Chapter 61
In the mountains and forests, the sudden falling of a branch proved that Wen Shi had not hallucinated. He looked around and saw a vast expanse of white, with thick snow covering the ground, seemingly no different from before.
"Third Brother."
Wen Xiaowu sniffed and looked closely. His eyelashes were covered in frost, and it was freezing cold inside. He no longer wanted to go any further inside; this eerie environment was truly terrifying.
"Wait a minute."
Wen Shi's lips moved slightly. He raised the long stick in his hand and began searching for people in the snow. Wen Xiaowu frowned.
If Liu really did fall in the mountains, after so much time, she would surely be buried by the snow if she had passed out.
At first, Wen Xiaowu thought it was all in vain, but gradually, he sensed that something was wrong.
Their hands were already frostbitten, but when he heard this, he actually squatted down and dug in the snow. It was impossible for him not to feel uncomfortable. Seeing that his third brother remained silent, he could only endure it.
Before long, a splash of red in the snow stood out, and the pattern on it looked very familiar.
Wen Xiaowu's eyes widened instantly. Perhaps it was a connection between mother and son, or perhaps Wen Shi's intuition was accurate. Not long after, the two men dug Liu Shi out of her coma.
Her eyes were closed, her face was bluish-purple, and her coat was soaked through.
"mother."
"Mother, mother."
The two brothers were delighted, but Liu remained motionless, glancing around as she heard the news, oblivious to everything else.
"Fifth brother, help me take Mother down the mountain and home first."
Liu was buried here for an unknown period of time. She was either frozen unconscious or something else, and could not be woken up.
The two brothers were exhausted, and the way down the mountain was not easy. They fell many times and were covered in dirt. They also had to drag Liu Shi along. Wen Xiaowu even accidentally got scratched on the face by a tree branch.
Since moving to the county, Liu has visibly gained a lot of weight.
On the day she returned to her parents' home, she happily changed into a bright red padded jacket, paired with matching cotton shoes, combed her hair neatly, and even wore some jewelry.
Right now, apart from the silver bracelet on her wrist that wasn't worth much, she had nothing else.
After the two brothers dragged Liu down the mountain safely, they breathed a sigh of relief. The path down the mountain was much easier, and they wanted to hurry back.
At the entrance of Daliu Village, some villagers were already sitting and chatting, mostly women. When they saw the two brothers dragging Liu Shi, they immediately rushed forward to help.
"Please help me, Auntie, go down the mountain and call out to those who went into the mountains. My mother has been found. Tell them to come back quickly."
Wen Shi was panting heavily as he spoke, his handsome face covered in sweat. He was truly exhausted. He was usually in good health, and Wen Xiaowu was also young, but ultimately, they were scholars, not warriors.
"You two take your mother back quickly, I'll go and call for help."
"I'll go find a doctor."
With someone helping to carry it, the two brothers felt much less pressure.
The ginger soup and rice were ready. Yingxiang came out of the house carrying her son. Hearing some noise outside, Old Man Wen ran out without caring about anything else.
When he saw his wife again, he couldn't bring himself to say anything.
The house was fairly warm. Yingxiang asked Yuqin to help hold the child and immediately brought ginger soup to the two of them. The villagers left after seeing them off, as it wouldn't be convenient for them to stay at this time.
"Father, quickly take off Mother's coat."
Old Man Wen moved quickly and roughly, but Liu had already fainted. Old Man Wen carefully checked Liu's breathing and found that she was still breathing. He immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
After Liu's outer garment was removed, it was unexpected that she was wearing a long, sleeveless sheepskin robe that reached her ankles underneath.
Many people actually wear this garment, but most people wear it outside to keep out the wind and cold. The wool is white, so it won't look too out of place no matter what color it's paired with.
Wen Shi squatted down and touched the sheepskin. It didn't seem that damp. He then probed Liu's nose.
Wen Chuanzong, lying on the kang (a heated brick bed), kept talking, but the three of them ignored him.
He shouted loudly, and Old Man Wen, in a fit of anger, climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed) and slapped him, instantly silencing him.
"Husband, Xiao Wu, drink a bowl of ginger soup to ward off the cold."
Yingxiang brought in ginger soup. Wenshi and Wen Xiaowu took it and, looking at the steaming soup, warmed their hands first. After a while, they drank it, and the warmth slowly spread through their bodies.
Yingxiang then told them to hurry back inside and change their clothes from head to toe. The two nodded and did so quickly.
Yingxiang glanced at Liu Shi, but said nothing.
The blood on Wen Xiaowu's face had dried. After the two changed their clothes and came out, Wen Shi asked him to come over and take a closer look at the wound. It wasn't big and should heal on its own without leaving a scar.
"It's all thanks to Third Brother that we were able to find Mother. Father, you can't spoil Mother and Eldest Brother in the future."
Sheepskin is quite useful for keeping warm, and the garment Liu was wearing was clearly made by sewing two thick sheepskins together and cutting them out.
For some reason, she wore it underneath, perhaps to show off the red coat on the outside. By some strange twist of fate, the sheepskin also protected her heart and prevented her from freezing.
Upon hearing Wen Xiaowu's words, Old Man Wen nodded. The two of them had spent some more money on this whole ordeal.
After taking her pulse, the doctor breathed a sigh of relief. Liu's arms, hands, and ankles were badly frostbitten, but the rest of her body was fine.
Today is the third day of the Lunar New Year. Old Man Wen looked at the doctor and then at Wen Chuanzong lying in the innermost room. He felt that this year's New Year had been a mess, and he was depressed and resentful.
Even with outsiders present, he couldn't lash out; he could only endure it.
After Wen Shi and Wen Xiaowu drank a few more bowls of ginger soup and ate some food, the villagers who had been helping to search for people on the mountain returned one after another. Yingxiang, Wen Ersao, and Ma Shi greeted them outside and brought them food, making sure they were well taken care of.
There were quite a few people in the courtyard, and the villagers were very informal. It was really cold in the mountains. Inside the house, A-Mian stood to one side, head down and silent, while Xiu-Yu stared at her.
"Doctor, when will my mother get better?"
"It's hard to say. Let her lie down from now on, feed her some ginger soup, and give her some rice porridge when she wakes up. Let her lie down for a few days and then we'll see."
After the doctor finished speaking, he left.
Wen Chuanzong was just beaten by his father again, so he didn't dare to speak loudly. Fortunately, both mother and son returned safely.
After seeing the doctor off, Old Man Wen helped with greetings in the courtyard.
"Uncle, don't worry, my aunt is very lucky and will definitely live to be a hundred years old."
"Yes, Uncle."
Someone offered words of comfort, and Old Man Wen managed a forced smile.
A large pot of ginger soup was completely devoured, and Yingxiang started cooking again. There were quite a few people, so everyone should drink more to ward off the cold and avoid catching a cold.
On the other side, with Old Man Wen's tacit approval, Yuqin killed a few chickens. The fire in the kitchen never went out. When stewing the vegetables, she added a lot of cabbage, potatoes, and radishes, increasing the portion size so that everyone would be full. She stewed two large pots of vegetables, and the stew was piping hot. Everyone ate and drank their fill before going home.
As darkness fell, after seeing off the last guest, Old Man Wen closed the door, his face grim. But there was no time to settle accounts now, as both of them were lying in bed; he could only wait until they recovered.
"Go back and check on your children first, you few stay here."
Inside the room, Xiao Leqian was already asleep. Yingxiang knew that Old Man Wen had something to say to his sons, so she turned and left. Yuqin and Ma did the same. Amian stayed in the room serving Liu and Wen Chuanzong. Xiuyu also returned to her own room.
“Although your mother and your eldest brother are injured, we still have to live our lives. Let your sister-in-law and your eldest brother’s wife stay in the village to take care of them. After the seventh day of the new year, we will go to the county as usual. The same will be the same as before. I will collect the debts. Third brother, you and your wife should also pack up and go back to the prefectural city. Don’t delay your studies after the new year. You still have an exam to take this year.”
As dusk fell, the father and his sons stood in the courtyard by the moonlight, and Wen Shi nodded.
This time, Liu and Wen Chuanzong brought it upon themselves. He cannot let this delay his own affairs, and it's not like there's no one at home to take care of Liu.
Hopefully, they'll learn their lesson and behave themselves in the future.
The next morning, Liu woke up crying. Old Man Wen sat in the middle of the kang (a heated brick bed). He hadn't slept all night. Now that Wen Chuanzong could walk and get out of bed, he was immediately kicked out of the room.
"Why are you crying? It's all your fault! What was the point of going back? Now look what happened! If it weren't for Third Brother, you'd probably have frozen to death in the mountains."
"I, I..."
"Alright, you should recuperate in the village first. The shop in the county is our family's livelihood. The third brother and his family have a lot of expenses, so we need to bring them some money this time. We still need to keep the business going."
“I’ll go with the second and fourth brothers first. Let the eldest brother’s concubine stay at home to take care of you. The eldest brother’s wife will take care of the two children’s schooling. He will continue to work in the county to support his family.”
Liu was in tears, her lips moved but she couldn't speak, she could only nod and cry, her face full of regret.
The brothers had no objections to their father's arrangement, considering it fair. Two days later, the weather cleared up completely, as if the previous snowstorm had never happened. Some of the accumulated snow began to melt, and the weather gradually warmed up.
Yingxiang and Wenshi, along with their child, were also preparing to return to Songshan Prefecture. Wenshi had finished his business before the new year and was just waiting to take the exam in the second half of the year.
Before leaving, he heard that his father had secretly given him more money, which he then gave to Yingxiang as usual when he returned.
On the oxcart, Yingxiang, wearing a cloak and holding a child, looked up at the bright sky, somewhat looking forward to the life ahead.
After leaving, she returned at the end of the year, finally able to live her quiet life. It wasn't that she was stingy, but Yingxiang felt that the Wen family, especially Wen Chuanzong, had wasted his education, had no sense of strategy, and wouldn't listen to advice. Now that he was suffering, he deserved it.
The two first went to the county and stayed at an inn for two days. After that, they followed a caravan of escort agencies to Songshan Prefecture.
The courtyard was still the same as before. After the two arrived home, Wen Shi went to bring the sheep back from the neighbor's house. He heard the neighbor say that the sheep hadn't produced much milk since he left, so he gave him some more copper coins.
The old woman who sold him the sheep said that the sheep's milk wasn't available every day; sometimes it was, sometimes it wasn't, but it would definitely be enough for the baby. When he bought the sheep, it had only recently given birth, and its milk was plentiful.
A few days later, it was the Lantern Festival. Wen Shi had taken a few days off, and on this day there was a lantern festival. The couple took their child out for a stroll that evening.
Wen Shi guessed several riddles correctly and also won a few lanterns, which he took back for the children to play with.
"I'm going back to school tomorrow morning. If I'm late, don't wait for me for breakfast."
"I'll save some for you."
Inside, candles were lit. Yingxiang, dressed in a white nightgown, sat on the bed, holding her child who could barely stand. Wen Shi looked at his wife, smiled, and nodded. The moonlight was bright, and he couldn't help but look out the window, making a wish to the moon in his heart.
May God bless him so that he will be on the list this year.
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