The little girl poked her head out from behind the burly man, and Qi Siling's eyes moved. She looked like the fairy child in the New Year pictures.

Cao An pushed her head back and said, "Hold on tight, don't fall! I'm tired and will help you wash the clothes."

"I told you I could wash it myself when I got home! I didn't want to change clothes, but Mom forced me to!"

Cao An ignored her and nodded to the two people standing there, "Wait here for a while, and we'll drive over when we call you."

Qi Siling nodded and glanced at the little girl who was curled up like a quail behind him.

Xia Youyou was poking Cao An's back with her fingers, but there was no way, he was so muscular that she couldn't pinch him at all.

"Hold on!" Cao An said solemnly. Xia Youyou finally reacted and grabbed his belt tightly, and was taken away by the bicycle.

"This girl is prettier than the last time I saw her, especially the red mole on her forehead, which makes her look like Guanyin." Xiao Hai sighed as he watched the bicycle riding away.

Qi Siling remained silent. She hadn't really seen her clearly that night; she'd only seen her large, copper-bell-shaped eyes in the moonlight. She'd lost a lot of weight. Now the girl's face was fair and plump, like a fairy child under the seat of Guanyin.

"Get in the car and wait, it's cold outside." Snow began to fall heavily from the sky. The grain must be transported back tonight, otherwise the road would be difficult to travel due to heavy snow.

The two men got into the carriage and wrapped themselves in military coats.

In less than a quarter of an hour, a light in the distance came closer. It was Cao An, riding a bicycle with a flashlight. He approached the truck and said, "Follow me."

Xiao Hai started the car, turned on the lights, and slowly moved behind him, stopping outside the makeshift house.

Xia Youyou ran out of the house and watched them back up the car. She had already placed a pile of food in the house, just waiting for a few people to move it.

"What are you doing out here? Come in quickly, it's cold outside!" Cao An came over and pushed her.

"I want to help, too."

"Don't let your small frame get crushed. Go in, this is a man's job."

Qi Siling got out of the car and saw the little girl huddled up in a ball due to the cold. He took off his military coat and handed it to her. "Put this on and don't get cold."

Xia Youyou shook her head and said, "You can put it on yourself."

"I need to move food, and it's inconvenient to wear this. If you want to be seen outside, wear it."

She glanced at Cao An, who frowned, then glanced at Qi Siling, then at his eager sister, and finally nodded in agreement.

Xia Youyou finally took the still-warm military coat and put it on. The coat didn't have a strange smell, but rather a hint of bamboo. The coat was a bit large, and wrapped around her, it felt like a child wearing adult clothes, nearly dragging on the ground.

To avoid getting her clothes wet from the snow on the ground, she stood still at the door, watching the three men moving the grain back and forth. She watched the falling snow with a hint of worry. The truck was open, and if snow fell on the grain, it would surely soak the bags.

"Brother!" He walked over and grabbed Cao An. "Bring me the leftover plastic film from the greenhouse."

After hearing what she said, Cao An understood. He put down the grain bag on his shoulder and went to the warehouse to get the customized film for making vegetable greenhouses.

"Qi Siling, build a shed on the cart first, otherwise the food will get wet."

The three of them held the membrane in place, supported the four corners with wooden sticks, and then started moving the grain again.

The truck was packed to the brim with two tons of grain. Xiao Hai entered the cab and prepared to leave. Qi Siling saw the little girl was about to take off her clothes and quickly stopped her. "Stay dressed, don't catch a cold."

"No, it's snowing, and you have to travel overnight. You're sweating all over, and you'll be cold soon." He insisted on taking off his clothes and returning them to him. There were plenty of clothes in the space, they just felt embarrassed to take them out. "Also, when will you come back to mop up these noodles?"

Seeing the girl's insistence, Qi Siling had no choice but to accept the coat stained with her body fragrance. "Leave it here for now. We may not be able to come over soon. It's the end of the year, and Xiao Hai's company needs the car, so we drove out here secretly today." He had thought he would return with an empty car if he couldn't find her, but he didn't expect to return with a full load.

"Okay, you can just come here when you come. My brother will be here for a long time."

"good."

The brother and sister saw Qi Siling off to the truck, which drove a long way before returning to the cabin. Xia Youyou quickly pulled out her goose down jacket and put it on. After just a short while outside, she was shivering with cold. She shuddered and sneezed.

"Ah Qiu~"

Cao An looked at her worriedly and said, "Take the medicine. It will be serious tomorrow."

Xia Youyou didn't dare take any chances. Even though her body functions were recovering, she didn't dare be too careless. She took out some cold medicine and took it. After collecting the food that hadn't been loaded onto the bike, the two of them rode their bikes home.

Qi Siling watched the two people receding in the rearview mirror. The scent of apples from the little girl filled his nose. His military coat still held the warmth of her body. He tightened his clothes until the two people were out of sight.

"Brother Qi, take a nap. I'll call you later." Xiao Hai took a nap in the car in the afternoon and now he feels very energetic.

"Okay." Qi Siling hugged his clothes tightly and closed his eyes. The scent of apples lingered in his mind, making it impossible for him to fall asleep. He opened his eyes again, "I can't sleep now."

"Then let's talk about Cao An. How did he get such a good physique? Wow, he's so strong!" He could only carry one bag, but Cao An could carry two bags at a time.

"I told you to exercise regularly, but you're being lazy." Thinking of the two, one big and one small, although I'm the same height as him, my body shape is indeed much worse. It seems I need to strengthen myself.

Xiao Hai's grandfather and Grandpa Qi were comrades in their early years. When the unrest began, Grandpa Qi was implicated because his wife's family was a capitalist. He voluntarily donated his property, which saved him from criticism, but Qi's father was forced to be demoted to a local farm. Grandpa Qi settled with his grandson, Qi Siling, on a small farm outside the capital, where they lived off the land and managed to support themselves. The old man of the Xiao family, mindful of their long-standing friendship, secretly supported Qi Siling, having his grandson, Xiao Hai, frequently send him gifts. The two became close friends.

Xiao Hai had a formal job in the transport team, which made it convenient for the two of them to travel together. This time, they even solved the problem of food.

After the brother and sister arrived home, Cao An poured her a basin of hot water and said, "Soak your feet in it to get rid of the cold."

"Thank you, brother."

Cao An touched her head and said, "What are you thanking me for? Just leave it here after you finish soaking it. I'll pour it for you tomorrow morning. Go to bed quickly. It's very late."

Xia Youyou soaked her feet in the hot water and sighed comfortably.

When I woke up in the morning, I heard Cao An knocking on the door.

"Enter."

"Why isn't the door locked?"

Xia Youyou went to sleep right after soaking her feet last night, and has slept till now without any dreams.

"What's there to be afraid of in your own home?"

Cao An sighed, "Little lazy pig. Sleep a little longer. I'll come get some water and leave soon. You stay home, okay? Don't run out again. The snow is a bit heavy, you'll freeze."