Chapter 12: Snowbound in the Mountains (Part Two)

Snow lay three inches thick, blanketing the world in dazzling white. Wu Yueling sat leaning against the doorway, gazing at the snowflakes still whirling in the sky, breathing out a warm puff and rubbing her hands together. Her thoughts wandered—how swiftly time had passed. When she arrived, the sun was shining and the days were warm; now, snow fell in abundance. Amid her sighs, she could not help but complain about the bitter cold—there wasn't even a hot water bottle for comfort!

Firewood had to be conserved, reserved for cooking and boiling water. Now, Madam Lu lay in bed to keep warm, leaving most chores to Wu Yueling. The elderly woman struggled a little with the cold, her body not fully accustomed to winter.

Wu Yueling pulled from her bosom the half-piece of shimmering Tear Star, crescent-shaped and flickering with silvery light. She recalled how it once lodged in her throat, preventing her from speaking—a harrowing memory. The game interface and perspective still lingered, the status bar unchanged; she wondered whether the game's health value was tied to her real-life vitality. Opening the forging system, she watched the weapon hovering above the forge, still being crafted. Wu Yueling shook her head—it seemed it would take at least a year or two to finish.

Entering the design interface, she began sketching chairs, tables, skillets, and some simple firearms from memory. With nothing else to do and the cold biting, she threw herself into designing, working with feverish absorption.

The snow continued to fall quietly. Children in the village, unafraid of parental scolding, played mischievously in the snow. Before long, they were caught and hauled back home, their clothes soaked from the knees down, earning a round of scolding and spanking. Yet, in this lonely snowy day, even the sound of rebuke brought a certain lively comfort.

After finishing a set of chair and stool designs, Wu Yueling stretched, heated lunch, brought it to Madam Lu, ate some herself, and resumed designing small tables—round and square—dreaming of hiring craftsmen to make them once she had money. In this era, there wasn't even a proper chair, making daily life inconvenient.

Feeling weary, she stretched again, stamped her numb, cold feet, hopped twice, and—finding no place to exercise—glanced at the snowy ground before the door. She decided to build a snowman. Fetching black leather boots from the storeroom, she put them on and stepped into the snow. Regardless of the cold, she gathered snow, first molding a cylindrical base, then a snowball. Rolling it until it grew large enough, she pressed it atop the column, then rolled a smaller snowball for the head and attached it.

After these preparations, she returned indoors to fetch some branches and charcoal. When she came back out, she saw a little girl and boy curiously examining her snowman.

“Mute sister, how did you make this?” the girl asked.

Wu Yueling, delighted, replied, “What is your name?”

“Wow, mute sister can speak! Your voice is lovely!” the girl exclaimed.

Wu Yueling shot a mischievous glance at the boy, then stuck branches into the snowman’s body, drew a smiling face with black charcoal, and wrapped an old scarf around its neck, nodding in satisfaction at her handiwork.

“My name is Aya, and he’s Aqi,” the girl said.

Aya hugged the snowman with a bright red smile, and Wu Yueling gently patted her head. “Aya, how old are you?”

“Mute sister, Aqi is six, Aya is six too.”

“What is this?” Aqi asked.

Wu Yueling crouched down, meeting Aya’s clear eyes. “It’s called a snowman.”

“Hehe, Aya likes it. Will you teach me how to make friends with the snowman?”

Looking at the innocent girl, Wu Yueling couldn’t help but smile. “Of course.”

She began teaching the children how to build a snowman; Aqi joined in, and soon a smaller snowman was assembled.

“Let’s call the tall snowman Sister Yueling, and the small one Aya. Is that okay?”

“Yes! Hehe, little snowman, we’re good friends!”

Aqi looked at the two snowmen, counting absentmindedly. “Where’s Aqi? I want a snowman too.”

Wu Yueling, amused, built a third snowman and labeled them Wu Yueling, Aqi, and Aya.

“From now on, call me Sister Yueling, not mute sister,” she told them, warming their hands. Soon, the neighboring Mrs. Fu and Old Master Xie’s scolding echoed, and the children ran home reluctantly.

As the cold deepened, the snowmen froze solid. The house was frigid, so Wu Yueling dug out a military coat from the storeroom. Madam Lu was astonished, asking what she was wearing. Wu Yueling dressed Madam Lu in it, explaining it was just warm clothing. There were only three such coats in the storeroom; Wu Yueling collected weapons and commemorative firearms, not clothes. These coats were prizes from events, never used before—she’d only found them while rummaging for supplies.

Yet, when Madam Lu wore the coat, it vanished back into the storeroom, leaving Wu Yueling startled. Madam Lu rubbed her eyes, thinking she was dreaming.

Wu Yueling realized only she could use items from the storeroom—her status as a game player made it so. The forging system was operable, meaning she could keep designing weapons, though the mechanical box remained in forging. Even with models from the design system, she couldn’t forge them yet.

Time passed swiftly. With the snow falling, no one visited the marketplace, and there was nothing to help with at the Gu house. Since the snow began, Wu Yueling had been idle at home.

When the snow stopped, Wu Yueling informed Madam Lu she’d go hunting for wild game. She donned her black boots and set out toward the mountain.

The snow made travel difficult—her feet often sank, each step a struggle. The world was dazzling white, flawless. Wu Yueling arrived at the woods Lu Feng had mentioned, searching in vain for animal tracks. She slipped into one of her own traps, fell, rolled several times, coating her hair and clothes with snow, shivering from the cold.

Standing and brushing off the snow, she saw faint footprints—a rabbit’s, perhaps. Excited, she followed the tracks, winding around several trees, arriving at a dangerous slope, where she found a dying “cat.”

Wu Yueling was puzzled—how could there be a wild cat here? Without hesitation, she crept down and grabbed the motionless creature, carrying it home.

Walking through the snow was exhausting, but Wu Yueling could adjust her energy through meditative breathing, making the trek less difficult, though slower.

Back home, Wu Yueling examined the animal—like a cat, but with a short tail, not like a typical feline. Black tufts adorned its ears, its body small and patterned, with a short tail. She pondered what it could be, and whether it was edible.

She cradled it, kneading the tiny creature, reluctant to kill it. Instead, she boiled water and placed it by the fire to revive.

The “cat” sensed warmth, rolling contentedly. Madam Lu, wrapped in clothes, came to warm herself by the fire. Seeing the animal, she was curious, touching its head.

Wu Yueling quickly brought over a tree stump for Madam Lu to sit on.

“Yueling, in weather like this, you shouldn’t go out. Your health matters most,” Madam Lu said, seeing Wu Yueling soaking her hands in hot water.

“It’s alright. We haven’t eaten meat in half a month. If I find a rabbit nest, we’ll have meat,” Wu Yueling replied, feeling much better after the warmth.

“That won’t do. Health is most important. When you and Lu Feng give me a sturdy grandson… Hmm, is this little thing from the mountain?” Madam Lu asked, gently stroking the animal’s head.

“Mm,” Wu Yueling felt awkward—Madam Lu treated her as the future daughter-in-law. If Lu Zijie returned, how would she explain? Refusing him would break Madam Lu’s heart.

Seeing Wu Yueling’s shyness, Madam Lu smiled warmly, stroking the animal’s head again. Noticing its short tail, she pondered, “This is a lynx. Its tail is short—not a cat.”

Wu Yueling watched Madam Lu fiddle with the tail. “A lynx?”

“Yes, lynxes are often kept as pets by wealthy families—very loyal, and they catch mice like cats. I’ve seen them in big houses,” Madam Lu said.

“Mother, can we keep it?” Wu Yueling pleaded, stroking the lynx’s head.

“Of course. Our family owes you much already; keeping a lynx is no trouble. Once Lu Feng earns his title, we won’t have to struggle so much,” Madam Lu replied.

Wu Yueling listened to Madam Lu’s joyful words, guilt stirring in her heart. She didn’t intend to marry, and her care for Madam Lu had its own motives—she was merely a passerby.

Wu Yueling smiled. “I believe Lu Zijie will succeed. I’ll earn enough to let you live in a grand house and enjoy good days.”

Their conversation was pleasant, time flew by. After supper, Wu Yueling held the awakened lynx, feeding it leftover rice. The little creature ate without fuss, then affectionately licked her fingers, making her laugh. Cradling the adorable animal, she gazed at the three snowmen outside, waiting for nightfall.

The next day, after making a nest for the lynx, Wu Yueling sat to rest, opened the door, and a cold wind swept in, invigorating her spirit. Outside, the gray sky was heavy with clouds, yet could not hide the children’s joy.

Wu Yueling looked out—many village children, ignoring their elders’ scolding, played happily in the snow. Mischievous ones hurled snowballs at each other, dodging and chasing, creating a lively scene.

There were quieter children too—Aya and Aqi, and others Wu Yueling did not know—building snowmen as she had taught them. Watching their carefree play, Wu Yueling was enchanted.

Mrs. Du, the hefty woman from the Du family, stepped out and slapped her child, making him cry loudly. She cursed and dragged him home by the collar, her face full of anger. She glanced at Wu Yueling, her expression strange. Wu Yueling disliked the woman, finding her too harsh with children.

While Wu Yueling pondered, several children trudged through the deep snow toward her—the same ones she taught yesterday.

“Sister Yueling, we finished our snowman. Would you like to see?” they asked.

Wu Yueling, pleased they called her sister, agreed, went with them to inspect the snowman, played for a while, then returned home. The lynx watched her from afar, hesitated, but approached and pawed her wet shoes.

Wu Yueling scooped up the lynx, which mewed—it was hungry. She fetched half a biscuit from the kitchen and fed it slowly. With the snow stopped, she thought she could go to Jingzhou City to buy supplies—wondered if the southern market was open.

After lunch, she persuaded Madam Lu, gained permission, dressed warmly, and left the village.

Walking through the snow, the world was silent and icy. Wu Yueling breathed into her hands for warmth.

She passed a snow-buried shelter, its roof barely visible—once home to beggars. She wondered where they’d gone, hoping the city had places for them.

Further on, she saw several emaciated people digging for tree roots. The snow beneath the tree was nearly gone, yellow soil scattered across the white. They pulled out yellow-white roots, ignoring the clinging dirt, shivering as they gnawed desperately. One, seeing his comrade claim another root, fought with him. The thinly clad men wrestled in the cold, while other beggar children ignored them, digging and chewing roots.

Wu Yueling couldn’t bear it, so she looked away and continued toward Jingzhou’s gate. The guards there shivered in the corner, clearly suffering from the cold. People entered the city, few exited.

Inside, the snow was deep but trampled down to a solid path. Few shops in the southern district were open. At the Gu family store, Wu Yueling bought rice and received a piece of cured meat from Manager Zhao. She felt the trip worthwhile. On her way back, she met Iron Tiger, heading to the Gu family restaurant for food and drink. He recognized Wu Yueling, and she him.

With liquor nearly gone at the escort agency, Iron Tiger braved the cold for a meal at Gu's, meeting Wu Yueling by chance. She inquired about Ah Xue. Iron Tiger said the girl was resilient, training with Iron Lihua at the agency. Her talent was average, but with steady practice, who knew what level she might reach?

Wu Yueling also learned from Iron Tiger that Iron Lihua caught the book thief—a friend of Ah Xue’s father. Unable to borrow books, he tried to steal one. The old scholar, poor and eccentric, argued that stealing books wasn’t theft, claiming it was borrowing. Iron Lihua beat him until he admitted it was indeed theft. The scholar was now locked in Jingzhou’s jail.

Leaving the city, Wu Yueling learned from Manager Zhao that, given the weather, a snow disaster might be brewing. After winter, no one knew how many would die from starvation or cold. Manager Zhao warned her not to go out again, afraid she’d encounter trouble.

As she exited the city, a man wearing a black headscarf and carrying a saber at his waist followed. He held a bag of flatbread, heading toward the beggars outside the city who had not yet died from cold or hunger.