Chen Zui swallowed, the lingering taste of braised beef still vivid in her mind, when a bone-piercing gust of wind swept through the yard and slapped a handful of dead grass straight into her face.
Reality offered no braised beef—only three shaky thatched huts standing before her.
The roof was sparse, like a balding man’s head, letting most of the daylight leak straight through. The window paper had long since vanished, leaving only bare wooden frames that creaked in the wind.
“Dad… Mom…”
In the shadowed corner of the house, two thin figures huddled together.
The eldest sister, Chen Yinuo, was twelve. She wore a worn cotton jacket that was too short for her, her trousers covered in patches. She held tightly onto her ten-year-old sister, Chen Erxiu, both of their hands red from the cold as they stared in fear at their father, whose head was covered in blood, and their mother, who looked unusually resolute.
They had just heard from villagers that the third branch had been separated from the main family and sent here—to this broken hut.
Third Uncle Chen looked at his two daughters trembling in the corner, his heart aching like it was being cut by a blunt knife. He set down the broken iron pot with a missing corner and swayed slightly, darkness flickering at the edge of his vision.
Although the wound on his head had scabbed over, the blood loss left him unsteady.
“Don’t be afraid,” he said through gritted teeth, forcing himself upright. “Your father is here. Yinuo, take Erxiu to gather some firewood. I’ll get on the roof and fix it—at least we won’t freeze tonight.”
Li Shi, ignoring her own weakness from earlier bleeding, rolled up her sleeves and began sweeping out years of dust and rat droppings.
“Husband… your head injury…” her voice trembled as she looked at his pale face.
“I’m fine. I won’t die,” Third Uncle Chen said, waving it off. He went outside to find mud and dried grass that could be used for repairs. He knew clearly—if the roof wasn’t fixed today, the whole family would freeze to death tonight.
Watching their parents move shakily yet still working, Chen Zui quietly slipped away toward the corner of the kitchen wall.
This was a blind spot.
She closed her eyes, and her consciousness sank instantly into her spatial storage.
The shelves inside were filled with modern supplies, giving her confidence—but she couldn’t take anything out directly. Her gaze passed over the self-heating meals and landed on a bag of premium white steamed buns.
Soft, slightly sweet steamed buns left over from a cafeteria meal.
With a thought, she took out four buns, along with a pack of compressed biscuits. Then, instead of bringing them out whole, she carefully broke everything into pieces inside the space, kneading them into crumbs and wrapping them in a torn cloth she had brought from the old house.
Then she looked at the spiritual spring.
The water shimmered faintly blue.
After choosing a moment when no one was watching, she filled a broken bamboo tube with ordinary water, then added just a single drop—only one drop—of highly concentrated spiritual spring essence.
When everything was ready, she carried the bulging cloth bundle back to the main room.
“Dad! Mom! Big sister! Come quickly!”
She lowered her voice deliberately, waving them over as though she were presenting a treasure.
Third Uncle Chen, still sealing cracks in the wall, paused and wiped his sweat. “Xiao Liu, what is it?”
Chen Zui spread the cloth bundle on the ground.
White steamed bun crumbs and strange-smelling biscuit bits stood out starkly in the dim hut.
“This…” Chen Yinuo covered her mouth, her stomach betraying her with a loud growl.
“Where did this come from?” Li Shi’s face changed immediately, glancing toward the door in fear. “Did you steal from the main house?”
“No!” Chen Zui shook her head innocently. “I hid it before. When Grandma wouldn’t give us food, I secretly hid dry rations in a mouse hole. I dug them out just now. They’re broken, but clean!”
She handed over the bamboo tube.
“And this is spring water I collected from the back mountain. It’s sweet.”
Third Uncle Chen stared at the broken food, his eyes turning red again.
A three-year-old child had been forced to survive like a rat, hiding food just to stay alive.
“Eat,” he said hoarsely.
He grabbed a handful of crumbs and stuffed them into his mouth. The dry grains scratched his throat but carried the comforting scent of real food. Then he drank a large gulp from the bamboo tube.
The moment the water entered his throat, he froze.
A warm flow spread instantly from his stomach to his limbs. His dizzy head from blood loss suddenly cleared, as if a cold wind had swept through it. Even the sharp pain in his skull eased noticeably, like a gentle hand had soothed it away.
“This water…” he murmured in shock.
“What’s wrong?” Li Shi asked nervously.
“It’s sweet… really sweet,” he said, brushing it off as hunger’s illusion. He handed it over. “Drink, it’ll ease your fatigue.”
Li Shi took a sip—and her pale, deathlike face visibly regained a hint of color. Warmth spread through her body, and the despair that had been crushing her seemed to lighten.
The two older sisters also received their share of food and water.
Soon, the five-member family sat together inside the drafty hut, a small fire crackling in the center.
The flames flickered, reflecting on their hungry faces as they devoured the food.
No table, no chairs—they sat on dried grass. The broken iron pot was placed over the fire, simmering a thin “porridge” made with Chen Zui’s secret additions.
Holding a piece of bun crumb, Chen Zui watched her father’s wound no longer bleeding. The spiritual spring was working. It didn’t make them superhuman, but it was enough to stabilize their condition.
“Dad, Mom,” Chen Zui said after swallowing, clapping her hands like a little adult.
“The grandparents don’t want us anymore. That just means they’re blind.”
Third Uncle Chen paused and looked at his youngest daughter.
Chen Zui stood up. Her shadow stretched long across the wall in the firelight.
“I have strength. I can fight Uncle, and I can work too.” She raised her thin arm and clenched her fist. “From now on, I’ll support the family. Eldest sister is good at cooking, second sister is good with her hands. As long as we work together, we’ll live a hundred times better than the main house!”
Chen Yinuo looked at her determined little sister. Some of her fear faded, and she gently patted Chen Zui’s head.
“Xiao Liu is right. Tomorrow I’ll go dig wild vegetables. We won’t go hungry.”
“I… I can sew,” Erxiu whispered, mustering courage. “I can mend clothes. We’ll stay warm this winter.”
Li Shi looked at her three sensible daughters, tears falling again—but this time they were warm.
“Good… good,” Third Uncle Chen said, standing up with renewed strength. “Rest here. I’ll go seal the wall again. Tonight, none of us will freeze!”
Outside, the wind howled like ghosts crying.
Inside, firelight flickered warmly.
Chen Zui leaned against her mother, listening to her steadying heartbeat, gazing through the broken window into the dark night.
The first hurdle was passed.
But it wasn’t enough.
Two mu of barren land couldn’t feed them, and winter was coming fast. Their small stockpile wouldn’t last long.
Chen Zui narrowed her eyes and looked toward the pitch-black mountains in the distance.
That… was her real “bank.”