After the Lantern Festival in the first lunar month, it was the day for Zhang Guoqing's family to set off.
Unlike previous years, Mother Zhang sent them off with a broad smile. As she put it, shedding tears during the first month was seen as bad luck.
Whether it was due to superstition or become accustomed to frequent separations, Zhang Guoqing felt much better that his mother could say goodbye with a smile.
Waving goodbye to his parents and brothers who were seeing him off to the car, Zhang Guoqing knew that in a few years he wouldn't be able to return, but fortunately, his parents were healthy.
They arrived in Beijing on this day, and Aunt Chen had prepared a sumptuous dinner.
Spare rib soup, stir-fried lung slices, braised pork, and more filled the entire table; she seemed eager to use up all the supplies from the past period.
