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Seeing the heavy snow, Jiang Mixia and Song Jingyun had come to check if anyone needed help. They also brought a thick cotton coat for Jiang Youcheng and some freshly steamed pork rolls from home to share with the workers.
Observing that Jiang Youcheng had already sent the workers home, they decided to take these items and head back home themselves.
Just as they finished locking the workshop gate, the three of them heard a cry for help.
“Excuse me, can you lend a hand…”
Following the sound, they spotted two figures approaching through the heavy snow.
As the figures drew nearer, their features became clearer.
It was a father and son. The man appeared to be around twenty-four or twenty-five years old, and accompanying him was a young boy of about five or six. It seemed they had been walking through the snow for quite some time, as thick, unmelted snow clung to them, and both their faces were flushed from the cold.
The man leaned on a tree branch as a makeshift cane, standing on just one leg. The other leg dangled limply, and his pants and shoes were caked with mud and water, now frozen into ice.
It seemed that the man had injured his leg, and the injury appeared to be quite severe.
“Excuse me, could you please help us?” The man trembled from the cold, his voice quivering. “I was taking my child to seek shelter with relatives, but the snowy road was slippery, and I accidentally hurt my leg. We can’t walk any further… Could we trouble you for some hot water to warm up a bit?”
“I’m Zhu Yongwu from Zhu Family Village under Lu Guang County. We’re not vagrants, and I have our household registration and travel permit,” Zhu Yongwu explained, shivering as he spoke, while reaching into his coat to retrieve the documents to show Jiang Youcheng and the others.
Jiang Youcheng quickly took the documents and, after confirming the official seals, realized that the man was indeed a lawful citizen. He then asked Song Jingyun to assist him.
Jiang Youcheng lifted the nearly collapsing Zhu Guangtai, saying, “Let’s take a rest at our home for a while.”
“Thank you, thank you so much…” Zhu Yongwu expressed his gratitude repeatedly. With Song Jingyun’s support, they entered the courtyard and settled in the main hall.
Having learned the situation, Liu Shi quickly added more charcoal to the brazier and brought two cups of hot tea, allowing the father and son to warm their hands and take a few sips to warm themselves.
By the warmth of the fire and with the hot tea, Zhu Yongwu and Zhu Guangtai began to feel better. They promptly expressed their gratitude to Jiang’s family, bowing in thanks. “Thank you so much. In this icy wilderness, if you hadn’t extended a helping hand, my son and I might have frozen to death outside…”
“Don’t be so polite.” Jiang Youcheng and Liu Shi quickly helped them up. “When you’re away from home, everyone faces difficulties. Lending a hand is only natural.”
Years ago, before Jiang Youcheng was married and skilled in basket weaving, he could only take on laborious tasks like loading and unloading cargo while working on a boat. One winter, when he was walking back home from the dock, he slipped and fell into a ditch on a snowy and icy night.
The ditch had accumulated water, leaving him soaked and soon frozen solid. Unable to move, he sought shelter and assistance in a nearby village.
A family at the village entrance took him in for the night, drying his clothes by the fire. It was thanks to their kindness that Jiang Youcheng returned home safely.
Though he had left a substantial sum of money as thanks, he remembered the kindness for a long time, even visiting the family twice afterward.
For Jiang Youcheng, having been helped in the past, it felt only right to help others now.
“Thank you so much,” Zhu Yongwu seemed at a loss for words, rubbing his hands nervously, repeatedly expressing his gratitude.
“Don’t be too formal. With the heavy snow today, you won’t be able to leave. Just stay here for the time being,” Jiang Youcheng said.
He called for Liu Shi to bring a pair of his own cotton trousers for Zhu Yongwu to change into and asked Jiang Mixia and Song Jingyun to prepare a meal.
The steaming pork rolls, soft rice porridge, accompanied by cold-dressed cabbage and tofu shreds, and pickled vegetables made for a delightful, home-cooked meal.
Both Zhu Yongwu and Zhu Guangtai were very hungry and ate heartily. After being well-fed and warmed, the father and son conversed with Jiang’s family, sharing their background and origins.
Zhu Yongwu hailed from Zhu Family Village under Lu Guang County. His mother passed away when he was young, and his father remarried, subsequently adding three younger brothers and two sisters to the family, forming a large household.
With the arrival of a stepmother came a stepfather, and Zhu’s father became increasingly unfriendly toward him, while his five younger siblings also made life difficult for him. He endured these challenges for many years until he finally reached adulthood, married, and established his own separate household. He worked under his father, earning a meager wage, and cultivated a few acres of land to make ends meet.
However, the family faced a series of misfortunes. First, last year, Zhu Yongwu’s wife, Wang, died during childbirth, and they lost the child as well. Then, Zhu’s father suffered a head injury from a fall while working and passed away shortly thereafter.
Following her husband’s death, Zhu’s stepmother decided that Zhu Yongwu, not being her husband’s biological child, should not have received any inheritance when the family was divided. She insisted on reclaiming the house and land belonging to Zhu Yongwu’s family.
This preposterous claim was naturally disbelieved, and even the village head intervened on Zhu Yongwu’s behalf, rebuking the stepmother and instructing her not to spread such baseless accusations again.
Failing in her scheme, the stepmother and several of her children resorted to various forms of harassment against Zhu Yongwu and his son, Zhu Guangtai. They either secretly uprooted the crops Zhu Yongwu had planted or threw dead rodents over the wall into his home. In more extreme cases, they even resorted to splashing manure at his doorstep. When Zhu Yongwu was not at home, they would mistreat young Zhu Guangtai.
Enduring hardship and suffering was one thing, but witnessing his son being mistreated became unbearable for Zhu Yongwu. Consequently, he had a confrontation with the stepmother’s family, sold all their property, and left Zhu Family Village with his child.
These were originally private matters that Zhu Yongwu was reluctant to discuss with outsiders.
However, seeing Jiang Youcheng’s family’s warmth and kindness, Zhu Yongwu felt at ease and wished for their trust as well. Consequently, he shared the gist of his situation with the family.
After listening, Jiang Youcheng’s family fell into a thoughtful silence.
After a while, Jiang Youcheng finally asked, “So, where do you plan to go after leaving the village?”
“I was originally thinking of heading west to Anmi County. My maternal relatives live there, so I thought I might seek refuge with my uncle and cousin, and start a new life. However, while traveling west along the official road, we encountered snowy weather, and I had a fall, leading to my current situation. So, I thought of finding a nearby village to rest for a few days…” Zhu Yongwu said, smiling wryly. “I’m glad to have encountered Uncle Cheng and Auntie, and your family.”
“Since we’ve met, it must be fate. Your leg injury seems serious, and cold compresses can only offer temporary relief. You need to see a doctor,” Jiang Youcheng advised.