My mind is becoming clearer and clearer, but I'm also feeling more and more helpless and irritable. Why am I so conflicted about something as simple as sleeping?
Finally, faced with the choice between staring blankly and going into the base to work, I simply chose to count sheep.
I don't know how many I counted, but Jian Dan felt like she was seeing stars before she finally felt a little sleepy.
When I woke up the next day, my head was still a little dizzy, but it was better than the previous two days. I didn't have that feeling of my mind going completely blank. After eating breakfast, I was almost back to normal.
Even Jian Dan herself was amazed, thinking that this body was still like a child's, young and energetic, and recovered quickly. Otherwise, after staying up all night, it would take three or four days to recover.
I hadn't left the house for several days, and when I suddenly opened the door, I was greeted by a rush of crisp, fresh air. Taking a deep breath, I felt my chest feel much clearer.
It hasn't snowed for the past few days, and the yard still looks like it was swept a few days ago, with a layer of frost on it. The snow in the backyard is still there, which was deliberately cleared before, but the top layer has formed a thick crust. When you step on it, it makes a crisp "crunch" sound.
There were already sounds of villagers moving around outside, probably because some people wanted to go up the mountain to collect more firewood before it was closed to the public.
"Jian Zhiqing, Jian Zhiqing,"
Before I even entered the house, there was a knock on the door, and Li Yan's cheerful voice came in.
"She should be home, right? Was there smoke coming from that chimney just now?"
"Yeah, look, it's still smoking. With the doors and windows closed, it's normal that you can't hear it. Speak louder."
He chuckled simply, turned around, removed the bolt, and opened the door.
"How did you get here?"
Several educated youths were standing neatly outside the door. Li Yan was in front, her hand raised, about to knock again. A step behind her were Lin Zhaodi and Tan Yajun. They both smiled when they saw Jian Dan come out.
"Jian Zhiqing, you can really stay at home all the time?"
"Yes, I was just thinking of asking you guys to roast chestnuts for me later, and then you came over."
Tan Yajun is also more cheerful than when she first arrived, which shows that she has been doing well at the educated youth settlement these past few days.
"We haven't gone out for the past few days, it's been too cold. It seems a little better today, so we're planning to go up the mountain to see if we can gather some more firewood. Would you like to come along, Jian Zhiqing?"
Jian Dan then noticed that several people were carrying baskets on their backs, with wooden knife handles sticking out from the baskets.
Looking towards the foot of the mountain, there were quite a few villagers there. They simply nodded.
"Then I'll go with you. You guys come in and warm up first, I'll go get my things."
Li Yan glanced at the group of people on her side.
"We won't go in; we'll wait here for you."
They had all been inside the simple hut before and knew its size; it was barely enough room for two people. There were four of them, including a male educated youth who was leaving soon, so there was no need for them to squeeze in.
She gave a perfunctory nod, then turned and walked back.
"Wait a minute, I'll be right out with my things."
The baskets, machetes, and ropes for going up the mountain were all in the corner of the woodshed. Simply put, it was quick, and indeed it was very quick.
They went inside, checked the fire, changed into their work clothes (cotton-padded jackets and shoes), put on gloves and hats, went out to lock the door, grabbed their baskets, and locked the main gate. In just two or three minutes, the group had already set off efficiently.
"Jian Zhiqing, were you prepared all along? That's incredibly fast!"
It was sunny today, and to make matters better, there was almost no wind, which made the group even more talkative.
“Last time I came back, my basket was left there untouched. Besides, my room is small, and my work clothes and such are all laid out in the open, so it's inconvenient.”
What have you all been doing these past few days?
This time it was Chen Jianguo who spoke.
"After we came back from shoveling snow with the villagers, a few of us also shoveled the educated youth compound and sorted out the firewood we had collected over the past few days. If it's going to be this cold all winter, I feel like that firewood really won't be enough."
“Jian Zhiqing, we’ve built two snowmen. Let’s go check them out when we come back later.”
Tanya frowned as she recalled,
"It got cold earlier this year than the previous two years. Last year, it seemed like it snowed a few days later, and then the temperature dropped."
The female educated youth were once again relieved.
"Thank goodness the three of us moved into one room, otherwise we would have frozen to death with the little firewood we collected."
"Haha, that shouldn't be that bad!"
......
The villagers shared the same idea: to take advantage of the good weather and gather more firewood so their homes would be warmer. But while the other villagers were all grown men, the young educated youth, mostly in their late teens and early twenties, seemed rather forlorn.
Jian Dan is the most popular person in the village, and her popularity is unlikely to decrease for at least the next six months. When villagers see her, they all greet her warmly.
"Little Jian, you're up the mountain too?"
"Don't you have enough firewood? I'll bring you a few bundles when I go down the mountain later."
"Ah, no need, no need,"
Simple and quick to refuse.
"Uncle, I still have some. I still have the ones that everyone helped me bring back before."
"Really? Jian Zhiqing, please don't be shy with us. This kind of rough guy like us can fix it quickly and easily."
"Okay, don't worry, Uncle, we'll go over there first!"
She seemed to be fleeing in disarray, and Li Yan and the others even laughed at her.
"Jian Zhiqing, look how scared you are!"
Looking back, she realized she had walked quite a distance and breathed a sigh of relief. She remembered her help, but she was really not used to this enthusiasm and intensity.
"Ah, it's still the fruits of my own labor that feel most reliable."
"What you say is true."
The group of people were not taking the village's usual road; they were some distance away from the villagers.
The wind was strong on the mountain, and the snow wasn't very thick, so the ground wasn't covered very well. You could see bare branches sticking out from time to time. The group didn't have time to talk much and focused on their business.
Wearing gloves made things a little better, but Li Yan and the others didn't wear thick gloves. They basically had to pull their hands back into their sleeves or tuck them into their sleeves to warm them up after picking things up for a short while, or they would jump around in place. Even so, they were still freezing and hissing.
As the only male educated youth, Chen Jianguo was more energetic and in better condition.
Tanya Jun was no stranger to these things, after all, she had spent several winters here, and she quickly got used to it after the initial discomfort.
Li Yan and Lin Zhaodi were the two who adapted relatively slowly. After all, they were new to the climate and had to adapt to self-reliance and simple farm work. This kind of weather was also a first for them.
However, none of them are pampered; they can withstand the cold. All they lack is a process of practice making perfect.
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