Chapter 71: Snowfall, No Getting Out of Bed

The next day, Ming Dai and Zhou Sinian did not wake up early to go out. Instead, after breakfast, they greeted Huang Dalian and headed toward the nearby mountains.

After chopping some firewood, they entered their space.

The night before, Ming Dai had kept the surviving lambs together while storing the dead ones in the warehouse. Today, they needed to process all of them.

Most of the surviving ones were ewes and lambs. Zhou Sinian and Ming Dai once again washed them using rose-scented body wash before grouping them with the previous flock.

After being given fresh, tender grass, the sheep quickly adapted, eating while basking in the sunlight.

Outside the villa, Ming Dai took the seven slaughtered sheep out of the warehouse and placed them in the courtyard. Zhou Sinian skillfully hung them on the slaughter rack, expertly draining the blood and skinning them.

Ming Dai assisted in processing the meat, sorting and storing it properly. They didn’t waste the sheep’s blood or offal either. The last time Zhou Sinian had tried the lamb offal soup, he had been pleasantly surprised. Not minding the strong smell, he carefully prepared all the edible offal, while Ming Dai stored the sheep hides back in the warehouse to be tanned later when they had time.

Ming Dai picked out a large lamb leg for marinating, planning to roast it over charcoal when they had the chance. The last time they had roasted one, the two of them had devoured it to the bone, still wanting more.

Once everything was taken care of, they took a hot shower. This time, they deliberately avoided using the rose-scented body wash—its strong fragrance could easily raise suspicion.

Afterward, they carried the firewood back home, arriving just in time to prepare lunch.

For lunch, Ming Dai deliberately cooked extra portions so that they could stay out until noon the next day before returning.

Huang Dalian, as usual, didn’t say much, only reminding her to be careful.

The others had no objections either. If not for Xiao Ming being a knowledgeable youth, they wouldn’t have been able to enjoy such a variety of dishes!

Moreover, they were going into the mountains to gather medicinal herbs. Huang Dalian mentioned that by next year, their village would have its own doctor!

For Liujiawan, the village farthest from the commune health center, this was crucial.

One of the older women wiped away her tears. Her youngest son had died from a fever. The doctor had told her that if they had arrived just a little earlier, he could have been saved.

Because of this, everyone silently approved of Ming Dai and Zhou Sinian’s frequent trips into the mountains. Some even helped sun-dry the herbs she brought back.

Only the new educated youths had complaints, especially Liu Yan. She constantly hinted and encouraged the others to report Ming Dai.

But before Huang Dalian even needed to step in, the villagers had already put Liu Yan in her place, scolding her so harshly that she burst into tears.

Ming Dai, in return, showed her gratitude by brewing herbal preventive medicine for everyone each week.

Because of this, during the reservoir construction project, not a single person from Liujiawan caught a cold or fever, whereas people from other villages had fallen ill to varying degrees. The villagers of Liujiawan, on the other hand, only became more energetic as they worked.

This made them admire and appreciate Xiao Ming even more.

After finishing their meal, Ming Dai and Zhou Sinian set off once again, heading toward the mountains they had visited the day before.

Ming Dai’s main goal was still ginseng. However, this time, she activated her treasure-seeking ability for medicinal herbs, gathering a considerable amount of rare plants along the way.

In particular, she found polygonum multiflorum and lingzhi mushrooms—both highly valuable traditional Chinese medicines that were difficult to come by.

Even more precious, she discovered several tree stumps with parasitic lingzhi mushrooms growing on them. She took the entire stumps into her space, ensuring they could continue growing.

It was a rewarding journey, but Zhou Sinian was not satisfied. None of these were things he could eat, and they all smelled unpleasant to him.

Seeing his lack of enthusiasm, Ming Dai asked him what he wanted. Without thinking, Zhou Sinian blurted out, “A silly roe deer!”

Ming Dai: Why is your only concern food?!

And so, they ventured deeper into the mountains and selected a herd of silly roe deer, planning to expand their second livestock venture.

Roe deer truly lived up to their reputation for being foolish. This time, Ming Dai didn’t even need to hide—she simply followed behind them at a leisurely pace.

Even when she didn’t catch up, the deer would turn back to look for her, their wet, innocent eyes seemingly asking: Why aren’t you keeping up?

What else could Ming Dai do? She had no choice but to step forward and take them into her space!

In total, 23 silly roe deer were easily collected without much effort.

While washing them, Zhou Sinian looked rather concerned and asked Ming Dai, “Since they’re this dumb, if we eat them, will we become just as dumb?”

After receiving a firm “no” from Ming Dai, his movements while brushing their fur became noticeably more cheerful.

And just like that, next to the sheep pen, a new pen of silly roe deer appeared. Once they started munching on the fresh grass, they obediently stayed in place.

Zhou Sinian carefully observed the deer herd, determined to pick out the most delicious-looking one.

Ming Dai: I need to thoroughly study my cooking encyclopedia.

Content and satisfied, the two headed home, completely unaware that not long after, furious tiger roars echoed through the mountains.

The tiger: “Who?! Who?! Which bastard stole my backup food supply?!!!”

In the following days, whenever Ming Dai had time, she went into the mountains to collect large quantities of medicinal herbs, storing them in the warehouse to process during the winter.

Zhou Sinian, meanwhile, happily gathered all sorts of edible things.

They even dug up several fruit trees and planted them inside their space.

Fortunately, the terrain inside the space was under Ming Dai’s control. She could freely adjust its size within the limited area; otherwise, there really wouldn’t have been enough room for all these things.

To feed the sheep and the silly roe deer, Ming Dai planted a vast stretch of grassland inside the space, creating a small prairie. She also set up two mobile pens, allowing the animals to graze freely. Once they finished one section, she would move them to the next.

By the time they had thoroughly explored the nearby mountains, the first snowfall arrived, signaling that their time working on the reservoir was nearing its end.

The snow fell overnight.

When Ming Dai woke up the next morning, she immediately noticed how bright it was outside. Stepping out, she saw the entire landscape covered in thick snow.

Winter here was straightforward—the first snowfall was already heavy, reaching halfway up her calves.

Hearing the morning work bell ringing as usual, Ming Dai felt a bit worried. Weather like this was when accidents were most likely to happen.

Before long, someone was outside shoveling snow. Looking closely, she recognized Liu Guoqiang.

“Accountant Liu, stop shoveling! Come in and warm up!” she called out.

Liu Guoqiang exhaled a misty breath. “Almost done. Just clearing a path so you can get in and out easily.”

Ming Dai didn’t say more. Instead, she started a fire and heated some water—everyone would surely need something hot to drink today.

As the fire crackled, a sudden thought struck her—where was Zhou Sinian? Normally, the moment she got up, he would follow.

Circling around the firewood pile, she found Zhou Sinian still buried under the blankets. He was awake, though, staring up at the ceiling with wide eyes.

“Zhou Sinian, why aren’t you getting up?”

His hair had grown longer, each strand standing straight like his unwavering resolve.

The red headscarf was neatly folded and placed beside the pillow, looking completely out of place against the patched, faded gray quilt.

“It’s snowing. I’m not getting up.”

Ming Dai shook her head in amusement. “Why not? Just because it’s snowing doesn’t mean you can stay in bed! Get up, no excuses.”

Zhou Sinian looked at her with clear, serious eyes. “It’s snowing. I’m not getting up.”

His gaze was so pure and unwavering that Ming Dai froze for a moment, stunned. She hesitated before asking, “Why?”

Staring at the dark, worn ceiling of the hut, Zhou Sinian spoke softly, “When it snows, there’s nothing to eat. If you don’t get up and just sleep through it, you won’t feel as hungry.”

His voice was quiet, but Ming Dai felt as if a heavy hammer had struck her heart, shattering it instantly. Tears fell from her eyes before she could stop them.

Hei Province’s winters… the endless snow… Zhou Sinian had endured them for three years.

Had he spent every snowy day like this—lying motionless on the heated brick bed, silently letting hunger and cold consume him bit by bit?

Was that why he valued food so much? Why he always guarded his meals so carefully?

Why he ate as much as possible in one sitting, as if afraid there wouldn’t be another chance?

His severe gastritis… had he starved himself into it over these brutal winters?

Ming Dai couldn’t bear to imagine what that must have felt like.