Thinking about the extra land that had appeared in her space, Xu Qinghe felt exceptionally cheerful. She even scrubbed the cooking pot with extra enthusiasm.
The large iron pot on the earthen stove had bits of vegetable residue stuck to it. Although the original owner’s family rarely cooked with much oil, years of use had given the pot a seasoned coating.
Some spots were so stubborn that she had to scrub them several times with steel wool before they finally came clean. Fortunately, she had washed it inside the space. Otherwise, it would have taken far more effort.
She cleaned the bowls and chopsticks on the stove, the clay water jar coated in a layer of dust, and the old wooden table that had accumulated its own patina over the years.
After taking them back out of the space, everything looked noticeably newer.
She arranged them back in their original places.
As for the farming tools, ramie fibers, and grain sacks, she left them stored away for the time being.
When she stepped back and looked around the house again, it felt completely different.
The rooms were still low-ceilinged and gray, but the kang beds were no longer cluttered with random objects. Nothing was scattered across the floor, and the ground was no longer covered in dust.
The furnishings in the main room were still old, but they were clean now.
Each tiny improvement made the house feel a little more comfortable.
Satisfied, Xu Qinghe dusted off her hands and sat beside the brazier.
No matter how she secured the grass mats over the windows with stones, the wind still managed to lift them.
She clearly needed a better solution.
The menstrual cloth she had burned earlier was already gone, so she tossed the remaining reeds into the fire as well.
From the original owner’s memories and from the dreams she’d had before arriving, she knew that wealthier families sometimes used paper windows to block the wind.
Paper-making in this era was highly developed.
There was fine paper for writing and painting, but also sturdier paper used by common people for paper clothing and paper quilts.
This year, because the winter was especially severe, the government had even distributed paper quilts as disaster relief.
The paper used for clothing and bedding was remarkably tough and difficult to tear.
Some families used it to cover their windows during winter.
According to the original owner’s memories, a few households in the village used paper-covered windows.
They were all relatively well-off families.
Most people still relied on grass mats because they were essentially free.
Using paper on windows might seem extravagant and attract envy from the villagers.
But Xu Qinghe believed that priorities mattered.
When two things couldn’t both be achieved, one had to choose the more important one.
And for her, warmth and privacy were far more important.
The New Year holidays had only recently ended, and the weather was still bitterly cold.
The county market was probably quiet right now, but in a few days she planned to travel there and buy some paper for the windows.
After making that decision, even the violently fluttering grass mats seemed less annoying.
She sat by the fire for a while, burning the remaining reeds.
The warmth gradually spread through her body.
Then she took out a basin of warm water, toothpaste, a towel, and various toiletries from her space.
What she really wanted was a bath.
She didn’t even want to imagine how many lice were hiding in her hair and hemp clothing.
Unfortunately, the current situation didn’t allow it.
For now, she would have to settle for combing her hair.
Undoing her hairstyle, she let her dry, yellow, brittle hair fall loose around her shoulders.
Looking into the mirror, she sighed helplessly.
Back in modern times, years of overwork had already caused some hair loss.
Now, in ancient times, she was even balder.
Malnutrition and infrequent washing had left her forehead shining brightly, with a hairline retreating alarmingly far back.
It wasn’t pretty.
Still, there was one advantage.
Less hair meant fewer lice and easier maintenance.
She picked up a pair of scissors and cut away all the tangled knots.
She trimmed another five or six centimeters from the ends.
Afterward, her hair looked even thinner, but it was much neater and less messy.
As for the ancient belief that cutting one’s hair was taboo—
That was a superstition.
No one was going around conducting inspections.
As long as she didn’t care, it didn’t matter.
Once she had combed her hair smooth, she sprayed a modern anti-lice treatment onto her scalp.
Compared to traditional herbal powders, modern medicine was far more effective.
Then she began combing with a fine-toothed lice comb.
Each pass brought out numerous stunned lice.
The sight made her shudder.
She immediately tossed them into the brazier.
The fire crackled.
A moment later, a faint smell of roasting meat drifted out.
For more than ten minutes, she continued combing until no more lice appeared.
Only then did she gather her hair up again.
Looking in the mirror once more, she saw that her hair still resembled dry straw.
But now it was orderly and tidy.
That alone made a huge difference.
Next, she softened her toothbrush in warm water, squeezed on toothpaste, and brushed for a full two minutes.
When she spat into the basin, the rinse water came out yellowish.
After brushing, her mouth felt immeasurably cleaner.
The sticky film on her teeth and tongue disappeared.
Even her breath smelled fresher.
She grinned at herself in the mirror.
Her teeth were still slightly yellow, but the thick layer of plaque was gone.
More importantly, there were no cavities and no tartar buildup.
She felt grateful that this body was still young.
Even without modern hygiene, it hadn’t yet developed severe dental problems.
The thought of thick tartar made her shudder.
It was disgusting enough in modern times.
In ancient times, without dentists, it would be a nightmare.
After brushing, she washed the toothpaste foam from her face and carefully wiped her skin several times with a warm towel.
Once her face was clean, she took out a tin of snow cream moisturizer.
Scooping out a generous amount, she applied it to the red, windburned patches on her cheekbones.
The irritated skin instantly felt much better.
Then she trimmed the filthy nails on her hands and feet.
Avoiding the chilblains, she carefully wiped away the dirt from her skin.
Using cotton swabs, she cleaned the sores before applying chilblain ointment.
By the time she finished, she felt significantly cleaner and far more energetic.
Xu Qinghe unfolded a reclining chair and placed it beside the brazier.
The coal burned slowly and steadily.
Whenever a gust of wind stirred the ashes, they fell away to reveal glowing red embers beneath.
The heat became even stronger.
Stretching her hands and feet toward the fire, she waited for the ointment to absorb.
It was already late in the day.
By the time she finished everything, dusk had nearly arrived.
The temperature dropped several more degrees.
The wind outside grew steadily stronger.
The grass mats covering the windows shook more violently than before.
Compared to the side rooms, the main room retained heat slightly better.
After the ointment on her feet had absorbed, she removed one layer of grass matting from the left room and hung it over a gap in the main door.
Then she propped a basket filled with coal behind it to hold it in place.
Next, she took out a folding bed.
On top she spread a coral fleece blanket and covered it with a ten-jin cotton quilt.
The brazier and wooden table sat right beside the bed.
Night fell completely.
The entire house became pitch-black except for the dull red glow of the coals.
Xu Qinghe removed the outer hemp garment and slipped beneath the soft quilt.
Then she took out a desk lamp from her space.
She adjusted the light to a warm yellow tone and lowered the brightness.
The entire room was soon bathed in a gentle golden glow.
Outside, the wind howled ever louder.
The door rattled violently.
In the silent winter night, every impact sounded especially clear.
The grass mats in the side rooms could no longer keep out the cold.
The indoor temperature dropped several more degrees.
Wrapped snugly in her blanket, Xu Qinghe used tongs to stir the coals in the brazier, coaxing more heat from the fire.
Thanks to the quilt and the brazier, she felt perfectly warm.
The fierce wind outside couldn’t touch her.
To be honest, she actually liked this feeling.
The stronger the wind blew and the colder the weather became outside, the happier she felt beneath her blanket.
It reminded her of rainy workdays back in the modern world—
when she could stay curled up under the covers, watching people hurry through the streets while she remained warm and comfortable inside.