“Jin Gen is a person from the village. It’s not possible that the people in the village do not know his nature. A dog can’t stop himself from eating shit. He did not succeed this once and was beaten hit like this. How will he be willing to take it lying down?”
“I can catch him once, so I also can catch him twice.” said Yan Huan did not fear Jin Gen. She was still very assured of her own skills. She can still more than easily deal with Jin Gen.
When Changsheng wanted to say more, Yan Huan interrupted his words and said, “Thank you, I want to go back.”
After saying that, she hobbled with one lame leg and walked forward step by step. Although she was thin, her back was quite straight, so much as that even if trials and hardships railed against her, it was impossible to see her bend her back and give in to fate, or life.
Life was like walking among thorny undergrowth, and not turning just because it was hard.
Why did I not say it? Changsheng really wanted to give himself a slap. He was clumsy with words. In fact, he just wanted to come out and say for Yan Huan to go live in his house. He had already cleaned up that empty room and the heated brick bed was also warmed up. As long as she moved there, she could live in it at any time. There was enough to eat and drink at home. She would not go hungry.
But that was what he did not come out and say.
Yan Huan went back to where she lived. She went in and closed the door. She also put the rope on the side before she walked toward the side of the stove. But the fire in the stove had long gone out. She sighed again and took the firewood to light the stove. She also put the pot on top. There was still some rice porridge inside which she left from yesterday. There should be enough to eat for today. She also did not have much appetite. She would eat what she could. After she finished eating, she rested for a while. Then she took the rope and went to the mountains to pick up firewood. There were more and more firewood inside the house, which also blocked out some of the wind from the window side. It was not so hard to bear during nighttime. It could also be because it was no longer snowing.
But also, precisely because it was no longer snowing, the weather seemed to be colder. Yan Huan really felt that the days were getting harder and harder to endure. It was so cold that even the blood in her whole body was also somewhat frozen. Things that were put in the room were almost the same as outside. They would be frozen into ice within a few minutes. Now she was the only living thing here that had not been frozen into blocks.
She crouched down. Her hands and feet as well as her face were so frozen that she had frostbite. Her pair of hands was swollen like radishes. Her feet were the same. Sometimes it seemed that while she was walking, she could not even feel her legs.
It was too cold, really too cold. She now only guarded by the side of the stove day and night, so as not to let herself freeze to death. The firewood inside the house was enough. Until the weather improved, when she was no longer cold and freezing, she could pick up more firewood. No matter what happened, it should be able to let her get through this winter.
After spending a few days like this, it was no longer too cold. But it was still considered cold to Yan Huan. However, as compared to the few days when the snow was gone, the temperature should at least be able to rise to about five or six degrees. At the very least, she could go out.
She dared not stay idle. She was afraid of idling too long that the hope for survival would be idled away. She wrapped her clothes tightly around her and walked ahead once again against the bitter cold wind. The snow had almost fully melted. There was still some accumulated snow occasionally. But it was no longer arduous like how it was a few days ago when she had to hobble with one foot deep and one-foot shallow as the snow fell heavily. It was a lot easier for her to walk now.
Except, it was really too cold.
However, no matter how cold it was to walk, it was better than not moving at all. She thought about how she had been able to live through such a cold winter and not even fall sick. She did not know if the reason was because she had been picking firewood.
Her body had adapted to the current cold air, so she herself had also adapted. And what she now had to do was to try her best to live on. She had to survive no matter how difficult it was. She had to stay alive in order to return home. She had to live to see her Lu Yi, and her three children.
She picked up a bundle of firewood again. What she had to carry on her back was also a lot heavier, and the wood almost pushed her back to bend. She walked forward step by step and did not stop for one step. She might not be able to walk again if she stopped. So, she did not stop and wanted to walk back to the place she lived in one go.
She told herself that she had arrived, yes, she had arrived, she would soon get there. As long as she reached home, she would be able to take a rest. Her stomach was also rumbling, and she was getting a little hungry. It was time to eat when she reached home. Yes, she would cook some rice porridge, eat now, and she could eat again in the evening.
After much difficulty, she had arrived at the place and also put down the firewood from her back. Then she gently patted her shoulders, went to the side of the stove, and checked on the fire first.
Fortunately, the fire was still burning. She added some firewood to the fire, and then put the pot on top. There was still some water inside the pot. The water here was from the river. The people in the village all drank and used the water from this river. The river was not polluted and was very clean. And the water used for their laundry and other usages were from the lower reaches of the river. The water in the upper reaches of the river was mainly for consumption.
When the water started boiling, she went to get her rice jar.
It was just that when she got to the place where the rice jar was, her entire person was struck dumb at the spot.
It seemed her rice jar was gone.
She moved aside the other things in disbelief. She had already placed the rice jar in this spot. But what happened to her rice? Where had all her rice gone? She looked for half a day and had searched everywhere within this square meter area. But still, she could not find her rice jar. All her food was in it. It was her everything. She could be cold, she could stay poor, she could wear tattered clothes, withstand scolding and also be snubbed by other people, she could also do away with her dignity, but she could not go without food. If there was no food, how was she going to stay alive in that case?
She looked around again. There was still a lot of firewood placed by the window, which she had picked up stick by stick from the mountain these few days.
And there was that tottering door that could fall at any time.
She took the pot off the stove and then poured herself a cup of hot water. Her shaking frozen and swollen red hands brought the bowl to her mouth, and she drank it sip by sip.
But her tears fell down drop by drop.
She only drank water on this day, but she did not eat anything.
The next day, she was still the same. She had nothing to eat. She only had water to drink. She drank a belly of water but was becoming agitated from the hunger. She was feeling that she was really going to starve to death soon.
She did not go out to look for firewood. She did not have the strength, and she could not even walk.
