After transmigrating, he supported his family by working at a garbage dump.

It snowed again. The snowflakes fell silently, but the north wind made the window made of a snakeskin bag above Xu Zhuzhu's head whistle loudly.

Zhang He picked out a piece of charcoal about the length of her arm from the two baskets and placed it by the fire. She planned to add charcoal to light it once the firewood burned out. However, the charcoal was a bit thin, not even as thick as her arm.

Xu Zhuzhu rolled up her sleeves and saw that her chubby hands, which her mother had raised for the past three years, had become noticeably thinner.

"Uncle Li is such a good person."

After finishing her meal, Xu Zhuzhu nestled on the bed and sighed to Xu An beside her. Xu An, who was silently writing in his mind, absentmindedly echoed, "Yes, we should repay Uncle Li properly in the future."

Xu Zhuzhu nodded solemnly; she would remember this kindness.

As night deepened, Zhang He remembered that Xu Zhuzhu had said she was itchy that morning, so she boiled a pot of water to wipe Xu Zhuzhu's body.

It just so happens that the family hadn't taken a bath in a long time. They hadn't noticed anything a few days ago, but after going to the garbage station today and coming back, sorting and picking through the garbage, they worked hard all afternoon and worked up a sweat. The faint sour smell that had been present on their escape route became even stronger.

Zhang He raised her hand and sniffed her armpit; it smelled sour, which she found quite unpleasant.

Xu Wenjie leaned close to his wife and sniffed her, then grinned and said he couldn't smell anything.

Zhang He has always been a clean person, but during this period of fleeing from disaster, in the freezing cold, life was the priority, so she didn't care about washing her hair or taking a bath. Today, however, she insisted on wiping herself down.

“It’s cold at night, why not wait until noon tomorrow to wash? You might catch a chill,” Xu Wenjie advised her worriedly.

Zhang He couldn't stand it. She was an impatient person and would always keep something in mind if she wanted to do it. Otherwise, she would feel choked up and uncomfortable. In particular, Xu Zhuzhu had mentioned to her several times that she was itchy. Even though it was winter, she was afraid that her daughter had lice.

Seeing that he couldn't persuade him otherwise, Xu Wenjie had no choice but to add several more bundles of firewood. "Wait until the fire is burning brighter before you rub it, otherwise it's not worth catching a cold."

Zhang He put the pot and kettle on the stove together, intending to wipe the whole family as well. So she added more firewood, and when the fire burned exceptionally brightly, its red glow illuminating the small house, the water on the fire began to bubble and steam.

However, there was a lot of smoke.

Xu Zhuzhu and Xu An's eyes turned red from the smoke, and tears were about to fall.

When Xu Wenjie was repairing the house, he was concerned about the smoke inside, so he deliberately left a small gap as a smoke vent. However, now that the fire is burning too fiercely, the smoke can't escape. Xu Wenjie took a piece off the express delivery bag that was patched up on the wall.

Without affecting the temperature inside the house, the black smoke billowed out through the gaps, making the family feel a little better. Xu Wenjie then quickly sealed the gaps.

Zhang He remembered something just as she was about to pour out the hot water.

It seems they don't have any basins at home...

At the beginning of their escape, they did bring a small copper basin with them, but later, as the north became more chaotic, more and more refugees appeared on the road. Some said there were pursuers behind them, while others said they were deserters. The family hurriedly ran around, losing a lot of their belongings, including the copper basin.

Before settling down, these things weren't within Zhang He's considerations. For the past few days, she's been washing vegetables in bowls meant for several people to eat in, or in pots used for cooking porridge... right up until now.

Xu Zhuzhu scratched her head and yawned, feeling a little sleepy.

Xu Wenjie came up with an idea: "Why don't we just wash them directly in the kettle? I'll go to the village head's house tomorrow and see if I can borrow a basin."

So Zhang He took off Xu Zhuzhu's cotton-padded coat and made quilts. Zhang He also repaired the torn cotton-padded coats of the others. Although they were patched and looked a bit ugly, they were still wearable.

Xu Zhuzhu squatted by the fire, wearing an undergarment that hadn't been washed for months. The collar and cuffs of the garment were black, but thankfully it was winter, so she didn't have lice. However, because she hadn't showered, she had developed some small rashes, which was why she was itchy.

Zhang He rubbed and washed Xu Zhuzhu's hair, making Xu Zhuzhu laugh out loud because of the ticklish feeling. Since it was cold, she didn't wash her hair. After rubbing her hair, Zhang He quickly dried Xu Zhuzhu's hair, dressed her, and tucked her into the quilt before rubbing herself.

While the mother and daughter were washing up, Xu Wenjie and his son were studying in front of the wall. Only after the mother and daughter finished washing up did it get their turn.

After the family cleaned up, Xu Wenjie went outside and dug out a pot of snow to put on the fire. When the firewood was almost burned out, he added some charcoal that had been placed aside.

This was Xu Zhuzhu's third winter in her life, and also the coldest winter. Perhaps it was because of the psychological impact of fleeing the war, but it was really cold.

Xu Zhuzhu wrapped herself tightly in the blanket and chatted idly with Xu An through Zhang He.

Xu Wenjie was still sitting by the fire, studying the rubbish manual and reviewing what Xu Zhuzhu had explained to him.

After washing herself, Xu Zhuzhu nestled in her mother's arms, feeling light and warm all over. She drifted off to sleep.

It wasn't until late at night. In her dream, Xu Zhuzhu was having a snowball fight with her college friends in her past life, having a great time, when suddenly someone took a snowball from behind and smeared it all over her face. It was so cold and icy that it startled her in her dream!

"Which bastard launched a sneak attack!"

Xu Zhuzhu sat up abruptly and realized that her face was indeed covered in snow. Upon closer inspection, she discovered that the wind and snow had blown a small hole in the window that her mother had covered a few days ago, and the snow piled on the eaves had slid down through the hole.

This snakeskin bag is so fragile!

Xu Zhuzhu muttered to herself.

She and her brother slept on the outside of the bed, she and her mother were on the inside, and she was on the very inside. They were all sleeping soundly under the covers. Because she was against the wall, the snow only slid onto her face.

Everyone was exhausted after a long day, and Xu Zhuzhu didn't want to disturb their sleep, so she tiptoed out of bed to seal the window. However, she found that she couldn't reach the window at all, so she had no choice but to gently push Zhang He, who was sleeping next to her.

"Mother! Wake up!"

Zhang He seemed to be sleeping soundly, her face unusually flushed.

Xu Zhuzhu frowned, a rare occurrence, and pushed harder, "Mother?"

There was still no movement. Since the refugee arrived, Zhang He had become like a frightened bird, and she could be the first to notice the slightest disturbance.

So her mother usually sleeps very lightly, and Zhang He will always wake up as soon as she calls her, but today she has been shaking her for so long and she still hasn't woken up.

Just as she was wondering, a gust of wind swept in, and the strong smell of charcoal in the room rushed into her nostrils, a pungent odor hitting the top of her head.

Xu Zhuzhu looked keenly toward the fire; the embers of the kettle burned dimly, their light hazy and indistinct.

Xu Zhuzhu's heart skipped a beat, as if she had suddenly realized something. She hurriedly pushed Xu An and Xu Wenjie again, and even slapped them hard a few times. The three of them were still warm, but she couldn't wake them up no matter what she did.

"Father! Mother! Get up quickly!"

Xu Zhuzhu screamed and ran off the bed. Without even putting on her shoes, her short and thin body somehow found the strength to kick open the tightly locked door. The moment her bare feet touched the snow, the icy cold felt like needles piercing her feet, but she didn't care.

She picked up a handful of snow with her bare hands, carried it into the house, and threw it at the people on the bed.

After going back and forth two or three times, Xu Wenjie, who was in better physical condition, finally woke up slowly.

"Zhuzhu, what's wrong?"

He rubbed his throbbing head and saw his daughter, dressed in her undergarments, staring at him with wide eyes, looking puzzled.

"Father, quickly save Mother and Brother!"

Xu Zhuzhu's voice choked with emotion, her eyes reddening with anxiety.

She didn't have time to explain, and quickly had Xu Wenjie carry Zhang He and Xu An, along with their blankets, to the door to let them get some fresh air. Xu Wenjie was confused, but he was also frightened to see his usually carefree daughter looking so panicked.

Without saying much, I quickly did as instructed.

After blowing on the door for a while, his wife and son slowly woke up.

In the freezing cold, Xu Zhuzhu stood barefoot, her clothes soaked with snow water. She kept her mouth tightly shut and stood in the wind without feeling cold, but her palms were sweaty. However, she didn't care about these things and kept her eyes fixed on Zhang He and Xu An.

Only after everyone had finally come to their senses did Xu Zhuzhu relax. The usually cunning and obsequious Xu Zhuzhu actually burst into tears…

Zhang He, still a little dizzy from just waking up, had been lying peacefully in bed before falling asleep. How did she end up sitting on the floor? Zhang He thought she was dreaming.

Xu Zhuzhu then hugged her and burst into tears.

"Mother!"

The cry of "Mother!" was extremely agonizing. Before Zhang He could even think, she was so frightened that she quickly hugged her daughter, saying, "Zhuzhu, don't cry, Mother is here!"

Xu Zhuzhu cried even harder, and her family came to comfort her.

"Don't cry, little sister, your brother is here!" Xu An, who had just woken up, was still confused about what was going on, but when he saw his little sister crying so hard, he rushed over to comfort her.

Xu Zhuzhu felt a lump in her throat; her heart was filled with mixed emotions—a bittersweet mix of fear and shock.

Although she was already in her twenties in her previous life, she was an orphan, and the only person who ever cared about her was the director of the orphanage.

Having never had any family, she finally had parents and a brother in this life. The fearless girl from her previous life has become timid.

She dared not imagine what would happen if she lost what she had possessed, and she did not want to, nor could she, lose her family.

Xu Zhuzhu's thin face was filled with tears, which streamed down her large, brimming eyes. She clung tightly to Zhang He, looking extremely frightened.

"What's going on? Zhuzhu, don't scare your mother!"

Zhang He then noticed that her daughter was barefoot and her clothes were soaked. Feeling weak, she quickly pulled Xu Zhuzhu into the quilt.

"It's charcoal."

Xu Wenjie was the first to react.

It's probably a problem with the charcoal. When Li Quanfu brought it over, he seemed to have specifically instructed that the charcoal wasn't burning well and was still smoky, and to remember to open a window when using it. But that night, because his wife and children needed to wash themselves, he specifically blocked the vents, and then forgot to open them afterwards.

It's his fault.

Xu Wenjie was filled with remorse.

Fortunately, not much charcoal was used today, and the window was broken by the weight of the snow, leaving an opening that woke Xu Zhuzhu. Otherwise, he really didn't dare to imagine what might have happened.

I'd heard before about an elderly couple who were afraid of the cold, so they burned charcoal in their house at night. When their son went to check on them the next day, they were completely stiff...

Seeing that the charcoal was not yet finished burning, Xu Wenjie quickly extinguished it and threw it into the yard. After the smell in the house dissipated, he closed the door, lit a fire, and, just to be safe, opened the tightly sealed gaps again.

Just now, in order to wake them up, snowflakes were thrown directly at their faces, and now their clothes are all a bit wet. They need to quickly start a fire to warm themselves up, especially Xu Zhuzhu, whose body is half soaked.

At this moment, Zhang He touched Xu Zhuzhu's hands and feet, which were icy cold. Feeling sorry for her, she urged Xu Wenjie to hurry up.

Once the firewood and hot water were ready, Xu Zhuzhu, who had experienced both great joy and sorrow, had already fallen into a deep sleep, feeling dizzy and lightheaded.

Fearing that she would get a fever, Zhang He secretly kept half of the medicine that Xu Wenjie had bought for her last time and brewed it into a strong decoction, which she then poured down Xu Zhuzhu's throat. Xu Zhuzhu, who was in a daze, kept complaining of the bitter taste.

Zhang He coaxed her, "Zhuzhu, come eat some cheese! It's not bitter, it's sweet."

Xu Zhuzhu opened her mouth, smacked her lips a few times, and then spat it out.

Zhang He felt both heartache and amusement, and could only keep praying in her heart that the Bodhisattva would protect her daughter and prevent any accidents from happening.

Of course, Xu An told Xu Zhuzhu all this after she recovered from her illness. Her mother remained silent about it. Xu Zhuzhu pouted after hearing this; she wasn't that greedy, was she? She was already in her mid-twenties...