Chapter 3

After finishing an apple, Jiang Jiang pulled out a rusty sickle and tossed it into her bamboo basket before stepping out the door.

With dwindling supplies at home, Jiang Jiang’s situation was particularly dire. Without their parents to care for her, the production team would provide some grain, but it was barely enough to prevent starvation. She had to find ways to gather food from the mountains each day.

There was still a bit of money hidden in a crevice in the wall, but this had been left for her by her father, who had instructed her to save it for her education and only to take it out in emergencies.

As usual, Jiang Jiang first walked around the field where potatoes had been harvested. If she was lucky, she might find one or two small potatoes that had been left behind.

Today, luck was on her side; she indeed found two fist-sized potatoes in the field.

After placing the potatoes securely in her basket, she headed up the mountain. The grass nearby had been stripped bare, and with each passing year of famine, every household struggled with food shortages, forcing everyone to desperately seek additional resources from nature.

Reluctantly, Jiang Jiang ventured deeper into the mountains, though she was wary of going too far. She had heard from the elders that wild beasts once roamed the deeper areas. After searching for half a day, she managed to gather a handful of wild chives, a large bunch of dandelions, and half a basket of prickly vegetables.

Her basket was now filled to the brim with wild greens, enough for several meals.

Upon returning home, she blanched the dandelions, chopped them together with the wild chives, and mixed them with salt to create a delicious cold dish. As for the prickly vegetables, she had some yam flour at home. Mixing the yam flour with the prickly vegetables and water, she planned to fry them into thin pancakes. Just thinking about it made Jiang Jiang’s mouth water.

The sky was already darkening as Jiang Jiang headed home in the evening. She had only eaten an apple that day, and hunger gnawed at her, making her quicken her pace.

When Lin Youqing and his wife arrived at Jiang Jiang’s house, they found the door locked from the outside and called out a couple of times without receiving a response.

“It seems the child has gone out,” Lin Youqing noted.

“With nightfall, it’s not safe for her to be outside alone,” He Guijuan added.

When Jiang Jiang finally returned home, she spotted Lin Youqing and He Guijuan standing at her doorstep, carrying some items.

“Uncle Lin, Aunt He, what brings you here?” she asked, pushing the door open to let them in.

The inside of the house was dark. Jiang Jiang set the wild vegetables down by the well and rummaged through a long-unused oil paper package to find some matches. Carefully, she lit the kerosene lamp.

The flame flared up, illuminating the small earthen cave. This was the first time Lin Youqing and He Guijuan had entered, as their last visit had only involved a brief chat in the yard.

Contrary to the conditions they had observed outside, the interior was clean and tidy, with not a hint of mildew. It radiated warmth, and in fact, a pot of morning glory was growing by the window, climbing up the wall with resilience and vigor, full of life.

While the couple took in their surroundings, Jiang Jiang had already washed the two apples with well water and brought them into a bowl.

The apples were given to her by Uncle Lin the day before, but apart from them, she had nothing else to offer her guests.

“Uncle, Aunt, please have some apples,” she said.

Jiang Jiang looked so thin; she hardly had any flesh on her body, and her sleeves hung loosely, leaving plenty of room.

He Guijuan sighed. It was hard to imagine how such a small child managed to live on her own.

“These are some cookies I bought in the city, along with a few white buns. You must be starving after running around the mountains all day,” Lin Youqing said, handing her a fluffy white bun.

“Is this… for me?” Jiang Jiang asked, staring at the clean, white bun, momentarily frozen, her hand hovering in the air.

“Of course it is,” He Guijuan replied, brushing off the bits of grass and dirt clinging to her. She noticed Jiang Jiang’s hair was a mess from getting caught in branches. “Come, sit down. Auntie will tidy up your hair for you.”

Although He Guijuan’s movements were somewhat awkward—like a total beginner’s- she was gentle and attentive, never tugging at Jiang Jiang’s scalp.

As the sweet aroma of the white bun filled her mouth, Jiang Jiang took her first bite and felt her eyes sting; tears couldn’t help but spill down her cheeks.

“What’s wrong?” Lin Youqing asked, concerned.

Jiang Jiang shook her head. “It’s nothing. It’s just that this bun is so delicious! It’s the best white bun I’ve ever had.”

This was the first time anyone had ever combed her hair.

Her mother had passed away due to excessive bleeding shortly after she was born. J

Jiang Jiang remembered watching Zhou Fugui’s wife braid Yinhua’s hair at Uncle Fugui’s house.

Even Zhou Fugui’s wife, who usually scolded and complained, became gentle during those moments.

Jiang Jiang had often felt a wave of envy as she watched.

“Poor child.” He Guijuan murmured softly.

Jiang Jiang’s hair was soft and pleasant to touch, although the ends were a bit dry and yellow, likely due to prolonged malnutrition.

He Guijuan glanced at Lin Youqing, feeling a mix of hope and hesitation. “Jiang Jiang, your uncle and I have been married for many years but don’t have any children of our own…”

Lin Youqing was taken aback by He Guijuan’s words. His wife had never shown much enthusiasm about adopting, so he hadn’t expected her to bring it up first.

He Guijuan bent down and hugged Jiang Jiang gently. “Jiang Jiang, would you like to be Auntie’s daughter?”

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