Chapter 28
On a snowy night, the wind never stopped and the snow never ceased.
The trees, which had been under the weight of frost and snow for a day and a night, had branches with exceptionally lush leaves that broke off with a creaking sound as they could no longer bear the burden.
Xun Yi walked against the wind and snow to the thatched hut halfway up the mountain.
The wooden walls, made of densely stacked firewood, were not airtight, and the orange-yellow firelight inside the shed playfully pierced through, illuminating the snow and becoming quite conspicuous.
The person who had prepared for a long time before climbing the mountain, even though he deliberately stomped heavily as he approached the house, making the snow crunch, did not seem to disturb the two people inside who were chatting happily.
He heard Shu Shouyi innocently suggest, "Auntie, let's set aside some space behind the house and plant another tangerine tree?"
The gentle female voice replied without hesitation: "Okay, let's plant them. But we don't necessarily have to go to the mountains to dig up trees. Next time, we can eat the tangerines raw, spit out the seeds and collect them, and plant them again next spring. They will grow on their own."
In his short four years of life, Shu Shouyi had never planted a tree. After a moment of recollection, he tilted his head and asked, "Is planting a tree like planting vegetables, where you dig a hole and plant it?"
Before Shu Wanxiu could answer, he immediately asked, "Auntie, will I be able to lift a hoe next year?"
Children will always have one problem after another.
Shu Wanxiu answered one question after another without ever showing impatience.
She said, "Yes, it's like digging a hole to plant vegetables."
"If Shouyi grows strong, he will certainly be able to carry a hoe next year."
The childish voices asking questions were always met with gentle, patient female voices offering answers.
Xun Yi went from hesitating to avoid disturbing the others, to unconsciously standing still and eavesdropping, like a thirsty person watching the happiness of others.
...
inside the house.
"Auntie, this tangerine is sure to be sweet today." Shu Shouyi put her hands on her hips, very confident in the fruit she had carefully selected.
The air was filled with the fresh scent of citrus mixed with a familiar hint of caramel. Shu Wanxiu was all too familiar with this fruit, both in smell and taste.
Faced with the child's whimsical ideas, she swallowed the saliva that welled up in her mouth and smiled without saying a word.
He added a handful of firewood slowly and deliberately before saying, "It'll be cooked soon. You'll see when you try it."
A few bamboo twigs were mixed into the firewood, and the fire suddenly blazed up. However, this also had a side effect: as it burned, several crackling sounds suddenly rang out.
The people outside snapped back to reality in an instant.
"Excuse me, is anyone home?"
After speaking, Xun Yi waited quietly in the snow for two breaths. Then, chaotic footsteps sounded, and a face that had not been seen for many days appeared in front of him.
"Brother Xun?"
With just three words, Xun Yi sensed a change.
The voice was clearly the same, but the gentle, soothing words from just moments ago seemed to have changed considerably when speaking to me.
Xun Yi felt a jumble of indescribable emotions rising within him, but he dared not delve into them.
Because of the petty actions he had recently overheard, he lowered his head in embarrassment after only a fleeting glimpse of Shu Wanxiu's appearance.
"With such heavy snow, Brother Xun, what brings you here?" Shu Wanxiu asked tentatively.
"There is a message."
When it came to serious matters, Xun Yi's voice turned serious.
After listening to him finish speaking, Shu Wanxiu loosened and clenched her hands repeatedly. After several repetitions, she couldn't help but start pacing in the snow.
Just as the ironware in the shop had different prices for villagers and outsiders, after the same news was told to Shu Wanxiu, Xun Yi also gave her an idea.
“I need to go to the county town to buy iron every now and then. When I need to stay overnight, I will choose to stay at an inn.”
Before fleeing the famine, Shu Wanxiu had never traveled far from home.
Inn?
She knew what kind of place it was, but it was not a place that ordinary people could afford to live in.
"Don't panic. Staying at an inn in the county isn't as expensive as you think. The cheapest room is a large dormitory that can accommodate twelve people, and it only costs ten coins per person."
She and Shu Shouyi would spend twenty coins in one night.
Is it really worth spending a sum of money before even receiving the grain rations?
Shu Wanxiu racked her brains, quickly calculating the cost in her mind.
"The innkeeper of the one I usually stay at has become quite familiar with me over the years. If you mention my name, you can get an extra two coins off each person."
Sixteen coins?
Undeniably, Shu Wanxiu was now truly tempted.
First of all, even if you set off at midnight and rush to the county town in the dark, braving the wind and snow, you might not be able to get to the front of the line.
Secondly, there are good and bad grains, which are not only different in terms of taste, but also in terms of satiety and other aspects. For example, the difference between white rice and paddy rice is not just a pound of paddy rice and an ounce of bran.
To make porridge from rice, it needs to be turned into white rice, which requires pounding. Pounding rice takes time and requires tools.
For example, soybeans can be eaten as a meal, but eating too much will inevitably cause bloating, and some children may even get diarrhea from eating them.
Despite her attraction, Shu Wanxiu couldn't make the decision on her own.
"Brother Xun, thank you very much."
"I've already arranged to go with my uncle's family to collect the grain the day after tomorrow. I'll talk to them about it tomorrow."
Since they had agreed to act together, she should also consider whether staying at an inn was suitable for her uncle's family's circumstances.
Her family of two only needed to pay sixteen coins a night, while her uncle's family of twelve would have to pay ninety-six coins a night.
If you do the math, the money for the two families to stay at the inn for one night is almost enough to buy a bushel of grain.
Xun Yi was unaware that she had already made an appointment with someone, but it was for the best. Having relatives with them, the two women and children, would provide them with support on the road and make them safer.
He handed the two items he was carrying in his hands to Shu Wanxiu one after the other.
A large oil paper package.
He said, "Bai La Yun, boil it in water and drink it to dispel cold."
A rough earthenware basin, about the size of a washbasin.
Seeing Shu Wanxiu's puzzled look, he lowered his eyes and slowly said, "You come from the North. My father was also from the North."
“When I was young, I heard him talk about the customs and culture of the North. He always said that in the winter in the North, the mountains are covered with snow, the snow falls like cotton, and the frost is biting.”
"People there store food in cellars to get through the winter, and live in houses, sleeping on heated brick beds for warmth."
Although his biological father was from the north, he had never set foot in that region. This winter, the snow fell too early and too heavily, and Xun Yi couldn't help but think that perhaps winters in the north are like this every year.
“You’ve just arrived in the South, and you might find it cold to sleep on this kind of wooden bed in the winter. Fill a ceramic pot with charcoal and place it in the room to make it warmer.”
The first two times, Xun Yi always had Pang, the village chief, in front of him to block the way. This was the first time he had delivered the items to Shu Wanxiu on his own.
Are you afraid of being rejected?
I wasn't afraid at first.
He thought that he had made things clear to Village Chief Pang last time, and that he had revealed the truth on his behalf. After that, the two sides had an unspoken understanding and could interact freely.
But looking into Shu Wanxiu's clear and bright eyes, a corner of his heart trembled, and he suddenly didn't want to hear any words of rejection.
A note from the author:
----------------------
The following is a short skit:
Xun Yi learned that three months' worth of relief food would be distributed: Seeing a stranger →_→ Feeling the stranger's kindness →_→ Secretly asking if you are a refugee →_→ Okay, I'll tell you some news.
To the female lead: Upon hearing the news in the county town →_→ she immediately thought she had to tell Shu Wanxiu →_→ after returning home, she thought about how best to tell her →_→ hesitating →_→ she made up her mind →_→ just before leaving →_→ she slowly took one step out →_→ she felt it wouldn't be good to go empty-handed? →_→ she should bring some things they might need.
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