She was squinting at the village when a few people emerged from a path at the far end. She stared at them absentmindedly, watching as they headed toward her house. It was like a camera zooming in—their figures grew clearer and larger with every step.
When they got a little closer, they started to look familiar.
"Mother, look! Is that Grandma coming?" Juhua sat up. She had been leaning over, which made it hard to see them clearly.
Mrs. Yang quickly squinted toward the yard entrance for a moment, then her face broke into a smile. "Who else could it be? Your uncle and aunt are here too!" As she spoke, she wrapped her thread around the shoe sole she was working on, placed it in her basket, and put it away. Then she stood, patted the loose threads off her clothes, and went out of the yard to greet them.
Zheng Changhe also sat waiting with a cheerful smile for them to come in.
