A Bountiful Year

Zhang San returned home with great excitement. As he burst through the door, the smell of beef stew filtered into his nostrils, causing him to salivate almost instantly.

"You're home? Go wash your hands, it's almost time for dinner. I've prepared ox tail soup for you. I went to the market early in the morning to fetch freshest ingredients, I'm sure you'll love it," a middle-aged woman's voice drifted from the kitchen.

Zhang San rushed into the kitchen immediately and saw the woman ladling the soup into a bowl. He went to grab the bowl and said, "Mom, I'll do it, you go sit there and rest, I have a good news to tell you."

The middle-aged woman smiled and moved to oblige. She cleared up the mess in the kitchen and was about to leave when the door was pushed open and in walked a middle-aged man. The man's face was carved with tiredness and he grumbled as he walked in, "I'm home. What are you cooking? It smells so good in here."