As she sat up, Liang's mother asked a question in a daze.

"Am I dreaming? Why is it so warm?"

Mr. Liang quickly looked down at the quilt covering him, then immediately turned around and looked around, his whole body stunned as if he had been hit on the head with a stick.

"It feels like a dream... How could we be having the same dream?"

Mother Liang touched the soft cushion beneath her, and unconsciously shrank back a little further.

"If only this were true, I would be willing to die here."

Just then, Liang's father pinched his thigh hard.

"Ouch! That hurts! It's not a dream, it's real!"

"real?!"

At that moment, the wooden door was pushed open, and Jin Shu walked in carrying a bunch of vegetables.

"Father, Mother, you're awake. Now that you're awake, Mother, please tidy up these vegetables. Let's have rice and vegetables today."

The couple got out of bed looking bewildered, then stood there staring at the heated kang (a traditional Chinese bed-stove) for a long time before finally asking in a low voice.

"You're saying you did all of this by yourself?"

“You must have been too tired yesterday, so I tidied up the house while you were sleeping.”

Father Liang pointed to the fire in the stove on the ground.

"Where did the charcoal in here come from?"

"I found it in the snow outside. Don't worry about it. I need to go out and take care of something."

After taking the vegetables, Liang's mother finally believed that she was not dreaming.

Looking at the pile of coal and firewood in the corner, Liang's mother couldn't help but cover her mouth and cry.

"Thank God, thank God! Our family can finally get through this winter!"

On the other side, Jin Shu went directly into the commander's tent. The temperature inside wasn't low, but it was far worse than her wooden house.

The acupuncture worked very well yesterday, and Commander Zhang Hu slept soundly. He sent someone to summon Jin Shu early this morning.

Jin Shu administered a few more acupuncture needles to him, and while she waited, the commander looked her up and down.

"I never expected you to have such medical skills. Since you have some talent, you can stay in the camp and be our doctor. You won't be shortchanged in terms of food and drink."

"No need, I have family to take care of."

"I'm not discussing this with you. You're smart enough to know your current situation."

Jin Shu looked at him expressionlessly, then smiled.

"I know my own situation well, but I'm afraid you don't even understand your own situation yet."

Upon hearing this, the commander was about to fly into a rage, but just as he was about to get up, he suddenly discovered that his limbs were limp and he couldn't muster any strength at all! Not only that, but he couldn't make a sound when he opened his mouth.

There were only the two of them inside the tent, a frail woman and a powerful commander. The soldiers outside could never have imagined that the situation inside had already turned around.

Jin Shu slowly got up, walked over to him, and gave him another acupuncture.

“I’ve been studying medicine for decades. I can cure you, and I can kill you. Do you see this needle in my hand? As long as I stick it in your forehead, I can kill you silently.”

After examining the needle in her hand, Jin Shu got straight to the point.

"But you don't need to think that I'm here to harm you. With your current illness, you won't survive the next winter without someone to prescribe the right medicine for you."

So, Commander, I'm here to discuss cooperation with you.

You've been in this northern frontier for almost twenty years now, haven't you? What did the Huangfu family promise you back then? Official titles and ranks? And now? Twenty years have passed, do you think you can still go back?

In the northern frontier, you may have absolute power, but here, winters are often dark and gloomy. In the capital, even the smallest person lives a life of luxury and pleasure.

You want to go back but don't know how, so I'm here to help you.

After saying this, Jin Shu pulled out a needle.

"Now that you can speak, I only have two choices: either kill you and run away, or help you get treatment and return to the capital. My lord, which do you think I should choose?"

Commander Zhang Hu stared intently at her. He could speak, but it was as if something was blocking his throat, and he didn't know what to say.

Finally, he whispered.

"Am I not going to live much longer?"

"Yes, I believe you can feel this yourself. If you continue like this, you will soon suffocate to death one night. Although you will die in your dream, that feeling is very painful, and you definitely don't want to experience it."

Zhang Hu frowned, staring at her coldly.

"What way do you have to get me back? This is the northern frontier; there are no returning travelers!"

Even if he's an official, it's the same! How many officials have died here already!

Jin Shu smiled.

"Cooperate with me, I'll help you get treatment, and within a year I'll make sure you return to Beijing in style."

"I don't believe you."

"Let's take a gamble. It's a good deal. We can survive and have hope."

After a moment of silence.

"Everyone says you're a fake goddess, but I think it's those people in the court who are blind to your true nature."

Jin Shu removed the remaining needles and began to administer acupuncture again.

"I was rude just now, but if I hadn't used this tactic, General, I probably would have been surrounded by your soldiers before I could even finish speaking."

"That's true. You look young, but you're very shrewd. I always feel there's danger in cooperating with you."

"It's much safer than your current situation."

Zhang Hu clearly still didn't believe her, but now he had no choice but to believe her. After all, someone who had one foot in the grave couldn't care less about anything else.

After agreeing on the cooperation and completing the acupuncture treatment, Jin Shu left him several doses of medicine.

"Take it once a day, and eat the dregs along with the medicine. I'll come again at this time tomorrow."

"Wait a minute, I saw a new chimney above the room you're staying in this morning. Who put it there?"

"I've been playful since I was little, so I've learned a few skills, just in case."

Zhang Hu looked at her and smiled.

"You're quite capable. From now on, your family won't need to fetch ice anymore. Just help us take care of the horses when you have time."

"Since we're on the topic, I made a little thing yesterday that can cut through ice and make holes. With this, it's easy to drill holes in the ice to get water, so we don't need so many people to go through the trouble of fetching ice every day, transporting it back, and then melting it. It only takes two or three people to make a few trips."

Zhang Hu nodded, a hint of appreciation appearing in his eyes as he looked at Jin Shu.

"Since we've agreed to cooperate, I'll show you some sincerity. From now on, you'll be in charge of these kinds of trivial matters. You can decide how to arrange things; just make sure the work is done."

"Yes, thank you for your trust, Commander."

As I left the tent, I saw the same group of people from yesterday pushing wheelbarrows to the river to collect ice.

Jin Shu walked straight forward.

"No need to go so many times. From now on, each family will send one young and strong person to fetch ice. Five people will go each day, and they can take turns. The rest of the people can come with me."

The middle-aged man at the head of the group, who had once been the governor of three prefectures, asked directly upon hearing this.

"Are you keeping your word? How can five people get so much ice?"

"Just do as I say."