Chapter 19

Winter is often a time of many rituals, because only then is there free time to do things other than farming.

However, for those who captured the territory, after the exploitation in the autumn, the original place was no longer of much value, and looting in other places became the most common choice, because they could get more houses and silver in each place they went, completely ignoring how the looted people would survive in the long winter.

When the surrounding forces were not paying attention, the soldiers who were originally near Pingyi quietly left, leaving behind an empty city.

Yes, even ordinary people who struggled to survive could not escape the fate of becoming slaves. They were driven to leave their homes and follow the army, and were forced to go to even colder and more desolate places.

Yao Wenjun and others fell silent when they heard the news. Although Yudi was also occupied, they could still live there. Life might have been a little difficult in recent years, but at least they could survive.

And there is no return from the extremely cold land, let alone as a trophy.

The quarrels fell silent after hearing that those people had left. Finally, Yao Wenjun spoke up:

"In that case, there's no need for us to argue anymore. Let's go to Pingyi first."

During this period, they gathered a lot of remnants of the old army. Compared with the force that captured Pingyi, they were much weaker, but that group of people had already left, and the undamaged buildings could provide them with shelter.

Besides... she also missed the people she lived with. Although her life wasn't as affluent as usual, she saw in them what she had been searching for. It was after arriving that she changed her usual attitude, even arguing over things she hadn't cared about before.

The two sides, who were originally in a stalemate, temporarily eased the situation and returned to pack up their things, waiting to set off next.

After everyone left, only Yao Wenjun and the leader of the remaining troops were left in the room. The man wanted to leave as well, but she held him back with her hand.

"General, can't you see the situation clearly now?"

Yao Wenjun stood up from the mat where he was kneeling and brushed off the grass and dust on his clothes. "I know the general only obeys my elder brother's orders and doesn't like people like us wielding swords and guns."

When he said the last few words, he thought of the figure who lived with him some time ago and laughed.

The general not far away did not change his expression. Just as he was about to speak, Yao Wenjun interrupted him:

"Don't bother with the question of why you said that." She looked down at him, as if she could see through his hidden thoughts. "I've been quite polite to the general these days, but it seems you're still extremely unhappy. Every few nights you're talking to that guy by candlelight."

Perhaps this person knew her too well, and she did not set up any guards when she was plotting, which made her subordinates easily notice her, and she did not notice that she was standing in the shadows.

"You gathered my men and made them work for you, but you never thought I would come back."

"Let me guess, did someone tell you, General, that if you don't act now, it will be difficult to start a rebellion, and when will you seize the troops and divide the power?"

Before he finished speaking, Yao Wenjun picked up the long sword beside him and pushed away the dagger. The general who suddenly attacked saw that his sneak attack failed, and the strength and courage he had forced himself to accumulate were exhausted.

Yao Wenjun did not stop, and stabbed the sword into the man's shoulder, letting the blood soak his clothes.

The general seemed to have not expected that she would actually attack her colleague. The hand holding the dagger fell off due to the severe pain and numbness in his shoulder and neck. The dagger fell to the ground, reflecting Yao Wenjun's somewhat dark eyes.

She drew the sword without wiping it, but simply tilted her head slightly to hide the emotion deep in her eyes:

"It's so disappointing."

Yao Wenjun, sword in hand, turned and left the hut. Two soldiers in black leather armor were already waiting at the door, nodding at her.

"It's done." The soldier standing in front responded.

Before the discussion began, Yao Wenjun arranged for him to go to the general's temporary residence and capture the instigator.

Yao Wenjun nodded to indicate that he understood. "The general was drunk and accidentally injured himself. Take him to the doctor and let him recover. I will take care of everything else."

*

Wen Yi always felt that her eyelids were twitching a lot recently, but after thinking for a long time, she could only attribute it to the possibility that she was lacking certain trace elements.

Qing Ping saw Wen Yi pressing her eyelids, and thought she was feeling unwell, so she asked:

"What kind of dirt got in?"

Wen Yi shook her head and blinked hard, finally feeling better. She took a sip of the water beside her, and the hot water drove away the remaining coldness, making her feel much better.

A wooden fan with a cylindrical cover was placed at the entrance of the cave, with a stove underneath and several small ceramic stoves in the middle of the room. The burning charcoal from the stove would keep you warm if you placed it next to you.

Yuwan curled up beside the pottery stove next to Wen Yi, and his tail would occasionally sweep the pot.

A while ago, a small part of its fur was burnt, but it was only because Amu smelled the smell and carried it away that it was not burned any more seriously. However, cats naturally like warm places.

"You, be careful."

Wen Yi moved the cat's tail, which was almost reaching into the pottery stove again, to the side, and then blocked the entrance for filling charcoal with stones to prevent the tail hair from being burned by accident.

Clean hay is excellent for keeping warm, and after being baked, it's very comfortable to lie on, insulating against moisture from the ground. However, every day when I woke up, there was always a lot of hay debris mixed in my hair and clothes. At first, Wen Yi would clean it up a bit, but after a while, she simply gave up.

It snowed again last night. Looking through the cracks in the snow, I could see a vast expanse of white and a row of footprints walking out.

Amu and the others were still huddled on the kang outside, while Wen Yi put on a newly made straw raincoat and used a long wooden stick to clear the snow off the roof of the thatched house outside. Then he walked to the newly built but still empty house next to him.

There were already quite a few pottery pieces drying in the shade, covered with discarded, somewhat dirty grass shreds.

The wooden ladder built outside the house for climbing had not been removed yet. Wen Yi moved it outside the house, climbed up with some difficulty, and cleared some snow on it.

Although it is not as likely to be collapsed by the snow as a thatched hut, it doesn't matter if I put in a little more effort since I'm already out.

Shu came back carrying water from outside and saw Wen Yi climbing onto the roof again. He shook his head, then poured the water into the filtered water tank, carried the filtered water into the house, boiled it, and then drank it or cooked porridge.

For Shu Heshan and others, having a woolen sweater made of rabbit hair, wrapped with straw-filled linen, and a burning pottery stove, it was a warm winter day. Even the work of fetching water, which might have caused a cold in the past, was not too difficult.

You know, although it was popular at this time last year, the clothes were not yet available.

Lian Shan thought he could go, but was stopped by Shu, Wen Yi and others. But for young and middle-aged people like them, it would be more suitable to rest for a while and eat more.

Wen Yi cleared the snow and cleaned the doorway. Although the yard had been reinforced, the water from the melting snow would still soak her shoes.

After Shu brought the water into the house, he carefully closed the door, and then cleaned the yard with Wen Yi.

"Are Amu and the others awake?"

Wen Yi saw that the door curtain was opened a little, and then quickly closed.

Shu nodded, and after confirming that the ground was almost cleaned, he put the shovel back under the eaves where it could be sheltered from the wind and snow, and called Wen Yi back into the house.

As expected, Amu and the others had already gotten up. They had tidied themselves up and were sitting in a small circle, drinking warm water from bowls.

There was something prepared for Wen Yi and the other person nearby. They took off their raincoats and hung them on the wall, then took a sip of hot water and also gathered around the stove to warm themselves.

The time when there is nothing to do is also very pleasant. Wen Yi strung a stack of papers with trimmed edges together with a hemp rope, and copied them on the wooden desk in the light from the hole.

The paper made from waste paper was much softer than the original one, so Wen Yi simply put it away as daily paper, which was much more convenient to use.

Amu and the others also held wooden boards and wrote and drew on paper with charcoal pencils in their hands. There were also wooden sticks and sand boards next to them where they could make drafts.

Yes, before Amu and the others grew tired of playing with wooden toys similar to building blocks, Wen Yi asked Shan to start teaching everyone about numerology. Although geometry hadn't been widely promoted at that time, there had been many achievements in calculation—for example, the multiplication tables that children would later learn had already taken shape.

So what the children are scratching their heads about right now is exactly the homework question that Wen Yi is doing based on the knowledge Shan has explained. Shan is watching the children scratching their heads while calculating.

However, they will not rush themselves. When they are tired, they will throw themselves into the haystack to rest. After all, mental exhaustion is also a kind of physical exhaustion.

Besides mathematics, Wen Yi also wrote down the basic knowledge he remembered on his own notebook. He used the actual objects to explain the structures while Amu and the others played with the wood. The calculations were also useful in these games, so the children didn't really object to learning them.

It is normal for people to feel bored with boring and useless things. The reason why games are attractive is that they are built under a framework, and every effort can bring certain rewards.

When you have the feeling that "what you learn can be applied quickly", even some boring things will become much more vivid and lively.

For example, now Amu and his friends no longer need to try a little bit at a time, but can first calculate the length and width of the required bent wooden strips, saving time and effort.

You have to know that it is not easy to roast each bent piece of wood.

Wen Yi didn't know whether these things would be useful in the future, but it didn't matter. If you keep worrying about the future, you will never live a good life. It is not wrong to pursue happiness in the present in a positive direction.

*

When the color of the wheat seedlings in the fields changed from purple to bright green, the cold winter passed unnoticed.

The early spring wind was still a little chilly, but birds had already appeared, even circling around the fields where they had sown seeds, trying to pick at the rare green. The wild fruits on the mountain were gone, and the wheat seedlings in the fields were more delicious than other plants.

However, sticking chicken feathers in the fields was not as attractive as ripe crops, so the circling birds were startled and scattered.

Before winter, Wen Yi and the others had moved the waterwheels into the thatched cottage by the river, but some worn parts still needed replacing. After a simple repair, the waterwheels were returned to the stream, and the baffles began to squeak as the water flowed.

The temperature in the mountains warms up more slowly than in the fields, but it already gives everyone a vibrant feeling.

After a winter, perhaps because they had enough food and paid attention to the intake of bone meal, the cats grew taller. From a distance, they no longer looked like children, but teenagers.

He was currently helping to carry the grain baskets, waiting for the beans to be ground by the water mill beside the stream, and then he carried the jars filled with raw soy milk and residue back to the yard halfway up the slope.

As soon as Amu stepped into the yard, he saw Wen Yi squatting in front of the beautiful-looking brick house, mixing something, adding something called lime from time to time.