The fire in the stove was stoked up, and water was added to the pot, preparing to steam some sweet potatoes for dinner. She then went to the woodshed and brought out a bundle of branches—these were not meant to be burned—as she would need to get some sweet potatoes from the cellar later and check the family's food supplies. Zhang Hongmei didn't want to deprive herself. Although there was a generator and gas in her spatial dimension, allowing her to cook there, she still had to maintain a facade. Otherwise, if visitors saw the fine food and the cold house, it would cause a lot of trouble.

Zhang Hongmei placed a strainer in the pot, covered it, and pushed some branches into the stove before heading to the storeroom. She took out her key from her neck, opened the door, and saw ten neatly stacked burlap sacks, weighing about 800 jin (approximately 400 kg). There were five sacks of shredded corn kernels, two sacks of uncooked sorghum, and more than half a sack of soybeans, all placed on a large wooden cabinet. Seeing how neatly arranged they were, she knew the village elders had helped, and she would definitely try her best to help in the future. On the other half of the cabinet were cloth bags filled with ground cornmeal and sorghum. The sweet potatoes, potatoes, and cabbages were stored in the cellar.

Reaching the corner, I lifted the wooden lid, picked up the willow cage, and went down the ladder. I then waved out a flashlight from the space. The cellar was about 10 square meters. I saw about 300 jin of sweet potatoes piled up in the corner, more than 100 jin of potatoes next to them, and only about 20 cabbages. There was nothing else left, making it look empty.

Just then, Zhang Hongmei heard a voice coming from the yard. After thinking carefully, she realized it was the village chief's third aunt. "Hongmei, Hongmei, where are you? Why aren't you inside? The fire is about to burst out."

Zhang Hongmei quickly packed five or six sweet potatoes, climbed out of the cellar, and said, "Third Aunt, I'm in the storeroom." She then walked into the kitchen.

“That’s right. Your parents are gone, so you have to live well. You’re the only son in the family. Your other aunts won’t say anything, but just remember to come home if you need anything. Your third uncle is here! We don’t lack food or clothing now. You can at least leave an heir for your family and find a son-in-law to live with you in the future. Then your parents’ spirits in heaven can rest in peace.”

"Don't worry, Auntie, I dreamt of my parents. They told me to live well, and I will listen to them and try my best to live well." Zhang Hongmei looked at Auntie Li Cuihua sitting on a small stool by the stove and made a serious promise. Her hands were not idle either. She scooped warm water from the pot and put it into the earthenware basin she had found. She carefully washed six fist-sized sweet potatoes, put them on the rack, and covered the pot with the lid.

Li Cuihua watched from the side, nodding inwardly. This girl was much more efficient at work than before. Indeed, a girl this age who had just experienced her parents' sacrifice must have come to terms with it and become more mature. She had always felt particularly sorry for this girl; since Zhang Aiguo and his wife sent her back home at the age of five, she had lived alone. Although the villagers helped, it was only because this girl was sensible. They say children from poor families mature early, and that's absolutely true. "Girl, it's good that you've come to terms with it. Better to live a miserable life than die. There's no hurdle you can't overcome. From now on, I'll have your brother Jianguo and sister Daya help you jump into the water and gather firewood with you."

"That's wonderful! We've really owe you all this. I'll never forget the kindness the villagers have shown me." Zhang Hongmei said with emotion. People these days are so kind and honest. If she remembered correctly, next year will be the start of the Great Patriotic War. She has enough food and will do her best to help everyone get through this difficult time.

"It's good that you understand. Everyone has their own selfish desires, but they'll all lend you a hand. There are some scoundrels in our village, but they're not all that bad. Alright, seeing that you've come to your senses, your third uncle and I are relieved. I'm going back to cook, and I'll have your eldest sister bring it over to you in a bit."

"No need, Auntie. I've steamed some sweet potatoes. We'll eat them tonight. It's cold, so don't make my sister Da Ya run back and forth." Zhang Hongmei knew that everyone was eating two meals a day now, and it was probably around 2 or 3 o'clock, which was also the time for everyone to have dinner.

"Alright, Auntie doesn't treat you like an outsider, so I won't stand on ceremony. I'll get you some eggs tomorrow to help you recover. Also, heat the kang (heated brick bed) more tonight so it won't be cold. I'll head back now." She dusted off her hands and quickly walked out of the kitchen. Zhang Hongmei followed behind. "Auntie, no need for the eggs, I don't want to eat them. But could you give me a few chicks in return when you hatch them? I want to raise them too. Even without my parents sending me money, I still need to buy salt and things like that."

"Okay, here are a few for you. Go inside and watch the fire. Do I need you to bring them to me?"

Zhang Hongmei saw Li Cuihua to the gate, then turned back, locked the door, and went into the kitchen. The pot was already simmering, and thinking of the warm earthen bed, she hugged a bundle of tree branches. Sitting by the stove, she made a plan for the year.

There won't be a drought this year, so we should plant fewer sweet potatoes and potatoes. We'll plant corn, soybeans, and sorghum on 4 mu of land, and use the remaining scraps for sweet potatoes and potatoes. We have high-quality seeds; we should try to exchange them with the villagers. That should increase the yield by at least 200-300 jin, so everyone will have more grain stored. Liu Maocai isn't reckless; he probably won't exaggerate the grain yield. We'll see how things go. I'm small and insignificant, so even if I said something, no one would believe me. Thinking about this, I felt a sense of helplessness, but where there's a will, there's a way.

After lost in thought for a while, the fire in the stove went out. I got up, took a broom, and swept the kitchen floor clean. The steam in the pot had subsided. I lifted the lid, poked the sweet potato with chopsticks, and found it was cooked through, so I left it alone. I went back to my room and entered my spatial dimension. I had to clean myself up first. Wearing these clothes, I didn't even have the appetite.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I entered the space, then took a nice hot shower in the bathroom I had modified. I picked up a bathrobe, but oh my god, it was hanging on the floor! I had no choice but to carry it back to the bedroom. Looking at the clothes I had prepared, I felt like crying. I never imagined I would shrink like this. I can't wear any of these! Although I can do farm work and cook, I really can't sew.

There was no other way, so I had to go to the warehouse. I remembered buying some children's thermal underwear and undershirts before; they were more than half the price of adult sizes, so I bought a few. Thank goodness, otherwise I just couldn't accept Xiaohongmei's clothes. I searched the warehouse for ages before finally finding them; they were sizes 80-160, thank goodness. Looking down at my thin frame, I reluctantly pulled out a size 110 thermal undershirt and a thermal top. As for the outer cotton-padded jacket and pants, I'll wash them in the washing machine later and wear them again. Tomorrow I'll find the fabric and cotton and ask my aunt to make me a new cotton-padded coat!