Chapter 1: 1. Surviving a Difficult Winter

Rustle, rustle, rustle.

Rustle, rustle, rustle.

Li Xiu heard a rhythmic sound coming from nearby, like someone shaking a bamboo sieve.

Inside the sieve, something was rolling.

There were chunks, there were grains, there were stems.

They collided with one another, each becoming an independent source of sound, spreading out ripples of noise.

Not far away, there came the flapping sound of a bag being puffed up by the wind, but the bag did not fly away; it remained fixed in place, perhaps because a child was playing with it in the wind, or perhaps it was a bag stuck in the farmland to scare away birds and beasts.

Further away, there were footsteps and voices, all very muffled, as if separated by a water mist, making it impossible to hear exactly what was being said.

Suddenly, a sharp, stabbing pain struck.

Li Xiu subconsciously grabbed his hair, his whole body tensing up.

Memories surged into his mind like a sluice gate opening, with a boom.

Vaguely, he heard the sound of a bamboo sieve being dropped, hurried footsteps running toward him, the door creaking open, and a figure smelling of medicine throwing themselves onto him.

"Cheng-ge'er, Cheng-ge'er!"

It was a woman's voice.

Who was she calling?

A flash of confusion crossed Li Xiu's mind, but slowly, the throbbing in his head gradually subsided.

The memories had been absorbed.

The woman was calling him.

He had transmigrated.

His name was Song Cheng.

The woman was named Tong Jia; she was the owner of Huichun Hall, as well as the resident physician and the errand-running assistant.

Song Cheng was a thin, pitiful little blind boy; ever since he was taken in by Huichun Hall, he had helped with chores like washing clothes and sweeping the floor. Being used to blindness, he could still manage the work at hand.

He had been doing this for three years.

In those three years, the little blind boy had experienced the decline of Huichun Hall.

The cause of the decline was primarily war.

The old physician had been conscripted to serve as a military doctor, leaving only Tong Jia and him to hold up Huichun Hall. Then, some days ago, Tong Jia heard that the army had been defeated, and shortly after, news of the old physician's death was sent back.

Yesterday, his predecessor had accompanied Tong Jia to build a cenotaph; upon returning, filled with grief and panic, he had taken a great fall, then lay on the bed unable to wake. And then, he had arrived.

"Cheng-ge'er, Cheng-ge'er."

Tong Jia was crying uncontrollably, as if she had endless grievances and endless terror, "I only have you left, you will be fine, you will be fine!"

Li Xiu also felt aggrieved.

He had become a blind man; he could see nothing at all.

Fortunately, the "blind" experience passed down by his predecessor did not let him sink completely into dark despair.

His hearing, sense of smell, and sense of touch had become much sharper.

He could feel the soft, pink skin of the young woman's cheeks, and he could also feel the cold wind suddenly blowing through the window like a knife.

Li Xiu was now a thing of the past.

'From now on, I am Song Cheng.'

The rustling sound fell upon the black tiles of the roof, moving with the wind like a fish-scaling knife, hissing and hesitating.

Song Cheng identified the object creating the sound and said, "Owner, it's snowing, bring in the medicine."

Tong Jia hurriedly stood up; "On rainy, snowy, or windy days, one must bring in the medicinal herbs drying outside"—this had become an instinct implanted in her body, allowing her to act subconsciously without needing to think.

If one had a god's-eye view, one could see that the Young Mistress in this house had skin that was slightly yellow and dark, long trousers with white flowers on a blue background hugging the contours of her hips, a short jacket cinching her petite torso, and her jet-black hair simply tied on her beautiful head; years of gathering herbs gave her an overall air of capability and vigor. Tong Jia pushed the door open and ran into the small courtyard, sobbing while holding the bamboo sieve as she ran back.

Business had been slow at the shop for a long time.

"Huichun Hall" was not the only household to have people conscripted; there were almost no able-bodied men left in Tanghe Village, only the old and the young, women and the disabled.

They had no money and could not afford medical treatment.

For Huichun Hall, in these chaotic times, for a young woman to want to maintain the Medicine Source and go into the mountains to gather herbs was also a matter of risking her life.

Mountain bandits, wild beasts, the weather, steep cliffs, and some unclear, unidentifiable dirty things that only existed in strange legends were all exceptionally deadly matters.

Therefore, every bit of medicine in the pharmacy was exceptionally precious.

The door creaked a few times, the wind blowing in and then being blocked out.

After a few times, Tong Jia moved all the drying medicine into the house and carefully placed it on the medicine shelf.

Outside the door, the wind, which had been relatively mild, suddenly increased; at first, it was like countless locusts on the horizon, then it transformed into a tsunami right at one's ears, as if the god of wind and snow had flown into a rage, dancing and drunk in the rolling iron-gray clouds, as if to destroy this already desperate village.

Tong Jia moved her body closer to Song Cheng.

Song Cheng felt the bed beside him sink slightly; he knew the owner had sat down.

Calling her "Owner" was actually just his predecessor's inferiority complex; in reality, it concealed a love he dared not speak of. He was a blind man, but the owner was so kind and so beautiful; the owner deserved a better family, and he was satisfied just to silently do chores for her for the rest of his life and silently guard her side.

This was his predecessor's "life plan," which shone with a clear, foolish quality.

But soon, Song Cheng's thoughts drifted away.

'Since I've come, I must survive.'

He clenched his fists, planning in his heart to quickly nurse his body back to health, use this winter to quickly understand the situation outside, and then, when spring arrived, persuade the owner to move to a safer place to open a pharmacy. However, no matter what the future held, he had to survive the current winter first. Relying only on grain would certainly not get them through the winter, so he had to go into the mountains to forage for food and wild vegetables. When the time came, the owner would find the food, and he would carry it.

Just as he was thinking, a voice suddenly came to his ears.

Tong Jia said, "Cheng-ge'er, I'm going to get something to eat."

He subconsciously wanted to get up.

"I'll go chop some wood."

Tong Jia pressed him back down and said gently, "In your condition, how can you chop wood? Get well first."

Before long, the sound of "thwack, thwack" came from under the eaves outside the door as round logs were split open.

Tong Jia held the firewood and tossed it into a small stove.

The stove was small, so it consumed little firewood.

The earthen stove in the apothecary's backyard had not been used for a long time.

After a long while, the door opened again, and Tong Jia walked in.

An aroma mixed with the scent of wild herbs and flour drifted into Song Cheng's nose.

From the memories of his predecessor, Song Cheng knew this was coarse flour mixed with some edible roots.

His stomach was hungry, so he began to wolf it down.

Tong Jia also ate in small bites, watching Song Cheng quietly as she ate, as if she had made a certain decision.

Outside, the cold snow was like an angry tide, as if it wanted to submerge the entire world, leaving only this small house like a desert island.

It grew dark very quickly.

To save money, the apothecary did not even light a lamp wick, let alone a lantern.

It was pitch black, with darkness everywhere.

Fortunately, this had no effect on a blind person.

Not knowing how much time had passed, Song Cheng suddenly heard a rustling sound; a ribbon was untied, clothes were hung on the rack, the bed sank, and then a mass of soft, warm, and fragrant jade rolled into the quilt.

A voice, carrying shyness and a bit of feigned, bold sharpness, reached Song Cheng's ears.

"It's too cold and too dark, I don't want to sleep back there!"

Song Cheng's mouth was dry, and he could not speak.

"Brother Cheng, will you marry me?" a more direct and bolder voice came.

"East"

Before the word "family" could fall, the quilt was pulled up, covering the blurred voice of the woman.

"Dithering and hesitant, what kind of man are you!?"

As soon as the words fell, the calm quilt surged like waves, and the night grew fiery.

For a long, long time, Tong Jia and Song Cheng slept in each other's arms, their breathing gradually calming down.

Song Cheng just wanted to speak.

Tong Jia lightly tapped him and said, "See, I told you, isn't it much warmer like this? No need for coal either!"

Song Cheng could not help but laugh.

One night passed.

The next day.

Song Cheng felt the warm, soft, and fragrant jade in his arms get up to dress. His physical strength had also recovered quite a bit, and he could get up to work.

Just at this moment, he was suddenly stunned.

Lines of information emerged.

【You spent a harmonious night with Tong Jia, gaining 5 spare points】.

Immediately, another panel appeared in the darkness.

【Name: Song Cheng】

【Talent: Chang Sheng Bu Lao】

【Add Points: 5 points】

【Realm: Not Yet Initiated】

【Technique: None】

【Skill: Heart Eye (Not Yet Initiated) (0/1)】

【Taboo: Unlocked】

He saw "【Add Points】" flashing, looked again, and two more messages popped up:

【Can improve techniques and skills, or derive new techniques and new skills】

【Improve?】

(End of this chapter)