Traveling through the mountains and farming

After seeing this, Li Changli said, "Okay, Mr. Zhou, then you can follow us. However, we are going to the mountains to avoid disaster. The conditions there are harsh, so you must be mentally prepared."

Zhou Dongjia and his family were overjoyed, and he quickly responded: "Brother Li, as long as we have a place to stay, we can endure any hardship."

The original plan was to go to the county town to gather information. Now they have some understanding of the general situation in the county town, but they have not yet figured out the situation of the war.

Li Changli continued to ask: "Mr. Zhou, has the imperial court sent troops to Xiaoshan County recently?"

"Since the city was sealed off, we haven't heard of any imperial troops sending troops here," replied Zhou Dongjia.

"Why didn't the imperial court pursue the victory? If this continues, there's no telling when this damn war will end." Li Chongwu, who was standing beside him, couldn't help but interrupt.

"We don't know what the battle situation is like on the front lines, and of course we can't know the court's decision."

Li Changli sighed, his face full of worry.

"Then do we have to wait until evening and then reunite with He Yunzheng and the others and return to the secluded cave?" Li Chongwu asked.

"I see it's still snowing outside, and I'm worried that the mountains will be severely frozen, which will make it even more difficult to go back. Now we also know the situation in the county. Let's eat something first and then go to Hejia Village to find them, meet up with them as soon as possible and go back early." Li Changli said seriously.

It is very easy to freeze in the mountains as soon as the weather turns cold. If this heavy snow is added, the mountain roads will probably become even more difficult and dangerous to travel.

He frowned, feeling that the heavy snow would not stop for a while, and would tend to get heavier.

Everyone agreed, ate some dry food they brought with them, and headed towards Hejia Village in the wind and snow.

The snow outside has reached my calf level. It snowed all night last night.

On the road, we saw many bamboos and trees being bent, and some were broken and fell to the ground, blocking the road.

Fortunately, they all carried axes with them, so if they couldn't avoid them, they just used the axes to cut off the obstacles and move forward.

Everyone struggled forward, one step deep and one step shallow. The cold wind blew snowflakes into their necks, making them shiver.

Fortunately, they met He Yunzheng and others who came to Quanshui Village to look for them.

He Yunzheng told them that Hejia Village had also been burned down. He Yunzheng and his team searched the nearby villages and felt that the officers and soldiers should have conducted a second search and perhaps burned down some places a second time.

They managed to find some clothes and worn quilts in the abandoned village and prepared to take them back for emergency use. Although these clothes and quilts were all worn out, it was better to have them than nothing.

After everyone reunited, they turned back and headed towards the secluded cave deep in the mountains.

The mountains were frozen, and the roads were becoming increasingly slippery and difficult to walk on, so we had to be extra careful with every step we took.

Li Chongwu and Luo Dashan led the way in front, and the others followed closely behind.

~

When Lin Wan woke up early in the morning, she saw a vast expanse of snow outside. It had snowed heavily all night!

Snowflakes fluttered and danced all over the sky, covering the whole world in silver.

She hadn't seen such heavy snow in many years, and long icicles were hanging outside the cave entrance.

Lin Wan walked out, came to the edge of the cliff, and looked out at the mountains and rivers in the distance.

The undulating mountains covered with snow look like winding silver dragons, and the vast land is like flawless white brocade. It is truly a beautiful and magnificent winter painting.

The two siblings and other children were very excited to see the heavy snow. They all ran into the snow, laughing and playing together.

Xiaobai's white fur blends in with the snow. If it weren't for its black eyes and nose that were exposed when it ran, it would be difficult to spot it.

Lin Wan watched the children laughing and playing in the snow, and couldn't help but think that the snowy mountains were prone to freezing, and she didn't know whether Li Changli and others who had gone out to return to the village had returned in time.

If the snow continued to fall, would they be stranded on the road?

And I don’t know what’s going on with those people living in seclusion in the valley who just started burning charcoal yesterday?

Uncle Li was also aware of these problems, and he was not particularly worried about whether Li Chongli and the others could return safely.

After all, they all grew up in mountain villages and have rich experience in how to travel in the mountains in heavy snow and freezing weather.

He believed they would be able to return in time depending on weather conditions and would be able to deal with any possible situations along the way.

What he was more worried about was the heating problem for He Lizheng and others who lived in seclusion in the valley. He had heard before that they did not have enough clothes. If the snow continued to fall and they did not have enough warming measures, someone might catch a cold and get sick.

Moreover, it takes six or seven days to burn charcoal. If the low temperature continues, it will be difficult for the elderly and children to bear it.

Thinking of this, he immediately summoned the heads of several households in the cave. After some serious discussion, they decided to send some charcoal to He Lizheng and others first, enough for them to use before the charcoal was burned.

So Li Changyi took several strong laborers with them to load the charcoal into baskets. Two of them went in front with axes to clear the way, clearing away the trees that were crushed by the heavy snow and blocked the way. The others followed carefully carrying the charcoal.

The snow was deep and the road was slippery, making every step very difficult. We finally reached the secluded valley.

When they saw the people living in seclusion in the cave carrying several baskets of charcoal into the house, He Lizheng and his friends were deeply moved.

Several of them are now working in the mountains in the snow to burn earth kilns, and they thought it would take at least six days before they could use charcoal for heating.

Unexpectedly, the people living in seclusion in the cave took the initiative to deliver several baskets of charcoal, and also sent fire baskets according to the number of elderly people and children.

He Lizheng held Li Changyi's hand to express his gratitude, "Thank you so much. You specially sent us charcoal on such a snowy day. It really solved our urgent need."

"My dad said that the weather looks like it will continue to be bad, and he's worried that you'll get cold," said Li Changyi, his hair and eyebrows covered with snowflakes.

"Your kindness is truly precious. We are borrowing this charcoal. We will return it to you once we have burned it well."

He Lizheng said sincerely, holding Li Changyi's hands tightly with both hands and pulling him towards the fire.

"Uncle He, please don't be so formal. We are all family, so there is no question of whether to lend money or not. As long as we can get through this difficult time together, it's better than anything else."

Li Changyi responded with a smile, a simple and sincere smile on his face.

At this time, the snow outside didn't seem to show any signs of stopping, and the wind was blowing even harder.

Li Changyi and his companions did not dare to stay any longer and prepared to return to their cave. He Lizheng and his companions sent them out of the valley entrance and watched their departing backs.

On the way back, the wind and snow became more violent. Li Changyi and his companions returned carefully, and they were even more worried about Li Changli and his companions who had not returned yet.