The little one's purse connects the two worlds, turning a desolate village into a paradise.

(Thanks to the awesome boss wuqu°o_ for the verification!)

Upon seeing the three men clearly, Zhao Hu's heart tightened. He quickly and gently placed the thermos he was carrying on the ground and handed the flashlight to Dr. Chen, who was the one among the three who seemed to be in relatively good spirits: "Uncle, take this and shine it on me first."

Dr. Chen reached out and took it in a daze; the small black tube still carried the warmth of Zhao Hu's hand.

Zhao Hu deftly peeled off the outermost camouflage work uniform that Fang Tiesheng had given him and handed it to Da Niu: "Wear this first."

Da Niu stared blankly at the green garment with its strange fabric and even stranger pattern. He subconsciously took it and found a warm, thin layer of fleece underneath.

Zhao Hu then took off Fang Tiesheng's floral jacket and his own camouflage coat, handing one to Doctor Chen and the other to Xinghua.

Da Niu was trembling violently, and one of his hands was shaking so badly that he couldn't get it into the sleeve.

Zhao Hu then noticed that Da Niu had a wound on his shoulder. Although fresh herbs had been applied, they couldn't mask the foul, putrid smell.

He sniffed hard, wiped his eyes, and took off his coat to wrap Da Niu in it.

The once strong and tall man is now so thin that his cheekbones protrude and he has hardly any flesh on his body. Even his small clothes look loose on him.

It's just a little shorter.

The warm clothes, still warm from their bodies, wrapped around their stiff, frozen forms, finally brought a touch of warmth to the three of them.

Zhao Hu unscrewed the thermos, removed the cap, and carefully poured out a capful of warm water. "Drink some hot water, slowly."

Looking at the strangely shaped bottle on the ground and the fluffy floral-patterned jacket he was wearing, Dr. Chen felt like he was dreaming.

Is it a hallucination?

Da Niu had already drunk two small sips of water, but Zhao Hu didn't let him drink more. He then fed water to Xinghua and Doctor Chen in turn.

The warm water flowed through my parched throat, down my esophagus into my stomach, and then gradually spread to my limbs and bones.

The three of them drank some hot water, and their bodies gradually warmed up, their unfocused eyes gradually regaining focus.

It wasn't an illusion, it wasn't a dream; the warmth in my body and stomach felt so real.

They came back to life.

Zhao Hu waited quietly until the three of them had recovered some strength. Xinghua's face regained some color. He then turned to look at Da Niu, whose face was covered in yellow mud and he couldn't tell anything from him. Oh well.

Occasionally, the cries of wild animals could be heard from the woods. He waited for about half an incense stick's time before saying in a deep voice, "If we can walk, we're ready to go. Let's move slowly, no rush."

As he spoke, he slowly got up, carried Da Niu on his back, held a thermos in one hand and helped Dr. Chen with the other.

Dr. Chen held a flashlight in his hand and shone it.

Xinghua, wrapped in her padded jacket, tugged at the hem of Doctor Chen's clothes.

The four men limped and shuffled toward the village.

……

The rice porridge in the pot had long been cooked until all the rice grains had opened up, and a thick layer of rice oil had been simmered out, so thick that it clung to the spoon. Niu Cuihua (Grandma Fang) kept it warm on the stove again and again, afraid that it would get cold when the person came back.

Every now and then, she would move to the courtyard gate, stand on tiptoe, and peer towards the mountainside, muttering repeatedly, "Why is there still no light... why is there still no movement..."

Fang Tiesheng looked at each medicine one by one, laid out all the usable ones, and then moved a small stool to sit by the door.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, the four finally stepped onto the familiar dirt road, where the old locust tree at the village entrance swayed slightly in the wind.

Like welcoming people home.

The group dragged their feet and slowly moved to the front of Fang Tiesheng's house. Something under the eaves was faintly glowing.

As soon as I entered the courtyard, the things under the eaves suddenly lit up with a "whoosh," and warm white light shone down, illuminating the entire courtyard.

The two people inside heard the noise and practically rushed out.

Zhao Hu put the ox down.

Niu Cuihua immediately noticed her son, who was so thin he was almost unrecognizable. His face was sunken, his pants were torn to shreds, his toes were blue from the cold, and there were many wounds on his calves.

She rushed forward and hugged Da Niu tightly, crying, "My son... my son..."

Fang Tiesheng's tears flowed silently, his heart aching so much he didn't know what to do.

"Come inside! Come inside!" Zhao Hu helped Doctor Chen up and called to Xinghua, "It's cold outside."

Fang Tiesheng then came to his senses and quickly pulled his wife and children into the house.

Although there was no heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) inside, the stove fire never went out, making it warm and cozy, much better than in the mountains.

As soon as they entered, they couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Their nerves, which had been tense for many days, suddenly relaxed, and they unconsciously swallowed hard as they smelled the long-lost aroma of rice.

Zhao Hu pressed everyone down onto the kang (a heated brick bed), saying, "We're all too dirty..." Xinghua didn't dare to sit down.

"Xinghua, sit down. Don't worry, child. Home is home now..." Niu Cuihua looked at the three people sitting on the edge of the kang with heartache.

She wiped away her tears, turned around and went into the kitchen. A moment later, she brought out three bowls of steaming rice porridge, thick and with a thick layer of rice oil.

All three of them started rumbling in their stomachs at the same time.

"There's cake here too, sweet and soft—" Niu Cuihua pulled out a few more sponge cakes.

It's something I've never seen before.

Dr. Chen's pupils contracted slightly.

Fang Daniu smelled the sweet aroma and wanted to take it, but Doctor Chen pulled his hand down, saying, "Your stomach is very empty right now, you can't handle eating anything else. For the next few days, drink some thin and soft foods."

Upon hearing this, Niu Cuihua quickly put away the chicken cake and sat down close to Da Niu, her tears of heartache never ceasing.

The group sipped the hot rice soup, and after a while, their emotions gradually calmed down. Fang Daniu shook his slightly dizzy head and carefully looked at his parents, whom he had not seen for a long time.

The two elders had rosy complexions. The mother was wearing clothes similar to those Tiger had given her, thick and soft, with bright fabric and flowers, and over it was a green long robe with some floral patterns.

At first glance, there were three sets of similar clothing in the room, as well as his parents' shoes, which were thick and black and looked warm.

what's going on?

Could it be?

"My son..."

"father……"

The father and son spoke at the same time. Fang Tiesheng paused and let his son ask first.

"Father... tell me the truth, has our village sided with some mountain king or bandits? Is this a reward from above for our allegiance? Should we join them in a rebellion?"

Fang Tiesheng: ?

Zhao Hu: Huh?

Niu Cuihua: Why are you starting a rebellion?

Doctor Chen rubbed his forehead. Xinghua touched the fabric. It was like the legendary cotton, no! It was even better than cotton. She had seen the General's clothes from afar, and even those clothes weren't as thick and fluffy as the ones they were wearing.

How could it possibly be something that mountain bandits or outlaws could produce?

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Fang Tiesheng slapped the ox's back. His son seemed to be born without a brain, perhaps his intelligence had been replaced by brute force.

Fang Daniu was already dizzy, and when Fang Tiesheng patted him, the pain in his back suddenly intensified, and his vision went black. He collapsed straight onto the kang (a heated brick bed).

Fang Tiesheng looked at his palm, then at his son with his eyes closed: "This..."

Niu Cuihua wanted nothing more than to slap the old man back, "He's already this weak, and you still hit him! Now you've knocked our son unconscious!"