After the funeral, people returned to their homes, while Ni Sha went to Wen Qian's house for a visit and talked about the past experiences with the Old Lady.
Not just her, but everyone else was also reminiscing about their memories associated with the Old Lady.
The Old Lady was kind and capable, leaving a positive impression on everyone.
Although it's challenging for the elderly to make it through the winter, her passing still came as a surprise.
Winter was approaching, and the bereaved neighbors had no time to mourn as life had to go on. They needed to either hunt for minks or work at home during the winter.
Living in the forest meant being constantly busy, like ants and bees.
As the harsh winter officially arrived, Wen Qian decided to take her child out for trips.
Due to the snow, Wen Qian would bundle up her child and place them in a round barrel, pulling it along on the snow.
This way, she didn't have to carry the extra weight on her back.
Of course, the frequency and duration of these outings were not as frequent as before since the child was still very young.
She would only go to two nearby cabins, abandoning the third.
Little An'an was adorable, obediently staying in the barrel and occasionally peering out with her eyes to watch Wen Qian.
Upon reaching the cabins, Wen Qian would first check if anyone had used them, then enter and start heating the kang bed stove.
Young children couldn't sleep directly on the kang, so previously, they slept in a suspended area. Now that the child was a little older, Wen Qian still brought the suspended small frame.
After heating the kang, Wen Qian would take out the child bundled like a penguin and let her play on the kang.
The wooden boards covering the windows were left closed, and Wen Qian also added a thick cotton curtain on top. The door was also kept shut.
She would collect the prey from the small traps she had set nearby, reset new ones, and by the next morning, there would be a fresh batch of prey.
Afterwards, she would continue setting traps, then take the child back home, waiting for the next visit.
The child was now old enough to play and wait for her in the cabin, as she could hear Wen Qian's movements outside.
As long as the child was well-fed, hydrated, and the environment was comfortable, she could stay alone for a long time without Wen Qian worrying about her crying excessively.
Each time Wen Qian pushed open the door upon returning home, she could hear the child's cheers, warming her heart despite her hands and face being frozen from the cold outside.
Indeed, the child would enthusiastically welcome the adults upon their return, standing on the kang and waving her hands since it was winter.
In summer, the child might run over and hug her legs.
This was likely one of the most rewarding aspects of raising a child.
Little An'an would call out "grandma" and reach out for Wen Qian to hold her, but since Wen Qian was still chilled, she would first remove her outer clothing, wrap herself in a blanket to warm up, and then hold the child.
The child was not impatient at all because Wen Qian had warned her earlier that she was freezing cold, so she would wait.
The small house was warm, with Wen Qian placing firewood both inside and outside the wooden cabin.
She could actually rely on her spatial abilities, but she still placed some firewood outside, albeit using less herself.
Placing firewood outside was to maintain a reasonable appearance, and also to provide immediate access for anyone who might need refuge, although the possibility was slim. But she didn't rule out the chance of someone arriving there due to being lost or other reasons.
The cabin was different from home, so initially, the child felt a bit uncomfortable, but after two visits, she adapted.
Regardless of the changing environment, the most important thing was having her grandmother nearby, giving the child a sense of security. The size of the cabin became less important.
In the middle of the night, Wen Qian would get up to add more firewood to maintain the indoor temperature. Otherwise, by the next morning, their exhaled breath would be visible as white vapor.
Wen Qian didn't need to conserve firewood, so she kept the cabin warm.
When it was time to leave, she would remove the embers, taking them outside and burying them in the snow.
After a long walk in the bitter cold, Wen Qian finally brought the child back home. The first thing she did upon entering was to feed the child ginger sugar water.
She would remove two layers of the child's outer clothing, tuck her into the bedding, then start heating the kang bed stove, the fire wall, and turn on the stove.
As the temperature rose, it would become dry, so Wen Qian usually placed a pot of water on the stove and applied moisturizer and lip balm to the child.
The child had taken a nap on the way and was now energetic, lying in the bedding and calling for her grandmother to join her.
Wen Qian still had to process the fur of the prey, which would be frozen solid when brought back home but would soften slightly as the temperature warmed. This was the best time to skin them.
As the temperature rose, the child would stretch out her arm from the bedding, calling for her grandmother whenever she wanted to drink water or eat something, or she would lull herself to sleep.
The sounds Wen Qian made while working served as excellent white noise, allowing the child to fall asleep peacefully in this environment.
Once the prey was processed, Wen Qian would store everything in her spatial abilities, then draw some hot water and wash her hands with soap. After that, she would lie down with the child.
If Wen Qian slept with the child, the child would definitely snuggle up against her, whether asleep or not.
Sure enough, soon after lying down, the child's head came over, and Wen Qian tucked the blanket around her before drifting off to sleep as well.
When they woke up an hour later, the child had been awake for some time, quietly playing with her fingers.
Unless she was hungry or needed to use the bathroom, the child could entertain herself quietly without disturbing Wen Qian.
Wen Qian got up, placed a small table in the middle of the kang, had the child get dressed, and they prepared to eat.
In the kitchen, she didn't cook but instead brought food from her spatial abilities and served it in the room.
At this young age, the child wouldn't have any memory, so Wen Qian could still do this, but not when the child grew older.
The child ate supplementary food, but now she also wanted to eat from Wen Qian's bowl. Occasionally, Wen Qian would give her some lighter seasonings.
At this stage, the child could eat a wider variety of foods, but Wen Qian hadn't started giving her various candies yet, opting for different fruits instead.
If it was jam made from various berries and white sugar, Wen Qian wouldn't give the child too much when she ate it.
At the same time as when Ni Sha began growing teeth, Wen Qian would brush her teeth. In the past, people who ate too much sugar would develop cavities at a very young age, but that doesn't happen anymore.
Children don't like the taste of toothpaste, yet when Wen Qian hoarded toothpaste, she didn't consider children's toothpaste at all, so each time she would only squeeze out a tiny bit for Ni Sha, and the child was still unwilling.
In the end, Wen Qian had Ni Sha rinse with saltwater, thinking that when she gets a little older, she'll have her use toothpaste.
In the cold winter, before going to bed at night, the child had to go to the kitchen to look at the rabbits. Only after seeing the rabbits safe and sound in their cage would the child feel at ease to go to sleep.
As for why the number of rabbits would decrease in the winter, the child hadn't thought about that question yet.
