Strong Support

February 8, 1986, Saturday, Lunar New Year's Eve of the Yi Chou year.

Wen Leyu had been dialing home since five in the morning, and the call finally got through at six.

There was a fifteen-hour time difference between San Francisco and Beijing, so at six in the morning in the Beacon, it was already three in the afternoon back home.

Wen Leyu had originally planned to call home that evening, but Li Ye believed that calls to wish Teacher Ke and Wen Qingsheng a happy new year would probably be jammed by then. Whether Wen Leyu could get through would depend entirely on luck, so it was better to call earlier.

"Mom, are you busy making the New Year's Eve dinner? It's not even daylight here yet! Li Ye wants to wish you a happy new year."

Teacher Ke laughed from the other end. "Oh, Li Ye wants to wish me a happy new year, but you don't?"

"Do I still have to say Happy New Year to you? How distant would that be?" Wen Leyu said coquettishly. "You wouldn't answer my calls a few days ago, either. I'm mad at you. It's already pretty good that I'm calling you today."

"Oh, oh, oh, my daughter is mad at me! I'd better coax her properly, or she won't even acknowledge me as her mom anymore. Oh dear, I'm so scared. Will you be able to eat dumplings today?"

Faced with Wen Leyu's bluffing little temper, Teacher Ke was not angry in the slightest. She cheerfully teased her daughter, and no one knew whether she had been waiting at home all day for Wen Leyu's call.

"We're going to the University of California later to celebrate the New Year with the overseas students! Li Ye bought so many ingredients to