Returning to the room, she found a candle and lit it. This little girl was so frightened when night fell that she hid under the covers, and she didn't have a kerosene lamp.
In fact, there used to be one, but everything in the house had been sold off, and it had nothing to do with her anymore.
The smell of insecticide in the room had also dissipated. She spread out a straw mat, which just barely fit.
She took out a sponge from her space, something she had used in her rural hometown before. The bedding was also from before, and she didn't take out new ones, not because there weren't any, but because she didn't want to attract attention.
But under normal circumstances, no one would come looking for her. All her time was spent working, with no little playmates.
Finally, she could lie down at ease. Without electricity, the heating equipment in her space was useless. Feeling a bit cold with just one quilt, she covered herself with another one.
She originally thought she wouldn't be able to sleep, but unexpectedly, when she opened her eyes, it was already broad daylight outside. Drowsily wanting to check the time, she remembered she had already crossed over.
Even if she had a watch now, the time wouldn't match, so she simply got up, but didn't wear her sportswear; instead, she put on that set of clothes outside.
Today's task was to clean up this home where she would be living in the future, otherwise, her obsession with cleanliness would really make her want to die and return.
Really, her "dear father" was exasperating. Just thinking of death gave her a headache. Living, can't I just live well?
Getting up to squat in the yard and brush her teeth, she suddenly realized that there might not be toothbrushes here now, so she had to be low-key in everything from now on.
She hadn't noticed yesterday, but there was a well in the yard. The kind with a pump handle, and this was the best news for Su Yuanyuan. She had been wondering if drinking river water meant drinking bathwater too?
Now it was good; there was well water to drink. Her family in the past had their own well before 1990. She had used it too. This little yard was quite nice. It could be considered her place of security and stability.
Returning to the room, she took out a bowl of beef noodles. Knowing she couldn't finish such a big bowl, she took out a small bowl and divided it in half, along with a marinated egg.
After a delightful breakfast, she continued working, checking the living quarters again, which were already clean. In fact, there wasn't much to tidy up, just four bare corners.
The room across had just a brick bed and two large water jars for storing grain. Once cleaned, she laid old kang mats on the bed and dismantled the bedding. She still had to wash the cotton clothes later.
Pumping water, boiling water, and washing clothes took the whole morning.
Being small and weak, she couldn't wring out the cotton clothes, yet she was unwilling to use the spin dryer. Even if washed, the cotton clothes couldn't get over her mental barrier.
The clothesline in the yard displayed her morning's work. Su Yuanyuan felt satisfied with it.
The house was cleaned. Now, what she really needed to do was gather firewood. Upon checking while making a fire earlier, she estimated that according to her usage, there would be no firewood left after a month.
After lunch, with a basket on her back and a rope, she headed up the mountain. Her house sat at the mountain's foot, and she went up alone, unnoticed by anyone.
In the little girl's memory, Dashan was extremely dangerous, not allowing children near it at all. Adults would go in groups, but they only went as far as the mountainside before returning.
Su Yuanyuan wasn't afraid; she had her space and could hide in there if needed. The animals wouldn't wait for two hours.
The main goal this time was to cut wood; no one going up the mountain was to her advantage, making it cheaper for her.
Things often seemed ideal, but the reality soon made one crash down.
Along the way, there were only pine and cypress trees. These couldn't be used for firewood as they were living, lush, and green. She couldn't bear to cut them down.
Unwilling to give up, Su Yuanyuan continued upwards, and got to the mountainside, discovering only a lot of dead grass. It could be burned but wasn't long-lasting.
Not willing to be defeated, she gritted her teeth and continued into the mountain. After about another hour, thank God, she finally discovered other trees, and quite a few dead ones at that.
For others, getting them down would be troublesome, but for Su Yuanyuan, who had a space, it was a minor task.
But when she tried to cut the trees with the safety axe, she realized she had been too naive.
The trees couldn't be cut down. She didn't have a tool for cutting trees in her space. What to do? She saw the reality; even if she got those dead trees down, she wouldn't have the strength to chop them into usable firewood.
With her wild hopes dashed, Su Yuanyuan sat down and burst into tears. What could she do now?
After a good cry, she resigned herself, stood up, and decided that if tree trunks were off the table, branches would have to do. People shouldn't aim too high.
Having wasted much time, it was getting late. But she still collected three big bundles of branches and stored them in her space.
It was necessary to go back. Descending the mountain at night was quite dangerous.
She also managed to gather two large bundles of dead grass and then ran all the way back home.
Once it got dark, she placed the firewood directly in the shed in the yard.
After dinner, she thought about heading up the mountain early tomorrow.
Too tired, she soon fell asleep.
That night, her dreams were filled with things the little girl had experienced. Scenes of her grandfather raising her with painstaking care, and of her parents abusing her after her grandfather passed.
Su Yuanyuan was like an observer, experiencing the little girl's harsh life.
To live until the age of eight was truly not an easy feat; Su Yuanyuan suddenly felt that her father in her past life had been quite good.
Back then, village elders had told her that when you have a child, you realize your parents' love. She had no children now, but through the little girl's days, she no longer resented the man who neglected her. Although he didn't give her love, he did raise her in a real way.
The next day, she got up, ate a meat bun, and drank a can of milk. She continued up the mountain.
She had thought about borrowing an axe from the village, but that would require lots of explanations. She decided against it, resolving to buy one when she had money.
Returning to the same place, she continued picking up branches, storing each bundle in her space, wary of being seen.
She had lunch on the mountain. There weren't particularly many branches on the ground, and she had already moved away from the mountainside without noticing.
Today, she gathered five bundles of branches, but Su Yuanyuan knew it was not nearly enough.
In the past, her family's corn stalks had been sold off by the couple, not leaving any for her.
Spending the whole day bent over working was exhausting, even for someone with a strong work ethic.
Leaning against a tree, she took out a butter cake from her space and devoured it quickly. Then she drank a can of milk, wanting to rest for a while.
But she always felt uneasy, deeply anxious. She abandoned her thoughts of resting, unable to shake off her anxiety.