A slight hint of warmth started to spread only after the fire blazed on the stove, but she remained shivering in cold. She did not know how much longer she needed to endure as she had no idea when the winter would be over.
Her wait seemed to be endless.
She wrapped herself tightly in a blanket. With the warmth of the blanket, she managed to pass through the night in peace.
She woke up early on the second day and spent most of the day outside. What else could she do aside from being anxious and waiting for death?
She wanted to live. Hence, she needed to work harder and be vigilant under difficult circumstances. Even the smallest barely noticeable firewood might save her life. If she was lucky, she might be able to come across a frozen rabbit or a wild chicken. The mountain actually had plenty of resources, she just needed some luck.
However, Yan Huan was not the luckiest person on this mountain. She did not come across any of the things that the others had picked up. The things that she was able to collect the most were dry twigs and barks, which were used to make a fire.
She carried a bundle of firewood back, and just as she reached the entrance of the village, a creepy and skinny man fixed his gaze on her. He approached her, trying to block her.
Yan Huan lifted her eyes slightly and walked right past the skinny man.
“Hey, don’t leave.”
At the sight of Yan Huan leaving, the skinny man turned quickly and raised his arm to block her path.
“What’s the matter?” Yan Huan asked monotonously. Her face showed no signs of expression, frozen like the snow around her at the moment, without a hint of warmth.
Jin Gen looked at the young woman in front of him. She did not have pretty features, and in fact, she was tipping more toward the ugly side. However, the body hidden under the thick coats seemed to be voluptuous. He swallowed involuntarily and could feel his body warming up even on a cold day like this.
“Be my wife. I will treat you well, and you would have rice and meat to eat.” Jin Gen rubbed his hands together. He could not wait to take her home and sleep with her.
Yan Huan bit her pale lips. With the firewood on her back, she went around Jin Gen and continued walking back to her dwelling place.
“Be my wife. If not, you’ll freeze to death.”
Jin Gen ran after her, unwilling to give up.
Yan Huan stopped and lifted her face. She stared coldly into Jin Gen’s eyes which were filled with obvious intentions toward her.
“Hmm…” The corner of her lips curved upward at little, “Even if I were to freeze to death, I will never be your wife.”
Then…she hoisted the firewood on her back. She would not die and would not freeze to death. She would live on just fine, and go home alive.
Having been rejected again, Jin Gen’s face burned red, and he stared daggers at Yan Huan. His expression turned vicious.
As a cripple, you have no choice.
Yan Huan piled the firewood at the window and walked toward the stove. She raised the fire in the stove up by a notch and cooked herself some porridge. She hadn’t had vegetables in a long time, and this made her feel a little bit uneasy.
She was thinking if she could trade the firewood for some salt in the village, as it would be nice to add some salt to her porridge. If not, she could perhaps trade it for some fermented vegetables that the farmers had made.
The small pot on the stove gave off a bubbling sound every now and then, and the air was filled with the scent of cooked porridge. She could not help but salivate and lick her parched lips. She took her small bowl and filled it with half of the porridge in the pot. The other half was left for dinner. If she could not finish that half at night, she could warm it up the next morning, and have it for breakfast. With two meals a day, she could pass this winter easily with a small portion of rice.
After she was done eating, she arranged her pot and everything else neatly. Then, she lay down and prepared to sleep. If she would sleep now, she could wake up during the night and watch over the fire. It would be too cold if the fire burned out.
When she opened her eyes again, the sky had already darkened. She divided her leftover porridge into two again for the night and the next morning. If she did not have any appetite, the halved portion would be her meal for the entire day tomorrow.
Having eaten something, Yan Huan was not hungry. She stared blankly into the fire on the stove and wondered how good it would be to have some charcoals. All the charcoals in the village had been prepared and bought from downhill in advance, hence they were extremely precious. The villagers would normally use firewood or some would even use corn stalks or wheat straws that they had planted themselves. Hence, very few of them would venture uphill to scavenge for firewood like her as they had enough supplies to survive the winter.
She laid down again and hugged her clothes tightly to her chest. She closed her eyes, gradually falling asleep with the warmth of fire surrounding her at the moment. Ever since she got here, she had not been able to sleep soundly. In fact, she had always been a light sleeper. It was just that she had spent too much time with Lu Yi, and he always made sure that everything was alright. Hence, she had managed to sleep deeper and was less afraid of the dark. However, everything was back to square one now. She realized that she had been too pampered by Lu Yi to even realize about hardships. After leaving him, she began to realize that the world was much crueler and more dangerous than she had ever imagined.
An unusual sound reverberated from the door outside.
Yan Huan instantly opened her eyes. For a moment, she thought she misheard it until another sound followed. It sounded like someone was trying to open her door.
Perhaps it was some wild animals from the mountain. Yan Huan sat up, added more firewood into the stove, and searched for something to defend herself. She took out a wooden stick from her back. She had actually prepared this a long time ago but tended to forget about it as she ever got to use it.
The villagers would not be interested in a hideous woman like her so she was very safe.
The rattling sound coming from the door could still be heard, and it seemed like someone was trying to pry the door open. It did not sound like an animal was scratching on it.
It must be human.
Yan Huan let out a breath of relief. She was not afraid of humans. Although one of her legs was crippled, she could still deal with an ordinary person. But if it was a wild animal, she was not sure if she could deal with it.
She leaned back again but her hands grasped the wooden stick tightly. She could not understand why anyone would come to her shabby place when she had nothing to offer.
