“Mm, little sister, I’ll catch fish and shrimp for you when I have time,” Zhou Zimo said excitedly to his sister.
“Oh wow, brother, you’re the best!” Zhou Zimeng clapped her hands happily.
“Let’s go, we’ll pick some fruit from the mountain and gather eggs. Later, Mother will make fish for you,” Li Wanting said warmly.
“Okay, Mom,” Zhou Zimo replied, taking his sister’s hand and following their mother’s steps.
“Let’s go up the mountain!” Zhou Zimeng shouted happily.
Li Wanting led the two children up the hillside to start picking fruit.
“Mom, what’s this red fruit?”
“That’s a cherry.”
“Mom, I know this one, it’s a peach!”
“Yes, that’s right, good girl.”
“Wow, these grapes are so sweet!”
…and so on.
The three of them happily filled two baskets with fruit. Li Wanting carried them and then led the children to the other side of the mountain to gather eggs from chickens, ducks, and geese. Seeing the livestock—chickens, ducks, geese, pigs, cows, and sheep—naturally caused the children to run around in excitement.
Although Li Wanting had collected about a half-basket of eggs, Zhou Zimo insisted on filling his own basket, saying he was a boy and could carry it. He promised to help Mother with chores every day. His sister also insisted on helping.
Her son was such a sweet, responsible little boy, and her daughter was a caring little girl—both so thoughtful! Li Wanting was deeply moved.
After leading the children down the mountain, they stored the fruit and eggs in the warehouse. The sheer amount of supplies left the children astonished again.
Li Wanting took some fruit and a few bags of chips and returned to the living room. She washed the fruit, turned on the TV, and finally sat down to rest, while the children, still full of energy, bombarded her with questions. She patiently answered all of them.
By now, it was nearly ten o’clock. Li Wanting taught the children to brush their teeth and wash their faces and prepared to bathe them. Zhou Zimo, shy, insisted on washing himself, claiming “boys and girls shouldn’t touch each other.”
Since the children didn’t have pajamas, Li Wanting gave them her own nightgown. It was too long, so she trimmed it slightly. Though oversized like a cloak, it was wearable.
She put the children to bed, turned off the lights, and left the small nightlight on. She took out a tablet for bedtime stories and tossed the family’s laundry into the washing machine. Only then did she begin washing herself.
The clothes, patched and worn, were all they had. Li Wanting’s modern clothes couldn’t be worn outside in this world. She needed a way to earn money quickly to escape visible poverty.
Looking in the mirror at her delicate face and graceful figure, she thought she didn’t look like the mother of these two kids at all. She couldn’t help smiling—if it weren’t for the bump on her forehead, she’d be a true beauty by modern standards. She liked what she saw more and more—every woman loves being beautiful.
By the time Li Wanting emerged from the bathroom, both children were asleep. She turned off the tablet, dried and hung the clothes, and lay down in the space left for her by the kids. She soon fell into a deep sleep.
“Brother, when will Mom wake up? I want to watch TV, see Yangyang,” Zhou Zimeng whispered.
“I don’t know. Let’s get dressed first. Then maybe I can turn on the TV for you,” Zhou Zimo whispered back.
“Mm,” Zhou Zimeng obediently nodded and started putting on her clothes.
Zhou Zimo quickly dressed as well and helped his sister, thoughtfully closing the bedroom door behind them.
When Li Wanting awoke groggily, she faintly heard TV sounds from the living room. Startled, she sat up. Her mind snapped back, remembering that she had… somehow traveled to another time? She glanced around—both children were gone—and hurried to put on her slippers and went out.
She found only her daughter sitting on the sofa, eating fruit and watching TV. “Zimeng, where’s your brother?” she asked, puzzled.
“Mom, you’re awake! Brother said he went up the mountain to feed the pigs and collect eggs. He wouldn’t let me go—he said to wait for you,” Zhou Zimeng pouted, clearly a little disappointed.
Li Wanting pulled her daughter into her arms and said gently, “It’s okay, Zimeng. When there’s time, Mom will take you too. Are you hungry?”
“A little. I ate some apple, not too hungry,” Zimeng rubbed her tummy.
Li Wanting glanced at the clock on the wall—7:10. She put her daughter down and said, “I’ll wash up and make breakfast. You can watch TV a little while, okay?”
“Mm,” Zimeng nodded obediently.
After washing up, Li Wanting got bread slices, eggs, lettuce, chicken cutlets, and milk from the warehouse. She made chicken cutlet sandwiches and warmed the milk. Just as she came out of the kitchen, Zhou Zimo returned.
“Son, wash your hands. Time to eat.”
“Okay, Mom.”
Li Wanting placed the sandwiches on the table. Zhou Zimo pulled his sister to sit down as well.
“Mom, what is this? It looks so delicious!” curious little Zimeng asked, pointing at the sandwiches and milk.
“This is a chicken cutlet sandwich, and this is milk,” Li Wanting explained, giving each child one sandwich.
“Wow, meat! The meat is so yummy!” Zimeng exclaimed joyfully.
Li Wanting smiled. “It’s delicious, right? Eat more. Here, drink some milk to smooth your throat.”
The siblings happily ate the sandwiches and sipped the milk, enjoying the faint aroma and feeling content.
“So this is milk? It comes from cows? White and delicious—I’ve never had it before,” Zimeng said, wide-eyed with curiosity.
“Yes, it’s milk from cows,” Li Wanting replied, eating as well.
“Mom, I fed the pigs, chickens, ducks, and geese, and gathered the eggs. I put them in the warehouse,” Zhou Zimo said, finishing a bite of sandwich.
“Really? Son, you’re amazing. Eat more,” Li Wanting encouraged, giving him another sandwich.
“Mm, thanks, Mom,” Zhou Zimo said, and dug into the sandwich again.
Seeing her son so capable, Li Wanting thought—well, maybe child labor? But no, children in poor families back then were used to farm work. Her son was enthusiastic, and she shouldn’t discourage him. As long as she managed the work and didn’t let him overdo it, it was fine.
After breakfast, Li Wanting led the children out of the space. They couldn’t live there forever; humans were social creatures and needed interaction with the outside world.
With hoes and small knives, baskets on their backs, they headed up the mountain. The mountains weren’t lush—plants were yellowed and dry. A drought had lasted two years. Even the crops were dead. This year, it seemed there would be no harvest at all.