Outside, everything was blanketed in white. Under the faint moonlight, the path was still somewhat visible, making it possible to walk without hindrance.

As he approached Old Wang Xi’s courtyard, Wang Qingsong instinctively slowed his pace.

His gaze drifted toward the spot where he had hidden something earlier. Feeling uneasy, he chose to take a detour, genuinely frightened now.

But then another thought crossed his mind.

Had the eggs broken when he dropped them earlier?

What if they had broken? What would he do?

“Brother, what’s wrong? Are you scared?”

Xiaomai, seeing her brother pulling her to take a detour, pursed her lips and smiled.

Truthfully, she was also afraid of that house.

After all, she had heard too many legends about it since she was a child.

Her words made Wang Qingsong blush slightly. “Nonsense! How could your brother be scared? Have you forgotten my nickname? I’ve even been inside that house before!”

“Ha, I know, Brother. Wang the Brave, right?”

Xiaomai grinned, revealing her missing front teeth.

Wang Qingsong led her on a detour to Widow Feng’s house.

“Xiaozao!”

After calling out a few times, a light turned on inside the house. Soon, Xiaozao came out, wrapped in a cotton-padded jacket.

“Sister Xiaozao!”

As soon as the door opened, Xiaomai greeted her with a smile.

“Come in quickly, it’s cold outside.”

Xiaozao responded with a smile and hurriedly ushered them inside.

The group entered the room.

“Auntie~”

Once inside, Wang Qingsong and Xiaomai greeted Widow Feng, who was lying on the bed.

Widow Feng nodded and patted the kang. “Alright, put your things down and get some sleep. We can talk about everything tomorrow. There’s hot water by the stove. Wash up and come to bed. Xiaozao, go help them.”

“Alright!”

Hearing this, Xiaozao turned and went out.

Seeing this, Wang Qingsong placed his belongings on the kang.

The kang, three meters long and two meters wide, could comfortably fit seven or eight people, so four people naturally had no trouble sleeping on it.

He set the quilt down at the end of the kang and placed the other items nearby.

Then he said to Widow Feng, “Auntie, I need to go get something. I’ll be back soon.”

“What are you going out for so late?”

“I brought some things back from school and left them outside. I’m going to fetch them now. I’ll be back soon.”

When his father was alive, the family had always been short on food. Every week, he would bring back dried steamed buns and cornbread from school.

Half a year ago, when the semester started, the city had reduced rations.

Everyone’s rations were cut, except for students, children, and the elderly, whose rations remained unchanged.

But he had made an excuse that his rations had been reduced too.

As a result, he brought back much less.

Since there was no middle school in the commune, no one knew the truth.

These rations were meant for his little sister to eat secretly.

Now they would come in handy.

Widow Feng didn’t know what he was talking about but simply nodded. “Alright, go ahead. Be careful.”

“Okay, I’ll go now. Xiaomai, stay here and be good, alright?”

After giving his instructions, he went out.

Once outside, he headed toward the edge of the village.

Normally, he wouldn’t be able to see anything.

He suffered from “night blindness,” which made him practically blind at night.

Fortunately, the snow reflected some light, allowing him to vaguely make out the path.

Luckily, he knew the village well.

Widow Feng’s house wasn’t far from the edge of the village. Moving in the dark, he avoided the patrolling militiamen and reached the spot where he had hidden his things.

Arriving at the spot, he looked around, brushed away the snow, and uncovered a cloth bag.

Opening it, he found several gray steamed buns, cornbread, and some dark lumps.

Students had a ration of fine grain, about three to four catties per month.

Seeing that nothing was missing, he smiled.

He picked up the bag and left.

There was quite a lot—about twenty catties.

This was the result of half a year of saving. He had no choice; he had to eat at school, or he wouldn’t be able to study.

Carrying the bag back, he passed by Old Wang Xi’s haunted house.

He hesitated.

There was noodles there, and even more precious, eggs.

Should he just leave them behind?

The thought made his heart ache.

But then he remembered that he had eaten some before without any issues.

He decided to take them.

Gritting his teeth, he walked over.

He brushed away the snow and opened the plastic bag.

Seeing the eight eggs lying there unharmed, he breathed a sigh of relief.

The eggs hadn’t broken because they were wrapped in a strange box that felt like plastic.

He tried to open it.

But he couldn’t figure out how.

After fumbling for a while, he finally managed to open it, nearly dropping the eggs in the process.

Inside, there were ten slots, two of which were empty.

Looking at the contents, he pondered.

Where to put these things was a problem.

The noodels would easily get damp, so it couldn’t stay buried in the snow for too long. Taking it back to Widow Feng’s house was too risky.

In these times, he didn’t want to test human nature.

After hesitating for a while, he finally turned his gaze toward the nearby “haunted house.”

Approaching the haunted house, he swallowed hard and quietly listened in the courtyard.

No sound.

Not daring to enter the house, he hid the items somewhere in the courtyard.

He was still unsure whether to take them into the city tomorrow.

After hiding the items, he took out one egg.

Then, after a moment’s hesitation, he gritted his teeth and took out another.

You can’t catch a wolf without sacrificing a child.

He would give one to Xiaozao, hoping Widow Feng would treat his sister better.

As for Sun Xiuhe, no matter how much he gave her, it would never be enough. She would just take it for granted.

They were family, after all.

A single sentence would suffice.

As for the rest, he would take them to the city and see.

Eggs were now as expensive as meat in the city.

Unlike before, when they were six or seven mao per catty under the ration system.

The market didn’t sell them anymore. In the black market, meat cost one yuan per liang, and eggs weren’t much better, starting at one yuan each. If he could find a wealthy family in urgent need, he might even fetch a higher price.

After finishing up, he quietly returned.

By the time he got back, Xiaomai was already lying on the kang, sleeping next to Xiaozao. The two of them slept in the middle, while Widow Feng slept at the head of the kang.

“Brother!”

As soon as he returned, Xiaomai called out to him.

Wang Qingsong placed the items in the room without opening them.

He responded with a smile, “Sleep now. We have to get up early tomorrow! Auntie, you should sleep too. I’ll wash up and go to bed.”

The last part was directed at Widow Feng and Xiaozao.

Widow Feng nodded. “It’s fine. Wash up and get to bed quickly.”

Wang Qingsong nodded, washed up, poured out the water, and then went to the end of the kang. He took off his coat and climbed onto the kang.

He slipped into the quilt.

He and Xiaomai shared one quilt, while Widow Feng and Xiaozao shared another.

After blowing out the kerosene lamp, the room was plunged into darkness.

“Brother, let me warm you up.”

Xiaomai hugged his cold arm and spoke to him.

Wang Qingsong, having just returned from outside, was freezing cold and didn’t want to chill his sister.

But after trying to pull his arm away a few times without success, he let her hold it.

They usually went to bed early, but tonight had been a late one. Xiaomai was already feeling sleepy. She snuggled closer to him, hugging his arm, and soon fell asleep.