It was afternoon when Xu Qiguang arrived home. Before he even stepped through the courtyard gate, he saw stacks of firewood piled high outside. A small ramp had even been built over the threshold.
He pushed the gate open and stepped inside. The front yard was covered with all sorts of things drying in the sun. Even the unused clotheslines in front of and behind the house were hung with strings of corn cobs.
His wife was sitting at the base of the wall beneath the west room's window, her head bowed as she briskly shucked corn. 'The two kids must be asleep on the kang right now,' he thought.
Bai Xiulan's head shot up. She blinked, and a smile instantly broke across her face. She stood, about to speak, but after a quick glance toward the window, she hurried over to him instead.
"You're back."
"I'm back." Xu Qiguang set down the luggage in one hand and took the corn husker from Bai Xiulan's other hand. "You've been working hard."
