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

Ya Ya sighed, her little brows furrowing slightly. She reluctantly took the half-eaten meat bun, shook her head like a little adult, and said in a soft, slightly reproachful voice, "Grandma, why are you being so willful again? Sigh, I just can't do anything with you. Ya Ya is really full."

Despite her words, she took a big bite of the meat bun. The soft dough and the rich aroma of meat exploded in her mouth. After chewing a couple of times, the oily juice seeped out from the meat filling and melted on her tongue.

The minced meat was finely chopped and mixed with a touch of fresh scallion flavor. Ya Ya's eyes curved into two bright little crescents as she ate with great joy.

Seeing her like this, Granny Liu secretly smiled and slowly ate the meat bun in her hand. The delicious taste was something she had never tasted in her life. Now, thanks to Xiao Ya Ya, this old woman was able to taste a heavenly delicacy.

There were also five large white steamed buns, four large meat buns, and a bag of golden-yellow flatbreads on the kang (heated brick bed). In this early spring weather, they could last a long time.

"My silly girl, did you suffer any injustice this time? So many things, all clean and tidy, including such rare items, you can't just throw them away like that, can you?"

Ya Ya is a child who is very willing to share. Just as she was about to tell Grandma Liu, she asked about it.

Thinking of that kind aunt, her already smiling face beamed even brighter.

"Grandma, this time Ya Ya went to a morning market called Northeast Market. There were so many vegetables, golden-yellow fruits, and stacks of steamed buns. Ya Ya also met a kind auntie with a round face. She warmed Ya Ya by the fire and gave her some sweet porridge. Ya Ya helped her pass things and do chores, and the auntie gave Ya Ya all these things, saying it was for Ya Ya's wages!"

"This silver bucket is amazing; it keeps the porridge warm all the time. And this little spoon, it all belongs to Auntie. Next time Ya Ya goes there, she must wash it clean and return it. She can't just take such precious things from Auntie for nothing."

She took another small bite of the meat bun and continued, "Auntie wanted to take me home, but Ya Ya was afraid that if Auntie saw Ya Ya suddenly disappear, she would think Ya Ya was a monster, so she pointed to an intersection and ran away!"

Grandma Liu listened quietly, gently patting Ya Ya's back. The child's back was thin, and her eyes were full of heartache and relief.

It breaks my heart to see the child, so young, treading carefully and fearfully in an unfamiliar place, having to consider so many things.

Fortunately, she met such a kind person who is also so sensible and knows his place.

Facing the firelight, she clasped her hands together and whispered, "Thank you to all the gods for your protection, thank you to all the kind people for protecting my little sprout."

Looking into Ya Ya's eyes, she said solemnly, "Ya Ya, if you go to a new place next time, you must be careful and be wary of strangers. Grandma will say it again: I hope you go there less often. I don't want you to take any risks. You are my lifeblood, my precious child."

Ya Ya nodded obediently. Grandma Liu knew she couldn't stop her; the child was sensible, so she didn't say anything.

The grandfather and grandson took turns eating the meat buns, and also finished about a finger joint's worth of the full bucket of corn porridge.

With her belly feeling warm and full, Grandma Liu felt that after eating all this, she broke out in a sweat and her fever had completely gone down.

The flames from the firewood gradually died down. Grandma Liu got off the kang (a heated brick bed), took a washcloth, soaked it, and wiped Ya Ya's hands and face clean. She then pushed Ya Ya further into the kang, saying, "My dear girl, lie down and go to sleep. Grandma will come and keep you company after I'm done tidying up."

Ya Ya obediently pulled the thin blanket over herself, her eyelids slowly grew heavy, and soon she was fast asleep with shallow breathing. A smile still lingered on her little face.

Grandma Liu tiptoed down the ground and, just like Ya Ya, carefully screwed the lid of the shiny silver thermos tightly. Her fingertips touched the cool, smooth body of the thermos, her heart filled with wonder.

He wiped the small transparent spoon clean and put it into the old wooden cabinet next to the kang (heated brick bed) along with the thermos. Then he put the remaining four meat buns, five large white steamed buns, and a dozen fried sugar cakes, along with the cloth bag, into the cabinet as well. Only then did he take out a small brass lock from the bottom and fasten it.

Finally, she pressed the firewood into the ashes to extinguish the fire, then gathered up the surface ash to protect the embers underneath. After tidying up, she groped her way back to the kang (heated brick bed) in the dark, lay down, hugged Ya Ya's small body, and smelled the faint aroma of meat still lingering in the air. She slept peacefully through the night.

……

As dawn broke, the crisp chirping of birds, carried on the crisp morning breeze, awakened the sleeping Lotus Village.

Yesterday afternoon, Zhao, the hunter, went up the mountain and caught a few small fish, each about the thickness of a thumb, from the mountain stream. He also dug up some wild kudzu roots. The day before, he wouldn't have had the strength to dig this spot. He was only able to do so thanks to the food the village chief had given him.

The tubers, heavy with the smell of mud, were a rare and precious harvest.

After returning to the village in the evening, he handed the fish and kudzu root to the old village chief.

At this moment, the village chief set up a large pot at the village entrance. Aunt Lin and the village chief's wife, Granny Li, peeled off the rough skin of these wild kudzu roots, cut them into small pieces, added enough water to the pot, and started simmering them over low heat, waiting for them to turn into kudzu starch paste.

There are 21 people in the village, and each person can only get a small half bowl.

Everyone had some energy after getting salt yesterday, so they were all busy. At the village entrance, they were cooking porridge, and several old men, supporting each other, were carrying bamboo baskets as they walked towards the hillside on the edge of the village. The wild vegetables there had been dug up again and again, but they were still squatting on the ground, squinting their eyes, digging through the soil to find the newly sprouted shepherd's purse and sow thistle.

Those who were feeling a little better went to gather firewood. A few who knew about Granny Liu's situation gathered extra firewood to take to the grandmother and grandson later.

A few elderly people with some strength were slowly digging at the yellow mud with hoes, trying to clear a small patch of the buried vegetable garden, hoping that even if they could only plant some fast-growing vegetables, it would be a glimmer of hope.

Yesterday's sip of salt water, combined with today's porridge, brought light back to everyone's eyes. As long as we're willing to put in the effort and keep working hard, we can get through this.

Even the youngest child, Xiao Shuanzi, was crawling around Grandma Wang's feet, his little hands red from the cold.

No one in the entire Lotus Village lay around waiting for food. With that bowl of salt water, everyone exerted their strength to carve out a path to survival for themselves and the whole village in this desperate situation.

As dawn broke, Ya Ya, who had eaten too much, woke up rubbing her eyes. As soon as she opened her eyes, she clung to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and asked, "Grandma, where are the steamed buns, meat buns, and sugar cakes? Ya Ya wants to take them to Grandpa Village Chief."

Grandma Liu gently ran her thin, withered hands through Ya Ya's messy, soft hair. "Ya Ya, do you want to give it to Grandpa Village Chief, or do you want him to share it with everyone? Like yesterday?"

"Of course we'll share them with everyone! We'll give them to Grandpa Fang and Grandma Fang, and to Xiaodouzi and Xiaoshuanzi. Xiaoshuanzi must be craving meat, and there are also white steamed buns, they're so soft! Grandpa and Grandma are getting old, they need something soft to eat!"

Grandma Liu looked at Ya Ya's clear, bright eyes reflecting the morning light and didn't reach for the small key.

The child doesn't understand the meaning of "possessing a treasure is a crime," nor does she understand the shock that these things she brought back would cause to others. She only knows that she should give what she considers the best to those who are good to her.

Grandma Liu closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was a bad grandma; she was selfish and didn't want Ya Ya to get hurt.

But she remembered that the day before yesterday, when she had a fever, Ya Ya was so worried that her eyes turned red. Old Man Wang, who was blind at the east end of the village, groped around and stuffed half a piece of bran cake that he had saved into Ya Ya's hands, asking her to take it back.

I remember Zhao the hunter who helped the villagers chop firewood and carry water every day.

I remember how everyone saved a bite of food, sharing a piece here and a bowl there, to support this old woman and Ya Ya until now.

In this village, there's no longer any concept of "yours" or "mine." Even the little bit of salt water is shared, one bite at a time, to save it for the weakest elderly and children.

But this secret is too heavy, too heavy for an old woman on her deathbed and a five-year-old child to carry.

"Ya Ya, Grandpa's here to see you. Yesterday, your Uncle Zhao found a lot of kudzu roots and cooked them into a porridge. It was delicious and filling. Come and get some."

"Thanks to that braised egg dish you brought, our Lotus Village has come alive again."