52 Ningyuan
◎“But…I clearly have the ability to save them…”◎
"If we keep going, won't people freeze to death?"
Xu Youcai was silent for a moment, "...Then he can only blame his bad luck."
"Then let's stop and wait until the snowstorm subsides. Here's what you do: use the carriages to form a circle, tie the horses to the carriages, and have the people sit in the inner circle. Then light a fire."
"But there's no wood around here."
Shen Suqin: "There are some sandalwood dressing boxes in the luggage we brought. Let's burn them."
"That won't do, it sounds too expensive."
“No matter how expensive it is, it’s not as valuable as life,” Shen Suqin said firmly. “There’s also a truckload of clothes, although they’re all for women. Distributing them will at least keep us warm.”
"That's against the rules."
"I'm just stating the rules, so go ahead and do it."
"yes."
Before long, all the people and horses were settled.
Within the circle, with half the wind and snow blocked, everyone could finally catch their breath.
Shen Suqin, along with Ju Tao, distributed the clothes they had brought from the capital to everyone, even taking down the interior decorations and curtains of the carriages to keep warm.
Soon, a fire was lit.
Shen Suqin and Ju Tao huddled together, the warm yellow firelight shining on them, and they finally felt alive again.
"If I had known it would be this cold in the North, I should have packed more warm clothes," Shen Suqin said.
They left in a hurry, and although they brought their fox fur cloaks, these things didn't fit snugly against their skin and weren't very warm.
“When we get to Ningyuan, I’ll have someone hunt down a few wolf pelts; they’re warm.” Xu Youcai said.
Shen Suqin nodded: "I see you are all dressed so lightly. How did you get through the winter in previous years?"
I heard that the Shule River freezes instantly when it drips, and they must be having a hard time dressed so lightly.
Speaking of this, there is no such thing as cotton-padded clothing in Daliang. In winter, wealthy families mostly use animal skin cloaks for warmth, while poor families mostly use reeds and rushes.
These methods of keeping warm are actually of limited effectiveness, so every winter, many frail elderly people and children cannot survive the cold.
Shen Suqin had previously lived in Fuliang Mountain, where winters were cold, but a hundred times milder than in the north, so he had never thought about these issues.
“If you burn and crush the loess, people can crawl into it to sleep at night and it won’t be cold,” Xu Youcai replied.
"What about during the day?"
"During the day, we wore wolf-skin jackets, alternating between them."
Shen Suqin nodded.
She recalled that historically, after the introduction of cotton, there was a period of significant population growth, especially in the north.
I don't know if there's any cotton around here.
If it existed, it could save many lives.
"Brother Xu, are the trade routes to the outside world still open in the North?" she asked.
Xu Youcai immediately became alert and asked in a low voice, "Why are you asking this?"
"Nothing much, just asking."
"Then you should ask the general when he returns."
Shen Suqin nodded.
The Great Liang Dynasty forbids any opening of its borders to foreign countries, especially since the only border crossing in the north is the Shatuo. If the court were to find out that there are trade routes to foreign countries in the north, the charge of colluding with foreign powers would be confirmed.
The heavy snow stopped in the latter half of the night, and the plains after the snow were empty and desolate, without a sound.
The sky was clear as if washed by water, dotted with countless stars that shone with a cold light. The campfire still burned, its crimson embers standing out starkly in the darkness.
Shen Suqin couldn't sleep and stared blankly into space.
Coming to the Northern Border was part of her plan. Originally, she thought that after getting married, she would stay in the Northern Border with Xiao Pingchuan for a year or two, and then use his influence to leave the pass with the divorce papers, so that the world would be vast and she could start over.
But right now, she has taken on the responsibility of supplying the Black Flag Army and bringing down the powerful families, so she probably won't be able to leave anytime soon.
She didn't know if her decision was right or wrong, so she could only take it one step at a time.
Lost in thought, she drifted off to sleep.
The sky had just turned a pale blue when Xu Youcai and his team woke up to tend to the convoy and clear the snow.
The snow on the road was knee-deep; the carriage couldn't move without clearing it.
Everyone worked in silence, all of them moving very quietly, afraid of waking Shen Suqin.
When Shen Suqin woke up, the convoy was already fully prepared to depart.
She took the hot water Ju Tao handed her, drank a couple of sips, and asked Xu Youcai, "How was everyone's night last night?"
"Thanks to you for saying to stop, this is the first time no one has been injured overnight."
"That's good, let's go." She shoved the bowl onto the bicycle rack and followed in the middle of the group.
Xu Youcai stopped her, "Aren't you getting on the carriage?"
"No, it's colder to ride in a carriage."
Xu Youcai gave her a deep look; such an unpretentious woman was truly rare.
"Then let me know if you need anything."
"good."
And so, the convoy set off.
They walked slowly, shoveling snow as they went.
Around noon, the people shoveling snow ahead suddenly rushed over to Xu Youcai, saying there was something ahead and asking him to go and take a look.
Shen Suqin was curious and wanted to follow, but Xu Youcai wouldn't let her.
"Ju Tao, what do you think it could be?" she whispered to Ju Tao.
"I'm afraid the road is blocked."
"I don't think so. They look like they're digging something out of the snow. Let's go take a look."
Shen Suqin initially thought it was some kind of frozen wild deer or stray dog, and eagerly went over to see what was going on.
Unexpectedly, as soon as I put my glasses on, I met a pair of dull, lifeless dead eyes.
She frowned, pushed aside the people blocking her way, and saw dozens of frozen corpses piled together, their hands and feet tangled, their faces contorted.
“Heh, heh…” A sound suddenly came from the pile of dead bodies.
"There are still living people! Quickly pry their hands and feet open, they're inside!" someone shouted urgently.
Xu Youcai and his men hurriedly rummaged through the pile of corpses.
Unfortunately, their hands and feet were frozen together, hard as a rock, and the only way to separate them was to break their hands and feet.
Shen Suqin watched with a grim face as they slowly pried open the pile of corpses and pulled out a half-grown boy.
It was him, the boy who made eye contact with her across the crowd yesterday.
His face was blue from the cold, but his eyes were frighteningly bright as he stared intently at Shen Suqin through the crowd.
This time, Shen Suqin turned her gaze away and instructed Xu Youcai, "No matter what, save the person."
After saying that, she turned and left.
Ju Tao quickly jogged to catch up with her and said, "We didn't expect this either, don't overthink it."
"I didn't think much about it. This world is just a matter of fate, not my fault."
Yes, that's it.
Shen Suqin suddenly stopped, and Ju Tao, unable to brake in time, bumped into her.
“But…I clearly have the ability to save them…” she heard Shen Suqin say in a low voice.
For the rest of the journey, they placed the rescued boy in Shen Suqin's carriage. Shen Suqin stopped walking and sat in the carriage, personally taking care of the boy.
Xu Youcai walked beside the carriage and whispered to Ju Tao, "You should persuade her. This kind of thing is very common in winter. Tell Madam not to take it to heart."
Ju Tao shook her head: "Let her think about it herself, no one can persuade her."
The carriage wheels creaked and groaned as they faced an endless snowfield, seemingly stretching to the horizon.
Two days later, Ningyuan arrived.
Looking at the towering but dilapidated city walls and the dark, gateless entrance, Shen Suqin remained expressionless.
She knew that before the war, Ningyuan, as the largest city in the north, was just as prosperous as the capital.
But after more than a decade of war, the city was abandoned, houses collapsed, and Ningyuan became almost a ghost town.
"Let's enter the city, madam. We can sleep in the general's mansion tonight," Xu Youcai said.
"I heard that no one has lived in the General's Mansion for several years?" Shen Suqin asked. "I'm afraid the roof has collapsed."
Xu Youcai touched his nose, "You'll know when you get there."
"No rush, tell me about the general situation in Ningyuan first."
Where to begin?
“Let’s start from that mountain over there,” Shen Suqin nodded.
She had noticed a mountain range stretching across the northwest of Ningyuan a long time ago, and it seemed to be not far away.
"That's Laomao Ridge, a barren mountain where not even a blade of grass grows. The river next to it is called Guzong River, and it's quite wide."
What's planted in that field?
There are fields outside the city. Although they are abandoned in winter, the ditches and stubble are still there, as if someone has cultivated them.
"The millet we grow is mostly grown in the North, but the harvest has always been low, probably because of the cold weather."
"Okay. Let's go into town."
Xu Youcai nodded, raised his arms, and shouted, "Enter the city!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the procession began to move. Hundreds of people and more than a dozen vehicles stretched out in a long line and entered the dark doorway.
This is the first time in decades that a convoy has entered Ningyuan city instead of leaving it.
Inside the carriage, the rescued boy was still fast asleep. Shen Suqin shifted her gaze from him to the outside of the carriage, taking in the dilapidated houses and desolate streets of the city.
This is where she will be staying for the next few years.
Let's see how far she can go.
After walking through the city for about half an hour, the group stopped at a mansion.
A neatly dressed middle-aged woman came forward and said with a smile, "We've been waiting for you."
She took two large strides, lifting the carriage curtain before Ju Tao could, and welcomed Shen Suqin down from the carriage. "This must be Madam? I am..."
Xu Youcai rushed over and introduced her to Shen Suqin, saying, "She is Aunt Jiang, an old resident of the mansion. She was here when the general was born. Her family was assigned by the general to guard the mansion; they are all family."
Shen Suqin nodded.
"Fourth Aunt, is the house all cleaned?" Xu Youcai asked.
"It's been cleaned up a long time ago, just waiting for you to come back with your people."
"That's good. There's another person in the car. Get them in and take good care of them."
Aunt Jiang curiously tiptoed to look into the car. "Oh dear, what a tragedy! How could the child be so hungry? You should take Madam inside quickly; I'll settle the child in."
Xu Youcai nodded: "Madam, this way."
“The General’s Mansion was originally the residence of the Governor, a large courtyard with five courtyards. Since there are few of us, we only live in two courtyards.” Xu Youcai introduced as he led the people inside. “The front is the council hall, and the main courtyard in the back is for living. The General has instructed that the people I brought will be at your service from now on and will live in the mansion together. Where do you think would be a suitable place to arrange them?”
"Clean the two more rooms, then move to the back."
"good."
As they were talking, the group walked around the screen wall and entered the council hall. The council hall was very large, but unfortunately, half of it had collapsed, and even the roof beams and tiles were gone.
Passing through the council hall is a courtyard, devoid of flowers and plants, but fairly clean.
There was a gate in the courtyard; pushing it open led to the bedroom and the east and west wing rooms. Ju Tao instructed someone to put down her luggage, preparing to unpack herself.
"My fourth aunt said she had prepared a meal and told us to rest before having dinner," Xu Youcai said. "The dining room is in the front yard, and the kitchen is over there too."
"Ju Tao and I will pack up and go."
“Alright, then I’ll go settle the brothers first.” Xu Youcai was about to leave when he remembered something and turned back to explain, “There’s only Aunt Jiang’s family in the mansion. Her husband and two sons all died in battle. She has a daughter she’s raising and is reluctant to marry. If you need someone to take care of you, I’ll have Yuanxiang come over.”
"Yuanxiang?"
"right."
"No need, I have Ju Tao."
Xu Youcai nodded, "That's fine. That girl has been pampered since she was a child, so she probably doesn't know how to serve people."
Shen Suqin and Ju Tao exchanged a glance but didn't say anything more.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
