Through the dim, yellow candlelight, Bai Xiulan watched her daughter enter with a basket. 'That scowl of hers really takes after her father,' she thought. 'It's enough to give you chills.'
"What's in there, honey?"
Xu Changqing glanced up at her mother before lowering her head to open the basket. "It's all food. I got some millet and red dates for you, and some donkey-hide gelatin from Grandma Tian.
Later, I'll see if I can trade for a couple of pig's trotters. It's not just for my little brother and sister, it's for you, too. Don't be afraid to spend money. This stuff is good for your skin and makes you look younger.
I'm not kidding. You and Dad are only two years apart, but women age faster than men. They say a woman is past her prime at forty, but a man is still in his prime.
You don't have to listen to everything Grandma says. Her old-fashioned ideas might have worked on Grandpa, but they won't work on Dad. It's not like Dad is a farmer who stays at home.
