I also need to make cotton-padded shoes; just looking at my feet with chilblains makes me feel uncomfortable. I think I bought a lot of snow boots because I ordered directly from the shoe factory and they had all sizes available. But how am I supposed to wear these out? Isn't it too ahead of its time?
After getting dressed, I went straight into the kitchen. This body hadn't eaten or drunk anything for days. Although I'd drunk a cup of spiritual spring water, I still didn't want to neglect my stomach. I steamed a pot of meat buns and a pot of sweet buns. With this small frame, I'm only about 1.1 meters tall and weigh around 50 pounds. If I don't nourish myself properly, I'm afraid I'll become a dwarf. I remember Xiao Hongmei's father is over 1.8 meters tall and her mother is over 1.6 meters tall, so her genes aren't bad, but malnutrition won't do.
The space contains enough pure milk, yogurt, and milk powder to last me for decades. I won't skimp on myself at all. I just hope I can grow to the same height as in my previous life.
While steaming the buns, Zhang Hongmei also stewed a pot of braised pork. She had set aside a section of the storeroom specifically for food, keeping it both fresh and warm; it was currently filled with famous dishes from various regions. Mainly, considering her current nutritional deficiency and her genuine cravings, even though her stomach couldn't handle oily food, she would only eat a few pieces to satisfy her cravings.
I picked a bamboo shoot and a cucumber from the vegetable garden outside. Dinner was quite plentiful: braised pork, garlic bamboo shoots, and cucumber salad with vinegar.
After finishing her meal, Zhang Hongmei didn't rush to leave her spatial dimension. She needed to prepare cotton and fabric. Tomorrow, she was going to the village chief's house to learn how to make cotton-padded clothes. She vaguely remembered buying two tons of cotton, and the processing plant had given her several hundred kilograms of seed cotton, but the fluffed cotton was yellowish and not very strong. They also gave her several bundles of coarse, grayish-brown cotton cloth, saying that these were surplus from orders placed earlier, and since Zhang Hongmei had bought so much, they didn't want to take up storage space and simply gave it to her. Luckily, she hadn't refused; now she could use it!
However, I'm really scared to take these things out as an orphan. How am I supposed to explain where they came from? Although they were all freebies, they are rare and valuable items these days. Even if you have money, you might not be able to find them. In the end, my germaphobia won out. I'll see how things go tomorrow and decide what to do. A living person can't let themselves die from holding in their pee, can they?
After finishing her meal and leaving the space, she remembered that her parents always brought a lot of things for Xiao Hongmei when they came back. Just like left-behind children in later generations, they compensated their parents with money when they couldn't be with them, in order to alleviate their guilt. However, because the child was young and there were no relatives to help, they didn't dare to show off their good things. Instead, they kept telling Xiao Hongmei to hide everything except food.
Zhang Hongmei pursed her lips, thinking to herself that if these relatives were all awful, it would be better if they had none at all. Help from villagers could be solved with money and favors could be repaid, but if they were relatives, it would be troublesome. Although it is said that a hero needs three helpers, she was living alone and was bound to be ostracized. Wasn't the fact that little Hongmei had no playmates of the same age the best proof of this?
Before it gets dark, let's tidy up our room first. Xiao Hongmei has been living alone since she was five, without any female elders to guide her. Although her house isn't filthy, it's not exactly a mess either. And because she's not strong, she spends almost all her time in the fields and gathering firewood, so she's not good at housework. But it's not appropriate for her to go to someone else's house to learn in her current situation, especially since her parents have just died, which is still a taboo in the countryside.
The most important thing is to find a solution to the matter of Xiaohongmei's parents' sacrifice. It would be great if we could bring them back for burial, but the accident happened on the border. If the army doesn't bring them back, I really have no way to help them. Even if I wanted to go, I doubt the village chief would give me a letter of introduction, given my age. I have to find the village chief tomorrow to ask about the situation. The notification for the sacrifice was made by calling the township, so it would be best to go to the township tomorrow to inquire. If that doesn't work, I'll go to the armed forces department.
By the time Zhang Hongmei finished cleaning the house, the sun had already set. The glaring smoke and pungent smell from the kerosene lamp instantly deflated her, and she slumped onto the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). It was truly difficult; the days ahead would only get harder. Negative emotions nearly drove Zhang Hongmei to the brink of collapse, but what good would negativity do? She still had her own support system; surely life wouldn't be so terrible? Couldn't she overcome this small setback?
An hour later, Zhang Hongmei finally emerged from her feelings of disgust. She realized that one should always look forward to life, and that nothing was a big deal. With that thought, she quickly laid out the palm-fiber mattress, quilt, and blankets she had transferred from her spatial dimension, drank a cup of spiritual spring water, and then comfortably lay down in the warm bed to sleep.
Perhaps it was because she drank the spring water, or perhaps it was because she was full, but Zhang Hongmei fell asleep almost immediately after lying in bed. However, her dreams were far from peaceful. She dreamt of her meager experiences over the past ten years, which consisted almost entirely of farming, weeding, tending the vegetable garden, or harvesting. Seeing her little figure spinning like a top, it was truly heartbreaking. As for entertainment, there was none. She had no playmates, no friends, and rarely chatted with others, appearing timid and withdrawn. The only time Zhang Hongmei genuinely smiled was when her parents returned, but after their hurried departure, she would be sad for a long time. No one comforted this sensitive little girl, so she became increasingly silent.
One moment I dream that someone is chasing me, and the next I dream that I am wandering in a gloomy forest but I can't get out.
When Zhang Hongmei woke up, she felt weak all over and her head was spinning. But why hadn't she dreamt of her parents?
I slowly sat up and entered the space. The cotton-padded clothes I washed yesterday were all dry, but I really didn't want to wear them. I remembered the black water I used to soak the clothes yesterday. I didn't want to use the washing machine, so I just hand-washed them, changing the water several times until it was clear before putting them in the washing machine. I used unscented laundry detergent. Just thinking about it makes me want to cry. But looking at the clumps of cotton-padded clothes, I felt dejected.
I took the cotton-padded coat out of my spatial storage, laid it flat on the kang (heated brick bed), turned on a flashlight, found a washing stick, and beat it. Then I stretched it by hand, and it finally looked presentable. As for the cotton-padded shoes, I'll just take a pair from my spatial storage. If anyone asks, I'll say they were brought to me by my parents from another place. I really don't want to wear cotton-padded shoes that expose my toes and whose color is hard to tell anymore.
After getting dressed, I went out and opened the kitchen door. It was pitch black outside, and I didn't know what time it was. I went back inside, wondering how the villagers kept track of time. I thought I'd ask them when I had the chance. Besides, it would be even better if I could go to the township today to resolve Xiao Hongmei's parents' issues. Since I had this disease, I had an obligation to take care of my affairs after I passed away, which would also be a way of helping Xiao Hongmei.
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