’Perhaps she was just overthinking it. The idea that Shen Yi liked her might have been a complete delusion.’

But every little memory of her time with him in her past life served as a stark reminder: he was someone to be admired from a distance, never to be approached.

Not to mention, the Shen Family’s background was incredibly complicated, as were their internal relationships.

And then there was Lin Nian, watching like a hawk from the sidelines...

’Alright, so I still can’t stand Lin Nian. But if I can help it, I really don’t want to live under the same roof as her.’

The mountains were full of pine trees, and countless pinecones littered the ground. If you took them home and roasted the nuts inside, they were wonderfully fragrant.

Qin Zhonghui had taken Shen Yi to hunt for pheasants, while Qin Jiao took her sister to gather pinecones. There weren’t many wild vegetables left at this time of year, but some wild jujubes still clung to the branches.

"Sis, can we find any mushrooms?" Xiao Shi asked, her eyes full of curiosity as she looked up with her palm-sized face.

Qin Jiao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "There aren’t any mushrooms now. After the New Year, once the spring rains come, I’ll bring you back to gather some."

Qin Jiao thought of the fish she was raising in her space. She wasn’t sure if the environment inside was just too good, but the two fish had produced a ton of fry. In the end, she’d had no choice but to buy several large vats to keep them in.

She had already decorated the space to feel like a small home. Aside from the lack of electricity, it was perfect.

Food stored inside wouldn’t spoil for months.

While Qin Jiao didn’t think they’d ever face a food shortage, she believed in preparing for anything. It was always better to be safe than sorry.

Before long, Qin Zhonghui and Shen Yi returned. They’d had a good haul: three pheasants and two wild rabbits. Shen Yi had also caught a little squirrel, still alive, which he offered to Xiao Shi.

"Pet it for a bit, then let it go."

Qin Jiao’s philosophy was simple: eating pheasants and rabbits was one thing, but it was best to leave other small animals undisturbed, to live freely in the mountain forests.

Xiao Shi was very obedient. She petted the little squirrel and even fed it a pine nut.

The little squirrel didn’t seem to mind at all, scampering off with the pine nut in its paws.

Besides the pine nuts, Qin Jiao and the others also found some dried wood ear fungus. It was only because the weather had turned cold; otherwise, the mountains would be overflowing with treasures.

No wonder they say that by the mountain, you eat from the mountain; by the water, you eat from the water.

Qin Zhonghui said happily, "I’ll go make you all some beggar’s chicken!"

"Yay!" Xiao Shi clapped her hands in delight. She immediately scurried over to her dad to watch him make the beggar’s chicken.

But she came back just a few minutes later and whispered to Qin Jiao, "Dad is being so scary, he’s plucking the chicken’s feathers! That poor little chicken!"

Qin Jiao teased her, "Well, the chicken is so pitiful, so when we eat later, maybe Xiao Shi shouldn’t have any, how about that?"

Xiao Shi’s eyes went wide, as if she couldn’t grasp the logic. Genuinely worried she wouldn’t get to eat any, she said urgently, "But the chicken already had all its feathers plucked! It’s so pitiful... if we don’t eat it, won’t it be even *more* pitiful?"

Qin Jiao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

’You can never make sense of a child’s logic.’

Shen Yi set up his easel and began to sketch the scene: the two sisters chatting and Qin Zhonghui preparing the beggar’s chicken.

His hands were cold, and his surroundings were mostly a palette of withered yellows.

But to Shen Yi, the heartwarming scene before him felt exceptionally warm.

Once Xiao Shi was certain her dad had finished plucking the chicken, she went back to squatting by his side, as if genuinely afraid she wouldn’t get her share later.

Qin Jiao didn’t feel like going over to talk to Shen Yi. Besides, he was painting, and it wouldn’t be right to disturb him.

So she sat down on a clean patch of alfalfa, tilted her head back, and looked up at the sky.

Then, a single snowflake drifted down, dancing and swirling through the air before gently landing in the palm of her hand.

’Oh, it’s snowing.’