Sold immediately after wearing it? I took my family and fled the famine.

In the middle of the night, Jiang Xing heard footsteps outside his camp.

I walked quickly, crunching through the snow.

She opened her eyes, gripped the knife hilt, and stared at the direction outside the shed. A figure walked out of the darkness and paused at the shed entrance.

"Da Ya? Grandma Zhang?" It was a woman's voice, very low, with a sob in it.

It was Widow Sun's voice.

She lifted the curtain, and a cold wind rushed in, causing the flames to flicker.

Widow Sun stood in the snow, holding Niu Niu in her arms, with the older boy behind her; all three of them were shivering.

Niu Niu's face was buried in her mother's arms, with only a small patch of her forehead showing, which was bluish-white.

"Da Ya, my... my shed collapsed." Widow Sun's lips trembled, her voice shaking. "The two children are freezing. Niu Niu has stopped crying, but I... I don't know what to do..."

Jiang Xing looked at her, then at Niu Niu in her arms. The child's face looked strange; he couldn't tell if she was asleep or unconscious.

The shed wasn't big; it was just right for four people. If you added three more, it would be so crowded you wouldn't have room to turn around.

She wanted to refuse, but looking at Niu Niu's face, the words stuck in her throat, and she couldn't say them.

Her companion from the previous life and the end times had the same expression when she placed her daughter in her arms; there was fear but no despair.

Because she knew she wouldn't survive, handing the child over to someone else would give the child a chance to live.

"Come in." Jiang Xing stepped aside.

Widow Sun was stunned for a moment, and tears welled up in her eyes. She hugged Niu Niu and crawled into the shed. The older boy followed behind, shrinking his body and not daring to look up.

Third Uncle woke up, glanced at her, didn't say anything, and moved to the side. Zhang Shi also woke up, lifted a corner of the quilt, and let Widow Sun put Niu Niu down.

"Let's warm the child up first," Zhang said.

Widow Sun squatted by the fire, holding Niu Niu in her arms, tears streaming down her face.

Jiang Xing took out a few cornbread buns from her basket, one for each of them, and handed them to Widow Sun and her two children. She also poured a bowl of the remaining warming medicine from the clay pot and handed it to Widow Sun.

"Give it to Niu Niu. It'll help her warm up."

Widow Sun took the bowl, her hands trembling so badly that some medicine spilled. She brought the bowl to Niu Niu's lips, and Niu Niu drank a few mouthfuls in a daze, coughed twice, and her complexion gradually improved.

"Thank you... thank you..." Widow Sun's voice was hoarse and didn't sound like her own.

Holding Niu Niu's head, she fed her little by little. Some of the medicine soup flowed from the corner of Niu Niu's mouth, which Widow Sun wiped away with her finger and then brought the bowl closer.

"No need to thank me." Jiang Xing sat back down, placing the dagger on his lap. "You have to leave before dawn."

Widow Sun paused for a moment, then nodded.

She knew what Jiang Xing meant; he wasn't trying to get rid of her, but rather to let her go back before dawn to avoid being seen and gossiped about.

After being fed a bowl of medicinal soup, Niu Niu's complexion improved somewhat; although it was still pale, it was no longer a bluish-white.

Her eyelids twitched, she opened them a crack, glanced at Widow Sun, and then closed them again.

Widow Sun held Niu Niu in her arms, tears streaming down her face. She dared not cry out loud for fear of disturbing others, and her shoulders trembled.

Zhang reached out from the side and touched Niu Niu's forehead, then touched Widow Sun's hand.

Zhang pulled an old cotton-padded coat from the corner of the shed. It was the one Xiao Niu had worn for several years. It was stiff and the cotton had collapsed, but it was much better than the one Widow Sun was wearing. Xiao Niu was wearing a new cotton-padded coat now, and this old one had been kept under the cart as a mat.

"Put this on Niu Niu." Zhang handed over the cotton-padded coat. "It's a bit old, but it'll still keep out the wind."

Widow Sun took the cotton-padded coat, her hands trembling. Her lips quivered for a long time before she finally managed to utter "thank you."

The shed quieted down, the firelight illuminating the faces of several people, their shadows swaying on the oilcloth.

Jiang Xing sat at the entrance of the shed. As dawn approached, Widow Sun left with her two children.

Niu Niu has warmed up and her face has regained color, but she is still drowsy.

Widow Sun held her in her arms, and the older boy followed behind. The three of them left a trail of footprints on the snow.

Widow Sun walked to the entrance of the shed, glanced back at Jiang Xing, and moved her lips as if to say something.

Jiang Xing said, "Let's go."

Widow Sun nodded, turned and left.

Jiang Xing stood at the entrance of the shed, watching their figures disappear into the morning mist.

The snow stopped, but the ground was covered with footprints.

She squatted down and wiped away the footprints at the entrance of the shed with her hands, as well as the footprints left by Widow Sun when she came. The snow was smooth again, as if nothing had happened.

Back in the shed, Uncle San was already up, squatting by the fire packing tobacco. Zhang was folding quilts, while Xiao Niu was still asleep, huddled under the covers with only his head sticking out.

"Awake?" Jiang Xing patted him.

The little calf opened its eyes and rubbed them: "Sis, did someone come last night?"

No. You're dreaming.

Jiang Xing placed the pot on the fire and began to cook porridge.

The calf said "Oh" and didn't ask any more questions.

The porridge was ready, and the family gathered around the fire to eat, without mentioning what happened last night.

After finishing his cigarette, Uncle San knocked the ashes into the fire and said, "It's time to go today. If we don't leave now, the snow will come again."

Jiang Xing looked up at the sky. It was a hazy gray, but a bit brighter than yesterday, and the clouds weren't as thick.

"Um."

After finishing their meal, they tidied up. Last night, Widow Sun's shed collapsed, so the dry straw might come in handy. Jiang Xing bundled the dry straw into a bundle and placed it next to Widow Sun's cart.

As the team set off, the sun peeked out from behind the clouds, and the snow shimmered in the sunlight, so bright it was blinding.

Jiang Xing led the oxcart, walking in the middle of the procession.