The little one's purse connects the two worlds, turning a desolate village into a paradise.

Gou Ya has chosen a place to stay.

It was an empty house, about the same size as Granny Liu's small earthen house, with a small courtyard. It wasn't far from Granny Liu's house, about a hundred steps away.

Because no one takes care of it, the simple wooden fence of the courtyard has cracked and fallen apart, with sections leaning to the ground here and there, looking rather dilapidated.

Xinghua and several kind-hearted elderly people in the village helped each other thoroughly clean the house, sweeping away a thick layer of dust and cleaning the cobwebs in the corners.

The door was broken long ago; the hinge was broken in half and it could only be barely held onto the door frame, creaking and swaying in the wind.

Xinghua asked Gouya if she wanted to change rooms, since there were still so many empty houses in the village.

Gou Ya didn't really want to change; she could sleep anywhere, even without a door or a room.

Her own house in the village had long been occupied by others, so she just made do wherever there was shelter from the rain.

Having a complete house now is already very good.

She preferred this kind of small house, where you could see the whole thing at a glance, with neat and orderly walls on all four sides. It was small and made her feel at ease.

The village chief led a group to fetch her a bucket of water and two bundles of firewood. They also helped her clean the stove, which hadn't been used in a long time, removing a lot of accumulated ash so that it could be used to start a fire and boil water.

After finishing her chores, Xinghua brought her all the clothes—a complete set: thermal underwear, long underwear, and the white fleece pants with a puppy pattern that she had kept at Doctor Chen's house and hadn't worn yet.

She also took a padded jacket, exactly the same as the one Xinghua was wearing.

Xinghua was about to help start the fire when Grandma Wang came over and called them to come to the yard for dinner.

Gou Ya stood awkwardly with her eyes downcast. She was so slovenly and said to bring bad luck to her family; she really shouldn't have been at the table.

Xinghua knew she still had reservations, so she didn't press her and left with the other villagers.

After everyone left, Gou Ya's tense body slowly relaxed. She lit a fire in front of the stove and boiled a pot of water.

As steam rose gently, she stood in the room, slowly surveying the space. A slight smile unconsciously crept onto her lips; she finally had her own little world of her own.

The water was bubbling on the stove. Gou Ya slowly scooped out the hot water, quickly washed herself, and then carefully picked up the set of underwear.

The triangular pants with three large holes, Xinghua said, were the innermost, most form-fitting underwear she wore.

There are also thin-legged pants, which are said to be called long johns, and they are worn close to the skin underneath...

Gou Ya touched the soft fabric in her hand; it was delicate and smooth, and tiny flowers were printed on it.

Clean, beautiful, and soft.

It's something she can't possibly have.

Afraid that she wasn't clean enough and would ruin such nice clothes, she carefully wiped herself from head to toe before putting on the clothes in order.

The fabric clung to her skin, warm and soft. Then she put on those snow-white fleece trousers, fluffy and light, and finally wrapped herself in the same thick yellow coat with blue and green flowers that Xinghua had worn, thick and warm, enveloping her completely.

Her fingertips gently caressed the fabric, and Gou Ya's eyes welled up with tears that fell without her realizing it. She had never worn such fine clothes in her entire life, nor had she ever been treated with such kindness and acceptance.

Inside the room, an old mat was laid on the kang (a heated brick bed), and a reed quilt was placed on top of the mat.

Grandma Wang gave her the mattress that she had taken out of her own house to use as a mattress.

Now that everyone has a new quilt, there are extras available. Otherwise, how could such a valuable family property as a cattail quilt be given away so easily!

Even if a family has a large number of members, they all share one quilt. If someone has their own quilt, they must have a very high status and be the most favored person in the family.

"Why are you crying? Are you feeling unwell?" Xinghua came in carrying a bowl of rice and oil, and immediately saw Gouya dressed in new clothes staring blankly at the cattail quilt in the middle of the room, tears streaming down her face.

"No... I don't feel unwell..." Gou Ya hurriedly sniffed.

"That's good. Drink this while it's hot to fill your stomach. I still have work to do, so I'll head back now." Xinghua put the rough porcelain bowl on the ground, said goodbye to Gouya, and didn't linger any longer.

She even shed tears when she put this outfit on herself!

She understands.

That's happiness, that's joy. There's no need to coax or look at her. Staying any longer would only make Gou Ya uncomfortable.

Gou Ya gradually calmed down and drank some warm rice gruel.

After finishing her drink, she carefully washed the bowl and returned it. She also took the little hat pattern that Xinghua had shown her earlier, and brought back some dried cattails. She then sat quietly on her doorstep and began weaving hats.

She was skillful and meticulous in her weaving, and soon small, exquisite straw hats took shape, stacked one by one beside her.

As evening fell, Gou Ya rubbed her sore wrists and carefully tucked the knitted little hats into her bosom, also neatly folding the snow-white paper.

Then they slowly made their way into Granny Liu's courtyard.

As soon as I approached Grandma Liu's yard, a rich and mellow aroma of soy sauce wafted over.

Gou Ya couldn't help but take a deep breath and curiously looked up. She saw bowls of stir-fried mountain snails in the yard. She didn't know what rare seasonings were used, but the aroma alone was so enticing that people couldn't tear themselves away.

The glistening broth coated the shiny black snail shells, making her secretly swallow her saliva.

"Sister Gouya, you're here!"

Ya Ya, who was circling around the pot smelling the aroma, spotted her immediately.

Gou Ya awkwardly tugged at the corners of her mouth, forced a smile, nodded to Ya Ya, and then cautiously approached the table.

The red floral coat that Dr. Chen gave her had large, deep pockets, and she had stuffed some things into the pockets of her little hat on both sides, just enough to fit them all.

She reached into her pocket and kept rummaging around, and one after another, small and exquisite straw hats landed on the table. At a glance, there were about twenty of them!

Each one is intricately woven, and some are even decorated with small, bright green wildflowers that she specially wove along the edges, making them look fresh and lovely, showing that she put a lot of thought into them.

"Wow--"

"So cute and pretty!" Ya Ya covered her mouth with her little hands, her eyes instantly shining like stars. "Sister, you're amazing!"

Ya Ya's exclamation attracted the attention of the adults in the yard. The village chief, Granny Liu, Ji Chuntao and several others gathered around.

Feeling stared at by so many people, Gou Ya subconsciously shrank back two steps, afraid that her bad luck would offend these kind people.

The next second, her cold hand was grabbed. Ji Chuntao held Gou Ya's hand, laughing heartily, "Oh my, how did you grow such nimble little hands!"

"You've woven so many in such a short time, and each one is so exquisite. If you were to do embroidery, you would be quite skilled!" Granny Liu smiled kindly at Gou Ya.

"We old women were just worried about not being able to knit the little hats well enough, and you, young lady, have been a great help!"

Sincere praises fell into my ears, and my hand was gently held.

Gou Ya's eyes, which had always been dull and lifeless, gradually began to light up.

It was like a small lamp being lit in the cold night; though small, it gradually dispelled the inferiority and timidity in my heart.

"Take these over to that fairy sister tomorrow and let her see them. Also, this contract, we all put our fingerprints on it, and filled in the blanks." Fang Tiesheng handed the contracts to Ya Ya.

Ya Ya nodded, blinked, and quickly collected the small hats and contracts scattered on the table into her spatial storage.

Gou Ya's eyes widened suddenly. The hats and several large sheets of paper that were just piled on the table had vanished in the blink of an eye.