Sister-in-law Niu was somewhat bewildered, unsure what the richly dressed woman in front of her wanted. The woman simply squatted down and handed her a bundle, then silently led the child away.
"..."
Suddenly, Sister-in-law Niu realized something. After opening the bundle, she saw that it contained more than a dozen steamed buns and a bag of white rice. The bag looked very familiar. She quickly turned it over and took a closer look. There was a crooked "Niu" character that she had sewn herself on it.
Suddenly, Sister-in-law Niu remembered the face of the young Taoist nun who had exchanged rice at her house a year ago. Thinking back to the woman she had just seen, she couldn't help but tremble as she clutched the cloth bag in her arms, weeping with joy:
"A true god! A true god!! The gods have arrived! The snow is going to stop!! It's going to stop!!"
The people sleeping in the shanty had been somewhat numb, but when they heard Sister Niu's crazy voice, they couldn't help but look up. The snow was still falling from the sky, showing no sign of stopping.
"Sister-in-law Niu, don't talk nonsense. The snow is far from stopping. Do you think you're the Jade Emperor who can make the snow stop just because he says so?"
Some people scoffed, but Sister-in-law Niu clutched the cloth bag in her arms, pulled her two sons along, and suddenly felt confident, speaking with a strong voice:
"I saw a deity! A living deity! The deity said the snow would stop tonight! He also said that Lord Lu's mansion was distributing hot soup and invited me to come and have some!"
The villagers, huddled in a corner under blankets to keep warm, couldn't help but shiver, exhaling a breath of cold air, and chattering amongst themselves:
"Sister-in-law Niu, are you out of your mind? Why would those officials care about our lives? Where's the hot soup? I think you're having a fit!"
"Exactly, if there really are gods, why don't they conjure up some clothes for us to keep warm, some food, and some tall houses for us to live in?"
"Has Sister-in-law Niu frozen senseless? I saw Niu Da and Niu Er go to the city today to do hard labor; they should get at least two steamed buns a day—"
"That's right! That's right!"
Ignoring the ridicule from others, Sister-in-law Niu retorted loudly:
"You're just lying here doing nothing, and you're still hoping that the gods will conjure up gold, silver, jade, and magnificent houses for you? If the gods could conjure up a golden house and a silver house for every pitiful person they saw, then no one in this world would need to farm or work! If you won't go, I'll go myself. Once the snow stops, I'll have a good drink of hot soup, and then I'll take Niu Da to clean up the house. We have hands and feet, how could we possibly starve to death?"
As soon as she finished speaking, the cow came running over excitedly, its face beaming with joy.
"Hurry to the city gate! The imperial court has opened the granaries and is distributing grain! Many wealthy households are setting up sheds to give out porridge!! The Duke of Lu's mansion has slaughtered a whole sheep and cooked a big pot of hot soup to give away!"
The crowd erupted in a commotion, and everyone instinctively looked at Sister-in-law Niu.
She was right.
Could it be... that what Sister-in-law Niu said is true?
Do immortals really exist?
Sister-in-law Niu didn't care what others thought. Her spirits lifted instantly, and she seemed to have hope again. She tidied up her belongings and, with her two sons in high spirits, walked toward the city gate.
Of course, she didn't forget the bundle; she held the bag of rice tightly in her arms, like a drowning person grasping at a straw.
...
...
"You're really strange."
Red Boy, wrapped in a cloak, couldn't help but glance at Xu Milu:
“You clearly have plenty of money, so why are you so stingy, only giving that woman such a tiny thing? If you pity her, why not give her more silver? Why go back to get a packet of steamed buns?”
Xu Milu shook her head:
"People are very resilient. As long as there is a way to survive and a glimmer of hope, they will not be driven to despair. No one should accept something for nothing. If I give them money, it will become 'charity.' They have only suffered from disaster, not beggars. Besides, there is a saying, 'A small favor is appreciated, but a large favor is resented.' A bag of rice and a pack of bread are enough for them to get through this snow disaster. Any more would be bad."
Red Boy seemed to understand but not quite:
“But you’re a monster, why are you learning all these complicated relationships between ‘humans’? Their lifespan is only a hundred years, it’ll be over in the blink of an eye. You’re always worrying about this and that, you’re making your life too uncomfortable.”
"Whether I want to make a living among people or not, I should know these things. It's easy for a monster to take human form, but it's difficult to become a 'human.' Otherwise, why do so many monsters always want to become 'humans'?"
Xu Milu sniffed, feeling that the snowflakes in the sky were getting bigger and bigger.
Her pupils flickered slightly, turning into golden vertical pupils. Beneath the dark, cloud-covering sky, a bird-like figure could be seen freely darting through the clouds.
"That beast is really here!"
Red Boy trembled, and his robe fell down, revealing a bright red undergarment. With a flick of his wrist, a fire-tipped spear, swirling with red clouds, appeared in his hand.
"Watch me subdue this beast!"
He leaped suddenly, transforming into a red cloud that shot out with a sharp whooshing sound, and vanished from the spot in the next instant.
A strange baby's cry erupted in the air, accompanied by the clanging of weapons. Ordinary mortals could not hear it, but the local deities and city gods of Chang'an sensed it and manifested their true forms to look up.
"So here's the question."
Xu Milu tilted her head back, as if talking to herself: "How am I supposed to fly up there?"
[Host, why don't you try riding the wind?]
System Xiaoqi reminded: [Since the host can manipulate air masses, is the principle similar to that of a jet aircraft? A jet engine continuously expels gas from the inside to the rear, using the reaction force of the gas to generate thrust. Perhaps the host could give it a try.]
Xu Milu looked at the phantom in the sky and shook her head firmly:
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