Rebirth in 1980: The Farm Wife Makes a Comeback
Chapter 369: Seeing Through Life and Death

Chapter 369: Chapter 369: Seeing Through Life and Death

And yet, even until now, she still fears the snow, a fear embedded deep within her soul. Even though she is less afraid now, she still can’t find herself liking snow. For a farmer with a greenhouse, snow spells disaster.

The next morning, as soon as she woke up, she pulled open the curtains to check on the snow outside. To her shock, it had snowed all night; a thick layer had piled up, even covering the yard in white. On the vast expanse of snow were rows of messy paw prints, undoubtedly left by Conghua.

Qin Xiangnuan was relieved it was Saturday and there were no classes. Otherwise, she would have had to trudge through the snow and endure the cold to get to class, where there was no heating—utterly freezing.

It was very cold outside, she wasn’t sure of the exact temperature, but it was freezing enough for the half cup of water on the windowsill to turn into ice. Yet, inside the house, it was very warm.

She touched the radiator on the side; it was still warm.

These heaters were installed by Jian Zhiqing. He put several in every room, generally heated by a large stove. As long as it was lit, it was warm, although somewhat expensive. Fortunately, they were not short on money now; spending a few hundred for the entire winter wasn’t too much.

She nestled back into her covers, intending to sleep a little more. It was rare for the outside to be cold while the inside was so warm; she wanted to indulge in a bit of laziness. When she woke up again, it was already about ten o’clock, and she crawled out of bed reluctantly. The radiator was still warm, making the room quite hot, probably around twenty degrees Celsius. Most of the snow in the yard had melted, only the snow falling from the sky remained, showing no signs of stopping.

Qin Xiangnuan put on a thick cotton coat, feeling the cold seep in as soon as she stepped outside. After a while, she acclimatized to the outdoor temperature.

With the weather like this, she stretched out her hand and saw snowflakes landing on her fingertips, melting rapidly upon contact.

Flicking the water from her fingers, she was quite worried about the greenhouse; she wasn’t sure if everything was alright.

Just then, Jian Zhiqing came out carrying a large bucket filled with coal for the stove.

"Brother Jian," Qin Xiangnuan ran over and tugged at Jian Zhiqing’s sleeve, "How’s the greenhouse? Is everything okay? Should I go check?"

"Relax, it’s fine," Jian Zhiqing set down the bucket, his fingers stained with coal. His clothes remained clean, his eyes cool yet familiarly warm.

"I checked it first thing in the morning. It’s secure, and with the stove there, it’s much warmer than outside, so the snow melts very quickly."

His words ’first thing in the morning’ made Qin Xiangnuan feel a bit embarrassed. She had overslept today until around ten, while her older brother had gotten up early to sell breakfast with Granny Lu. Jian Zhiqing seemed to be an early riser too, leaving her the only one indulging in sleep.

"Let’s go inside, it’s cold out here."

Jian Zhiqing nudged her, mentioning that exams were close and she had been studying late into the night, causing dark circles under her eyes.

Qin Xiangnuan hurriedly covered her eyes. Had she stayed up late last night? It seemed so, but she had forgotten. She spent a lot of time in the system every day, occasionally napping when tired. Last night, she was so busy she forgot to log into the system and continued her usual tasks until two in the morning without realizing, no wonder she felt so tired today. It was a rare occurrence of sleep deprivation; otherwise, if she were to study as hard as usual, she might have become a national treasure.

Entering the room, a wave of warmth greeted her, making her sigh in comfort.

"It’s really warm."

She took off her cotton coat and tossed it aside, then entered the system to start her daily routine.

Reviewing, previewing, doing homework, embroidery, and writing Spring Festival couplets.

In here, she never had to worry about running out of time. She could be busy as much as she wanted, even if it meant sitting for ten to eight hours straight—she didn’t worry about overdoing it.

But she really had dark circles under her eyes.

She took out a mirror and saw bluish marks under her eyes. Indeed, staying up late was not good. If she kept it up, she’d end up looking like Ah Xiang Po.

Setting down the mirror, she stretched lazily, then took out her study materials and commenced writing. Being a student in the final year of high school was indeed hard, but there was no helping it. If she could just get through this year, she’d be free, no longer needing to study from dawn till dusk.

When she finally logged out of the system, only about half an hour had passed outside, but she felt as if the day had nearly ended. High school final year indeed tortures normal people into madness, she thought. She, herself, was barely coping, and couldn’t fathom those without a system to help them—they must be driven even crazier. It’s no wonder parents stress over having a high school senior at home. Even though she was practically an orphan, she had Granny Lu, her brother, and Jian Zhiqing, who never let her do any chores but just let her eat and study, aiming for a good university.

And yet, there were still over half a year left of these days.

Sometimes, she really hoped time would pass faster, wishing she could fast forward to the day of the college entrance exam. Regardless of whether she got into a good university or not, at least she wouldn’t be a high school senior anymore.

But sometimes, she also wished time would slow down. She didn’t want Granny Lu to age, didn’t want to grow up herself. How long could she enjoy these carefree days? Yet, people inevitably grow up, and they also inevitably age.

Birth, aging, illness, and death are destinies set in stone from the moment a person is born—inescapable and unavoidable.

She sighed, feeling like she had turned into an old granny, constantly pondering useless things. Could it be that she had truly seen through the mortal world and understood life and death, considering becoming a nun?

If she really did, Jian Zhiqing would probably be the first to stop her.

Outside, the world was clad in silvery white. Cold and devoid of warmth, but also coldly beautiful.

Beauty in the mind, yet chill at the heart.

And this snow lasted for over a month, a month without sunshine, a month without clear skies. This weather was hard on everyone: workers, students, and those who had to get up early to sell breakfast. However, it was also because of this snow that Granny Lu’s shop did even better business.