My best friend is living a famine-stricken life; you're going crazy, I'm farming.

Yang Fenglan was finally not woken up by birdsong.

She was woken up by her child.

"It's snowing! Look, it's snowing!" Xiao Ning exclaimed the loudest.

When Yang Fenglan got up, she saw that she wasn't even wearing an outer coat.

"Ningning, go put on your coat before you come out."

"Oh." Xiao Ning went back into the house, and a moment later, Zhou Jingwei followed her out.

The snow didn't cover everything; it just piled up on the treetops and in the grass.

The ones that fell to the ground all melted.

The adults were also happy to see the snow.

After nearly a year, the ground has finally been moistened a little.

This is the hope of farmers.

However, the snow only fell on the summit of the highest peak; in the distance, the villages and hillsides remained withered and yellow.

Lin Cuiniang was very worried. "Do you think that if the people down the mountain see snow falling on the mountain, they will come up the mountain to look for water?"

"No, it won't happen." Yang Fenglan said with great certainty.

The book describes how, once winter arrives, the entire Qingyang County becomes lifeless.

It's not that people are starving to death, but that hunger makes people lethargic; when the imperial court is inactive, local uprisings will occur, and cannibalism will follow.

Those who are alive no longer have the strength to climb the mountain.

“Next, it will snow even harder, and more people will die,” Yang Fenglan said in a deep voice.

These words sounded somewhat mysterious, but they left everyone feeling uneasy.

But before long, the aroma of food wafting from the kitchen captivated her.

"Never mind all that, let's fill our stomachs first." Xu Yingying's positive voice also infected everyone's mood.

"Yes, let's fill our stomachs first," Lin Cuiniang said with a smile.

Right now, the person most worried is Xu Dazhu.

Although my parents and brothers behaved badly, the thought that they might starve to death on the roadside or cook and eat the children in the family made me feel sad.

It would be a lie to say I don't feel sorry for him, unless he has no humanity or kindness whatsoever.

Secondly, there is Zhou Jingyi.

He also looked worried.

They have no shortage of food on the mountain, but Zhou will no longer care about the people down the mountain. The only person he can't let go of is Shen Yu.

Zhou Jingyi was well aware of Gu Ming's family situation, and wondered how good Shen Yu's life would be after she married into the family.

In a year of famine, would Gu Ming sell Xiaoyu for the sake of his younger siblings?

The thought that it wasn't impossible made Zhou Jingyi increasingly restless.

He wanted to go down the mountain.

But he knew that Xiao Yuanshan and Yang Fenglan would not agree, so he dared not bring it up.

He was absent-minded all day, and no one noticed his mood—everyone was gathered around the fire in the kitchen, roasting chestnuts to eat.

At dinner time, Zhou Jingyi could not be found anywhere.

They thought he had gone to check on the traps, but he didn't return even as it was getting dark. Xiao Yuanshan went out to look for him but couldn't find him.

Yang Fenglan guessed that he had probably sneaked down the mountain.

Lin Cuiniang asked worriedly, "Could they have encountered danger?"

“No, he didn’t learn all those skills over the years for nothing,” Yang Fenglan said.

"Aren't you worried?"

"What's the use of worrying? He's already gone, without even saying goodbye. Let's eat."

Yang Fenglan didn't say anything more about Zhou Jingyi, and Lin Cuiniang could tell that she was still angry.

Zhou Jingyi returned the following evening.

His expression was gloomy, as if someone owed him a large sum of money.

Yang Fenglan asked him where he had gone, but he didn't answer. He ate his meal in silence and then crawled into bed to sleep.

"Zhou Jingyi, what do you mean by this? Can't I even ask a question?" Yang Fenglan got angry at his behavior; she had worried about him for nothing last night.

"Hey, Fenglan, forget it." Xu Yingying pulled Yang Fenglan out of the dining room and closed the door behind her. "My nephew looks like he's in a bad mood. Let's wait until he calms down before we talk about it."

"He's probably off to be a simp again." It's obvious without even thinking. He has no parents down the mountain, what else could he do?