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

"Father, how many should we cut?"

Xu Zhuzhu followed behind her father, picking up reeds half-heartedly.

Her father would cut down a clump, and she would pick up one branch, while her mother and brother would carry the rest to an open space on the riverbank.

After the New Year, Xu Wenjie and Zhang He wanted to build a small shed in the yard to use for cooking. The frame of the shed had already been built with bamboo, and now all that was left was to cover it with thatch.

The thatch was used to build the toilet, so the whole family took advantage of the sunny day to go to the river to cut reeds. Although reeds are not as good as thatch, they can still provide shelter from the wind and rain.

However, Zhang He still refused to let Xu Zhuzhu do anything, fearing that Xu Zhuzhu might accidentally cut her hand on the reed leaves. She laid out a thin reed mat for Xu Zhuzhu to sit on and play by herself.

As for Xu An, the couple only allowed him to move the plants there slowly, one small clump at a time.

Xu Zhuzhu was bored by herself, and there wasn't much trash at the garbage station, so she followed Xu Wenjie around, taking advantage of the situation. Zhang He saw her playing around and didn't say anything, only reminding her to be careful.

Xu Zhuzhu nodded with a smile; her mother was worrying too much.

However, Xu Zhuzhu had nothing to do and felt that following behind Xu Wenjie was somewhat of a hindrance, so she asked Xu Wenjie how much longer it would take.

"I'm afraid there will be a lot more. If Zhuzhu gets tired of it, she can go with her brother to the open space on the shore to wait."

Upon hearing Xu Zhuzhu's question, Xu Wenjie patted her head and answered with a gentle smile.

Seeing that Xu Zhuzhu was indeed bored, Zhang He asked Xu An to play with her, and then quickly and seriously instructed, "An'an, keep a close eye on your sister, and don't let her go play in the water!"

"I will protect Zhuzhu!"

Xu An nodded obediently, patted his chest with his short arms, and answered in a serious and clear voice.

Xu Zhuzhu chuckled inwardly, "Little adult..."

Upon hearing Zhang He's words, Xu Zhuzhu went along with Xu An and went to the open space.

She was indeed a little tired from standing, so she plopped down on a large river rock. The rock was still warm from the sun, and the temperature was just right in the middle of winter. Xu Zhuzhu felt warm under her bottom.

She gestured for Xu An to sit down as well, "Brother! The stone is warm, come on!"

Xu Anzheng stood in front of the reeds, not knowing what to do. In fact, his parents didn't need his help, but he still wanted to do what he could, completely unaware that he was only five years old.

When Xu An heard Xu Zhuzhu call him, he smiled slightly, walked over and sat down with Xu Zhuzhu, and exclaimed, "It is indeed warm."

Xu Zhuzhu smiled and agreed.

When Zhang He brought out the reeds, she saw the two children sitting obediently on the rocks, whispering to each other. Although they were wearing old clothes today, the two little heads looked very cute, which melted her heart.

He couldn't help but solemnly remind her, "You're not allowed to play in the water!"

Both children answered in unison, "Yes."

A breeze brought a touch of coolness, seemingly carrying the scent of green hills and clear waters.

Xu Zhuzhu opened her chest, took a deep breath, and the comfortable expression on her face stiffened slightly.

She wrinkled her nose warily, a layer of doubt rising in her heart. She took another breath, and the doubt gathered in her eyes.

During their escape, the family encountered people who had starved to death. Although Zhang He tried her best to cover her eyes, the unique smell of decay was impossible to block, and it wafted through her nostrils, making it impossible for her to vomit.

Xu Zhuzhu utterly loathed this smell.

In her past life, there was a group of rabbits in the backyard of the orphanage. The director asked everyone to adopt a rabbit, but when it was her turn, there was one missing.

The dean said to look carefully, and then took a stick and poked around in a place out of sight in the cage, and just happened to poke the dead rabbit's body.

At that moment, Xu Zhuzhu was squatting at the cage door looking at the corpse when it suddenly turned over. A piece of rotting flesh covered with maggots was spread out in front of Xu Zhuzhu. A putrid smell hit her nostrils, and Xu Zhuzhu vomited on the spot...

She wasn't scared, but she felt disgusted, extremely disgusted.

But since she had smelled this peculiar scent, she couldn't just ignore it; she hoped it was just some wild pheasant or duck.

"Brother, do you smell anything strange?" Xu Zhuzhu asked seriously, hoping it wasn't the worst possible outcome.

Xu An shook his head. Unlike Xu Zhuzhu, he was not very sensitive to smells.

"What's wrong, Zhuzhu?"

Seeing Xu Zhuzhu's appearance, Xu An could roughly guess that she was probably not simple at this moment.

Xu Zhuzhu shook her head, her brows furrowed, and did not answer him directly.

The wind was blowing from the northeast. Xu Zhuzhu looked closely and saw a tall clump of reeds directly northeast of her. However, it was not near the bank, and half of the roots of the reeds were submerged in the river.

The cobblestones were difficult to walk on, so Xu Zhuzhu spread her arms wider to maintain her balance, a gesture that immediately caught Xu An's attention.

"Zhuzhu, where are you going?"

Xu Zhuzhu shook her head. She couldn't explain it clearly now, nor could she tell Xu An that she thought there was a corpse nearby.

Seeing that Xu Zhuzhu didn't answer him, Xu An walked towards the northeast with a serious expression. That direction happened to be close to the river, so he followed her out of concern.

"Mother said we can't go playing in the water, Zhuzhu, come back quickly," Xu An called out to Xu Zhuzhu, who was walking ahead.

The two short-armed children chased each other on the pebbles. Xu An finally caught up with Xu Zhuzhu, and the two had already reached the edge of the reeds.

Xu Zhuzhu frowned deeply. She sniffed around, and as she looked towards the water, a strong scent suddenly filled her nose without warning.

"vomit!"

Xu Zhuzhu suddenly gagged.

"Zhuzhu! Come here quickly!"

Even Xu An, whose sense of smell is dull, could smell it when they got so close. Xu An quickly grabbed Xu Zhuzhu's hand and pulled her back, but Xu Zhuzhu still caught a glimpse of that corner of plain white fabric out of the corner of her eye.

Xu Zhuzhu was basically certain of what she was thinking, so she quickly called Xu Wenjie and Zhang He over loudly.

"Dad! Mother!"

The girl's clear voice pierced through the reeds, startling the unknown sparrows that were nestled among them.

The faint echo came from the distant mountains, startling Xu Wenjie and his wife who were engrossed in their work, and was about to shatter the peace and tranquility of this poor but peaceful mountain village.

Zhang He, who was holding a bundle of reeds, felt a jolt in her heart when she heard Xu Zhuzhu's shout, as if she had missed a beat.

She threw away the reeds she was holding and rushed out, outrunning even Xu Wenjie who was right behind her.

Despite the uneven, slippery pebbles, Zhang He hopped and skipped as she reached the two children.

Xu Zhuzhu was dumbfounded by her mother's actions, as she usually was gentle and kind.

"What's wrong? Why are you here? Is something alright?"

Zhang He, looking anxious, pulled the two children into her arms and examined them from head to toe. She only breathed a sigh of relief when she found that neither child was missing a single hair.

At this moment, Xu Wenjie also caught up, his face full of anxiety and worry.

"What happened?" Xu Wenjie asked.

Xu An pointed to the water's surface, to the corner of the plain white fabric submerged in the water, and said, "Zhuzhu smelled a strange odor, which is why we came here."

Xu Wenjie took a closer sniff, and his brows immediately furrowed. He leaned closer and sure enough, he saw something stuck in the water at the base of the reeds. He figured out what it was.

Xu Wenjie told Xu Zhuzhu to take the two children away, and he picked up a long stick and pulled the body out of the reeds.

Zhang He tried her best to block the two children's eyes, but just as the body was brought out, Xu Zhuzhu couldn't help but gag, and even Zhang He and Xu An couldn't hold it in.

Xu Wenjie looked at the plain white long coat. Although the face had become unrecognizable, the memories hidden deep in his mind suddenly exploded, and the man's figure appeared before his eyes without reservation.

Every move was crystal clear.

How could it be him?