Reborn and returned, sisters swapped

Li Fu was an older craftsman, honest and steady, and meticulous in his work.

As dusk approached, he led several craftsmen to set up the newly made chevaux-de-frise and protective shields around the granary and iron shop.

These chevaux-de-frise, made of sturdy wood with iron nails embedded in them, were placed near the entrance to keep out wild animals and even enemies.

As the craftsmen worked, they joked with each other, "Are these barricades for the snow wolves?"

"They might actually come in handy. Once those starving wolves smell the grain, they'll understand!"

Li Fu didn't speak, but just gave a soft hum.

Their task was not only to deal with the wolf packs, but also to deal with the bandits roaming outside the city, hungry outsiders, and even some unscrupulous locals who might take advantage of the chaos to come into the city in search of food.

Thinking of this, Li Fu couldn't help but glance at the dark granary, which contained the most precious grain stored by the people of Hesha City.

Li Fu dared not stop; the winter was long and cold, and this food was their lifeline.

That night, several craftsmen were still reinforcing the fence at the entrance of the granary.

Li Fu walked over carrying an oil lamp, the flame flickering slightly in the cold wind.

He looked around; the only sounds on the deserted street were the breathing of the craftsmen and the occasional clanging of metal.

Seeing his companions' hands, red from the cold, Li Fu finally spoke up: "Brothers, you've worked hard. If we can finish tomorrow, we'll sit around the fire and have some hot soup."

“It’s nothing, Brother Li!” A young craftsman named Luo smiled, his face turning purple from the cold. “I feel more at ease if we reinforce it a little more, otherwise I’ll be worried about something happening to the granary even when I’m sleeping.”

As they were talking, they suddenly heard a series of hurried and chaotic footsteps coming from afar.

Li Fu frowned and immediately waved for the craftsmen to stop, and everyone listened quietly.

In the darkness, the footsteps grew clearer, and a dark figure emerged from the end of the alley, walking hurriedly.

Li Fu squinted and stared intently. The dark figure drew closer and closer, revealing a young face—it was Kobayashi, the soldier in charge of patrolling.

Xiao Lin ran up to Li Fu, panting, and said urgently, "Foreman Li, there seems to be someone loitering around the warehouse in the west of the city. I'm afraid they're not good people. Do you want to go and take a look?"

Upon hearing this, Li Fu's face immediately darkened.

Although the western warehouse is not as important as the granary, it is still a place for Hesha City to store supplies. If it were destroyed, the city would probably face even greater difficulties.

He turned to look at the craftsmen, nodded, and said in a deep voice, "You guys continue to reinforce the granary. Xiao Lin and I will go check on the situation."

After saying that, he grabbed an iron rod from the ground and walked with Xiaolin toward the warehouse in the west of the city.

At the warehouse entrance, the pitch-black night seemed to be silently watching the two of them. The cold wind howled across their faces, swirling up the withered leaves on the ground.

Li Fu held his breath and tiptoed closer to the warehouse, his sharp eyes scanning the surroundings.

His gaze fell on a clump of low bushes not far away. In the dim moonlight, he could see a shadow huddled up, trying to hide its presence.

"Xiao Lin, go over there," Li Fu whispered, gesturing for Xiao Lin to go around to the other side of the shadow.

He himself steadily approached the shadow, like a cheetah ready to pounce on its prey.

The two slowly surrounded the man and finally cornered him.

Upon seeing this, the shadow stood up in a panic, looking at Li Fu and Xiao Lin with a wary expression.

Under the moonlight, Li Fu could see the face of the newcomer clearly. It was Old Yu, a homeless man from the city, a man in his early forties who had been displaced by the war.

Li Fu felt a sense of relief, but his tone remained stern: "Old Yu, what were you doing sneaking into the warehouse in the middle of the night?"

Old Yu doesn't usually cause trouble; he's just used to being a vagrant and occasionally goes to remote corners of the city to look for food.

Old Yu shrank his neck and stammered, "Foreman Li... I... I didn't intend to steal anything, I just heard that there were more barricades over at the granary."

I... I thought I'd come here to take a look... If only I could get some food in the winter..."

Seeing his timid appearance, Xiao Lin was somewhat moved and whispered to Li Fu, "Foreman Li, Old Yu really has no home to return to, and he's quite pitiful."

"Or, let's go back and talk to General Gu and see if we can take care of him a little."

Li Fu looked at Lao Yu's thin figure and was also somewhat moved.

The people of Hesha City were already destitute and homeless, and there were many more vagrants like Lao Yu.

They are just a microcosm of this turbulent era.

Thinking of this, Li Fu slowly nodded and said to Lao Yu, "Winter is long. If you really need some food, go to the military camp tomorrow and register. We will take care of you."

But you're not allowed to go near the warehouse tonight. If I see you again, you won't be so polite.

Upon hearing this, a hint of gratitude flashed in Old Yu's eyes. He nodded repeatedly, turned around, and left.

As Li Fu watched his figure disappear into the night, he suddenly felt a heavy stone pressing on his chest, and the night wind seemed even colder.

Back at the granary, the craftsmen had already arranged the barricades and protective shields neatly around it, forming a sturdy barrier.

Li Fu silently observed the barricades for a while.

As night deepened, the craftsmen returned to their lodgings, took out their meager rations and water, and ate silently by the dim firelight.

Someone took out a small gourd of wine that they had brought from home and handed it to Li Fu.

Li Fu smiled slightly, took the gourd and took a sip. The spicy wine slid down his throat and surprisingly gave him a sense of warmth.

He raised his gourd and said to the craftsmen around him, "Brothers, if we can get through this winter, we will see spring in this city next year!"

The craftsmen exchanged smiles, their eyes filled with hope and determination.

The harsh winter did not diminish their fighting spirit; on the contrary, it made them even more determined.

This winter is not only a challenge from nature, but also a baptism for the soul.

As if overnight, they were no longer just ordinary craftsmen, but the guardians of Hersha City.

A few days later, Gu Jinyan finally appeared outside the granary, braving the biting cold wind, and personally inspected the protective measures.

Seeing Li Fu and the craftsmen's hard work, she felt a sense of heartfelt satisfaction.

She walked up to Li Fu, patted him on the shoulder, and said softly, "Thank you for your hard work. Hesha City was able to get through this winter safely because of you."

Li Fu lowered his head, scratched his head sheepishly, but couldn't help but raise his head again.

He said firmly, "General Gu, rest assured, the people of Hesha City are watching, and we will never let them down!"

Gu Jinyan smiled slightly, looking at the group of loyal craftsmen, and his belief became even stronger.

In this battle of life and death, they may not have had fancy armor and sharp blades.

But every bit of their effort is dedicated to protecting the last inch of land in this city.

The cold wind was as biting as ever, and the air was filled with damp frost.

In a dilapidated alley in the east of the city lived a homeless man known as "Old Yu".

Old Yu's face was weathered, and he wore a tattered cotton coat. His face was covered with chapped lines, and even his eyebrows and beard seemed to be covered with frost.

No one knew his origins, nor did anyone care where he went in the city, but in this slum, he and the surrounding lower-class people lived quite comfortably.

Early in the morning, Old Yu wrapped himself tightly in his tattered clothes, held a broken bowl in his hand, and squatted at the entrance of the alley, waiting for the first alms of the day.

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Old Li not far away, leaning on a cane in one hand and carrying a few hardened steamed buns in the other, limping toward him.

"Old Yu, you're out so early today? What's wrong, didn't you sleep well last night?"

Old Li smiled, revealing a few missing teeth, shook his head, and handed over the steamed bun in his hand.

"Here, I just got it from the temple fair over there. It's a bit tough, but I can still bite into it."

Old Yu took the steamed bun, casually broke off a piece and put it in his mouth; it was as hard as a rock.

But he didn't mind, and just laughed and said, "That's why I came early to get a good spot and try my luck."

Old Li, don't overexert yourself too soon; you need to take care of your health.

As they were talking, several ragged children ran over from the other end of the alley. The one in the lead was called Gou Dan, the son of Old Liu in the alley. Although he was thin, he had a clever look in his eyes.

They carried several pieces of frozen sweet potato peels and eagerly handed them to Old Yu, saying, "Uncle Yu, Uncle Yu! These are sweet potato peels that my mother hid for me. I brought them to you."

Old Yu patted Gou Dan's head and nodded, saying, "Good boy, Uncle Yu hasn't spoiled you for nothing."

He casually pulled out a small clay figurine he had picked up from a corner of a tavern the night before and handed it to Gou Dan. “Take this and play with it. Don’t tell your mother I gave it to you. She doesn’t like you guys hanging around with an old beggar like me.”

Dog Egg happily accepted the clay figure, his eyes shining, and he held it to his chest as if he had obtained a rare treasure.

The children gathered around Gou Dan, watching him with envy and chattering amongst themselves about whether they wanted to play together.

Watching them run away laughing and joking, Lao Yu felt a warmth rise in his heart.

He tucked the steamed bun into his pocket, intending to eat it later, but then he saw a crowd gradually gathering at the alley entrance, as if something exciting had happened.

He squeezed through the crowd and saw that it was Wang the butcher's shrewish wife, pointing at a pale-faced middle-aged man and cursing: "You heartless bastard!"

They eat my food, drink my water, and in the end, they still secretly hook up with that vixen. Do they really think the Wang family's money grows on trees?

Old Yu looked at the man's face and recognized him as Old Huang, a nobody who made a living by copying accounts and running errands. He never expected that Old Huang would cause such trouble.

The people around burst into laughter, and several women whispered among themselves, occasionally covering their mouths with their hands, seemingly enjoying the farce.

Just then, a small, thin figure quietly slipped out from behind the crowd and sneakily circled around to the back of Butcher Wang's stall.

That child was Sanyuan, one of the smartest kids in the alley, whose family was so poor they couldn't even afford to eat.

In order to get something to eat for her seriously ill sister, she would often sneakily "pick up" some things when the vendors were distracted.

Old Yu saw through his intention at a glance and sighed inwardly.

Which of these poor people's children doesn't risk their lives for their families?

He hesitated for a moment, struggling with whether or not to call out to Sanyuan.

Before he could even speak, there was a "snap" sound, and Sanyuan was about to slip away.

Unexpectedly, he slipped and fell heavily to the ground, dropping the meat pie he was holding, which drew gasps from the onlookers.

Wang the butcher's wife had sharp eyes. When she saw Sanyuan, her face immediately darkened, and she shouted angrily, "You little bastard, how dare you steal my things?"

"I'll break your hand!"

Sanyuan was so frightened that his face turned ashen. He stared desperately around, but no one spoke up for him.

Old Yu knew that if he didn't step in, the child would be beaten half to death today.

He sighed, stepped forward, and stood in front of Sanyuan, saying in a hoarse voice, "Sister-in-law, this child was just greedy and didn't dare to actually steal."

"For my sake, let him off this time."

Wang the butcher's wife frowned and snorted coldly, "Old Yu, what does this have to do with you? You have no right to interfere!"

Old Yu looked up at her with a half-smile, "Sister-in-law, the meat at your stall comes from the head of the East Market. Don't forget I used to be in that business too."