After the arranged marriage, she farms and survives under the tutelage of the villainous boss.

Seeing that Xiao Fantuan was so capable of taking care of herself, Jiang Zhiyun felt relieved.

"Mother, are you going to find Father? You should go soon, otherwise the road will be difficult to travel on later, and it will be too cold."

The little guy is still young, but he already knows how to care for others.

He matured very early, but he was used to always having a cool demeanor.

Yunniang herself was also going; it was so cold in Liangzhou City, let alone in places closer to the border.

In addition, that watchtower wasn't easy to repair either.

She might not be able to help, but she can offer some suggestions.

"Ye Qi, prepare the carriage. Let's go to the border!"

She can go as long as she's ready.

Zhang and the rest of the family have always unconditionally supported Jiang Zhiyun.

Anyway, Yunniang always knows what she's doing and how to conduct herself properly.

Previously, when Xie Shuheng was in the military camp, Yunniang would often go to visit him. Now, even the things she brings for her visits are packed by Zhang Shi.

They had some clothes and some convenient food, which they kept to eat on Yunniang Road.

Zhang made a small stove and held it for Yunniang, saying, "If your hands get cold, get off and light some charcoal again. I've prepared charcoal in the carriage; you and Ye Qi can both use it."

"Let's have a warm and peaceful past."

Previously, there was no opportunity to suffer, but now that there is, Zhang Shi will not let Yun Niang suffer.

Yunniang waved to them: "Let's go back!"

"Let's go early and come back early. We'll return together with Xie Shuheng then."

Yunniang often travels far away, and Ye Qi alone is equivalent to twenty ordinary guards. In addition, Xie Shuheng has arranged for unseen shadows to protect Jiang Zhiyun.

Therefore, Zhang doesn't need to worry too much.

Although Shuheng is not a very good-natured child, he seems to have a rather strong possessive streak.

However, when actually facing Yunniang, this child still showed her enough respect.

Therefore, Zhang was quite satisfied with this.

Yunniang was on the road, and the first half was fine, similar to her usual trips to the Northwest.

As we approached the border, something felt off. Sandstorms are common everywhere, so they weren't anything unusual.

But this place was terrifyingly large; even Yunniang, inside the carriage, could still catch several mouthfuls of sand and dust as the curtains billowed in the wind.

Ye Qi was worried that the windows or carriage doors might not be properly secured, so he wondered if he should replace them with the kind that can be locked.

Jiang Zhiyun said, "It's not good to keep your breath in, but it's alright, the journey isn't long now."

"We're almost out of rations, so what we're eating now is enough to fill us up."

They just ate their fill of wind, sand, and mud.

Seeing Jiang Niangzi trying to find joy in hardship, Ye Qi smiled helplessly and said, "Jiang Niangzi really knows how to live."

"I feel like there are no hard times when I'm with you, because even if there are hard times, you can still make them sound wonderful."

Yunniang burst into laughter.

They walked around the neighborhood for a while at noon, found a big tree to block the wind and sand, and then the two of them rested for a bit. Before long, they should reach the border where Xie Shuheng was.

To everyone's surprise, the number of refugees encountered along the way increased, and even those who weren't exactly refugees were often carrying something in their hands, seemingly ashes...

The question everyone asked most often was, "Did anyone in your family freeze to death?"

"How long has it been dead? If you leave it at home, it'll start to stink sooner or later in the spring."

"We still need to spend money to buy a coffin, otherwise we'll just burn it all down..."

If you're broke and someone in your family passes away, you'll need to scrape together money for cremation or a coffin, even if you don't have a grand funeral.

At first, Yunniang thought that things might be better in towns or villages.

They arrived at the border town, which was where Xie Shuheng was stationed.

Jiang Zhiyun then realized that the place was deserted, with hardly anyone in sight. Why was that?

She felt a chill creep into her heart.

Having seen so many dead people, Ye Qi now has a clear understanding of the atmosphere here.

"Madam Jiang, I smell a lot of... the stench of corpses."

"There should not only be few people here, but most of them have left."

Jiang Zhiyun clenched her fists. She had finally won the battle and had finally seen hope, but before she could be happy for more than a few days, disaster struck again.

At first I thought it was just ordinary dry and cold weather, who knew it could last for so long?

Jiang Zhiyun rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on.

This isn't something that can be done by simply giving out porridge, or by providing a full meal and some charcoal.

This is... to live a long life.

These things can only solve the immediate problem during a winter's day; to live forever... is simply impossible.

It may be cruel, but that's the truth.

Jiang Zhiyun walked around and felt a headache and unsteady steps. At first, she thought it was just a common cold and didn't pay much attention to it.

Back in Xie Shuheng's small house, Ye Jiu was guarding the door. He was clearly surprised to see Jiang Zhiyun and quickly let Yunniang in.

It was very basic, with very few things, and not even a warm blanket.

Yunniang looked at the cramped little house and the bed, which was even smaller than the small bed in the military camp.

It's inevitable that my eyes will sting.

Hsieh Shu-heng really doesn't know how to take care of himself.

Yunniang was originally planning to tidy up, but she saw one of her earrings on Xie Shuheng's desk, which she initially thought she had lost.

I never expected to be brought here by this person.

Even on the narrow table, there was a painting by Yunniang, accompanied by Xie Shuheng's sloppy handwriting.

I never imagined this man was such a talented painter.

Yunniang was curious and wanted to know how Xie Shuheng had settled in here.

After all, when he wrote back home, he always said that he had found a very large house to settle in, with a warm kang (heated brick bed) and delicious food.

Looking back at what she said then, and considering what Jiang Zhiyun is seeing now, she can only manage a bitter smile.

"Xie Shuheng, who taught you this? All you know is how to deceive your family."

However, even when searching through the items, they were all related to Yunniang.

Xie Shuheng has very few personal belongings and keeps things simple. The only things he can't bear to throw away are always related to Jiang Zhiyun.

Even the notebooks where he casually scribbled down notes were carefully treasured by Xie Shuheng.

Jiang Zhiyun herself was at a loss for words, both amused and exasperated.

But it also warmed my heart. Who wouldn't want a husband who treats them so well?

When Xie Shuheng returned in the evening, he saw Ye Jiu hesitant to speak.

He didn't ask any further questions: "Wang Lang isn't coming for dinner today. He'll be watching the border. It'll be better to draw maps over there."

Ye Jiu nodded: "Yes, sir. I have something to tell you."

Looking into Yunniang's eyes in the shadows, he still didn't say anything.

Xie Shuheng took the initiative to ask, "Has Lady Jiang's letter been properly stored?"

"Yes. In your room."

"..." Jiang Zhiyun had written it earlier and was just waiting to send it to Xie Shuheng.