I woke up in the morning feeling a bit disoriented, so I moved to another place to sleep. Sunlight streamed through the curtains into the room, casting a slanting glow across the bed, making me feel a sense of peace and tranquility.

An Moxue's room has a couch on the south side and a kang (heated brick bed) on the north side. She sleeps on the couch in summer and on the kang in winter. There is a row of cabinets next to the west wall and a small square table on the kang.

I put on my clothes, drew back the curtains, and opened the window. The sunlight streamed in, and a gentle breeze blew by, making it feel exceptionally warm.

Having a well and running water at home makes using water very convenient, but the water supply is only available during certain hours, so you have to collect it during those hours if you want to use it.

After washing up, An Moxue closed the doors and windows, pushed the only bicycle in the house out the door, and remembered that she could ride a bicycle.

She locked the door, got on her bike, and wobbled left and right for quite a while before she stopped wobbling. But she still didn't dare to ride fast, afraid of falling.

I went to the nearest state-run restaurant, ordered two fried dough sticks and a bowl of soy milk for nine cents, and ate my fill. The only downside was that the soy milk wasn't sweetened; next time I'll have it sweetened.

It's decided. From now on, I'll eat breakfast at restaurants every day. It's delicious, affordable, convenient, and most importantly, I can afford it.

Only a small number of people ate at restaurants, and a very small number bought food to take home. The majority ate at home.

After eating and drinking to our hearts' content, we rode our bikes slowly around the city. People were dressed simply, mostly in black, gray, and blue.

Some rode bicycles, some walked in twos and threes, some carried baskets filled with cloth bags, their faces thin but full.

When I arrived at the grain store, I found a lot of people. When I went over to ask, I found out that it was the beginning of the month and the day for distributing grain and oil was approaching.

An Moxue went back home to get her food ration book and the certificate for raising children of martyrs, then went to the kitchen to get a few cloth bags and a small stool, got on her bicycle and went out again.

First, I went to the neighborhood committee. Wow! There were so many people there. By the time An Moxue came out, it was already noon.

I thought I'd go home to eat after I got the food, but by the time I came out with the food it was already past five o'clock. I was so hungry that my stomach was practically sticking to my back, and I was practically fighting for food.

Luckily, I saw someone had brought a small stool and asked them a question; it wasn't a free lunch.

The original owner's family used to collect their supplies from the logistics department, and even when they had to queue, it never took this long.

Some people even got into a fight because of cutting in line. One child even grabbed the wrong bag in his haste, only to find out later, when it was time to fill the food container, that he had taken a pair of white underpants instead. It was both funny and frustrating.

It's said that people started queuing up as early as three or four in the morning. Many families had already run out of food and were just waiting for this food.

A person only needs two ounces of oil a month. My grandmother said that back then, people would take a small piece of cloth, dip it in the oil, and smear it in the pot. If they were better off, they would use a soup pot to scoop out a little bit. Two ounces of oil is no exaggeration.

The original owner's family must have lived a very good standard of living; the parents had high salaries and the family was small.

When I got home, I made myself a cup of malted milk powder, ate a few steamed egg custards, washed up, and went to sleep. I didn't do much that day, just felt tired.

The next day, An Moxue got up early and saw that it was only a little past five o'clock. She decided to start exercising this morning.

After washing up, I grabbed my keys and went out. I ran for half an hour before I was too tired to run anymore. When I got home, I rested for a while, then put on my backpack, rode my bicycle, and headed to the state-run restaurant for breakfast. Today I ordered two steamed buns and a bowl of tofu pudding, which cost me 15 cents.

I went to the department store and bought two pounds of steamed rice cakes. I went to the recycling station and picked out a stack of newspapers. Finally, I went to the bookstore and bought a book on modern and contemporary history, a brief history, biographies of leaders, and a few comic books before going home.

For several days in a row, An Moxue did not leave the house except for going for a run in the morning and having breakfast at the state-run restaurant.

Staying at home every day reading the newspapers and books I bought, as well as some books left by my parents, has given me a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the world.

She hadn't bought groceries for several days. That morning, after buying groceries, An Moxue carried her basket to the alley entrance, where she was stopped by several middle-aged women.

"Mo Xue, aren't you scared living alone? Do you want my Lili to stay with you? She's brave."

"No need, Aunt Chen. I used to live alone when my parents were on missions. I'm not afraid."

"That's different. That's a family compound, this is a detached house. If someone climbs over the wall at night, wouldn't you be scared? What about the reputation of a young woman? Would she be able to live?"

"It's alright. If anyone dares to come, I'll make sure they don't leave alive. My dad taught me all these years, so I'm just afraid they won't dare to come."

Aunt Chen chuckled awkwardly, saying, "A girl can't do that, or she'll never get married!"

"It's okay. My parents left a will saying that if they die before I get married, I can't get married before I'm 25, and I have to marry into their family."

Aunt Chen remained silent. Another older woman asked, "Mo Xue, are you about to graduate from high school? Life is tough these days. Have you found a job yet?"

“Aunt Wang, I’ve already graduated and I’m looking for a job! If any of you aunties or grandmas have any job openings, please let me know. If you sign up, you won’t be disappointed; there will definitely be a reward. That’s all for now, let’s chat again next time. I have to go now.” With that, An Moxue turned and left.

It seems the stray dogs in the area will soon be chasing after me, drawn by the smell of my meat.

The next day, An Moxue left early and didn't return until evening, and this continued for several days in a row.

I searched every factory in Kyoto, big and small, but couldn't find a single job opening. Even when there were openings, they were for internal hires, meaning only children of existing factory employees could apply. The only thing I found was bamboo suitable for making hidden stakes, and I've already arranged to pick it up tomorrow afternoon.

That night, An Moxue went into her spatial dimension to organize the books her father had hidden and searched for the things left behind by her ancestors.

There's a boxing manual called Guiyi Quan (Return to One Boxing), divided into internal martial arts techniques and external martial arts moves, totaling ninety-nine forms. It requires herbal baths to stretch the muscles and bones before practice. Some spaces have it, some don't; I guess I'll have to go to the pharmacy tomorrow to see if I can buy it all, and ideally, I could buy some seeds to plant. I've also started to have some vague plans for my future.

An Moxue was worried about the difficulty of buying medicinal herbs, so she went out early and went into the pharmacies as soon as they opened. After visiting several pharmacies and buying all the herbs and seeds she needed, she returned home and entered her space to start planting the herbs. She also harvested the mature grains, fruits, and vegetables in her space and planted seeds for them.

I left home around 3 p.m. and returned around 5 p.m. on my bicycle with a large bundle of bamboo, both ends of which had been sharpened.

It was rush hour, and someone couldn't help but ask curiously, "Mo Xue, what are you doing with these pointed bamboo shoots?"

Mo Xue replied, "Bury the base of the wall to prevent thieves." In recent years, several neighboring families in this area have been sent to the countryside, and many new people have moved in, making the population quite diverse. Some people have long coveted Mo Xue's house. Unfortunately, Mo Xue used to hold a high position and made significant contributions. Now that only Mo Xue remains, things are less certain, and all sorts of strange and undesirable people are more likely to come out.