A thin layer of frost covered the fields. Through it, you could see the hardened earth beneath, frozen, stiff and cracked. The tree branches were bare and creaked as they swayed in the wind.
Qiu Shuang rubbed her hands together and said to Fu Qingluo, "Miss, I'm going up the mountain to see if I can hunt some game." If she could catch something, it would give them a better meal.
Fu Qingluo replied, "Don't go. It's too dangerous to go up the mountain in this harsh winter." Both Qiu Shuang and Qiu Yu had suffered enough by staying by her side.
Qiu Shuang assured her, "Miss, don't worry. I'll just check the outskirts and not go deep into the mountains." The outside world was in chaos, and even if they had money, they didn't dare go out to buy supplies. Although skilled in martial arts, they were still outnumbered and vulnerable. Fortunately, they had previously stockpiled some supplies, enough to last until the second month of next year. However, the young lady was pregnant and hadn't been eating well lately—her complexion was getting worse by the day.
Fu Qingluo suggested, "Then let Qiu Yu go with you. I'll feel more at ease if you go together." It had been half a month since she had eaten meat. But she could still manage as the three old chickens they bought were still laying one or two eggs daily. Qiu Shuang and Qiu Yu, on the other hand, only ate coarse grains and wouldn't even touch the eggs. Even so, eating eggs every day was getting tiresome.
Qiu Shuang shook her head. "That won't do. You're pregnant, Miss. You can't be left alone. Don't worry about me—I'll just have a quick look around." In winter, most animals hibernated, so it was a matter of luck if she could catch anything.
Qiu Yu also refused to go with Qiu Shuang. "Miss, Qiu Shuang Jiejie1 knows what she's doing. Don't worry about her."
Carrying the bow and arrows she had purchased at great expense, Qiu Shuang set off up the mountain. As she had promised Fu Qingluo, she didn't venture deep into the mountain, just around the outskirts.
After wandering around for half a day with no luck, she was about to turn back when she suddenly heard a faint rustling sound. Her face lit up as she quietly approached and spotted a grey rabbit not far away.
Qiu Shuang had trained with Fu Qingluo in archery and was quite skilled. With a single shot, she hit the rabbit. Wasting no time, she retrieved her catch and prepared to descend the mountain.
But as she reached the mountainside, she saw a group of people approaching the village.
Sensing trouble, Qiu Shuang quickly hid the rabbit and sprinted down the mountain. When she reached Fu Qingluo, she exclaimed, "Miss, this is bad! A group of officers and soldiers are coming. We should hide in the mountains!" She recognised them from their uniforms as government enforcers.
Qiu Yu disagreed. "You want Miss to hide in the mountains in this freezing weather? What if she catches a cold?" Her suggestion was for Fu Qingluo to feign illness.
Qiu Shuang argued, "But what if they're here to arrest her? If we stay, we'll walk right into their trap! Miss, it's safer to hide in the mountains." If they were caught, there would be no escape.
Fu Qingluo nodded. "It's better to be cautious and hide in the mountains." If these people were indeed after her, it could be disastrous. She wasn't afraid of death, but she was carrying a child. More importantly, if they captured her to use as leverage against Duoming, what then? To be on the safe side, it was best to leave.
Fortunately, they lived at the foot of the mountain, so it was easy to escape. Fu Qingluo quickly wrapped himself in warm clothes and hurried towards the mountain.
Qiu Shuang led Fu Qingluo and Qiu Yu to a dilapidated hut. A hunter had once lived there, but when times got hard, he could no longer make a living and left. With no one to maintain it, the hut had fallen into disrepair.
After settling Fu Qingluo inside, Qiu Shuang turned to Qiu Yu and said, "Take care of Miss. I'll go get some firewood." Without a fire, they would surely freeze to death in this cold weather.
After a while, Qiu Shuang returned with an armful of firewood. She had brought a fire starter with her before she went up the mountain, so it wasn't difficult to start a fire.
Once the fire burned steadily, Qiu Shuang told Fu Qingluo, "Miss, please wait here. I'll go get the rabbit I caught earlier." After being hungry for so long, her stomach was completely empty.
Unfortunately, when she went to retrieve her hidden stash, it was nowhere to be found. When Qiu Shuang saw the footprints on the ground, he immediately understood—someone had discovered and taken the rabbit.
When Qiu Yu saw Qiu Shuang return empty-handed, she asked, "Qiu Shuang Jiejie1, what happened? Did someone steal the rabbit?"
The village originally had around twenty households, but more than half had already left, leaving only a dozen families behind. Those who stayed had nowhere else to go. They were also suffering from hunger and the cold, so in the winter, they, too, scoured the mountains for food. If they had found the rabbit, they would have surely taken it.
Qiu Shuang sighed, "Miss, please bear with it. I'll see if I can find something else." There would be no food shortage in the mountains if it were spring or autumn.
After another search, Qiu Shuang only managed to catch two sparrows. She cleaned and sprinkled some salt on them before roasting them over the fire. Since she had often gone hunting and roasting with Fu Qingluo in the past, she had learned how to do it herself.
Once one of the sparrows was cooked, Qiu Shuang handed it to Fu Qingluo and urged, "Miss, eat quickly! We've been starving all day."
Fu Qingluo ate one, but she refused to touch the other. "It's not much, but at least it can fill our stomachs a little. As soon as it's dark, we should go down the mountain and see if the soldiers have left. If we stay here overnight, we'll freeze to death."
A single sparrow had very little meat—just a few bites, and it was gone.
Qiu Yu shook her head, "Miss, you should eat it. You're eating for two now. Qiu Shuang Jiejie1 and I can still hold on." They had endured hunger before; another day would not break them.
As night fell, the trio decided to head back down the mountain. Since carrying torches would attract attention, they had to feel their way through the darkness. Qiu Shuang led the way, scouting ahead to ensure there was no danger before allowing Fu Qingluo to proceed.
When they were nearing the foot of the mountain, Qiu Shuang turned to Fu Qingluo, "Miss, you and Qiu Yu wait here. I'll go and check first." She wanted to make sure no one was lurking around their house.
As soon as she reached the village, Qiu Shuang heard the sound of wailing—grief-stricken cries echoing through the cold night. The sound made her chest tighten with unease.
When she arrived in front of their house, she didn't enter immediately. Instead, she waited outside for a moment, listening. When she heard nothing but silence, she cautiously gripped her knife and stepped inside.
Finding the house empty, Qiu Shuang left and wandered around the village. She heard the sound of weeping in almost every household.
She found Li Saozi2, a woman with whom she had a good relationship, and from her Qiu Shuang finally learned the truth—the soldiers hadn't come to arrest them. They had come to plunder the villagers' grain.
Li Saozi2 sat on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. She choked out through her tears, "Those heartless bastards! Not only did they steal our food, but they also defiled Ah Yue's wife. She couldn't bear the shame and smashed her head against the wall to end her life."
For a woman who had been violated, death was the only way out.
Having lived in the village for so long, they got to know most people there. Ah Yue's wife had always been a kind and gentle woman, and now she was gone just like that. Qiu Shuang felt a deep sorrow weighing on her heart.
With heavy steps, she left Li Saozi2's house and went up the mountain to fetch Fu Qingluo. Since the soldiers had already left, there was no more danger, so they lit a torch on the way down.
When they entered their house and saw the mess left behind, their expressions still darkened even though they had mentally prepared for it.
Fu Qingluo coldly remarked, "Wearing the skin of government officials, yet acting like bandits." How could the people not be driven to rebellion with such an oppressive government?
Qiu Shuang turned to Qiu Yu and said, "Go check if the grain is still there.". To be safe, they had only left two sacks of grain in the kitchen.
Qiu Yu quickly went to the room where she slept, checked under the floorboards, and soon returned. "Miss, Qiu Shuang Jiejie1, the grain is still there. No need to worry."
Earlier, Qiu Shuang and Qiu Yu had dug a hole under the heated brick bed in another room to hide their food. In times of chaos, anyone who didn't have the sense to hide their food would not survive for long.
Qiu Shuang nodded. "As long as the grain is safe, that's all that matters." In this harsh winter, losing their food would mean certain death.
Just then, Qiu Yu let out a startled cry and ran outside. She rushed to the chicken coop and opened it—only to find that the three old hens were gone.
On the verge of tears, Qiu Yu said anxiously, "What do we do now? We were relying on those hens to lay eggs for Miss!" They had spent a fortune on those three hens just to provide eggs to improve Fu Qingluo's diet.
Fu Qingluo remained calm. "As long as we're safe, that's what matters."
Qiu Shuang said, "Tomorrow, I'll go back up the mountain and see if I can hunt something." If she was lucky, they might have enough food to last them for a while.
But Fu Qingluo shook her head. "There's something fishy about these soldiers coming here just to steal food. Qiu Shuang, I want you to go to town tomorrow and find out what's happening." They had been in the village all this time and had no idea what was going on outside.
Qiu Shuang's eyes lit up. "Miss, do you think the rebel army has won, and Ji Xuan is making a last desperate stand?"
Fu Qingluo shook her head. "The rebels are not strong enough to defeat Ji Xuan. Otherwise, they wouldn't be retreating battle after battle. Something else must have happened."
A thought crossed Fu Qingluo's mind—perhaps Yun Qing had made his move. But she quickly dismissed it. Even if Yun Qing intended to rebel, he wouldn't choose the dead of winter to do so. The fact that these soldiers raided such a remote village for supplies probably meant that Ji Xuan's army had run out of food.
Qiu Shuang thought it over and agreed. "Alright, I'll go to the town with Li Saozi2 tomorrow to gather information."
She could speak the local dialect, but her accent was still different. To avoid trouble, she always brought Li Saozi2 with her when she went into town. Of course, she never asked for help without offering something in return—she would pay her a certain amount of money each time.
Fu Qingluo nodded. "Be careful." Most adult men in the village had either been conscripted or fled, leaving only the elderly, women, and children behind.
Qiu Shuang reassured her, "Don't worry, Miss. I'll be careful." To avoid attracting suspicion, she never spoke in public and simply pretended to be mute.
The following day, before dawn, Qiu Shuang went to find Li Saozi2. A single trip to town would earn her two taels of silver. Although the price of grain had skyrocketed, two taels were still enough to buy a hundred jin3 of grain. With such an opportunity, Li Saozi2 naturally didn't refuse.
Footnotes Full List
- 姐姐 jiějie = elder sister
- lit. elder brother's wife; sister-in-law. Saozi is also a general term for a young married woman and an honourable title for a friend's wife
- a traditional unit of weight, each containing 10 liang (市两) or 16 old liang (旧市两) and equivalent to 0.5 kilograms or 1.102 pounds
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The Rebirth of Han Yuxi