She squinted and looked weakly at the endless desert outside the window, where yellow sand raged and there was not a trace of life.
Despair overwhelmed her like a tidal wave. She slowly closed her eyes again, silently wishing that she would never open them again.
However, things did not go as planned.
At night, under the bright stars, Wang Yindi slowly woke up from her coma. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw the starlight of the sky intertwined to form a dazzling Milky Way.
But at this moment, she was filled with pain and despair, and felt only deep disgust for the beautiful starry sky. She subconsciously turned her head, feeling her empty stomach, and a sharp pain shot through her heart. She knew that the child had left her forever.
This autumn, Xiliu Village was shrouded in gloom, and everyone lived in unusual silence.
The remaining precious grain was replanted in the ground, representing everyone's hope for the coming year.
As for the grain distributed by the commune, it was barely enough to eat along with potatoes and corn, just enough to keep us from starving.
Some families are in slightly better shape because they have relatives in other villages who can help them out.
But some families are not so lucky. They either have no relatives or are too stingy and have terrible relationships with their relatives. At this time, they can't even borrow some food.
Some resourceful people, in order to survive, began to cross mountains and valleys to beg for food in other villages.
News of the fire in Xiliu Village spread to almost every mountain in the surrounding area.
When people from other villages saw that the people from Xiliu Village had come to ask for food, they would give them some, out of consideration for everyone's hardships.
Even if each family only gives you a handful of grain, you can accumulate a bag of grain by asking for it along the way.
After the wheat was planted, more and more families began begging for food in order to survive.
After crossing several mountains, each household managed to obtain some grain, more or less.
Those who were lucky managed to get two full bags; those who were less lucky still managed to get at least one bag. This grain became their lifeline to get through the difficult winter.
After discussing it, Xie Yan and Gu Bin decided to openly try to obtain some grain to alleviate their immediate crisis.
However, this amount of grain was far from enough, since both families were major grain producers, and they had sneaked into the black market, risking their lives to buy a considerable amount of grain in that chaotic place.
Xie Yan still felt uneasy, so he took the opportunity to go to the black market alone again.
This time, the quantity purchased was considerable, and all of it was directly stored in the space.
After several overt and covert dealings in the black market, Xie Yan's hard-earned money from digging for medicinal herbs throughout the year was gone in a flash.
He glanced at his empty wallet and sighed heavily again.
He felt as if he were under some strange curse, no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't save money.
Every time I manage to save up a little money, all sorts of unexpected things happen, and before I know it, all the money is gone.
In 1971, the first winter snow was heavy, as if heaven knew that Xiliu Village would have a difficult year, and the first snow covered all the wheat seedlings.
When Xie Yan woke up in the morning and opened the gate, she saw a thick layer of snow in the yard. When she looked up, she saw a fairytale world covered in snow, its edges smoothed out.
The round rooftops, and even the chicken coops that looked ugly before, have become adorable under the beautification of the winter snow.
Looking into the distance, the tree branches resembled a painting drawn by a dreamlike brush, breathtakingly beautiful. Xie Yan was speechless for a moment, as if all words in the world had lost their ability to describe it at this moment.
"Suddenly, like a spring breeze overnight, thousands of pear trees bloom." Even such a timeless and exquisite line of poetry seems pale and powerless in this instant, unable to fully express the breathtaking beauty of the world in Xie Yan's eyes at this moment.
The branches were either covered with crystal-clear snowflakes, like pristine white pear blossoms in full bloom; or entwined with wisps of frost, like nimble silver snakes winding along the branches.
Every detail is like a masterpiece meticulously sculpted by nature, the ultimate artist.
Xie Yan carefully made a footprint in the yard. After taking a few steps, she turned around and saw a string of round footprints in the yard. Suddenly, she felt as if she had a camera to record this beautiful moment.
As Xie Yan pushed open the door, she saw the people who had gotten up early to sweep the snow. They were like hardworking little bees, leaving shadows of varying depths on the pristine white snow.
People were talking loudly to each other, and even though they were far apart, Xie Yan could still clearly hear the cacophony of their chatter.
Occasionally, a few early-rising children would happily stomp their footprints in the snow that the adults hadn't had time to clear yet. Not only that, they would also enthusiastically compare and argue with each other about whose footprints were prettier.
Some thoughtful adults, worried that their children might slip, deliberately make marks on the soles of their shoes. At that moment, these marks become the most unique paintbrush, creating a series of unique and beautiful "paintings".
The children, all bundled up and round, looked like a flock of chirping birds, frolicking in the snow. The originally tranquil and beautiful snow scene was instantly enlivened by their presence.
After returning to his room and heating the kang (a heated brick bed), Xie Yan began to "fully arm" himself, wrapping himself up tightly from head to toe.
This sight amused Yu Yuehui, who was lying on the kang (a heated brick bed). Xie Yan looked up and laughed along, gently instructing, "Stay in the room obediently. If you need anything, just call me loudly, okay?"
Yu Yue nodded obediently and urged, "Okay, go and shovel the snow. Otherwise, everyone else will have shoveled all the snow in front of their doors, and only ours will still be there. That would look bad."
Xie Yan waved his hand, replied "I'm leaving!" and stepped out of the house.
He first picked up a shovel and shoveled the thick snow together, then picked up a broom and carefully swept away the remaining snow.
Having just finished cleaning the yard, Xie Yan was about to go out with a shovel in hand when he spotted two people sweeping from the road in front of his house. They were Yu Yuehua and Gu Bin.
Xie Yan quickly put down the shovel in his hand, "You two are too fast! You've already finished sweeping the whole house?"
Gu Bin tilted his head back smugly, "Of course, I'll come over and check on your progress after I finish scanning, but it's obvious that you're a bit slow."
Xie Yan's lips twitched slightly; this kid was putting on an act again.
He ignored Gu Bin and turned to Yu Yuehua, "Big brother, is everything settled at home?"
Yu Yuehua nodded, "It's been cleaned up a long time ago."
Looking at the tools in their hands, he directed, "You and Gu Bin are in charge of shoveling snow, I'll sweep it."
Xie Yan nodded and replied, "Okay." Then, he casually took off his heavy coat.
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