No matter how difficult the path, it must be walked.
Wen Chaosheng knew he had no retreat.
He braved the vast snow, leaving a trail of blurry footprints, pressing onward, and enduring until he reached a small, white-roofed wooden cabin at Qingtiankou, southeast of the county town.
The cabin window was sealed with animal hide, so the faint glow of an oil lamp inside couldn't be seen. Regardless of whether the person inside was asleep or not, Wen Chaosheng knocked forcefully on the door, the dull sound quickly dispersed by the wind and snow.
Thump—
Thump-thump—
After several knocks, the frost-covered door of the wooden cabin finally opened.
With a creak, a dark, wrinkled face appeared from behind, it was Zhang Hunter. He gave Wen Chaosheng a cold look and cursed,
"What time is it? You're not sleeping, but others are?"
Wen Chaosheng opened his mouth but before he could speak, Zhang Hunter threw him a dark blue cloth.
The key was wrapped inside.
"Tha—"
Wen Chaosheng only managed to utter the first word before the wooden door was heavily shut again. Wen Chaosheng looked at the closed door in front of him, without any hesitation, and turned to head towards the darkness in the distance…
He had barely taken a few steps when, from the dimly lit house, the silver-haired old woman lying on the bed spoke,
"Old Zhang, why are you so fierce? I don't think that child is a bad person. He's been so miserable these past three years, I haven't seen him steal or rob anyone… Anyway, that treehouse is empty, isn't it? It's not bothering anything."
Zhang Hunter added some fire to the stone kang, not replying to the old woman, but merely cursing with full vigor,
"Blast it, such heavy snow, just came down. The mountain will be closed tomorrow, so I probably can't hunt. I'll have to get a pickaxe, break the ice on the Stone River, and see if I can catch two fish to make some fish soup…"
The old woman knew her husband's temper and continued,
"I know you're not feeling well, times have been hard lately. But Chaosheng said a few days ago that his three-year agreement with the Magistrate is almost up. Once he becomes a Qi citizen and is officially recorded, he'll be given a plot of land. He'll be able to support himself, and maybe even help us with small things…"
Old Zhang suddenly turned his head, looking at the old woman on the bed, his tone urgent:
"Three-year agreement? A dog's agreement!"
"What kind of character is County Magistrate Liu Jinshi? A three-year agreement?"
"Besides that fool outside the door, you're the only one who believes it!"
"Without silver, would he let vagrants into the county?"
"A joke! Bah!"
He spat into the fire, his tone frighteningly heavy:
"You just watch, that foolish boy outside won't survive this winter."
"If I were ten years younger, I could still help him, but now… we're like mud bodhisattvas crossing a river, barely able to save ourselves."
The old woman listened to Zhang Hunter's sharp words, remaining silent for a long time, then still asked,
"How about we move back to the county town and lend him this house for the winter?"
Zhang Hunter didn't reply. The firelight illuminated his aged face, shadows swirling in the furrows. Looking at that face, the old woman suddenly paused, ultimately unable to speak again, closing her cloudy eyes with a sigh.
The reason they chose to move out was that their living place was too far from the mountain forest where Zhang Hunter hunted.
When they were younger, Zhang Hunter was strong and could walk dozens of miles a day without panting. But now, both she and Zhang Hunter were over sixty, and with her illness and bad legs, Zhang Hunter had no choice but to build a house specifically in Qingtian outside. This way, he could walk at least twenty miles less each day when going into and returning from the mountain, making it convenient for hunting and chopping wood, and also for taking care of her.
The roads in winter were extremely difficult, especially with this year's snow being heavier than in previous years. Moving back to the county would almost be equivalent to taking her husband's life.
These past two years, her leg pain had been severe, she couldn't walk far, much less work in the fields. She relied entirely on Zhang Hunter's good care to barely survive. She naturally understood what was more important, but listening to the rustling snow falling outside, she couldn't help but think of her son who had joined the army years ago, sighing into her bedding.
At this moment, Wen Chaosheng had with great difficulty reached the treehouse. His hands were almost completely numb. Fortunately, Zhang Hunter had left a wooden ladder here. If it had been just a rope as before, he truly might not have been able to get up.
Using all his strength, he reached the treehouse door, carefully fumbled for the key, opened the door, and directly scrambled inside, then locked the door from the inside.
In an instant, the wind and snow were completely shut out. Wen Chaosheng felt as if he had come back to life.
After fumbling around in the dark room for a while, he suddenly froze, seemingly disbelieving. He felt around in the corner again and finally confirmed that it was indeed a quilt.
Although it was old and had a few holes, for Wen Chaosheng, this was a lifesaver.
He had known Zhang Hunter for three years. Although the other party was cold on the outside but warm on the inside, Wen Chaosheng truly hadn't expected that this rough-looking old man would remember to leave him a set of bedding in the treehouse.
He didn't dare to take off his clothes, but he took out the dry grass from inside his clothes and wrapped himself in the quilt.
Feeling his stiff body gradually soften, Wen Chaosheng muttered to himself, somewhat triumphantly:
"Damn heavens, damn heavens… Didn't expect it, did you? I didn't die, I survived."
"In a few more days, on the third day of next month, I will be a true Qi citizen."
"With land and a place to live, life will also get better…"
The more he spoke, his low spirits gradually gave way to excitement.
A smile, unseen for who knows how long, reappeared on his face.
But soon, this smile vanished. Wen Chaosheng seemed to have thought of something, a glint of unusual sharpness flashed in his eyes, then silently dissipated with time.
…
Late at night, a tired Wen Chaosheng finally drifted off to sleep.
There was no crowing of roosters outside in the mountains. He awoke the next morning, disturbed by the morning light seeping through the door crack.
After being startled awake, Wen Chaosheng ignored his discomfort, stretched his limbs, pulled the door open a crack, squinted to adjust to the light outside, then returned to the room, stuffing the dry grass back into his deerskin clothes. He then hid the key in the treehouse and left.
Normally, only Zhang Hunter would come to the treehouse, so there was no need to lock the door, much less carry the key.
If the key were lost outside, his trouble would be even greater.
Although Qi is south of the Four Kingdoms, it is hot in summer and cold in winter. Once the heavy winter snow falls, it won't stop easily, and it will only get colder day by day until spring flowers bloom.
After leaving the treehouse, Wen Chaosheng had to get busy with the day's livelihood. It wasn't snowing during the day today, so he had to cherish this time.
But before that, he had to go to the dilapidated temple to see if that strange woman he found in the mountains was dead or not.