Chapter 20: No Way Out, Last Night’s Heavy Snow

Old Zhou’s heart skipped a beat. “The mountain is sealed off by snow? But it didn’t snow for long before stopping.”

“It didn’t snow for long, but… sigh, just go take a look outside the cave.”

Old Zhou led a few people outside the cave. The world beyond was a vast expanse of white, with the path completely buried under snow, making it impossible to traverse.

Anxiously, Old Zhou paced back and forth. “What should we do now? We don’t even know if the snow will continue. If it doesn’t, that’s fine, but if it starts again, won’t we be trapped in this mountain?”

Brother Yang, who had hunted in these mountains before, said, “Old Zhou, we won’t starve. There are plenty of wild animals in this mountain.”

As a hunter, he found the idea of being stranded here rather acceptable and didn’t mind it much.

But the others didn’t share his relaxed attitude—especially Auntie Zhou, who was beside herself with worry.

“This won’t do! My daughter-in-law is about to give birth!”

To them, even though Xia Mo was a doctor, ‘he’ was a male doctor and was automatically disregarded.

When it came to delivering babies, only a proper midwife could be trusted.

Old Zhou sighed. “Even if it won’t do, what choice do we have? Look outside—do you think that road is passable? We were lucky to find shelter here. Who knows how those people we ran into yesterday managed to survive the night?”

Auntie Zhou knew the situation was dire and had no other options, but that didn’t stop her from breaking down in tears.

“Oh, my poor child! Why is your fate so bitter?”

Madam Sun comforted her. “Mother, don’t worry about me. I can handle it.”

Other women also chimed in to reassure her.

“Aunt Zhou, don’t worry. If she really goes into labor, we’ll all help.”

“That’s right. We may not be midwives, but we’ve given birth to several children ourselves—we know what to do.”

What else could they do? This was the reality of their situation. Auntie Zhou had no choice but to accept it.

---

Xia Mo stood at the cave entrance, the bone-chilling mountain wind cutting through her clothes. Her gaze stretched over the snow-covered peaks.

She knew all too well how brutal northern winters could be.

Unlike the others, her thoughts extended far beyond the immediate snowstorm.

They couldn’t return to Tongzhou. And in Bianzhou, they were undocumented refugees.

With the authorities on high alert for spies from the enemy tribes, Bianzhou was on edge.

If the patrols caught them, what would happen?

Would they suspect that some among them were spies?

Would they be driven out of Bianzhou altogether?

Even if they made it to the outskirts of Bianzhou, they would undoubtedly be denied entry into the city.

That meant they would have to continue moving south.

But northern winters weren’t like those in the south. With so many people traveling together, sleeping out in the open every night, how many of them would be able to endure it?

A series of concerns flooded her mind—concerns the others hadn’t even considered.

As she frowned in deep thought, Xiao Jingyuan suddenly appeared behind her.

“We can’t stay with these people any longer. They have no travel permits and will have to keep avoiding patrols—it’s a huge risk.”

Xia Mo looked at him in shock. “Are you saying we should abandon them?”

“Abandon?” Xiao Jingyuan glanced at the cave. “Isn’t this a perfect refuge? If the heavy snow seals the mountain, even if enemy raiders invade, they won’t come all the way into the mountains.”

After a brief pause, he added, “They’re nomads from the grasslands—they won’t enter the mountains easily. This place is safe.”

“Even if it’s safe, what about food and water?”

Xiao Jingyuan cast a glance at the area where livestock were tied. “Why are you worrying about that? These people have survived off the land for generations. Do you think they’ll starve in the mountains? Look—the chickens are already out pecking for food. They still have eggs to eat, and their grain stores are ample.”

Xia Mo chuckled wryly. “I think you have a misunderstanding about what ‘ample’ means. Take Auntie Zhou’s family, for example—their food will only last them until spring at best.”

“That’s good enough. Staying here means they don’t have to travel, and they’ll make it through to spring. If they keep heading south, they might not even survive until then.”

Xiao Jingyuan turned his gaze toward her. “Xia Mo, if they keep going south, it won’t end well for them. Without travel permits, they’ll be driven away no matter where they go. Even if they travel a thousand miles south, they’ll still end up hiding in some remote mountain. They might as well stay here—at least once the war ends, it’ll be easier for them to return home.”

Xia Mo pondered his words carefully and found them quite reasonable.

Would it be better to huddle by the city walls as beggars, holding out broken bowls for a few grains of rice each day? Or stay in the mountains and find ways to hunt for food?

Clearly, the mountains offered a better chance at survival.

“You didn’t have this attitude yesterday.”

“I didn’t know yesterday that there was a place like this in the mountains,” Xiao Jingyuan said matter-of-factly. “And I certainly didn’t know there’d be bear meat to eat.”

“Then why didn’t you say so earlier?”

Xiao Jingyuan gave her a look. “You’re the big brother. You’re the adult. You should be the one to speak.”

Xia Mo: “…”

“These people are dead set on heading south. I don’t know if I can convince them otherwise. How about this—you go with some of the villagers to sell bear paws in the city, so they can see for themselves how difficult it is to travel.”

Xiao Jingyuan immediately understood.

The families with children and elderly might not be able to leave the mountain, but the younger and stronger ones could.

After breakfast, a group of young men set off down the mountain.

Since they planned to sell bear paws in exchange for food, they brought extra people along to help carry supplies back.

Meanwhile, that very day, Zhou’s eldest daughter-in-law started experiencing irregular contractions.

She was going into labor.

---

After checking on her, Xia Mo turned to Auntie Zhou, who was beside herself with worry.

“Auntie, tell the others to prepare—your daughter-in-law is about to give birth.”

Auntie Zhou wailed, “So soon? Oh no, it’s only been a little over eight months! Doctor Xia, think of something! In this freezing weather, if the baby is premature, it won’t survive well.”

If not for the medicine Xia Mo had given her, she would have gone into labor even earlier. Making it to eight months was already fortunate.

Xia Mo reassured her, “Auntie, you’ve seen what she’s been through on this journey. The fact that the baby has stayed in her belly this long is already remarkable.”

“I know, I’ve seen it all.”

“Then hurry and have someone boil water. I’ll deliver the baby.”

“What? You?”

Xia Mo smacked her forehead—she had forgotten that she was perceived as a man.

“I’ll just monitor her pulse. Get two of the women to hold up a blanket for privacy—just leave her face uncovered so I can check on her.”

The women hesitated, but Old Zhou made a firm decision.

“This is a matter of life and death. Forget about gender differences—Doctor Xia is a doctor. Do as he says.”

Zhou’s eldest son had gone to buy food, while her second son stayed by his wife’s side, comforting and encouraging her.

For a man to patiently care for his wife during childbirth in this era was a rare thing.

Still, traditional beliefs held that childbirth was unclean, and men who witnessed it would bring bad luck. So Auntie Zhou promptly shooed him away.