Sunday at eight in the morning, a group of youngsters gathered at the school gate, joined by the lonely figure of Qian Duoduo.
It was still that familiar little iron gate, still the same woods they visited for mushroom picking.
What was different, however, was that this time they headed deeper into the woods to gather and break branches simultaneously, to quickly amass enough firewood for everyone.
The woods were vast, and the birdsong in the early morning seemed to echo through the trees.
Zhen Yu divided everyone into two teams: the girls looked down at the ground to pick up firewood, while the boys looked up to choose and break off branches within reach.
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"It's my first time gathering firewood! It's quite fun!" Qian Duoduo exclaimed excitedly.
She imitated Zhen Yu, kicking at the dried leaves on the ground with her foot, searching for broken branches buried underneath.
"Where did you get your firewood in the past? Did you buy it?" Bai Xue asked sarcastically.
