In the darkness of night, Jiang Zhi lay with her eyes closed, feeling as if her body was light and floating in the air.
Suddenly, a flash of white light appeared, and she abruptly saw "herself" reclining on the large cushion of her sofa at home. Her favorite chrysanthemum-shaped lamp was lit, and the AI voice from her phone was still steadily reading a novel aloud. Even her pet cat, Mimi, was sound asleep on her lap…
What was going on? How could she be at home? Hadn’t she transmigrated into a book?
What book was being read? Why did it sound so indistinct and unclear?
Before she could figure out the situation, she felt a lightness in her body as she was shaken awake by Qiaoyun beside her: "Mother, mother, the mountain… the mountain is on fire!"
Mother? Who was "mother"?
The next second, Jiang Zhi sat up abruptly: "What’s on fire?"
Her sudden movement startled Qiaoyun, who explained, "Mother, the village is burning."
Oh! It was just a dream!
Jiang Zhi collected her thoughts once more.
During the night, Errui had drunk too much soup and went out to relieve himself in the middle of the night. He noticed some commotion and returned to wake everyone up.
But Jiang Zhi had been sleeping deeply, and no matter how much he called, she wouldn’t wake up. It took shaking and pushing for her to finally open her eyes.
Xu Errui had already gone out to check the situation, while Jiang Zhi and Qiaoyun stood by the blue oak forest, looking down the mountain.
The area where the village had been was originally shrouded in darkness, but now they could see patches of orange-red flames.
Qiaoyun began to cry: "Our home is burning."
At that moment, Xu Errui stumbled back, incoherent and weeping with tears and snot: "It’s burning, everything is burning!"
Although they had taken all their valuables and decided to stay on the mountain for a while, watching their former home being devoured by flames still felt like a knife to the heart.
Jiang Zhi also felt sorrowful. War brought power and wealth to a few, but it also brought far more harm, and it was always the common people who suffered.
Fortunately, everyone was still safe and alive, including that Nie Fantian.
The flames gradually died down, and darkness returned. Nothing could be seen anymore, only the mournful sound of the night wind sweeping through the forest.
Back in the shed, Jiang Zhi could no longer sleep. She drifted in and out of slumber and eventually sat up to add charcoal and keep watch, listening to the night crows cry until dawn.
In Da Yan, it was customary for farming families to eat only two meals a day. As the sky grew bright, Qiaoyun, her eyes red, began preparing the morning meal.
Xu Errui wanted to go see what had happened to the village, but Jiang Zhi stopped him: "What is there to see? The refugees down there are waiting for someone to come look, so they can catch you and cut your flesh."
With those words, she frightened her foolish son into dropping the subject.
Curiosity killed the cat. The foolish roe deer of the northeast, after being shot, didn’t know to flee but instead turned back to find out who had shot it.
Even though the village houses were burned, people still had to survive.
Jiang Zhi was still worried about the villagers who hadn’t left, unsure whether the refugees had only looted or if they had harmed anyone.
There were always stubborn people everywhere.
Xiao Man’s family had come up the mountain yesterday, but Xu You Cai and a few other families hadn’t been seen. They must have stubbornly confronted the refugees.
Although they relied on their familiarity with the terrain and their numbers, making it difficult for the refugees to harm them, it was hard to say whether they might lose their lives if the situation dragged on.
Xu Errui didn’t go down the mountain but instead went to Xiao Man’s family’s charcoal shed.
Everyone had been in a hurry when they came up the mountain yesterday and hadn’t been able to help.
Now, after a night had passed, he wondered how they were faring.
Jiang Zhi also stayed behind. She took out the Cyclobalanopsis acorns she had gathered the day before and used a stone to crack the hard shell of each one.
Below the pond, a shallow pit was dug separately, and all the Cyclobalanopsis acorns were poured into it. Water was then channeled into the pit, just enough to submerge the acorns, with any excess flowing naturally into the hillside thickets.
This method prevented water pollution and eliminated the hassle of frequent water changes, as it relied on a continuous flow.
The generous meal of cornmeal rice last night was only possible because there was now a staple food to stave off hunger. Without a steady supply of food, Jiang Zhi wouldn’t dare to squander resources recklessly. If they truly exhausted their reserves, it would be too late.
Qiaoyun watched as her mother-in-law cracked open the Cyclobalanopsis acorns and soaked them in water, asking in confusion, “Mother, these Green Fruits are poisonous. Why are you soaking them?”
Jiang replied calmly, “For the whole family to eat.”
No wonder last night’s meal had both meat and dry rice—it seemed like they were finishing the food before poisoning the entire family.
Overwhelmed with sorrow, Qiaoyun’s legs gave way, and she knelt down. “Mother, I’ll only drink clear broth from now on. I won’t dare to eat any more rice!”
Jiang Zhi was taken aback. “What’s all this fuss about? Get up. With your body as thin as dry wood and carrying a child, drinking only broth would be risking your life.”
Qiaoyun pointed at the Cyclobalanopsis acorns and said cautiously, “Mother wants to poison…”
Jiang Zhi suddenly understood. “Who said anything about poisoning? These Cyclobalanopsis acorns are edible, but their toxicity needs to be removed first.”
Qiaoyun was half-convinced, half-doubtful. Since childhood, everyone around her had warned that Cyclobalanopsis acorns were inedible. Even when starving, no one dared to rely on them as food, though some had roasted and eaten one without issue.
However, no one could defy her mother-in-law’s words. She could only pray to the Bodhisattva that she would have to eat as few of these acorns as possible.
Breakfast was a thick porridge made from dried vegetables. Jiang Zhi instructed Qiaoyun to cook it extra thick, and Qiaoyun, her face full of worry, complied.
Errui hadn’t returned yet. After soaking the Cyclobalanopsis acorns in water, Jiang Zhi stood at the edge of the cliff, looking down the mountain.
On the same mountain, the charcoal sheds of several families weren’t far apart in a straight line. Though walking might take several dozen minutes, they were still within sight.
Jiang Zhi didn’t know the exact locations of the other families, but she could see faint wisps of smoke rising from several spots in the woods, quickly dispersed by the wind.
It was a good sign that people were cooking.
Before long, Xu Errui came running back, panting heavily. “Mother, everyone is fine. Xiao Man’s family has also cooked and eaten.
I didn’t expect their charcoal shed to be better than ours. Da Zhu had previously used stone slabs to build the walls, and after cleaning it up yesterday, they settled right in.”
Da Zhu was Xiao Man’s paralyzed older brother. Since childhood, he had been diligent and sensible. Every winter, he would stay in the mountains with his grandfather to make charcoal, living there for over a month at a time. Naturally, he had arranged a space for eating and sleeping in the charcoal shed.
After he fell ill, Xiao Man took over the mountain work.
Jiang Zhi couldn’t understand why, despite having such favorable conditions, Xiao Man’s grandfather was still resigned to waiting for death.
As for the situation in the village, Xu Errui didn’t know either. Everyone tacitly avoided mentioning the Village Chief and the others who had left.
Refugees drifted from place to place like this, fleeing from their own homes into the homes of others.
The refugees who had stormed into the village were once people who smiled innocently while farming and tilling the land.
Jiang Zhi had no special abilities or the capacity to worry about other villagers. She only wanted a clean and comfortable home for herself, hoping to live peacefully until the end of this story.
The charcoal shed continued to be renovated.
Mother and son worked together. On the second day, the stone slab walls were completed, leaving only the door frame for a future door.
Next to it, they extended the thatched roof to create a Kitchen Area and built a Stove Platform with stones, making it easier for Qiaoyun to cook.
On the third day, Jiang Zhi and Xu Errui again used stones to build a Bao Kan (embankment) on the slope next to the grass shed, filled it in and leveled it with fine soil, then moved over several blue oak trees that had been cut down earlier for making charcoal, preparing to build another room.
For the past few nights, the three of them had been sleeping together. Although the weather was cold and they slept fully clothed, Xu Errui’s foot odor and snoring had thoroughly fumigated Jiang Zhi, making it urgently necessary to have a separate room.
However, before they could start work, Xiao Man arrived, saying his grandfather wanted Aunt Jiang to come over.
Jiang Zhi readily agreed, as she also had something to ask Xiao Man’s grandfather: when would this winter end?
It was almost March. According to the modern climate of the southwest, it should have been drizzling with spring rain and peach blossoms covering the mountains long ago, but in the world of the book, it remained dry and cold.