Chapter 408: 408: Shared Hardships_1

“We don’t drink,” answered one of them, and the other three nodded in agreement.

Seeing the steadfast attitude of the four servants, Xiumei did not press further. She felt a sense of mistrust toward her and her mistress from them—as if they suspected that they would be poisoned.

However, as house guards, their caution was understandable, and Xiumei could empathize.

The man, looking at this scene, addressed his servants with a benevolent expression, “Such a fine wine should not go to waste. Don’t disappoint this young lady’s kindness. Today is an exception; I allow you to drink.”

“But sir, we need to ensure your safety…”

“Just enough to warm your bodies, it will not intoxicate you, not to worry,” the man said, and then he issued a command in a more serious tone, ‘This is my order.”

The four servants had no choice but to bow and obey.

Upon seeing this, Xiumei brought over the jug that still had some wine left and offered it to the four men.

The four took turns to sip it twice.

By the time night fell, Wei Ruo and Xiumei had returned to the carriage. They covered themselves with blankets and lay comfortably.

The storm continued outside, but inside the carriage, it felt as warm as home.

In contrast, the eleven men outside were in a far graver situation, with only a few thin cloaks and blankets to fend off the cold.

Wei Ruo could not provide them with more clothes to keep warm—not because she did not have enough supplies in her space but because she could not take out too much.

She had already taken out a lot, and they didn’t know how long they would be stuck here. Wei Ruo would have to bring out food for every meal during their time here.

If she were to bring out a few blankets for them, no matter how spacious the carriage, it would raise suspicions.

Wei Ruo and Xiumei slept quite comfortably, but when Wei Ruo stepped down from the carriage the next morning, she saw that the snow outside the tent had piled up twice as thick.

Their shelter remained sturdy, with the snow piled up on and around it cleared.

She then saw the evident fatigue on the faces of Wei Yichen, Xiu Fengyuan, and others. It was clear they had not had a good night’s rest.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

When Wei Ruo and Xiumei joined the others, they immediately set up the pot from the previous night, poured the remaining water from the leather bag, and added a bag of rice.

With more people present, they would probably just have enough rice for one meal.

Upon seeing Wei Ruo bringing out the rice, the eyes of those present couldn’t help but gleam.

They didn’t know how much food Wei Ruo had in her carriage, but instinctively, they felt there wouldn’t be much.

So, every time Wei Ruo brought out new food, it brought great joy to everyone.

Lu Yuhong couldn’t help asking, “Miss, do you still have food in your carriage?”

“Yes, we have some. I hope it will tide us through this snowstorm,” Wei Ruo replied.

In actual fact, the food and water Wei Ruo stored in her space would be enough for all of them to last until the New Year, even if consumed regularly.

“That’s wonderful!” Lu Yuhong exclaimed, overjoyed.

The faces of the few others also lit up with joy. They had been worrying about their survival as the snowfall had not ceased all night.

Wei Ruo’s words, however, comforted them somewhat.

Wei Ruo then added some pieces of dried meat and preserved eggs into the pot.

The preserved eggs were freshly peeled, chopped in her palm with a dagger, and thrown in.

Finally, she added a bit of salt and pepper for seasoning.

“Miss, what are these?” Lu Yuhong inquired curiously again.

“It’s preserved egg and lean meat porridge. However, we don’t have fresh lean meat, so I used some dried meat,” Wei Ruo explained.

It wasn’t that they didn’t have fresh meat; rather, it wouldn’t make sense to keep bringing out fresh meat and vegetables. By contrast, dried meat and preserved eggs, which are easy to store, made more sense.

Wei Ruo then crushed the remaining preserved egg, adding some soy sauce to make a simple side dish.

Additionally, she brought out some salted vegetables.

After the porridge was ready, Wei Ruo served everyone a bowl with some side dishes.

Just like during the wine-drinking incident, they were short of four bowls. So, the four guards of Mr. Tan waited until everyone else had finished before washing the bowls and refilling them for their meal.

Though it was just a simple meal of preserved egg and lean meat porridge with side dishes, everyone found it particularly delicious.

They were unsure if it was due to Wei Ruo and Xiumei’s exceptional cooking skills, or if it was the effect of their current environment, with its scarcity of food and clothes.

After breakfast, Wei Ruo sat in the carriage, watching the sky.

The snowfall was less than yesterday, but it was still snowing.

The snow was about a meter deep now, and with the temperature being so low, there was no sign of it melting. The bottom layer had even frozen into solid ice.

It seemed they still wouldn’t be able to set off today.

Since they couldn’t leave, everyone could only continue to stay in the shelter.

Apart from sitting together for warmth by the fire, the men also did what they could: shovelling snow, reinforcing the shelter, and so on.

Especially the snow piled on top of the shelter—it had to be cleared in a timely manner.

Despite having two brazier for warmth, they couldn’t compete with the cold weather and heavy snowfall outside, causing snow to pile up again.

The six men, Wei Yichen, Xiu Fengyuan, and the four servants of old Mr. Tan, would take turns to clear the snow to ensure the safety of the shelter.

In their free time, they would gather around the stove, engaging in idle chatter to pass the time. Sometimes they would recite poetry or debate state affairs, but the topic that came up most often was the impact of this snowstorm on Taizhou Prefecture, as well as disaster relief measures that might follow.

The snowfall this time was already more than that of the previous year.

That snowstorm was already uncommon in the southern part of Taizhou Prefecture, let alone this one.

It was clear that this year’s snowstorm would cause massive damages to Taizhou Prefecture. The number of affected people might far exceed that of last year.

This, in turn, would lead to more problems. The people present began a discussion on this topic, envisioning various methods of disaster relief.

Old Mr. Tan listened to the lively discussion, a fond smile on his face.

The next morning, the snow finally stopped, but due to the snow’s thickness, they still couldn’t leave.

Luckily, the snow did not rise above the shelter, and the safety of those inside was not threatened.

Moreover, the snow wall around the shelter, with a height of around one and a half meters, acted like a built wall, keeping out the cold winds to a large extent.

Thus, they didn’t have to keep the two braziers lit for warmth continuously. The charcoal was conserved, only being used when Wei Ruo needed to cook.

After having breakfast cooked by Wei Ruo, everyone began to dig a passage out of the snow.

First, they dug a narrow passage, just wide enough for one person. After digging about three meters outward, they started to dig a wider road.

This was done to keep the snow build-up around the shelter and maintain its warmth.