How can someone travel through time and space and become a beggar?

It was a chilly spring day. Beneath a dilapidated shack in the north of the city, a few young beggars, wrapped in rags, huddled together for warmth. Their grimy faces revealed no trace of color, and a few strands of hair clung to their foreheads. Of all their bodies, only their eyes remained clear.

"Big Boy, is Xiaoliu dead? She's so cold." Second Boy sniffed the snot that threatened to drip to his mouth. His head was numb from the cold, and he couldn't even muster up any sadness. He clenched his arms and hugged the person in his arms even tighter.

"No, no." The eldest child also tightened his arms, trying hard to transfer the remaining warmth in his body to his sister.

"But that's how fourth brother died." Xiaowu pouted and was held in the arms of his eldest and second brothers, but he was still cold and very hungry.

Xia Chu woke up at this time. She felt suffocated, hungry, cold, and her head was dizzy.

"Xiaoliu is awake!" Erwa looked at his sister's eyes which had just opened a crack, and tears welled up in his eyes with excitement.

Where was this? Xia Chu's blurry vision gradually cleared, revealing three small, clay monkey-like faces. She wanted to push them away, to stop getting so close, but her hands were powerless. She was so hungry, so weak, and her bones and joints ached.

"Xiaoliu, what's wrong?" Big Brother noticed her expression and took out half a pancake from his arms.

Erwa and Xiaowu swallowed their saliva at the same time, they were also hungry.

"Xiaoliu, eat. Your illness will be cured after eating." The eldest child stuffed the cake into his sister's mouth, "Be good, eat quickly."

"Brother, I..." Before Xiaowu could finish his words, Erwa covered his mouth.

Xiaowu frowned and pushed his second brother's hand away. "Second brother, what are you doing? I remembered I picked up some firewood during the day. I'll go borrow some fire from Grandma Wang and bake some pancakes for Xiaoliu."

"Xiaowu is really attentive. I'll go and ask Grandma Wang if she has any hot water for Xiaoliu." Da Wa stood up, picked up the firewood Xiaowu mentioned, and took a broken bowl. He walked across two shacks and found the small wooden house with firelight. "Grandma Wang, I need to borrow some fire."

"Come in, Xiaoliu, are you awake?" The door to the cabin opened, and a wave of warmth washed over them, melting Da Wa's frozen face. This cabin was one of the better ones in the area, offering protection from wind and rain, but it was too small and cramped. With three people lying inside, there was no extra space.

A small fire had been burned in a pit dug in the ground. Grandma Wang's two little grandsons were asleep by the fire, and above it hung a clay pot, bubbling with hot water.

"Xiaoliu is awake. Grandma Wang, can I borrow some fire? And... hot water..." Da Wa looked at Grandma Wang's old face and gave a flattering smile.

"Oh, it's okay. Put the firewood in the fire, and I'll pour you some hot water." Grandma Wang got up and took the broken bowl, carefully filling it halfway with water. The bowl had two holes, so it couldn't hold much. She sighed, turned around and fetched a large bamboo tube, "I'll use this to fill it for you, and you can have a couple of sips of hot water. If my room wasn't so small, I'd invite you in to warm up."

"Thank you, Grandma Wang. You have helped us a lot." The eldest boy took it with gratitude. If the house was not small, it would have been snatched away by other beggars. In fact, it was freezing cold, and the little one was still warm. It was just that Grandma Wang's eldest grandson was not very smart, but he was very strong. In the past, someone wanted to bully them because they were old and young, but they were beaten by a strong punch until they vomited blood. The beggars had no money to see a doctor, and they couldn't even get up to beg for food, so they died directly. Since then, no one dared to bother them. "I will send the bamboo tube tomorrow morning."

"Go, go slowly, don't burn your hands." Grandma Wang sent him to the door and sighed for the poor child. It was a pity that she had two children to take care of and could not take care of more.

Da Wa walked slowly, afraid of blowing out the fire or spilling water. A head popped out from a passing shack, but it was dark and hard to tell who it was. But Da Wa knew without even looking: it was Wai Tou. He was a skinny man with a head that always tilted to one side, so everyone called him Wai Tou. Wai Tou kept an eye on them, always trying to take advantage of them.

However, at the moment, he was angry and not too worried. As expected, he tilted his head, looked at it for a few seconds, spat and cursed, and then retreated.

"Brother, is there any hot water to drink?" Xiao Wu licked his chapped lips. The weather was cold and he didn't dare to drink too much water. He was afraid that he would get sick if the water went into his stomach.

"Yes, Erwa, be careful and light the fire." The eldest boy handed the burning stick to his younger brother and moved closer to his younger sister. Thinking of his younger brothers who were also hungry, he soaked the small piece of cake in hot water.

Xiao Wu watched eagerly, and his eyes lit up when he saw the cake being soaked in water. Even a little cake foam would make it delicious. He raised the corner of his mouth, revealing two small canine teeth.

The eldest boy fed the softened cake to his younger sister with a wooden spoon. Xia Chu was so hungry that she didn't care about the strange-tasting cake and swallowed it in big mouthfuls.

After the biscuit was scooped clean and he was given two sips of water, the eldest brother handed the bamboo tube to the youngest. The youngest greedily drank nearly half of it and even got a little biscuit crumbs. Then he reluctantly moved the bamboo tube away and went to the second brother to give it to him.

But Erwa continued to light the fire, using a clay pot that Xiaosi had found, only half of the pot burned black, and it had stayed with them all winter. Unfortunately, Xiaosi fell ill from the cold, and they couldn't do anything. Even sending him to Dr. Sun was too late, and he was gone. Xiaoliu, however, was given a bowl of medicine and survived until today.

Why are we the only ones without parents? Erwa couldn't figure it out either. He didn't even know why he was alive. If Dawa hadn't picked him up, he might have died long ago.

"Brother, do you want to drink?" Xiaowu's voice brought him back to his senses. He gently put the firewood into the fire and then placed a stone slab on the fire. "Drink."

The eldest child continued to hold his sister in his arms. Seeing that the second child took a sip, he refused to drink anymore. "Drink more, second child. Big brother is not thirsty."

"Brother, you gave us all the bread today and you didn't even drink the water." Xiaowu muttered softly.

"I'll have two more sips, and big brother should have some too." Erwa said, taking two sips and putting them into bigwa's hand.

The eldest boy was helpless, but his heart was also warmed. His brothers' love was not in vain. After drinking the warm and fragrant water, the coldness in his body seemed to have subsided a lot.

Xia Chu had eaten, and then she was held in her arms again. Seeing them passing even a cup of hot water back and forth made her heart ache. But her physical discomfort left her unable to say anything, and she drifted off to sleep again.

The four children huddled together, protecting their youngest sister inside, and slowly fell asleep.

When the dazzling sunlight shone in, Xia Chu opened his eyes and thought he was still asleep.

All she could see was withered straw, supported by a few precarious pillars. She was sleeping in the arms of a child, who patted her on the back when she moved.

Where was this? Who was this child? She was also lying on straw, which smelled musty. She touched her clothes, and found they were stained with something. They were hard and brittle, and when she pinched them, they were covered in dust. She shook her hands in disgust, pushed her arms away, and sat up.