Chapter 1 The north wind howled, and thick goose-feather snowflakes drifted down from the sky. Grandma Li sat in the kitchen, feeding firewood into the stove while puffing on her tobacco pipe, a look of concern etched across her face. Suddenly, the heavy cotton curtain was lifted, and the third and fourth sons of the Li family, Li Mingnan and Li Mingbei, rushed in from outside, bringing with them a gust of cold wind and a flurry of snow. As soon as he saw Grandma sitting by the stove, Li Mingbei,…