"I'll think about it some more!" Lin Chun spat twice and continued to swing his axe back to work.
"Alright!" Lin Dong didn't urge further. He gathered the chopped wood Lin Chun had split and neatly stacked it by the woodpile.
Once Lin Chun and Lin Dong left for work and school, Lin Qiu went to the backyard, and Lin Xia returned to her room to sort out all her belongings.
When she saw the money wrapped in a floral handkerchief—seven yuan and fifty-six cents—Lin Xia sighed lightly.
Although the purchasing power of this money was impressive now, and the amount could buy quite a few things, it was not enough for starting the small business she had in mind.
However, Lin Xia was only discouraged for a moment before she gathered her spirits. Afraid of having no capital? After all, she had just returned to the past, and there were still people and events to sort out.
Besides, business isn't as simple as just talking about it; she needed to do some research before taking action.
So, she could save up the capital slowly.
Having understood this, Lin Xia rolled up the handkerchief and tucked it into her pocket, then subconsciously touched her hair. She had sweated profusely the previous night due to a high fever, and now not only her body but also her hair felt uncomfortably sticky.
She put on her shoes, stepped out of the house, lifted the lid of the large pot, and found the water inside still warm, perfect for washing.
Lin Xia filled nearly half a basin with water and brought it into the Western House.
In the bungalow, no one locked the doors during the day, and she didn't know who might come by. So, Lin Xia turned around, locked the door, and drew the curtains before she began to undress, hoping to wash her hair and clean her body.
At that moment, she touched the Peach Wood Sword she used to wear all the time.
The Peach Wood Sword was something her mother had somehow obtained for her when she was young.
Lin Xia had worn it for many years, until one day it mysteriously disappeared and was never found again.
Gently removing it, Lin Xia's eyes filled with nostalgia as she touched the carvings on the sword. Due to long wear, the Peach Wood Sword had turned dark red and glossy.
Thinking of her mother, Lin Xia felt sentimental. Remembering her mother's tragic life, and since so many years had passed, her image of her mother had blurred, barely recalling her tenderness.
Thinking also of their previous lives brought tears to her eyes.
By chance, a tear fell on the Peach Wood Sword, and she quickly wiped it off.
Suddenly, a strange occurrence happened—an inexplicable force sucked her in, and though Lin Xia's body didn't move, her consciousness felt as though it was drawn into a room.
Lin Xia was very frightened, not understanding what was happening.
She found herself in a vast, empty room.
Looking around, she saw nothing but jade-colored walls on all sides.
There was mist swirling in front of her, and she cautiously drifted towards it.
When she reached through the mist, she still saw a green Jade in front of her.
She was confused, wondering why she had entered here? What was the purpose of this vast room?
As she pondered how to exit, her consciousness suddenly returned to her body.
Lin Xia's eyes widened, stunned as she looked at the Peach Wood Sword lying in her palm. From its appearance, the sword seemed ordinary, just having more strange and peculiar patterns than others she had seen.
But that room in the Jade was too frightening. Could it be that the room was inside this tiny Peach Wood Sword?
Lin Xia felt as if her brain wasn't functioning enough. Revisiting the past was shocking enough, and now this was added.
Eager to understand what the Jade and Peach Wood Sword were all about, she began her exploration.
She entered the experiment several times and discovered that her body couldn't enter, only her consciousness could, and the room within the Jade was approximately twice the size of their current house.
When she realized this posed no harm to her, she clenched the Peach Wood Sword tightly.
Perhaps this was a treasure beyond value, but it had opened because her tears had unintentionally fallen upon it.
Lin Xia tried to put items like combs and towels inside using her consciousness and then quickly took them out again.
Seeing these items intact, she was ecstatic. Having this room to store things meant she could not only keep her belongings safe but also perhaps start some kind of business, couldn't it?
With this tremendous discovery, Lin Xia felt even more confident about the future.
At that moment, a series of footsteps approached.
Lin Xia knew it must be Lin Qiu coming back from the backyard, so she quickly hung the Peach Wood Sword back around her neck and casually wiped her eyes.
Lin Qiu pushed the door but couldn't open it, "Sis, why is the door latched?"
"I was thinking of washing my hair. I'll open the door for you right now!" Lin Xia hurriedly responded and went to open the door for Lin Qiu.
Regarding this sudden discovery, she temporarily didn't want to let her sister know.
Not only because of this, but also because her returning this one time was inexplicable.
As soon as Lin Qiu entered, she saw that her sister's face was radiant, yet there were traces of tears in her eyes.
She worriedly asked, "Sis! Why were you crying?"
Wasn't everything fine before? But looking at her sister's complexion and eyes, it didn't seem like she was sad.
Lin Xia grabbed Lin Qiu's hand, "I am happy!"
Her heart was excited and thrilled, but faced with her sister, there were some things she couldn't explain, so all she could do in her heart was silently apologize.
Lin Qiu was reassured, "Sis, haven't you washed yet? Is the water too cold? If it is, I'll go get you some more!"
She touched the water in the basin; it was no longer hot, "I'll go swap it out for you!"
Lin Xia cheerfully acknowledged, "Okay, swap it for me, thanks so much, Xiaoqiu!"
Lin Qiu turned around with surprise, feeling that her sister at this moment was even more astonishingly different from her behavior at lunch, since it was rare for her sister to speak so lightheartedly.
Lin Xia washed her hair and carefully dried her body with a towel. She sniffed, smelling the scent of soap, her body feeling much fresher.
She carefully placed the Peach Wood Sword into her underwear; this would be her secret, one she could not share with anyone.
Lin Qiu, busy moving back and forth, hadn't noticed these details. When she came inside, she urged Lin Xia, "Sis, lie down for a while longer!"
"Okay! Xiaoqiu, you rest too!" Lin Xia beckoned Lin Qiu to lie down on the kang with her.
Lin Qiu's hands weren't idle; she continued to knit the sleeves of Lin Chun's sweater.
Lin Xia lay there, fully unable to sleep, silently watching Lin Qiu's nimble movements and sank into deep thought.
If she remembered correctly, her coworker Liu Lanying's mother-in-law held a minor official position at the garment factory.
In her previous life, she was too shy to ask for a favor, and later Lin Qiu ended up working in the soy sauce factory.
The ordeals that Lin Qiu faced, which pained Lin Xia every time she thought about them, made her hate herself for not having the ability to stand up for her sister more effectively.