was discovered too late, he ultimately could not be saved. Afterward, Wang Xiujuan felt deeply guilty. Unwilling to be reminded of the tragedy, she insisted on moving out and began living alone in the Champs-Élysées Mansion complex. “Xiao Zheng, Mom bought some formula.” Upon hearing this, Zheng Yan quickly poked her head out of the kitchen and exclaimed with delight, “Mom, where did you get it?” Wang Xiujuan set the formula down on the sofa, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and replied: “Do you remember Auntie Zhang, the one I told you about before? The one with the triplets!” As soon as she mentioned the triplets, Zheng Yan realized, “I remember now. Don’t they live in that Siheyuan right next door?” “That’s right, it’s their house. I just came from there.” Zheng Yan wiped her hands, walked over, picked up a can of formula, and took a look. Surprised, she said, “Huh, why is it still a foreign brand?” “They’re well-off—isn’t it perfectly normal for them to feed their kids imported formula?” “Mom, that’s not what I meant. Not all foreign formula is good—some formulas aren’t suitable for us people from Daxia,” Zheng Yan explained patiently. Wang Xiujuan immediately took offense. The formula she’d worked so hard to find was actually being criticized, so she asked with a stern expression: “So what do you suggest we do? Do you want me to return it?” “Mom, that’s not what I meant.” Zheng Yan quickly denied it, then shared her idea: “We’re not familiar with this brand of formula. Why don’t we ask around first?” Wang Xiujuan didn’t think it was necessary to make a big deal out of it, but since her daughter-in-law insisted, she didn’t want to argue. So she suggested: “The son of Aunt Sun, who lives upstairs from us, is reportedly a manager at a big supermarket. He’s sure to recognize this brand. Let’s go over to his place and ask him.” “Okay!” Zheng Yan breathed a sigh of relief. Half an hour later, Wang Xiujuan sat on the sofa holding her granddaughter, looking quite pleased with herself: “I told you so. That family isn’t short on money—there’s no way they’d give their child tainted formula.” Zheng Yan prepared the formula while forcing a smile. After all, she was in the wrong—the formula was high-quality, and the brand was a major one, though it had always positioned itself as a premium product in China and wasn’t particularly well-known. In Yanjing during the winter, it gets dark exceptionally early. Just past six o’clock, Xu Dong took out the fully charged outdoor lamp, but when he flipped the switch, it was indeed broken. She had to give up on hoping for a miracle and obediently lit some candles. Xu’s mother was preparing dinner on alcohol stoves—one for cooking rice and one for stir-frying—and she was working just as quickly as usual. “Mom, is this bright enough? If not, I’ll light a few more.” With at least a thousand candles stockpiled in the basement storage room, Xu Dong didn’t think twice about lighting them. “It’s enough—Mom’s eyes are just fine!” After saying that, Mrs. Xu waved her spatula and, finding Xu Dong in the way, shooed him out of the kitchen. With nothing else to do, Xu Dong hauled two boxes of charcoal—weighing nearly 100 jin in total—out of the storage room, intending to light the living room fireplace early. The fireplace was part of the house’s original design. The original owner of the Siheyuan may have been influenced by a particular era; not only had a fireplace been built in the living room, but a heated brick bed had also been constructed in one of the bedrooms. “Dad, what are you doing?” The twins, who had been playing, quickly noticed their dad’s movements and swarmed over; even Xu’s father joined in, holding Da Bao while watching the commotion from the sidelines. “Daddy’s lighting the fire. You two stay back—this isn’t something to play around with,” Xu Dong warned. Hearing this, the twins took two steps back; their teachers at school had taught them that children shouldn’t play with fire. Xu’s father asked, “Where did you get the charcoal?” “I bought it before the New Year. I was planning to have a family barbecue, but I never found the time. Since the air conditioner isn’t working tonight, it’s coming in handy,” Xu Dong explained. February in Yanjing is still quite cold; nighttime temperatures can drop to the low teens below zero, and nights without heating are truly miserable. “What kind of charcoal is this? Does it burn long, and is the flame strong?” Xu’s dad asked again. “According to the packaging, it’s machine-made charcoal. It’s known for producing a strong flame and should burn for a long time.” Xu Dong stacked a few pieces of charcoal haphazardly on top of each other, scooped a large spoonful of solid alcohol onto the bottom, and finally lit it with a lighter. The flames burst into life with a “boom.” In less than ten minutes, a roaring fire was blazing in the fireplace, and the temperature in the living room shot up instantly. The Ke Ke sisters both took off their gloves and squatted side by side in front of the fireplace to warm themselves, their eyes nearly closing in pure comfort. Mr. Xu smiled and praised, “This fireplace is well-designed. We won’t have to worry about freezing during power outages anymore.” They ate dinner in the living room—after all, it was much warmer than the dining room. Xu Dong fed Da Bao a small piece of tofu, then turned to his mother and suggested, “Mom, let’s just sleep on the floor in the living room tonight—it’s too cold in the bedroom.” “Sleep on the floor? Is that really okay? Don’t catch a cold.” Mom Xu was a bit concerned; in Daxia’s traditional beliefs, sleeping on the floor makes one susceptible to cold drafts, which is bad for one’s health. “Sure, why not?” Xu Dong went on to explain, “If you’re worried the floor is too cold, we can lay down a foam mat. If that’s still not enough, we’ll just pile on a few more layers of quilts. We’ll do whatever keeps us warm—there’s no way we’ll catch a cold.” “Mom, Dongzi makes a good point. Besides, Da Bao and the others are too young—they definitely can’t be exposed to the cold. You wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving them alone in the living room, would you?” Yang Lina also agreed that sleeping in the living room was the best option; their whole family was from the south, and they really couldn’t stand nights without air conditioning. Temperatures in the low teens below zero—just thinking about it sends a chill down one’s spine. “All right then, we’ll sleep in the living room tonight,” Mrs. Xu finally agreed, mainly because she was worried about the triplets. After dinner, the family began setting up the living room. Aunt Xu first gave the entire floor a thorough scrub, then dried it with a dry towel. Next, they laid out the bedding—four layers in total: a foam pad, a wool blanket, and two cotton quilts. In addition, everyone had their own sleeping area, covered with two quilts each, which were secured around the edges with large clips to keep out the cold. The triplets’ crib was placed in the center of the floor, neatly separating Xu Dong and his wife’s sleeping area from that of Xu Dad and Xu Mom, thus avoiding any awkwardness. “Ke Ke, Le Le, are you two cold?” Yang Lina asked again before going to sleep. “Not cold at all—it’s just that the quilts are too thick and a little heavy.” Ke Ke pushed the quilts aside a little with her hand. “Don’t fidget. Go to sleep. Once you’re asleep, you won’t feel the weight,” Xu’s mother coaxed. “Okay…” And so, the Xu Dong family spent their first night through the major power outage.