Famine and Chaos: Weaving Cloth in Exile to Escape the War

This was a type of candy she had never seen before; it was colorful and particularly beautiful.

Xiaoman thought it must be candy from the palace.

There was also a sweet, fruity scent that she had never smelled before, which immediately entered her heart and made her squint her eyes.

Xiaoman swallowed hard, stuck out her tongue, and licked it very carefully and tenderly.

sweet.

It's exceptionally sweet.

It was sweeter than any maltose or candy she had ever eaten in the capital, and it also had an indescribably pleasant aroma.

Xiaoman couldn't resist taking another small lick, and then stopped.

Looking back at the kang (a heated brick bed), I saw that my mother had closed her eyes; she was truly exhausted and had fallen asleep.

My younger brother was sleeping peacefully beside me.

Xiaoman lowered her head, looked at the half-piece of candy in her hand that looked as beautiful as a rainbow, hesitated for a moment, and finally couldn't bear to eat it anymore.

With her other hand, she carefully broke off a tiny piece of candy from the stick, about the size of a fingernail, and put it in her mouth.

She carefully wrapped the rest in a handkerchief, tucked it into her bosom, and placed it close to her heart.

My mother is weak and needs more nourishment.

She had to save this candy for her mother.

She tasted a little bit herself to know what it tasted like, and that was enough.

With candy in her mouth, Xiaoman seemed to have regained her energy. She sat back down in front of the stove, her back straight, her eyes fixed on the leaping flames, adding firewood every now and then.

Outside, the cold wind howled, but inside, this small space gradually warmed up thanks to the fire lit during Xiaoman.

On the other side, Shen Wangshi, seething with anger, trudged through the snow back to her slightly tidy thatched hut.

As soon as she pushed open the door, she saw her husband, Shen Qingshan, leaning against the couch, puffing on his pipe in the dim light of the day.

The room was filled with smoke, carrying a pungent, earthy smell.

Shen Qingshan saw his wife come in empty-handed with a long face. He frowned and asked, "Why did you come back empty-handed? At Jingshi's place... is there no food left? Did they eat it all?"

He had previously seen that Jing's sister often asked people to help Jing. Since this person was dead, there should be some food left.

Madam Shen plopped down on the edge of the bed, saying irritably, "Grain? Nobody's dead! Jing Shi is perfectly fine, she even gave birth, and the baby's crying sounded pretty strong!"

"What? He's not dead?"

Shen Qingshan suddenly sat up straight, aggravating the injury on his leg, causing him to gasp in pain and turn pale.

After a pause, he continued, "This woman... she's really tough! She's so skinny, I thought she'd at least... die along with her unborn child..."

"Who says otherwise!" Madam Shen slapped her thigh. "I also thought she definitely wouldn't make it! Who knew she was so resilient! She's alive and well, and her mouth is still incredibly sharp!"

Thinking of Jing Zhichun's hurtful words, she felt so angry that her liver ached.

Shen Qingshan was silent for a while, then smoked even more heavily.

After a long pause, he said sullenly, "Fine, since she's still alive, and the child she gave birth to... is still Qingzhou's. As her brother and sister-in-law, we can't lose face too much. Don't you still have some dried wild vegetables? Go, grab a handful and take them to her, it'll be a token of our appreciation."

It would have been better if this hadn't been mentioned. The mere mention of it only fueled Shen Wangshi's rage. She immediately recounted how Jing Zhichun had spoken coldly and refused her, even digging up her past as a woman who had tried to curry favor with the Jing family in the capital, embellishing her story with exaggerated details.

Shen Qingshan's face grew increasingly grim as she spoke, eventually turning as black as the bottom of a pot.

He bit down hard on the cigarette holder and remained silent for a long time.

He certainly hated the Jing family for being a burden, and he hated this undeserved disaster.

But he wasn't like Lady Shen; he thought about things much more deeply.

Even though the Crown Prince is gone, that lady in the Kyoto Spring Palace is still a concubine in the palace.

As the saying goes, even a starved camel is bigger than a horse.

The Shen family is now a fallen phoenix, worse than a chicken. Qingzhou has no reliable friends left in the court, and they themselves are from humble backgrounds, with no real foundation.

If they really offend Jing Zhichun to death, and her sister sends word to make things difficult for them in this place of exile, or gets the person in charge of the exile to give them special treatment, then their future days will probably be ten times more difficult than they are now.

"Alright!"

Shen Qingshan interrupted Shen Wangshi, who was still nagging, and said irritably, "Since she doesn't like you, then forget it! And don't go near her anymore! As for making her kneel in the ancestral hall, if it's about family discipline, don't even mention it again! Do you hear me?"

Startled by his shout, Madam Shen said with some resentment, "Are we just going to let it go like this? She..."

"What else can we do but forget about it?" Shen Qingshan glared at Madam Shen. "Do you still think of her as the sister-in-law we could manipulate at will? Don't forget her surname is Jing! Her sister is still in the palace! What are we now? We're criminals! Crushing us is easier than crushing an ant! Making things worse won't do us any good!"

Madam Shen had of course thought of this, otherwise she would have already punished Jing Zhichun according to family rules.

"I know that, but I'm not that confused."

"Okay. Just so you know."

As Shen Qingshan spoke, he leaned back on the couch, his gaze fixed on the drafty roof, and gave a cold smile. "We'll just wait and see. In this freezing weather, even if she gives birth, she might not be able to raise her."

"Yes, my husband is right." Madam Shen finally felt a little better.

They knew that Qingzhou had never liked the child in Jing's womb, so they didn't take it to heart.

However, looking at the vast expanse of snow outside, Madam Shen thought of Shen Qingzhou, who was still toiling away in the mountains.

"Honey, your legs aren't strong enough anymore. You can't go to the mine, and you can't keep an eye on Qingzhou. He's all alone over there... Will he be able to manage? I often hear other exiled prisoners say that the work in those mines is inhuman. Some people have vomited blood from exhaustion, and some have even been crushed by rocks..."

At this point, Lady Shen burst into tears and could no longer speak.

She and Shen Qingshan have been married for many years, but they have never had any children.

The couple had cherished Shen Qingzhou like the apple of their eye for many years, and regarded him as their hope and support for the rest of their lives. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they raised him as their son.

They supported his education, hoped he would succeed, and counted on him to bring glory to the family.

Now the lintel is gone, and he's ended up in exile.

However, Qingzhou was still their pillar of support, a glimmer of hope to help them get through these bitter and cold days.

just in case……

What if something happens to Qingzhou in that dark, sunless mine...

Madam Shen dared not think any further, feeling a terrible panic in her chest, an emptiness that left her feeling lost and adrift.

If that were to happen, she and Shen Qingshan would truly be all alone in this world, with no hope left.

Upon hearing this, Shen Qingshan glanced at the woman sobbing uncontrollably and sighed. He knew that if he continued to keep it a secret, the woman would cry herself blind.

He lowered his voice and said, "Alright, stop crying. Don't worry, Qingzhou... is different from me. He's a scholar, he can read and write. When he got to the mine, they didn't make him go down the mine to dig coal. The person in charge saw that he was a top scholar and made him help with bookkeeping and managing the roster. Although it's hard work, it's much better than us who actually do the hard labor."

He paused, glancing warily at the doorway, "And my leg... Qingzhou secretly used some tricks to deliberately injure me. It was so that I, as the eldest brother, would have an excuse to avoid the hard labor of mining and stay at home to recuperate."

Madam Shen gasped in surprise: "Ah? This... how come you never told me about it before?"

"You can't keep your mouth shut, do you think I'd say anything out of line?" Shen Qingshan rolled his eyes at her and warned, "You just need to know about this, don't tell anyone else, or it will implicate Qingzhou."

"I know, I know!"

Madam Shen nodded repeatedly in assurance.

She is not stupid.

Of the men exiled to this harsh northwest, nine out of ten either went to build the endless border wall or to work their lives in the dark, sunless mines; very few returned unscathed.

Now that her man is benefiting from Qingzhou's influence, he can stay home and rest because of his injury. Only a fool would go out and make a scene.