In the courtyard of a farmhouse in Xucuoli, Shijia Village, a woman with white hair and a stooped body was busy driving the chickens in the yard into the chicken coop.
She is less than forty years old, and because of her former slave life, the difficult life has worn her down like an old man in her sixties.
She had many children in her life, but they either died young or were sold by their masters, and most of them failed to stay with her.
The only son who grew up by his side, Dengzhu, also died in battle not long ago.
It turned out that the blow of life had made her close to numbness. Living for one day is just a day's work, and the rest of life should be dark, with nothing to look forward to.
The woman raised her somewhat cloudy eyes and looked at the falling snowflakes in the sky.
The snow is falling very hard today, but at the moment she is wearing a thick cotton coat and living in a big house that is protected from the wind and rain. The barn is full of grain delivered by the tenant farmers, and there is even some food on the kitchen counter. A large pot of old hen soup is simmering.
"Godmother, the children are all hungry and are waiting for the good food cooked by my godmother."
"Godmother, we are back. The six monkeys are starving to death. If you find anything delicious, please take a bite of it first."
"Godmother."
"Godmother."
As the new year approaches, the military camp is resting, and several young men without families are living together in Yang Sheng's big house.
They carried on their backs the firewood they had just cut into the mountains, and carried in their hands the pheasants and snowshoe rabbits they had caught. Come back noisily.
Before entering the yard, he was shouting loudly and calling for people.
Dengzhu Niang wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and started busy organizing.
With this excitement and busyness, the sadness in my heart gradually faded away, and the days slowly seemed to be able to go on.
In the royal capital Hojing occupied by Inurong.
Zhang Fu sat in front of the fire pot, reading the letters in his hand page by page by candlelight.
He was very cautious. Even if important things were written in cipher text, after he had read and memorized them, he would immediately burn them in a brazier.
There was only a very small rolled note, which he held in his fingers and rubbed gently. On it was a line of handsome and familiar fonts: Everything is left to the public, only the safety of the public and the show is the most important thing, remember! Remember!
Zhang Fu looked at these few numbers several times before raising his hand and throwing them into the charcoal basin.
The flames in the charcoal basin lit up, burning up the page of text messages carefully delivered from Bianzhou.
This small flame brought a burst of warmth to him who was alone in danger.
The young boy was lying on the desk beside him. He had accidentally fallen asleep after working too much for days.
Zhang Fu stood up and put a piece of clothing on Xiao Xiu.
He raised his head and looked out the window at the falling snowflakes.
The snow this year has been extremely heavy.
The white snow seems to cover all the ugly things in the world.
When the snow melts in spring next year, a completely new and different world may be revealed.
…
In Bianzhou Xishan Villa.
Cheng Qianye drank some wine and got a little heady. She was sitting on the brocade cushion Biyun brought her on the edge of the corridor in the other courtyard, leaning against the corridor column, holding a cup of hot strong tea.
A thin layer of snow fell from the sky.
In the wild courtyard.
A group of men were sitting around a bonfire in the snow, roasting venison, drinking from cup to cup.
Cheng Feng stood up, took the large jar of wine brought by Xiao Qiu, and handed her the plate of roasted venison in front of him.
Yu Dunsu would clink glasses with Cheng Feng from time to time, or talk sideways to Xiao Jin in a low voice.
He Lanzhen was a little drunk, and was talking loudly with Mo Qiaosheng, laughing heartily from time to time.
Mo Qiaosheng spoke very little, but his expression was very relaxed, with an imperceptible smile at the corner of his mouth. He occasionally raised his eyes to look at Cheng Qianye.
"What are you looking at, Qianyu?" Yao Tianxiang came to Cheng Qianye and sat down next to her.
"It's snowing." Cheng Qianye stretched out his hand from the corridor and caught the snowflakes falling from the sky.
"I wonder if the world will be different next year after the snow melts. Can there be a little change?"
"Qianyu, you may not have noticed. Because of you, this place has changed a lot." Yao Tianxiang took Cheng Qianye's arm and rested his head on her shoulder, "When I first arrived in Bianzhou, I came here Xishan is still devastated, and almost no one can see it. Now, as we go up the mountain, we see how many more houses are smoking, and most of the children and the elderly have clothes to cover their bodies. It is much better than before. It’s a good year. I believe that the lives of the people here will only get better and better next year, and more and more people will settle here.”
"If nothing else, just look at Mr. Qiao. When I first met him, he was a slave who couldn't lift his head in the stable. Now, if you look at him again, he not only raised his head confidently , even emitted light.”
Cheng Qianye looked at the people in the yard.
He Lanzhen didn't know what she said. She strangled Mo Qiaosheng's neck with one hand and rubbed his hair with the other while laughing.
Mo Qiaosheng's face turned red and he raised his eyes to look at Cheng Qianye.
"No, it's not just because of me." Cheng Qianye said softly, "To achieve this little change today, each of them is trying their best."
"For this change, countless people have worked hard, shed blood, and even lost their lives. At this moment, there are still people who go into danger alone and go deep into the enemy's lines, just to achieve the goal that everyone hopes for."
Cheng Qianye turned to look at Yao Tianxiang's bright face: "Even Tianxiang, you could have enjoyed your life in peace and ease. Didn't you recently open a women's academy to provide learning texts for those women who have never had the opportunity to study? , life skills opportunities?”
Yao Tianxiang said with a smile: "That's because you have brought us hope. Once people have hope, they will not feel bitter or tired no matter what they do."
"I have always felt that we women should not be born just as subordinates of men. But I didn't have the opportunity to struggle and resist before. Now I feel that I can do a little bit for myself and for women in the world."
"So, I must thank you very much." Yao Tianxiang gritted his teeth, his eyes bright.
She raised her jade-white palm and placed it next to Cheng Qianye's ear, "I've prepared the one I mentioned last time for you. It's brand new and will be placed on your carriage. You can try it on your way back. . I guarantee he won’t be able to get out of the car without crying.”
Cheng Qianye pushed her, dumbfounded: "Don't make trouble for Tianxiang, he and I haven't reached that level yet. Besides, we can't go that far. If we are not careful, what will you tell me to do?"
Yao Tianxiang pouted: "But he drank so much deer blood wine tonight, wouldn't he be pitiful if you ignored him?"
"Deer blood wine?" Cheng Qianye didn't understand, "Isn't that just something to replenish qi and dispel cold?"
Yao Tianxiang looked at Cheng Qianye with an expression that looked like he was mentally retarded.
Cheng Qianye reacted and flicked her forehead with his finger angrily.
"Oops." Yao Tianxiang covered his forehead, "Even if you don't consummate the marriage, it doesn't stop you from bullying him a little."
On the way down the mountain,
Sitting in the carriage, Mo Qiaosheng felt a little anxious for no reason.
The Lord was sitting not far in front of him, with a square box carved and inlaid with jade placed on the desk at hand.
The Lord seemed to be absent-mindedly clasping the box surface with his fingers, and his face showed some unexplained smiles from time to time.
Mo Qiaosheng looked at the face in front of him that shook his head and chuckled from time to time, and felt that a fire was inexplicably ignited in his body. What was worse was that the fire was getting stronger and stronger, and gradually had the potential to start a prairie fire.
Cheng Qianye flipped open the lock of the box and wanted to quietly lift it up to take a peek.
Suddenly, she remembered what Yao Tianxiang said in her ear,
"There are three floors in total, the first floor is for the front, the second floor..."
With a snap, Cheng Qianye closed the box tightly.
Mo Qiaosheng seemed to be startled by her. He stood up with a red face: "Lord, I, I will go down for a while."
Only then did Cheng Qianye react and pulled Mo Qiaosheng, who was blushing.
She looked at the helpless man in front of her and found that a certain part of his body had a reaction that could not be concealed.
"How can you go on like this?"
Mo Qiaosheng blushed and did not dare to meet her eyes.
Cheng Qianye touched his nose and his face was slightly red.
But looking at this person who was a hundred times more cramped than her, she had no choice but to take the initiative.
She took Mo Qiaosheng's hand and slowly asked him to sit down next to her.
She reached out and gently touched his hot face and asked,
"Qiao Sheng, do you like me?"
Mo Qiaosheng turned his face sideways and nodded. Only that moment cost him a lot of effort.
"There are some things I can't tell you yet."
Cheng Qianye sat up straight, opened Mo Qiaosheng's chin, and kissed his lips.
"But if you can't help it anymore, I can make you happy earlier."
She tightened the hand that wanted to struggle.
"Don't be afraid, I won't do anything to make you uncomfortable. I just want to make you happy."
Mo Qiaosheng allowed the man to push him to the ground.
He watched helplessly as the man leaned down, parted his lips slightly, and whispered in his ear: "If you don't want to, you can still refuse now."
He didn't know why he was so bold, but he unexpectedly reached out his hand, hugged the man's neck, and gently trembled for the first time to kiss those red lips that he longed for every night.
Cheng Qianye held his hands down and imprisoned him on the ground. He showed a breathtaking expression in the night and raised the corners of his mouth with a smile that was not a smile.
"No, I am the master."
The carriage drove slowly for a long distance in the silent snowy night.
Descend the Xishan Mountain and cross into Bianzhou City.
Stop outside the palace gate.
Biyun looked at the motionless car door, a little embarrassed, and had to ask for permission softly, "My lord, we have arrived at the palace gate."
After a long time, Cheng Qianye's dry voice came from the car: "Let's take a walk again."
Biyun's face instantly turned red, and she gestured to the guards to follow her and change direction, walking around the palace wall.
Xiaoqiu didn't know why and wanted to ask.
Biyun covered her mouth and whispered: "Don't ask, just leave. Don't stop even if the master doesn't say anything."