After the autumn harvest, there wasn’t much work left in the fields, and the village was preparing to deliver the public grain. The siblings hadn’t been working these past few days; every morning after breakfast, they headed up the mountain. Their home was already stocked with many chestnuts, hazelnuts, and pine cones. The woodpile was also full, and the siblings planned to cut some more firewood from the mountain to place beside their small gate. This would make it convenient for the original owner’s parents when they arrived.

As the siblings came down from the mountain and prepared to cook, they saw a few young women from the sent-down youth group walking toward their house. Xu Ning immediately wiped the smile from her face, and her eyes became slanted, taking on a look that said she was not easy to deal with or provoke.

Leading the group was Lin Miao, the female protagonist, accompanied by a short-haired girl. Xu Ning noticed that Lin Miao’s appearance matched the descriptions in the book: an oval face with a pair of large, fluttering eyes. Although her skin had tanned a bit after the autumn harvest, she looked better than the others, who were paler. Behind them were Li Fengjiao, Lin Qiuhua, and the girl with braids.

Xu Ning stood at the kitchen door, holding a firewood stick.

Lin Miao spoke first with a smile, “Hello, Xu. I’m Lin Miao, and I came to Yushu Village about a month ago. I’m from Su Province. This is Xia Qing, the student leader beside me, and she’s from Jing City. The two braids behind us are Liu Fang from Hai City. We three came down to the countryside together. Fengjiao and Qiuhua told us you and your brother live here, so we came to introduce ourselves.”

Xu Ning squinted and replied, “Hello, I’m Xu Ning. Welcome to Yushu Village. I’m from Jing City.” She then pointed to her brother standing beside her. “This is my brother, Xu An.” After that, she crossed her arms, holding the firewood stick, and stood there without saying anything else.

Lin Miao stood on tiptoe to glance into the house and cheerfully said, “Xu, are you cooking? Can we take a look inside your home?” Xu Ning’s expression remained flat as she replied, “The house is too messy, it’s inconvenient.”

Lin Miao appeared momentarily stunned, her face showing a hint of grievance. Li Fengjiao muttered, “I told you she’s difficult to get along with, but you insisted on coming.”

Xu Ning heard her and shot a sideways glance at her. “Are you itching for something? Would you like me to scratch it for you?” she said, advancing toward Li Fengjiao. Startled, Li Fengjiao turned and ran back to the sent-down youth compound, with Lin Qiuhua quickly following her. The remaining three were left dumbfounded, but Lin Miao was the first to react. She awkwardly smiled and said, “Xu, since it’s inconvenient for you, we’ll leave for now and visit another day,” and with that, she pulled the other two along and left.

Once the group had left and walked far away, the siblings burst into laughter.

After finishing their meal, the siblings prepared to head up the mountain again, taking advantage of the not-too-cold weather to stock up on more supplies for the winter.

Xu Ning planned to go into town the next day to get some items from their storage space. The food at home was nearly gone; although they had been supplementing their diet with items from the space, it was about time to finish it up. Otherwise, Xu An might start suspecting something. Since the original owner’s parents were expected to arrive in a few days, they needed to stock up on more food before their arrival.

As they were locking up the house, they heard Sun Hao shout, “Xu, you have a package! Come and get it!” Xu An dropped his basket and ran toward the sent-down youth compound, with Xu Ning following closely behind.

After receiving the package, the siblings hurried back home. Along with the package was a letter and a remittance slip addressed to them from the Jinshi Military District, sent by their elder brother, Xu Yang. Xu Ning opened the letter, which read that Xu Yang had received the letter they sent last time and praised their ability to manage on their own. He mentioned that he would come to visit them when he had leave and that he would be sending money every month from now on. The letter also advised them to use the money for necessary purchases, to listen to their sister, and subtly warned them not to talk about their family situation in the village or contact home. They should wait for their parents to get in touch.

Xu Ning opened the package further to find a military overcoat and two pairs of cotton gloves. She knew that Xu Yang had sent these items because he couldn’t bring himself to use them. He had only been in the military for less than a year, so how could he have accumulated such items? Supplies in the military were scarce, and winter in Jin City was very cold. He must have sent the coat to them because he likely no longer had use for it.

Realizing this, Xu Ning decided to send something back to him. When the original owner’s parents arrived, she would include this update in the letter to Xu Yang.

Just as she was about to ask Xu An to put the items away and head up the mountain, she saw him reading the letter and crying. Seeing him like this made Xu Ning feel uneasy, and she hugged him comfortingly. “Don’t cry, Xiao An. We’ll follow our brother’s advice. Mom, Dad, and Xiao Di will be fine. Let’s go collect more pine nuts and hazelnuts to send to our brother.”

Xu An nodded vigorously and said, “Sister, let’s collect more and send more to our brother. Once we get news about Mom, Dad, and Xiao Di, we’ll send them some too.”

With renewed determination, Xu An worked harder in the afternoon. The siblings collected a large basketful of nuts and other supplies, much more than usual.

The next day, when Xu Ning asked Xu An if he wanted to go into town with her, he shook his head. “Sister, you go ahead. I’ll stay and collect pine nuts. Don’t worry, I won’t go too far into the mountains. I’ll stick with Auntie and Jianmin from the village.”

Xu Ning reminded him once more not to carry too much at once and to wait for her if he couldn’t manage it. Seeing Xu An nod in agreement, she felt reassured.

As Xu Ning shouldered her basket and walked towards the village entrance, she saw Old Chen sitting on a bullock cart. The cart also carried a man, a woman, and a child. Recently, most villagers had been going up the mountain, so there were few people heading into town. Once Xu Ning got onto the cart, Old Chen didn’t wait any longer, as there was no point in waiting further.

After arranging a return time with Old Chen, Xu Ning headed to Zhao Jianshe’s home. She had brought a basketful of chestnuts and hazelnuts for Zhao Jianshe. Since the pine nuts still had their pine cones on, she hadn’t brought those.

When Xu Ning arrived at Zhao Jianshe’s house, Zhao Jianshe’s wife, Su Hongmei, and an elderly woman who looked like her mother were at home. Su Hongmei welcomed Xu Ning with the baby in her arms. “Xiao Ning, it’s been a while since you’ve visited. Come on in.”

Xu Ning followed her inside, placed the basket on the table, and lifted the cloth covering it. “Sister-in-law, these are some chestnuts and hazelnuts that my brother and I collected from the mountain. I brought them to you today.”

Seeing the large basket, Su Hongmei said, “Why bring so much? Just leave a little. I’ll take some back for you and your brother. The chestnuts can be used in cooking during winter. They can serve as food.”

Xu Ning replied, “Sister-in-law, there’s plenty of this stuff on the mountain. It’s not rare in the countryside. These are freshly picked and not yet dried. You should spread them out to dry outside since the weather is good today. Let me help you with that.”

Su Hongmei set out a few bags to line the bottom, and Xu Ning poured all the contents of the basket onto them.

After unloading the basket, Xu Ning was about to leave. She planned to return early so she could head up the mountain again in the afternoon. Su Hongmei, realizing she couldn’t keep her, quietly asked if Xu Ning needed any yarn. Xu Ning’s eyes lit up at the mention. She didn’t have any yarn in her storage space and had planned to check the black market someday to knit a sweater and pants to send to Xu Yang.

Xu Ning said, “Sister-in-law, I don’t have any tickets.”

Su Hongmei replied, “No need for tickets. The supply and marketing cooperative received a batch of flawed yarn yesterday, but only a few people know about it internally. If you’re interested, I can take you to see my sister, who works at the cooperative.”

Xu Ning eagerly responded, “Sister-in-law, I’d like that. Could you take me there?” Su Hongmei asked her mother to look after the child, and the two of them headed straight to the supply and marketing cooperative.

Upon arriving at the supply and marketing cooperative, Su Hongmei pulled Su Hongying aside and whispered a few words. Su Hongying then led them to the warehouse. Once inside, she said, “All the yarn is here. How much do you want?”

Xu Ning examined the yarn; the dyeing was uneven, but other than that, there were no issues. Since it would be used for warmth inside, she was satisfied.

Feeling a bit awkward, Xu Ning asked Su Hongying, “Sister Hongying, can I buy a bit more? What’s the maximum amount I can purchase?”

Su Hongying thought for a moment and replied, “The most I can give you is five pounds. As you can see, there’s only this much, and we have to divide it among so many people at the cooperative.”

Xu Ning quickly said, “Thank you, Sister Hongying. Five pounds is already a lot.” She then took out the money; the flawed yarn didn’t require a ticket and cost one and a half yuan per pound, totaling seven and a half yuan for five pounds.

After leaving the cooperative, Su Hongmei thought for a moment and quietly advised Xu Ning, “Don’t go to the black market for now. With the recent autumn harvest, they’re cracking down hard on anyone suspected of selling grain. Your brother Jianshe hasn’t been home for several days already.”

Xu Ning broke into a cold sweat upon hearing this. She had been planning to go to the black market to buy two pairs of cotton shoes for Xu Mo, but this warning immediately deterred her. She nodded and said to Su Hongmei, “I understand, Sister-in-law. I won’t go.”

After parting ways with Su Hongmei, Xu Ning decided not to shop further. She found a secluded corner and took out her items.

When she reached the village entrance and was about to get off the cart, Old Chen called out, “Xu, don’t get off. I need to drive the cart to the cattle shed, but I can give you a ride to the sent-down youth compound.”

Back home, Xu Ning found the house empty, and Xu An was likely still on the mountain. She hurried to take out the items. From the storage space, she first retrieved a ten-pound barrel of peanut oil, opened the packaging, and poured it into the oil can she had bought, which was just the right size to hold ten pounds.

Xu Ning also took out 50 eggs, 50 duck eggs, two chickens, one goose, ten pounds of pork, 30 pounds of rice, 30 pounds of white flour, 30 pounds of cornmeal, five pounds of noodles, two bags of milk powder, two pounds of brown sugar, two pounds of rock candy, two pounds of White Rabbit Creamy Candy, two pounds of fruit candy, two pounds of egg cake, and 30 apples. She also grabbed a few boxes of cookies, tearing open the packaging and placing them in the boxes.

Additionally, she took out ten pounds of cotton, two quilts, and ten pairs of cotton socks. She planned to keep these items hidden for now; Xu An wouldn’t pay much attention to what she had bought. If they needed more items, she could retrieve them from the storage space later.

The items taken from the space were discreetly placed on the kitchen shelves. This shelf was built by a carpenter in the village, with multiple layers to hold a lot of items.

The rice and white flour were put into the room she was staying in. Both she and Xu An’s rooms had large shelves for storing grains and vegetables. Since the space was small, every corner had to be utilized. Xu An’s shelf already held four large bags of dried wild vegetables and two bags of various dried mushrooms.

After organizing everything, Xu Ning salted the ten pounds of pork and placed it in a jar. She also salted the two chickens and the goose, hanging them up to dry. As the weather grew colder, hanging them outside would prevent spoilage. She then salted the 50 duck eggs, and when the jar wasn’t full yet, she added 30 more to fill it up.

Once Xu Ning finished organizing everything and checked the time, it was almost noon. Knowing that Xu An would be back soon, Xu Ning began preparing lunch. She took a duck from the storage space, intending to make a duck soup. She chopped and cleaned the duck, put it in a pot to simmer, and added a handful of various mushrooms she had collected from the mountain. She placed some flatbreads around the pot and started the fire. While the soup cooked, she sat by the door, peeling chestnuts.

Xu An came in carrying his basket, his cotton coat unbuttoned and sweat beading on his forehead. Xu Ning quickly took the basket from him and told him to button up his coat. Excitedly, Xu An said, “Sister, I heard from the aunts today that we’ll be delivering the grain tomorrow. Once we’ve delivered it, we’ll get our share of the food. How much do you think we’ll get?”

Seeing his enthusiasm, Xu Ning smiled and replied, “It should be enough for us. We’ve also collected so many wild vegetables, mushrooms, and chestnuts from the mountain. We’ll mix everything together and have plenty to eat.”

Xu Ning nodded happily and said, “Let’s eat quickly so we can go back to collecting more.” She sniffed the air and asked, “Sister, what’s cooking? It smells so good.” Xu Ning poured the peeled chestnuts into the pot and covered it, saying, “Go wash your hands and face. Dinner’s almost ready!”

As Xu An stood by the stove, watching his sister ladle the soup into bowls, he saw the golden soup with duck meat, chestnuts, and mushrooms. His mouth watered. Xu Ning placed the soup on the table and said, “Eat up, but take it slow so you don’t burn yourself.”

Xu An drank two bowls of soup and had two pieces of flatbread. He wanted more, but Xu Ning immediately stopped him, worried that eating too much might upset his stomach.