Snowflakes fluttered down, and the world was a vast expanse of white.
The outline of Liangzhou city wall was faintly visible in the snow, the bluish-gray bricks were covered with frost, and the banners on the city tower were frozen stiff and motionless in the wind.
The post stations along the official road were mostly buried by snow, with only the copper bells hanging under the eaves occasionally making a dull sound in the wind and snow.
Fortunately, the imperial court suddenly took a major action some time ago, mobilizing hundreds of thousands of troops to clear the heavy snow from the post stations and various official roads, bringing hope to these disaster-stricken people.
The imperial court conscripted hundreds of thousands of laborers to shovel snow day and night, carving a winding black line through the snowfield.
Frozen corpses were dragged to the side of the road, while the survivors continued to line up to receive meager relief supplies.
"Mom, it's so cold... I don't want to eat anymore, I want to sleep..." A five or six-year-old girl curled up on a tattered straw mat, her lips bluish-purple, her voice so weak it was almost inaudible.
The woman, Fang Fang, hugged her daughter tightly. Her fingers were red from the cold, and her knuckles were rough and deformed from years of hard work. She was only wearing a patched-up burlap jacket, the cuffs of which were worn shiny.
She trembled as she hugged her daughter tighter, her tears freezing as soon as they slid down her cheeks.
"Xiaoxue, don't sleep. Your father will be back soon. He's collected his food rations, and Mom will cook you some porridge..."
"Is the porridge good?" The girl's eyes were half-closed, with tiny ice crystals clinging to her eyelashes.
"It's delicious, the rice is cooked soft and warm..." Fang Fang's voice choked with emotion, but she still forced a smile.
"Then, give it to Mother to drink..." The girl's voice grew softer and softer, and her eyelids slowly closed.
"Xiaoxue!" Fang Fang cried out in heart-wrenching pain, her trembling fingers touching her daughter's cheek, only to find it ice-cold.
She looked up abruptly, her gaze falling on the wooden sculpture in the corner. The sculpture was crudely carved, and even the facial features were indistinct, but at this moment, it had become her only hope.
"Mountain Goddess, please save my child! I'll do anything to bring her back to life!" Fang Fang kowtowed heavily, her forehead pressed against the cold mud, pleading again and again.
The room was silent except for the cold wind that seeped in through the cracks in the walls, making a low, mournful sound.
This wood carving was given to me by an elderly man from Qingzhou.
The woman's name was Fang Fang. She and her husband's family were farmers near the Zhou family. However, the Zhou family was domineering and demanded that the surrounding people hand over most of their grain every year.
This year, the Wang family was even more ruthless, insisting on harvesting 20% more grain, so much so that the Fang family ran out of food before they even survived the winter.
The woman was led by her husband to beg for her share of food, but she could never get through the vermilion gate.
Even when the Zhou family's servants poured a bucket of cold water on him, Fang's father almost froze to death while trying to protect his wife and children.
He didn't have any warm clothes to begin with, and after pleading with the Zhou family for so many days, he was already delirious from the cold. This bucket of cold water poured over him caused him to faint immediately.
The woman was filled with sorrow. When the old woman who had come with her to beg for food saw this scene, she sighed and handed over the wooden carving.
This wood carving comes from Qingzhou and was left behind by a Qingzhou merchant. It is said that the prototype was a deity statue.
The woman returned home dejectedly with her husband, praying incessantly in her heart that he would survive.
Otherwise, she and her only remaining daughter simply wouldn't have been able to survive.
Miraculously, three days later, the husband recovered and even went to the government office this morning to queue up for food.
The woman was incredibly excited, thinking that her family was about to see a glimmer of hope.
But the daughter kept her eyes tightly closed and couldn't be woken up no matter how hard they tried.
She had no choice but to kneel before the wooden carving again and pray incessantly.
Perhaps her sincere prayers moved the gods, for the woman heard her daughter cough again.
She stood up in surprise, hugged her daughter tightly, and tears streamed down her face.
Thank goodness, thank goodness, her daughter is still breathing!
Thinking of this, she knelt down before the statue again, her tone sincere: "Thank you, Mountain Goddess, for saving my husband and my child this time."
Suddenly, the wood carving emitted a faint golden light.
Fang Fang suddenly looked up, and it seemed as if she heard an ethereal voice:
"Are you willing to do anything?"
"Yes! I'm willing!" Fang Fang shouted without hesitation.
"Your tragedy begins with the Zhou family. They feed the demonic insects with the people's grain and allow them to invade the people's land every year."
"If you are willing, pick up the idol, rush into the Zhou family, kill the demonic insects, and save more people."
Fang Fang paused for a moment, then gritted her teeth and nodded. She carefully laid her daughter down, boiled a bowl of hot water and fed it to her. Seeing that her daughter's fingers twitched slightly, she felt a little relieved.
She stood up, pulled a rusty pair of scissors from the corner of the wall, tucked it into her sleeve, then picked up the wooden carving with both hands, pushed open the door, and rushed into the wind and snow.
...
On the outskirts of Liangzhou, the thatched huts of farmers huddled together, leaning precariously, the reed mats on the roofs creaking under the weight of the snow. Several villagers, wrapped in tattered coats, were boiling snow water in an iron pot when Fang Fang rushed out, and they exclaimed in surprise:
"Madam Fang! Don't go to the Zhou family to beg for grain anymore, the government's relief will arrive soon!"
"Madam Fang, have you gone mad? The Zhou family's guards will beat you to death!"
Fang Fang ignored him, walking barefoot through the snow, each step leaving a deep footprint. Her hair was blown about by the wind, and her linen robe fluttered in the wind, but the wooden carving in her hands grew hotter and hotter, as if flames were burning inside it.
...
The high walls of the Zhou Mansion stood tall in the snow, the copper nails on the vermilion gate gleamed coldly, and the plaque bearing the words "Zhou Mansion" hanging above the gate was half covered by snow.
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