Gu Zi had just been thinking it was time to buy the kids a few new outfits—perhaps something cozy for the colder days ahead. She called out for them to get ready for a quick shopping trip.
But before they could even get their shoes on, someone knocked at the door.
The sound of little feet pattering across the floor echoed through the house. "Da-da-da"—that was Su Le, the youngest, rushing to answer it. She pulled the door open with a sense of occasion that only a child could muster and asked, quite seriously, "Granny, who are you here to see at our house?"
Gu Zi came up behind her, curious. Standing at the doorway was a woman in her early fifties, bundled up against the wind, cheeks red from the cold.
Gu Zi recognized her immediately. She was from the Zhao family that had moved in just two days ago. Everyone around here already called her Aunt Zhao, the way small towns always bestowed familial titles to newcomers they liked.
