Xie Ming

The snow blankets the world, but the mountains are clear at night.

My hair is gray from the bitter cold, and my children have traveled thousands of miles away.

In the blink of an eye, the words were carried by the cold wind, heading northwest and then southwest of the capital region.

In the remote mountains and along the long road to Jiulong Town, two days of heavy snow have blocked the mountain roads, making it difficult to travel in and out.

As December arrived, on this day, Xu Jialin, the clan head of Xushizhuang Town, got up early, opened the door, and, facing the white snow covering the mountains, hurriedly went out with his hands tucked in and neck hunched.

So why would you go out in the wind and snow?

To be honest, it was all caused by mental illness.

The old wife, Xu Wangshi, was very anxious and upset because Jingyi had run away from home. After a serious illness, she was still worried about the safety of her second daughter.

She lost her appetite every day, unable to eat or drink anything, and lay in bed crying incessantly.

The elderly couple, having finally had their daughter, have visibly aged day by day over the past month.

Sure enough, just a few days ago, before the heavy snow, news came that wages were being sent, and Madam Xu couldn't sit still any longer.

My daughter Jingyi has been missing without a trace, and her fate is unknown.

She had another thought, and suddenly remembered Xu Wenze, the grandson-in-law of the two old men in town.

After all, according to previous reports, he has gained some respectability in the imperial army.

So after much persuasion, they decided to have Xu Jialin make a special trip to ask the two elders of the clan to send a letter over there, asking Wenze to help them find it.

No matter what, people of the same clan and surname are still connected by lineage and are true relatives within the five degrees of kinship.

They should be willing to put in some effort and do their part.

Regardless of whether it works or not, we'll try anything, even if it seems hopeless.

It's better than being stuck at home day after day, with no hope in sight.

So, with no other choice, they had to live on air and snow.

Early in the morning, just past breakfast time, Xu Jialin hurriedly left home, wandered through the alleys, and headed straight for the old master's house.

Before long, Jialin, shrinking his body, reached the door. He hesitated for a moment before opening the door and knocking.

dong dong dong-

They slipped through the door with a soft thud.

Before long, a sound was heard inside, and the old man's granddaughter, Xu Xiaoyun, put on a cotton coat and rushed out to ask.

After that, a few more polite words were exchanged before I was finally able to bow and be ushered into the main room.

In the dead of winter, with ice and snow everywhere outside, it's truly unbearable to stay indoors.

In the north, especially in the mountains, once the farmhouses have heated their kang (heated brick bed), the rooms are incredibly warm.

So he went in, lifted the curtain of the inner room, and saw that there were tobacco leaves on the bed of the two old men. Xu Jialin felt a chill and rushed in.

"Hey, Second Grandpa, you've found some tobacco leaves?"

Xu Jialin bowed deeply to his relatives, lowering his posture, his eyes full of warmth.

After all, when there's something to ask of someone, their attitude is undoubtedly much better than usual.

Judging from the tone of their voices, the two old men spoke in their usual manner, and their faces showed a hint of surprise.

"Huh? Hehe."

"It's Jialin."

"Why did you come in this heavy snow?"

His old face was deeply lined with wrinkles. This old man was used to having a stern face, but when he saw that Jialin had come to visit in the snow, he forced a smile and exchanged a few polite words, but it still seemed a bit unnatural.

The reason why Xu Jialin blurted out "Second Grandfather" was because Wen Ze had married into the family and was a senior member of the clan.

He is a generation younger than Jialin's father, hence this distinction.

"Hehe, it's nothing."

"I heard you had leg pain a couple of days ago, so I came to take a look."

In the midst of heavy snow in the twelfth lunar month, you suddenly came here for no apparent reason, and before I knew it, I hadn't gotten to the point.

It would be proper to show concern and care for elders.

"Hey, it's okay, you won't die."

"Old cold legs, an old ailment."

"He'll be fine after resting on the kang for a couple of days."

"Hey, wanna have a couple of bites?"

"It was cooked on the kang (heated brick bed), so it was a bit dry. I put it on the steamer to dry it out a bit. I rubbed it a few times, and it's much better now. Otherwise, it would hurt my throat." With that, the second old man used the basket of tobacco leaves in front of him as an excuse to continue the conversation and entertain the guest.

"Oh, then let's get going."

"Didn't you see I have some kind of weapon tucked into my belt?"

"Even if you don't say anything, I'll still take some of your tobacco with me when I leave."

"Jialu always mentions it, saying that the cigarettes you make have two flavors and are very good to smoke."

As he spoke, Jialin took the long pipe from his waistband and sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).

The conversation grew increasingly warm and engaging.

Upon hearing this, the two old masters were amused by Jia Lin, which eased their minds.

The stiffness on his face had lessened considerably.

"Hoo Hoo Hoo"

"Okay, okay."

"Take this basket with you when you leave."

"That kid Jialu, he's the only one who dares to mess with me."

"Um, Xiaoyun."

"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and serve your brother Jialin some tea!"

"Silly girl."

Zhang started making preparations, then playfully scolded his own granddaughter.

"Okay, sir."

Xiaoyun, seeing that she was a kind and sensible girl, turned and hurried to the outer room to serve tea.

As Jia Lin followed her as she lifted the curtain, glancing at her a few more times, seemingly trying to get her attention.

"Hehe, Xiaoyun, that girl, has always been honest and kind-hearted since she was little."

"You are truly blessed to have served you all these years."

Instead of flattering his two grandfathers, it would be better to praise Xiaoyun a bit more; that would make them feel closer.

Clearly, the old man was quite pleased with himself.

As he spoke, he braced himself on his arms, seemingly about to move his body to the ground.

Taking advantage of Jialin's distraction, he had already scurried up to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).

Xu Jialin turned his head away, and only then did he realize what was happening. He raised an eyebrow and quickly reached out to help the old man, afraid that he might fall again.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Are you getting out of bed, sir?"

"What do you need? Tell me and I'll hand it to you." Jia Lin said hurriedly.
But the old man just gritted his teeth and held on, not seeming to take it seriously at all.

"Hey, it's alright, it's nothing."

"My legs aren't feeling well today, so I won't go outside the main room."

"Let's chat here at this little table and stools, okay?!"

The older generation tells an old story.

When guests come to your home, it's generally not appropriate to talk on the kang (heated brick bed).

Although Yuta Hsu Chia-Lin is of a lower generation, he is, after all, the head of the clan.

His status speaks for itself.

It's not good to act arrogantly, as it will make people dislike you and feel uncomfortable.

Moreover, Jialin is usually fair and impartial, and rarely visits relatives or friends in private.

Now that we're here, these two old men are quite old; they've seen it all.

The moment Jialin entered the room, he could tell at a glance that something was definitely up.

But if we're going to have a serious talk, and we're sitting on the kang (heated brick bed), how can we tolerate this without some courtesy?

So, his grandfather gritted his teeth and endured the leg pain to get off the bed. This wasn't just stubbornness; it was a result of his keen insight and keen observation.

Jialin was standing by, and now that things had come to this, he did his best to help her up, but Ye felt very ashamed.

Despite repeated attempts to stop him, we were completely unable to stop him.

So, after some back and forth between the father and son, Jialin couldn't resist and had no choice but to go along with the host's suggestion. He managed to sit down at the small table on the floor. (End of Chapter)