gain, we'll send a notice to the magistrate's office, and make sure not one of you is left alive. You'll all be reunited in the underworld!"Though he dressed plainly, the righteousness in his eyes was...Tao Hongying was busy nailing up reed blinds while stepping on an upside-down willow basket. Hearing her grandmother's orders, she jumped down and went out of the cave with Zhao Yuru to make preparations.

Then Li Laotai whispered a lesson to her granddaughter, "Funiu, you mustn't suddenly take things out like that from now on. Now that you can speak, you have to tell grandma beforehand. Otherwise, if someone sees you, they'll catch you and burn you as a monster! Grandma... grandma wouldn't live either!"

Jiayin didn't expect Grandma to be so angry. In her view, everyone in the family was trustworthy. Now that she had an independent residence and could improve her diet a little, there was nothing wrong with it. She couldn't have the whole family live frugally, while the chickens, ducks, and geese in the space ate and drank well every day...

The old woman saw that her granddaughter was full of grievance, and she couldn't bear it. She hugged her granddaughter and sighed.

"My dear, Grandma knows you care for your family deeply and wish to provide for them since birth. Grandma is happy that you are filial and protective of them."

But grandma also feels sorry for you, grandma doesn't know where these good things come from, but this is all good fortune. Our family hasn't done anything great to deserve it, we can't help you. What if in the future you use up all your good fortune... won't you be in trouble Grandma really can't bear to think about it!

Jia Yin finally understood what the old woman was worried about. Her heart felt both warm and helpless.

Actually, she didn't know what the space was all about. Deep down, she always thought it was because her past life was too lonely and miserable, so heaven took pity on her and gave her another chance to have a family. This space was her golden finger to protect her loved ones.

Grandma probably doesn't know!

All along, when she repeatedly took things out, thinking that she was protecting and taking care of her family, Grandma's heart was actually this worried and conflicted.

Think about it carefully, my father at home hunts, and we don't lack mountain produce. For now, we won't starve.

I was a bit carried away just now!

She quickly hugged her grandmother's neck and gave the old woman a reassuring pat.

"Grandma, I'll be good."

The old woman held her granddaughter's soft little body in her arms. Seeing that she had listened to the advice, she finally let out a sigh of relief.

"You're a burden at home, dragging me down, and you still make this little girl worry about these things. I just hope that we can settle down soon, and our family will live a good life. You just need to grow up well!"

The mountain wind howled, drilling into the cave with a gust. Seeing the two generations like this, it didn't dare to disturb them and ran away again.

In the valley, more than half the village was still bustling around the campfire.

It was a cold night, but people's hearts were warm.

Weaving blinds, fetching water, cooking and cleaning, the endless chores keep us busy, but there's always something to talk about.

Li Laosan had already mixed a pile of mud, and hearing his wife shouting, he called out to Li Laosi and Jia Yihuan, together they went down to their family cave.

Jiayi climbed up the soft ladder, carrying a bucket of thin mud, like a monkey, in just three or two moves.

Then, he stood at the entrance of the cave, and Li Lao Si began throwing stones upward.

Each stone was about the size of a small clay pot, but in the hands of the uncle and nephew, it felt as light as a sweet potato. They tossed them around playfully and then threw them all up into the air.

When others saw it, they were envious and rushed to ask for help.

Then, the uncle and nephew threw all the stones from their home and went to each cave to help.

By the time they got back home, Li Lao San had already helped Jia Huan build the earth oven and started a fire.

Two small pots were placed on the stove. One pot was used to boil water and cook vegetable porridge, while the other was used to cook sweet potatoes.

It was just that the entrance wasn't covered, and the mountain wind blew in, pushing the smoke inward, making everyone cough.

Li Laosan scratched his head sheepishly, a little embarrassed.

"Tomorrow, brick up half the opening, hang some blinds, and then find some wood to make a chimney. That way, the smoke will go straight out."

"Okay, that's good enough. After dinner, let's put the baskets outside the door to block some of the wind."

Old Mrs. Li comforted her son, saying that this was already very good compared to spending the night in the forest.

Soon, both mischievous boys at home, Jia An and Jia Xi, came back.

It's rare for the whole family to get together and have a quiet dinner.

Lao Li was delighted, she sliced three salted duck eggs and the whole family ate them with glutinous rice porridge and boiled sweet potatoes, savoring every bite.

The cave was very rudimentary, with wind howling through the entrance, making it far from cozy.

But a whole family needn't worry about wild beasts appearing suddenly, nor about insects and snakes crawling on them; that alone is an immense satisfaction.

After a silent night, everyone was even busier the next morning.

After a simple meal, the group ventured into the forest together.

Felling trees, cutting grass, picking mountain goods, even chopping down trees and digging buckets, every household is bustling with activity.

After all, I'm going to live here for a whole winter, and it's well known that the mountains will be snowed in. Not stocking up on firewood and food right now is practically courting death.

Besides Old Mrs. Li who was holding Jia Yin and taking care of the house, everyone else in the Li family had gone down.

Li Laosan found the cave too small and inconvenient, so he chopped down some trees and began to work on a larger space at the edge of the cliff.

He was also skilled with his hands. Not only did he make a chimney, but he also nailed together a square table and several small stools.

Fearing that the small chair wouldn't be comfortable enough, I couldn't sit still and made an extra one with a backrest.

Jiayin lay on the straw mat at the entrance of the cave, peering down to watch the commotion.

Actually, she has quite a few wooden objects in her space, but it's not convenient to take them out right now.

Besides the inevitable interactions between Liu's head and his son, there was also Zhang Shenyi lurking about, eyeing them hungrily.

If she were found out, no one would do anything to her, but it would always cause trouble for the family.

Everyone, like diligent ants, strives to perfect their own little cave bit by bit.

The Li family not only had to take care of themselves, but also lend a hand to the Liu family.

Because the village head's sister-in-law was unwell, and Zhao Shu's several relatives were either lame or disabled, it wasn't so easy for them to work.

Besides being a skilled doctor, this Zhang Shenyi was inept at everything else.

To put it simply, the only ones in the neighboring cave who could be considered laborers were Master Liu and the village head.

Perhaps Heaven has a bit of favoritism towards people, as the weather these days is actually warmer than before.

This gave everyone ample time, and the firewood pile at the foot of the cliff rose seemingly from the ground in mere moments, stacked three tiers high.

Especially the one next to Li's house, it was almost level with the cave opening. It was built against the cliff, not only providing shelter from the wind but also allowing you to reach firewood with just an outstretched hand, which was very convenient.

Of course, when it got down to the wire, they still had to go down and get more firewood. But Zhao Yuru and Tao Hongying were very satisfied with that.

Li Laosi led the young and strong men from the village into the mountains every day to hunt. There were no large game animals, but there were plenty of rabbits and wild chickens.

After the skin is removed and the guts are taken out, it is rubbed with coarse salt and left outside to air-dry for two or three days.

During winter, a big pot of stewed dried vegetables is enough for the whole family to have a good meal.

When Jiayin was idle and had nothing to do, she also began to think about how to help.

While the cave was only occupied by her and her grandmother, she sought her grandmother's permission and quietly brought out two half-worn mattresses from the inner courtyard of the space. She placed them under the dry grass.

This completely blocked the cool air coming from underneath, and it wasn't easy to be discovered. Layering it with oilcloth and bedding made the bed much thicker.

The two hot water bottles I had brought to Jia Ren at the academy, he also carried all the way back.

One on the man's side, one on the woman's side.

After pouring a pot of boiling hot water, snuggling under the blanket, stepping on icy little feet, my whole body warmed up quickly. Everyone sighed contentedly.

Jiā xǐ jiā ān tàoqì, chīxī xīn zhòng, hái yào chāi kāi dài zi kàn kan, bèi Lǐ lǎotài yī rén qiāo le yī jì. The family was happy and peaceful, but he had a big curiosity. He wanted to open the bag to take a look, so Li Laotai hit him with one tap.

"If you dare to open it and talk nonsense, don't expect to eat again."

Jia Xi Jia An immediately became obedient, shrinking into his blankets and only showing a small head. He kept muttering to himself quietly.

Jiayin had been tossing and turning all day, exhausted from the heat. She was drowsy but her brother kept waking her up. Lao Tai Li then gave each grandson a smack individually, and the cave instantly fell silent...

That night, the third heavy snowfall arrived. When the villagers came out of the cave in the morning, the snow had already piled up to their knees.

Everyone is glad they didn't slack off earlier, otherwise, they would be clueless at this time.

Fortunately, the small waterfall had plenty of water and the pool didn't freeze. Everyone could draw water once a day without worry.

Thus, after three or four days, Li Laosi became restless.

He climbed to the cave next door and discussed with the village head and Liu Biaotou about going out to have a look.

Hunt if you can, and it's even better if you encounter signs of people. You should always inquire about the situation outside.

Otherwise, after the year passes, if you step outside and run straight into Barbarian's arms, then things will be bad.ness of people. The Bao family is becoming increasingly bold in their actions now, acting like a cornered animal."After some time, that important matter will be cleared up and settled. When the Third...