68 Chapter 68
◎The rivers and seas are flat, and the world is frozen◎
Yu asked Cheng Mu to rest for a while. She fanned the fire in the brazier, making it burn brightly. "Don't let your beautiful hands get frostbite. Are your clothes wet? Change them and dry them."
"fine."
The snow that had just entered his neck melted under his body temperature, becoming wet and sticky.
A jar was simmering beside the charcoal fire, emitting the aroma of wine. Yu poured her a cup and said, "Drink something to ward off the cold."
Wine can keep out the cold, and the few jars of wine left over from the banquet can be used as a substitute. It can also make stewed meat delicious.
Yu used tongs to pick up a burning match and placed it in the small stove where broth was simmering. They hadn't cooked in the kitchen for a long time, so they used the small stove to warm themselves and cook a little.
The snow is so heavy, I don’t know when it will thaw, so we have to use firewood and charcoal sparingly.
The chickens and sheep that died of freezing had to be processed and then placed in a water tank outside, which served as a natural refrigerator.
Yu whispered to her, "Those outside collapsed, so let them collapse. As long as these three are intact."
Cheng Mu was worried. "The remaining animals will freeze to death if we don't take care of them. Gui'er loved the old cow and washed its fur until it was shiny and smooth. There's no shelter in the backyard. Where should we move it now...or should I go to the hill behind?"
"Outside, the north wind is strong, the snow is deep, and the hills behind are far away. It's not worth it to go there and come back and catch a cold. Madam Cheng, you are weak, so don't go out."
Mrs. Yu told her to give up the idea. "If the old cow can't survive this winter, it's her fate. If Gui'er comes back, have her take the old cow back to Songzhuang. Alas, this damn girl is having so much fun out there, she doesn't even come back to help."
Cheng Mu smiled bitterly: "There is no road, it's difficult to go."
Yu's tears began to fall. "It's useless to blame me for letting Madam Cheng do all these things."
"Aunt Yu, please stop saying that. The cotton-padded jackets that Xiaoliu and Xiaoqi are wearing, as well as mine, were all made by you. You are the most useful."
"The cotton was a gift from the emperor to Master Yun, and Madam Cheng taught me how to make these cotton jackets and trousers. I just cut and sewed them."
Cheng Mu asked in return, "Isn't this a real ability?"
Speaking of the imperial cotton that Mu Yun received, it was indeed good, and the cotton seeds were processed cleanly. Cheng Xi searched carefully, touching it bit by bit, and finally collected a handful of cotton seeds.
In the north, people mostly use animal hair, hay, and velvet to keep warm. Cotton is very rare and its planting rate is not high.
Cheng Mu came from the modern era and was used to using light and clean cotton. This handful of cotton seeds was the light of her hope.
I carefully planted the seeds in the space and set up an absolutely ideal growing environment. I harvested one seed a day, and after a few days, I finally harvested dozens of kilograms.
Previously, Yu was asked to use the cotton from before to make thicker jackets for Xiaoliu and Xiaoqi. It would be fine if it were all used up, but Yu was reluctant to do so and insisted on distributing it evenly and making a jacket for her as well.
Fortunately, she watched Yu do it, and she left some seams for the quilted parts, saying that she could add more stuffing later if she wanted.
After the cotton in the space was harvested, she secretly stuffed a lot more cotton into Xiaoliu, Xiaoqi and her own coats at night, but she could not find a reasonable reason to stuff cotton into Yu's coat.
Yu's coat was stuffed with all sorts of things: reed fluff, hay, chicken feathers, wool, etc.
Afterwards, the meat was stewed, and Cheng Mu took Xiao Qi to deliver the meal to Zhao Datian.
Zhao Datian was lying on the kang. There was no heating in his room, so it was very cold.
"Uncle Datian, can you get up? Are you hurt?"
"Nothing, just got hit by a ladder, but I can still move."
Zhao Datian had a lot of firewood, all bought by Cheng Mu to make farm tools and replace old wood for the steam engine. He'd been sweeping up the wood chips and shavings from his woodworking. Cheng Mu said, "It's cold at night. Why don't you burn all this wood chips and warm up the kang for sleeping?"
Zhao Datian said vaguely: "I'm using them all."
Cheng Mu said, "Don't worry if it's used up. You can dismantle the steam engine and continue using it. Winter is still long, so don't let it get frozen."
After saying a few words and seeing that he was very sleepy, Cheng Mu took Xiao Qi back.
That night, Xiaoqi developed a fever.
Xiaoqi is thin and cannot be compared with Xiaoliu. We usually take care to prevent him from being exposed to the wind and catching a cold. However, he got a fever just after going to the next room even though he was wrapped up so well.
"Madam Cheng, don't blame yourself. Children are difficult to raise and it's inevitable that they will get sick." Yu consoled her. "Don't say that it's okay because you didn't take him to his eldest uncle's house. If anyone had to go, I would have gone. It's my fault that Madam Cheng had to go."
"I was told not to blame myself, so why are you blaming yourself?"
Yu undressed Xiaoqi and Cheng Mu wiped his skin with a wet hot towel.
A drooping piece of wood from the barn outside was shaken by the wind and made a continuous noise when it hit the wall.
"Mom." Xiao Qi called out in a daze.
Yu gently rocked him and said, "He's almost asleep. I'll watch over him tonight. Madam Cheng, take Xiaoliu and go to bed first."
The lights were dim, and Xiaoliu had fallen asleep amid their low whispers. Cheng Mu wrapped her coat around her, picked her up, and returned to the east wing.
Xiaoliu is very energetic and looks like a fireball when she falls asleep. Cheng Mu hugs her like she is holding a hot water bottle.
The snow was falling heavily outside. Whenever she looked at the white sky and earth, the rivers and seas were flat, and the world was frozen, she felt that it was so difficult for her to even shovel snow and go out. She felt that human beings were too insignificant.
She is so small.
When Xiaoqi woke up in the morning, her fever had subsided, but she had a stuffy nose.
"Oh, Madam Cheng, why are you catching a cold?"
Mrs. Yu was anxious. "Do you have a headache? Do you have any body aches? Do you have a fever?"
Cheng Xi shook her head. "It's just a little stuffy nose. Drink more hot water and it will be fine."
She still doesn't have the strength, and she's afraid she won't be able to shovel the snow today.
"Madam Cheng! Madam Cheng!" Someone was shouting outside.
Yu pulled open the barrier hanging behind the door and looked out through the crack. There was no one outside. She muttered, "It sounds like his Zong'erye." The Zong'erye she was referring to was the name of her own child. Zhao Zong was the eldest son of Mr. Zhao Ba.
After waiting for a while, a figure wearing a felt hat came over with difficulty. Yu said, "It's really him." She opened the door.
The snow that drifted in from the outside of the doorway piled up and was almost level with the doorway.
Cheng Mu took a shovel and cleared the snow off the steps.
Zhao Zong stepped deeply and shallowly, and the snow had already reached his knees.
"Uncle Zong'er, what's wrong?" Yu asked him from inside the room, "Come in and dry your wet clothes."
Zhao Zong was panting heavily as he walked. He still had a little distance to go but he didn't want to walk any further. "Madam Cheng, please come with me. My father wants to see you. He's dying."
"What happened to Mr. Zhao Ba?"
"What happened to the Eighth Master?"
Cheng Mi and Yu asked in unison.
Zhao Zong: "It's bad. I'm hanging on to my last breath. I want to see Madam Cheng."
"This..." Yu looked at Cheng Mu and said in a low voice with great embarrassment, "How do we get there?"
Yu definitely didn't want Cheng Mu to go out in such bad weather, but what about Mr. Zhao? He was fine before, so... she couldn't refuse to see him for the last time.
Cheng Mu suggested: "Let him come in and talk first."
Zhao Zong refused to go into the house and said he would wait for her outside.
Yu put down the fence, and Cheng Mu asked her in a low voice, "Can you go or not?"
Yu was stunned for a moment, then whispered, "No one would lie about this kind of thing involving my grandfather. The Eighth Master must really be dying. But why would he want to see you?"
"Eighth Master Zhao has taken good care of me," Cheng Mu guessed. "Eighth Master Zhao is well-respected in the clan and village, and he's been farming all his life. Maybe he wants to tell me something?"
Yu nodded, "The Eighth Master respects you very much and may want to ask you for something."
Mr. Zhao Ba was an upright person and handled things fairly. He was worried that Cheng Mu was young and ignorant, so he gave her some advice. When Cheng Mu needed him to take the lead in planting rice, he took the lead. He also helped her buy the hill behind the mountain. She received a lot of favors from him. When he wanted to see her on his deathbed, how could she refuse?
Cheng Xi decided, "I'll go there."
"Madam Cheng, the snow on the road outside is not even up to your thighs. It's hard to walk. How about I go for you?"
Cheng Mu said, "I will go on horseback. Tell the horse to be careful."
Yu said hurriedly, "Then let his uncle go with you. I'll go and call his uncle."
Yu walked out without waiting for Cheng Mu's consent.
Cheng Mu put on a sable fur cloak over her coat and trousers, put on the Zhaojun hat on her head, then the hood, gloves, and Hu boots on her feet, and she should be fine riding on the horse.
Seeing that she was fully armed, Xiaoliu said, "Mom, I'll go with you."
"You stay home with Xiao Qi, I'll be back soon."
When Cheng Mu went to get the horse, Yu came out from Zhao Datian's house and said, "Madam Cheng, his father can't go. He has a fever." Yu was a little annoyed. "Why does he have a fever when he's fine?"
Cheng Mu thought of Zhao Datian whom she met when she took Xiaoqi there yesterday. Maybe he had a fever at that time, but she didn't notice it.
Cheng Mu mounted her horse and said, "Aunt Yu, I'll be right back."
It was really difficult to walk in the snow, and the horses had to walk very carefully. The soft snow was deep, and the ground underneath was icy and slippery. The horses stumbled several times and almost fell over.
It took a long time to walk to Mr. Zhao's house.
There were several families with the surname Zhao in this area. Since they lived close to each other, people from each family came when they heard the news. The house was crowded, and everyone breathed a breath of warm air, making it very warm.
Cheng Xi entered the room and lowered her hood.
"Madam Cheng is here."
Someone in the room where Mr. Zhao Ba lived moved out to make room for Cheng Mu. Mr. Zhao Ba's wife sat on the kang and cried. Mr. Zhao Ba's sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons were all present, and his daughters-in-law shed tears silently.
Zhao Zong went in and called out to him, "Dad, I've invited Madam Cheng here. Please tell me what you want to say."
"Mrs. Cheng, please sit down." Mr. Zhao's wife offered her seat to her. She then stuffed another pillow behind Mr. Zhao, propping up his upper body so that it was almost straight.
Eighth Master Zhao had become very thin. Cheng Mu asked her, "What's wrong with Eighth Master? He was so energetic when he came to the buffet."
"Not long after that day, he said he couldn't see clearly and was feeling unwell. I thought it was nothing serious, that it's what happens when you get old. But the day before yesterday, he suddenly couldn't get up and fell off the kang..."
Mr. Zhao Ba woke up slowly, breathing weakly, "Madam Cheng is here... No, Mrs. Cheng..."
Cheng Mu replied, "I'm here. If you have anything to tell me, feel free to tell me."
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