The little one's purse connects the two worlds, turning a desolate village into a paradise.

The village chief picked up the remaining half of a bell pepper from the table; there were still small seeds inside.

It's worth setting aside some space to try planting one.

Grandma Liu took out the last few things from the cart: a bag of soy milk and a few sugar-coated fried dough sticks given to her by Cao Xiulian, all of which were cold.

There are also two carrots that have fallen to the very bottom.

When Zhao Hu returned and saw the red, pointed vegetables in Granny Liu's hand, his tongue seemed to start burning again.

If the green one is so spicy, wouldn't the red one be even spicier?

"Grandma, these are some new snacks that Auntie sells. She said she brought them back for you to try. They're delicious! And this is called sugar-coated fried dough sticks."

When Ya Ya saw Grandma Liu gathering the things to put them in the cellar, she quickly grabbed Grandma Liu's sleeve.

"Please try it when it's hot, and also Grandpa Village Chief, Uncle Zhao, and Grandpa Fang, please try it too."

……

The village chief and a few others sat around a small table, with four small bowls of jujube-scented fermented water in front of them, along with a few soft, steamed fried dough sticks covered in melted sugar frosting.

Grandma Liu couldn't bear to reheat it by deep-frying, so she steamed it briefly.

She picked one up, pressed it with her fingertip and it dented; it was soft, moist, and a little sticky.

It's soft and fluffy, slightly sweet, and has a hint of crispiness from being fried.

"The icing is just right." Zhao Hu finished a small fried dough stick in two bites, then picked up the bowl. There wasn't much for each of the four of them. As soon as the bowl came close, he smelled a rich aroma of red dates. When he took a sip, there was no bean smell at all, just a slightly sweet taste. It warmly went down his esophagus and into his stomach.

Ya Ya had already drunk the red date and soy milk, and Grandma Liu made her some milk powder. The little one sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and gulped down the milk from her small cup.

After finishing the fresh food that Ya Ya brought back, Grandma Liu's complexion became a little rosier.

Dates are a rare commodity in Lotus Village. They are only given out as gifts when someone is sick, in postpartum confinement, or visiting relatives during the New Year. Now that it's neither a holiday nor a festival, and she's neither sick nor in trouble, she's fortunate enough to drink this highly nourishing date and soy milk thanks to her daughter.

Ya Ya sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and finished drinking her milk from her small cup. Suddenly, she remembered the aunt at the grain store asking her name. She put the cup aside, walked to the table, leaned on the edge, and blinked at Grandma Liu.

"Grandma, what's your full name? Ya Ya wants to learn how to write everyone's names."

She can write her own name now. She remembers Grandpa Fang's name, which is Tiesheng, because Grandpa Village Chief often calls him that.

Uncle Zhao's name is easy to remember. Uncle Zhao's parents must have wanted him to be as fierce as a tiger on the mountain, so they named him Zhao Hu (Zhao Tiger).

What about the others?

Grandma Liu paused in her movements, and then froze for a moment.

Having been widowed for many years, everyone calls her Granny Liu, and the younger generation calls her Grandma Liu. After all these decades, even she herself has almost forgotten that she has a proper name.

After a long pause, she sighed softly and smiled as she ruffled Ya Ya's hair: "Grandma's name is... Liu Xiao'e."

"Little Goose Liu..." Ya Ya murmured, "Does it mean she hopes Grandma will be as fair and clean as a little goose, and brave enough to protect the family?"

The people in the room were taken aback at first, then couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Zhao Hu grinned broadly, thankfully his name was simple and straightforward.

Grandma Liu gently tapped Ya Ya's forehead. "Silly girl, you're not a little goose swimming in the water."

Old Fang picked up a charcoal stick and slowly wrote the three characters "Liu Xiao'e" on the paper, his handwriting neat and tidy.

"It's this 'E,' the 'E' in Chang'e. Chang'e is a fairy who lives on the moon."

Grandma Liu stared at the three neat, square characters; this was the first time in her life she had ever seen her own name written like this. So this is what her name looked like when written.

Ya Ya leaned closer to take a look and recognized the character "小" (small).

"This character is a homophone of the word 'moth' in 'moth.' When elders named their daughters, they generally hoped that the girls would have bright minds and, even if they were as inconspicuous as moths, would have the courage to fly towards the light," Fang Tiesheng explained in a low voice.

This was the first time Granny Liu had heard the explanation of her name. Old Man Fang was indeed a scholar; he spoke eloquently and persuasively.

It turns out her name contains so many beautiful meanings.

"Oh, I see! Grandma's name is so beautiful! Grandpa Fang, you'll teach me how to write it tomorrow!" After saying this, Ya Ya turned around, her bright eyes full of anticipation, and looked at the village chief beside her.

"Grandpa Village Chief, what's your name? Ya Ya wants to know too!"

The village chief's smile froze instantly, his hands unconsciously rubbing against his knees, and his ears felt a little hot.

Having lived most of his life, he was called Gousheng by everyone when he was young. Later, when he became the village chief, everyone in the village addressed him respectfully as "Village Chief." That nickname had been buried in the ground for more than ten years. If he were to suddenly say it in front of his daughter, he would feel a little embarrassed.

Zhao Hu, amused by what he saw, deliberately teased, "Uncle, your daughter is asking you a question. She wants to learn how to write your name. Why don't you answer her?"

The village chief coughed, lowered his voice, and mumbled:

"I...I'm called Li Gousheng."

Ya Ya opened her round eyes, tilted her head, and muttered softly, words escaping her lips one by one:

"Dog's Leftovers... is it the doll that was left after the puppy carried it around?"

"Or... a puppy's baby? No, no, a puppy couldn't have a baby as big as the village chief's..."

The more she thought about it, the more confused she became. Her brows furrowed, and she just couldn't figure out what the name meant.

The village chief blushed with embarrassment and stammered for a long time, unable to find a way to explain.

Fang Tiesheng quickly smiled and explained to her in detail, "No, no, it's not what you think, little girl. It's just that it's difficult for ordinary people like us to have children, and precious names are easily remembered by ghosts and gods, making it hard for children to raise."

The idea behind deliberately giving a child a humble name, like "Dog's Leftovers," is that even puppies would reject or leave it behind, so the spirits won't try to take it away, and the child will grow up resilient, strong, and safe.

"These were the names given to your village chief's parents, who hoped he would survive."

Ya Ya seemed to understand, but she did get it: it was the village chief's parents who hoped he would grow up safely.

She didn't find it unpleasant at all; instead, she nodded vigorously: "Grandpa Village Chief's name is a good name too! Grandpa Fang, Ya Ya is going to learn all three names tomorrow!"

Zhao Hu was waiting for Ya Ya to ask him, but she was skipped over.

With such a prestigious name, he was even thinking that Uncle Tiesheng could explain it to him in more detail and write it down for him to see.