When it became known that the volcanic winter would eventually end, some people who missed their hometowns wanted to return to their original homes as soon as possible.
Some people who had migrated to the south started anew there, with no intention of moving again.
As time passed, a slow but steady stream of people migrated from south to north as well.
Among them, some found suitable places along the way and settled down there.
People's lifestyles changed dramatically after the volcanic eruption.
The city with the largest population was Sunshine City, along with some other smaller cities, mostly in the south.
Before temperatures rose back to previous levels, some small cities with populations in the tens of thousands also emerged in the north, but their scale was still far behind the south.
Rail transport also continued to operate between certain coal mining areas and major urban centers.
However, the world could no longer be as lively as before, and transportation would not be as busy and rapid.
Moreover, as temperatures rose and plant conditions improved, many paths that once existed would gradually become blurred and eventually disappear.
Far in the northern forests, Wen Qian started seedling cultivation as the snow gradually melted, and the brick paving in her courtyard had already been planned for planting.
When the temperature rose a bit more, she could go to the forestry area and prepare the fields.
This was no easy task, but fortunately, aside from some short weeds, nothing else had grown on the land previously.
Wen Qian selected and cultivated seedlings at home, setting up a small heated shed within the courtyard walls, filled with seedling trays of various sizes.
After the fields were prepared, she would begin planting soybeans, which would be her main crop for the year, with only a few other things planted in the corners.
Near the forest edge, she planted some vining fruits and vegetables.
In May, the bean seedlings from the heated shed would be transplanted into the fields.
Concerned that weeds might grow faster than the crops in spring, Wen Qian did not forget to spread a thin layer of fallen leaves on the soil.
Only the seedlings were exposed, while the rest of the soil was covered, slowing the growth of wild grasses and retaining heat.
This way, she wouldn't have to search for seedlings among the weeds, and weeding would take less time.
Another reason was that she didn't have much plastic mulch or straw mats as an alternative.
However, in the future, she planned to cut grass and prepare straw mats.
At the forestry area, basically all the land she could cultivate was planted with crops.
At the same time, she also used fertilized soil on the higher ground along the banks and planted cuttings collected from various branches in her space.
The most numerous among these were probably the blueberry and wolfberry cuttings she had pruned earlier.
These were also the things she could obtain from the first small city.
Later, although she acquired some others during her arduous journey, Wen Qian still prepared them in batches.
She quite enjoyed the fruit of blueberries, and although there were wild ones to forage near her home, she still hoped for more.
Whenever she had time, she would transplant the thriving fruit seedlings to various locations near her home.
If she didn't have time, she would let them grow in the fields and transplant them later.
She also did not forget to plant two grapevines at her front door, although she had no idea what varieties they were since they were just cuttings.
Regardless, she planted the surviving cuttings within the courtyard walls.
They were basically just stick seedlings, and Wen Qian didn't know when she could harvest the grapes.
Worried that the few grape vines might die, she also planted a few vines on the high ground by the river, planning to build trellises for them later if they survived.
She hoped to have enough fruit trees growing around her, as many people who worked in the cities wanted to return home and retire.
They could raise chickens and ducks, grow some fruits, and Wen Qian hoped to do the same in her old age. So she had to start preparing now.
After all, the variety of fruits in her space was truly limited.
Throughout the entire spring, she was busy but joyful, and she also did not forget to check her traps regularly.
She would even occasionally cast a net in the river.
Mainly because in spring, when the snow melted and the river levels rose, it was not ideal to set fixed fish traps or sticky nets.
There was no telling what might come from upstream, and if the traps were washed away, she wouldn't know where to retrieve them. So she could only occasionally cast a net.
Fortunately, she had more than enough fish, besides those she had left in her space.
During the winter, when she broke through the ice to collect water, she would leave holes where she could set fishing hooks.
She never gave up her love for fishing, and occasionally, when the ice was thick enough, she would even build a fire on the ice to go ice fishing.
In the winter, she caught fish this way, including some large ones.
In spring, when she was busy with planting, activities like fishing and setting traps were temporarily set aside.
She had to take advantage of this prime season to plant everything she needed.
Since the forestry area had enough land, Wen Qian did not go elsewhere to clear new fields.
With limited energy, she simply fenced the area she cultivated.
This fence and netting were dismantled from the ranch in Xia Province where she had been before.
After setting up the fence, Wen Qian did not forget to repair the paths leading to her home and the riverside, especially the sloping areas, where she constructed steps for part of the way.
To prevent slipping, she even paved anti-slip bricks like tactile paving stones, which she had pried up from some unknown city.
Along the path, she hammered in wooden stakes and added horizontal bars, giving it a somewhat proper appearance.
This way, even in winter with wind and snow, she could walk home leaning against the railing without worrying about getting lost.
As for these wooden railings, with plenty of wood available, she could simply replace them when they deteriorated.
The days with sunshine grew more frequent, a very good omen indicating that the volcanic ash aerosols in the stratosphere could no longer block the sunlight.
Looking at the thermometer, Wen Qian thought that summer might gradually emerge.
Spring had arrived, the grass was growing, and wildflowers were blooming as some wild animals began to venture out in search of food.
Near her home, Wen Qian occasionally encountered hedgehogs.
Oddly enough, hedgehogs made strange sounds.
If Wen Qian hadn't grown up in the countryside and seen them before, she would have been startled.
As a child, when walking through deeper mountains, there were many hedgehogs.
On the paths, you could spot moving round "stones" on either side, which were actually hedgehogs curling up and playing dead when they heard people approaching.
She rarely heard the sound of hedgehogs, but in the place where she was now, there would occasionally be this eerie cry.
Although it had been many years since she had heard it, hearing it again would still make her feel annoyed.
Because the cry of hedgehogs sounded like the crying of a child.
Sometimes when it became too annoying, Wen Qian would use a net bag to capture it and send it farther away.
Compared to small animals like hedgehogs, she preferred rabbits and wild chickens that she could eat.
But she didn't know how to raise wild chickens, so she pinned her hopes on catching rabbits to raise.
However, adult wild rabbits were not easy to domesticate, so it was more practical to just eat them.
Wen Qian thought about finding a rabbit's nest to catch baby rabbits instead.
If she could successfully raise the rabbits, she imagined her courtyard would be full of rabbits running around, which made her happy just thinking about it.
Rabbits are so cute, she would definitely have to eat them.
