Genshin Impact: I, the Winter's Executor, am forced to work.

"This won't do! You know, we are now..."

Maria didn't say anything more, she just silently closed her eyes.

Anna seemed unconcerned: "The old woman is all alone most of the time. The children don't come home often, and the house is empty. It's really hard for her."

She knelt down with difficulty, trying to help the two of them up: "Come on, this old woman doesn't have many days left to live anyway, at least... don't let me go alone."

"Grandma Anna..."

Maria fought back her tears, quickly stood up, and helped Anna up.

"Thank you." She didn't know how to repay such a timely help, so she simply expressed her gratitude silently.

She carried her daughter and followed slowly behind the old man to his home.

The room was dimly lit, and the fireplace, which should have been lit, was on the verge of going out.

"this..."

Maria swallowed her words.

By the way, my husband used to come to my mother-in-law's house often to help out...

A hint of sadness flashed in her eyes, but she quickly put it aside.

She gently placed Tatiana on the ground and rolled up her sleeves.

"Grandma, let me add some firewood for you. My daughter and I need to keep warm too."

"Good enough is good enough, don't push yourself too hard."

Tatiana placed the doll on a chair nearby and ran out before Maria.

"Mother, go and rest. Leave this to me..."

With chubby hands gripping the axe handle, he pulled with all his might...

The axe remained completely still.

Seeing that her daughter refused to give up, Maria anxiously stretched out her hands, wanting to intervene in time if danger occurred.

Even though the little girl's face turned bright red, she didn't move the axe an inch.

The woman also breathed a sigh of relief.

"Let Mother do it. I'm very good at this. Keep your distance so you don't hurt yourself."

"But... Mother, you've never done this kind of work before..."

Maria looked a little embarrassed, seemingly exposed by her adorable daughter: "Ha... that's because I don't usually have the chance, otherwise I could do all the housework by myself."

She took a deep breath, tied up her long black hair, squatted down, and suddenly pulled it up.

The axe flew off the stake and was flung behind him by his arms due to inertia.

"Hey hey hey!" The woman staggered back two steps before regaining her balance.

That scared me to death... I didn't know chopping wood was such a difficult thing.

However, this little difficulty is no match for me!

(The two worked all afternoon until night fell.)

"Little Mary".

Anna took a bag of Mora from the cupboard and put it in the other person's hand: "Go out and buy some clothes for the children."

Maria quickly waved her hand in refusal, saying, "You've already shown me so much kindness that I can't possibly stay here... How could I possibly..."

“My legs aren’t very strong, and I rarely buy daily necessities. Just consider this as money for me, and the rest is a gift for my granddaughter.”

Seeing that the old man had immediately included them as a family, Maria took a deep breath.

No... I can't cry. If I cry now, Tatiana will worry...

She grimaced, grinned, and replied in a hoarse voice, "Okay, you and Tatiana wait for me at home, I'll be back soon."

The door closed, and she silently leaned against the wall, looked up at the sky, and put her arm over her eyes.

"Hey..."

(To avoid spending too much of Anna's Mora, Maria only chose the cheapest cotton coat for herself.)

(After buying her things at her usual cheap shop in town, she returned home feeling somewhat relaxed and happy.)

A cacophony of sounds erupted.

"Quick! Bring some snow over!"

"Hey you over there, hurry and go find some water!"

The wooden house, engulfed in flames, came into view.

She stood there, stunned, her belongings scattered all over the ground.

But she quickly stumbled through the snow like a madwoman, grabbing a nearby witness: "Where are the people inside! Have they come out yet!"

"Miss, Miss, please calm down. We just came here following the light of the fire and have no idea what happened. Besides, the door seems to be locked..."

Maria ran quickly to the door of the cabin, and with all her might, slammed it shut, only to find that the door was blocked by something.

She looked down at the wooden lock on the door, which she had never seen before, and a surge of anger welled up inside her.

Her slender hand slammed against the lock again and again, completely ignoring the blood that was flowing uncontrollably.

For some unknown reason, with a click, the lock was miraculously broken.

Hope surged within her again, and she mustered all her strength to smash the door open.

The wooden door opened with a sound, but it seemed to be blocked by something, opening only a crack.

Maria pushed her way into the room, only to find Anna, who had been hit on the back by the wooden beam, curled up on the floor, already lifeless.

In her arms was the unconscious Tatiana, who was still clutching her teddy bear tightly in her hand.

The woman, with a strength she didn't know she possessed, draped the cotton coat over the wooden beam and moved it in one go. At the same time, she wrapped Anna and Tatiana in the coat, picked them up, and rushed out of the wooden house.

(far away)

"Lord Yevgeny... I have completed your... mission." There was a hint of reluctance in the man's voice, for he had repeatedly extinguished the family's hopes.

"My goodness, what an elegant posture."

The old man stroked his beard, looked at the woman rushing out of the fire, and sighed with heartfelt admiration.

"What a pity... I thought we'd kill that old woman along with her, and then you'd bring the little girl out. It just goes to show that even the wisest can make a mistake..."

He seemed to realize that his frowning posture was not very elegant, and quickly adjusted his demeanor.

"But soon, it will all be over."

-

Maria held the unconscious Tatiana in her arms, sitting in the snow. The child's even breathing kept her from losing her last hope.

She held the child in her arms like a baby, while she sat on the ground, calling her name over and over again.

"Mr. Xiong... save my father... save my grandmother."

Crystalline tears dripped from the corners of the little girl's eyes. Her eyelashes trembled, and her eyelids finally slowly lifted.

Maria stood up in surprise, tears welling up in her eyes.

Tatiana opened her eyes and saw her mother's hand tucked into her sleeve. She instinctively lifted it and discovered a patch of scarlet blood.

This is related to what my father did before he died...

The little girl burst into tears, clutching Maria's clothes tightly: "I don't want my mother to die!"

Maria looked at Tatiana with gentle eyes and tidied her messy hair.

"Silly child...I'm perfectly fine, aren't I? You just had a nightmare. Close your eyes, wake up again, and everything will be alright."

"Really...?" The little girl was still sobbing, her voice filled with worry.

"That's natural, sweetie, let me sing you a song."

The woman wrapped the cotton-padded coat around her daughter and began to hum a lullaby softly.

Tatiana was clearly quite frightened and quickly fell asleep.

"My dear, my daughter."

Maria leaned against the wall, her body gradually sliding down until she sat on the ground, silently weeping.

why?

Why won't they even leave us a way out?!

Chapter 110 Dean Yevgeny (Bonus chapter, entering the main storyline today)

(A heads-up: The villain mentioned a cute girl's name earlier, but it didn't seem to have much of an impact, so this isn't just the female lead's memoir; the two actually met in the orphanage.)

Also, these two chapters might be quite painful. Unless you're extremely resilient, please be careful. That's why I chose to release both chapters together, and things will recover quickly.

Just a reminder, this might really hurt some readers. But the ending won't disappoint you.

Some viewers may not like this; I'll explain in the title when we get back to the main story.

"Ha ha..."

Maria, dressed in only a thin shirt but wrapped in a tattered quilt that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, walked aimlessly through the snow, her beloved daughter in her arms.

Tatiana looked at her mother, whose lips were chapped and whose hair was dry and split, and felt an indescribable pain in her heart.

As darkness fell, Maria had lost track of how many days she had been wandering alone. At first, the townspeople would provide the two of them with food and simple shelter at night, but eventually they all gave up because of some unknown threats.

Anna's house was destroyed in the fire, and she herself perished as a result. Anyone with eyes could see the consequences of going against the tide and ignoring threats.

"Tatiana... wait here for your mother to come back."

The woman still wore a gentle and kind smile, brushing her daughter's hair aside with her hand.

Even in such difficult circumstances, Maria still managed to keep her daughter looking radiant.

Whether it's fighting with stray dogs for food or rummaging through garbage cans, he'd rather go without food and water himself than let Tatiana die unhealthy. His daughter is his last line of defense, and protecting her is his final promise to Maxim.