ALL NOVEL Because the traps were set near home, she could reach them quickly, but the capture rate wasn't higher than at the hunter's cabin, so she wouldn't be empty-handed all winter.
Since the child was lying alone on the heated brick bed, Wen Qian would set up a barrier when she went out to prevent the child from falling.
Wen Qian always tried to go out and come back quickly, afraid of delaying too long in case something happened to the child.
Fortunately, the child had a regular schedule for sleeping and eating, saving her a lot of trouble.
This winter, Wen Qian trimmed the child's nails for the first time.
The child was asleep, but when Wen Qian turned on the light to trim her nails, she suspected her eyesight might be failing due to old age.
She was constantly worried about cutting the child's flesh, though she never actually did, but by the time she finished trimming with bated breath, her own hands were sweating from the heat.
At the root, the child was just too small, with tiny hands, feet, and a seemingly frail little body.
During this time, she didn't forget to milk the sheep every day, pouring it into jars and storing it in the Space, steaming a batch when she had accumulated a certain amount.
Then she would alternate between feeding the child sheep's milk and formula, as the formula from the city hospital was also limited and not something she could buy with just money.
So if not breastfeeding, sheep's milk was also a good choice.
Although the infant noticed the difference, she didn't refuse to eat, and really seemed to be trying hard to eat, sleep, and grow.
Wen Qian didn't ask for anything else, only hoping the child would grow up safe and healthy, just as her Grandma and Grandpa must have wished for her when she was little.
She thought that when the child grew up, she would probably tell her many stories about her Grandma and Grandpa.
The house gradually filled with more and more things for the child, and Wen Qian would always feel for the child's presence when she slept.
When she first came back, the infant slept for long periods, and she would often check if the child was still breathing, though it seemed silly to keep doing it.
She realized she couldn't sleep as deeply anymore, waking up at the slightest sound.
Raising a child changed many things for Wen Qian, but she also realized she needed to stay healthy as she aged, so she could raise the child to adulthood.
She still had to teach the child how to live in this forest, leaving her with enough life experience.
She would eventually go before the child, so she had to teach her well to leave with peace of mind.
Although she had books on raising children, the environment was no longer what it used to be, when adults worried about children becoming addicted to TV. Now there was nothing left.
What she had to teach was the content of the survival skills books.
Only by learning various survival methods could the child continue to live through the seasons here, though it would also be easier to survive if they left for somewhere else.
At this point, Wen Qian even considered what would happen to the child after her death, just as her Grandma must have worried about her before passing away.
In the past, she missed her own family. Now, she understood the mindset her Grandparents had at the time.
It was like looking in a mirror - caring for the child made her re-experience her Grandparents' love for her, so she felt emotional and nostalgic.
She rushed and took her time, referring to books and her own understanding, making clothes for the child according to the season and different sizes, while also considering the child's rapid growth and potentially needing a larger size.
She also tried making shoes for when the child started walking, but didn't feel they were very good, so she planned to ask her Neighbor for advice in the spring.
If she couldn't learn to make children's shoes herself, she could ask her Neighbor at that time, exchanging goods for them.
Even in winter, Wen Qian had many plans. As the child grew older, Wen Qian wouldn't use the Space as casually as before, since this Space could not be inherited, so her own life would also have to gradually become more grounded.
To become "grounded" meant living like her Neighbors, only able to store what she could obtain through hunting and planting based on reality, whereas before Wen Qian had relied on the Space for many conveniences.
But she had originally planned to live alone, and now that she had a child, the child would have no way to enjoy the conveniences she had from the Space when she was not around.
The most direct example was food storage.
When she stored food in the Space, it would not decrease or spoil.
But using conventional storage methods required preventing rats from stealing food, preventing moisture and spoilage, and preventing insects from growing in the food.
If she wasn't careful with preservation, she could face a food crisis.
Living in the forest was like this - constantly storing food and firewood, but never having a permanent solution.
So in the future, she had to consider how the child would survive independently without the Space, and an adult's words and actions were the best teacher for a child.
What could be more memorable for a child than firsthand experiences? Thinking of this, Wen Qian started writing a teaching plan for herself.
Not that she would lecture the grown child, but rather tell the child about the things and related knowledge she could observe from a young age, on an ongoing basis.
For these things, she would have to learn and teach simultaneously, as many things had been skipped over before due to the Space, but now she would have to pick them up again. This winter, she hunted weasels near her home, with a better harvest than she had expected, though less than at the hunter's cabin.
Each time, she would only go in one direction along a fixed path, going out and coming back quickly, warming herself by the stove before approaching the child upon returning home.
Occasionally, she would hear the child crying while outside and return midway to check the situation.
Because she wasn't shuttling between cabins, she felt her walking distance was greatly reduced this winter.
Although she spent less time hunting in winter, she didn't have free time, using much of it on child-related matters.
This winter season wasn't more relaxed than before, but she did have a clearer plan for her future.
Originally in a retired state, she now suddenly felt like a re-hired retiree, previously able to leave unfinished plans without consequence.
Now, she would strive for the better, to give the child a good foundation.
Although there is no pressure of education, medical care, and housing prices now, she still hopes that her child can have some savings as a buffer for her survival later on.
It's possible that when the child grows up, the general environment may change. If she leaves the forest and walks southward, at least she can still have travel expenses for herself.
Wen Qian cannot predict future events, but she is clear about her own destiny, yet unable to imagine her child's future.
All she can do is to move forward based on the current environment and teach her everything she knows.
Perhaps one day, when watching her child's back as they grow up and leave, she will be able to experience the same feeling as her Grandma and Grandpa had when watching her own back.