Chapter 61

The wheels of the carriage creaked as Jiang Xingchen and his companions' four carriages slowly moved forward, their wheels crushing the snow and ice, swaying unsteadily.

This was already the third day since they left Hongyuan City. From the moment they departed, the sky began to snow again, and the temperature dropped once more. Under such harsh weather conditions, on the first day, despite the relatively flat road, they only managed to travel about seventy miles. In the following two days, they covered a total of eighty miles, leaving at least half the distance to Jiang Xingchen's territory still to go.

"Such weather is perfect for practicing martial arts. The more severe the environment, the more it can stimulate a martial artist's sensitivity to yuan qi. Back in my day... Even though I'm old now, when I encounter such conditions, I can't help but want to stretch and practice a bit..." The carriage echoed with Grandpa Tang's hearty voice.

Inside the carriage, Jiang Xingchen looked gloomy, watching the boastful Grandpa Tang with a sullen expression. He thought to himself, "How can this old guy not feel cold at his age? He's only wearing that old cotton robe. Could it be that when one's martial arts reach a high level, they really become immune to cold and heat!"

Thinking this, Jiang Xingchen lifted the curtain and looked back. In another carriage, Du Rui also resembled Grandpa Tang, wearing only a bit more, just an extra cotton coat.

"Ah! He's still recovering from serious injuries, yet he's so resistant to the cold... I really regret telling Sister Wanrou all those vague things, which made her keep asking questions. Otherwise, the time saved would have been enough to make another sleeping bag..."

He had made two sleeping bags, originally planning to use one for himself and one for Meier. But soon, seeing Du Xiner shivering from the cold, he couldn't bear it and gave her the sleeping bag.

Now, even with two leather coats on, he still felt his hands and feet freezing, his teeth chattering.

He couldn't help but envy martial artists, who at least didn't have to worry about the cold or heat. In this world without air conditioning or fans, summer was probably even more unbearable than winter... But forget that, with such cold weather, he needed to think about how to stay warm first!

"Brother!" From a large buffalo leather sleeping bag beside him, Meier's little head poked out, and she said softly, "You look so cold. Why don't you come in? It's so warm in the sleeping bag..."

"Hehe!" Grandpa Tang let out a sinister laugh and chimed in, "That's right, kid, it's too cold outside! A girl's bed is much warmer!"

Jiang Xingchen's forehead throbbed, and he cursed inwardly, "Old man, don't try to provoke me. Do you want me to freeze outside with you? No way... What's wrong with getting into a girl's bed? I'll just..."

"Wait! This old man might be trying to split today's events into six episodes... He's probably trying to find a weakness in me... Hehe, I won't fall for your tricks!"

Thinking this, Jiang Xingchen reached out and patted Meier's head, saying softly, "The sleeping bag is only for one person. Two people would make it too tight. I'm not cold!"

"Brother!" The little girl pouted, clearly not convinced.

"Alright, I'm really not cold! Be a good girl, and I'll take you to build a snowman later!"

"Okay!" The little girl's eyes lit up, and she nodded vigorously before quickly retreating.

"Uh!" Grandpa Tang was taken aback. He had thought this kid was stubborn and thick-skinned (as he believed), and would definitely not stand being provoked... He planned to split this part into six episodes to make the kid think twice! But he hadn't expected the kid to not fall for it.

"Devious, cunning! Is this little brat really only sixteen years old?" Grandpa Tang wondered.

"Grandpa, tonight when we reach the town, I won't cook dinner. You can just eat..."

"No, no, no..."

A long, mournful howl echoed from the back carriage, making Du Rui and Du Xiner feel a pang in their hearts.

"Looks like Grandpa Tang will be eating plain flour cakes again tonight!" Du Xiner said with a smile.

"Um!" Du Rui nodded, patting his sister in the sleeping bag, his smile somewhat forced.

"Brother! You don't have to be like this..." Du Xiner paused and said, "I still have over ten years to live. I don't want to see you unhappy!"

"Ten years? Don't talk nonsense! Grandpa Tang is a great physician. He will definitely find a way to cure your illness!" Du Rui said unhappily.

"Brother! If... if Grandpa Tang is no longer with Jiang Xingchen, would you still be his private soldier?"

"Uh!" Du Rui was clearly taken aback by his sister's sudden question and was momentarily stunned.

After a long pause, Du Rui sighed and replied, "Lord Jiang knows my thoughts! Private soldiers usually have a fixed term, during which they fully protect the lord. But Lord Jiang's contract with me doesn't specify a term, indicating he still sees us as mercenaries..."

"He saved my life and arranged for us to follow Grandpa Tang in this way. I owe him, and I will repay him. During this period, I will maintain the integrity of a mercenary... But your illness is the top priority! Besides, the Sky-Shocking Mercenary Group isn't just mine. I can't make all the brothers follow my will. They have already helped me a lot over the years..."

"Brother!" Du Xiner was about to say more when the carriage suddenly stopped. Then, Meier's voice called out, "Sister Xiner, the snow has stopped. Put on more clothes and come down. My brother is taking us to build snowmen!"

"Okay!" Du Xiner glanced at her brother, finally deciding not to continue the previous topic, and loudly agreed...

Jiang Xingchen led the way, with the two girls helping. In no time, several snowmen, each as tall as a person, were built.

Jiang Xingchen stood in front of the snowmen, feeling secretly pleased. These snowmen were more like snow sculptures than just piles of snow. With his dexterous hands, the arms, legs, and heads were shaped to resemble real people.

"Ha! Meier, do you think these snowmen standing by the roadside will scare people at night... Ouch!"

Halfway through his sentence, Jiang Xingchen felt a snowball explode on his head, covering him in white!

"Little brat, you dare to throw at me!" Jiang Xingchen angrily turned around, grabbed a snowball, and threw it at Meier. With his heightened senses, he had felt the snowball coming, but he didn't dodge to make the little girl happy.

"Sister Xiner, quick, from the other side..." Meier laughed and dodged, then directed Xiner.

Xiner hesitated for a moment, her eyes gradually lighting up, and she quickly grabbed a snowball and threw it at Jiang Xingchen.

"Ah! Two against one, that's not fair..." Jiang Xingchen cried out and ran away, with the two girls laughing and chasing after him, their laughter echoing across the wilderness.

Beside the carriage, Grandpa Tang watched the three of them, a smile on his face. "This kid, the more I interact with him, the more interesting he becomes..."

Seeing his sister so happy, Du Rui also smiled, feeling a mix of admiration and envy for Jiang Xingchen. He had never played like this with Xiner.

Even the carriage drivers, seeing this scene, felt younger...

After running for a while, Jiang Xingchen felt much warmer and called Meier and Xiner back. They were both ill and needed to limit their physical activity.

The group continued on their journey. Meier crawled back into the sleeping bag, leaning against Jiang Xingchen, and asked softly, "Brother, the food we sent ahead should have arrived at the territory by now, right?"

Jiang Xingchen nodded. "They left three days before us. By now, they should be there."

Meier couldn't help but smile and said softly, "With such heavy snow this year, the villagers must be having a hard time. When they see all this food, they'll be so happy..."

At this, a proud expression appeared on Meier's face. "If they know you've become a baron and are returning to the territory, they'll be so surprised they won't be able to close their mouths... Grandma Yun and Grandpa Fu will surely lead the whole village to welcome you at the entrance!"

"Grandma Yun and Grandpa Fu... Are they highly respected in the village?" Jiang Xingchen asked.

"Brother, you've been practicing martial arts at home and don't care about these things! They are the oldest people in Green Hill Village. Uncle relied on them a lot back then! Especially Grandma Yun, who moved from Hongyuan City. Besides Uncle, she has the most knowledge..."

"Oh!" Jiang Xingchen nodded, not saying anything. He didn't know these details, so he couldn't comment.

Meier, now on a roll, continued, "Grandma Yun is amazing. Everyone in the village, except for us two, learned to read from her! In the surrounding villages, only the people of Green Hill Village can read!"

"An educator! That's a valuable talent!" Jiang Xingchen's eyes lit up. He didn't want his territory to be full of illiterates, and Grandma Yun could be a great teacher.

"Grandma Yun's son, Shiwazi, is an excellent farmer... She also has a granddaughter named Nier, who is adorable and loves to eat. She always asks, 'Can I eat this?'... But these days, Nier must be having a hard time..."

"Grandpa Fu is very good with numbers. Uncle entrusted him with the territory's grain income and taxes, and he always gets it right down to the last penny..."

"Also, Aunt San is an excellent cook. I learned from her..." Meier realized her mistake and giggled, sticking out her tongue.

Jiang Xingchen smiled and patted Meier's head, saying, "You get so excited when you talk about the territory!"

"Of course! Even though our land is poor and the harvest is bad, it's still our home!"

"Ha, this time when I return, I'll make the harvest better..."

"How can that be enough!" Meier pouted and said, "In the future, everyone in our territory will have enough to eat, warm clothes to wear, live in tall buildings, and travel in carriages that don't need horses..."

"This girl still remembers!" Jiang Xingchen thought to himself and continued, "And there will be entertainment performances you've never seen before, and you can see the capital from home, and talk to Sister Hongxian in Hongyuan City anytime..."

"Brother, are you running a fever?" The little girl quickly reached out to touch his forehead before he could finish...

The two of them laughed and joked, planning a future that sounded more fantastical than a dream. What they didn't know was that after this heavy snowfall, the famine in their territory would be far worse than they could imagine!