"Master, I made chicken and mushroom stew for you today. It smells delicious."
Mo Lixia carried the food into the room, only to find Qian Chuan lost in thought. She shook her head slightly, placed the tray on a small table, adjusted the bedding for him, and then set the table on the bed.
"Oh... Lixia," Qian Chuan slowly came back to his senses, his voice faint and distant.
Mo Lixia filled a bowl with rice and handed him the chopsticks.
"Master, you must eat more today. You don't even have the strength to get out of bed. How can you go on like this?"
Qian Chuan gave a weak smile, took the chopsticks, and gently patted Mo Lixia's head.
"Lixia, you've grown up. I remember when you first arrived, you were only this tall. Now, you're a young lady. I should have passed away years ago; it's thanks to you that I've lasted this long."
"Master?" Mo Lixia hated hearing such sorrowful words.
In this life, her master was her only family. If he left, she would truly be alone.
Over these five years, he had treated her with immense kindness—teaching her medicine, how to read and write, and telling her stories of history. Though their time together was short, in Mo Lixia's heart, he loved her just as much as her grandparents had in her previous life.
"Birth, aging, sickness, and death... it is the way of nature," Qian Chuan murmured, his eyes unfocused. "I fear I won't make it through this winter..."
"Master, taste this." Mo Lixia interrupted him, placing a piece of chicken into his bowl. "Brother Shen hunted this pheasant especially to nourish your body. I saved half of it to make soup for you tonight."
She lowered her head, refusing to let him continue. Tears welled up in her eyes.
She knew his condition. He was the first and only family she had in this second life. Fate was cruel; across two lifetimes, it seemed unwilling to give her a complete home.
The weather grew colder day by day. The rain had been relentless for two days. At night, the chill seeped into her bones, making her too afraid to even take a bath. Although the kang (heated brick bed) was lit, the room was poorly insulated, and by midnight, the warmth would vanish.
Checking the woodshed, she saw the charcoal supply was running low.
When the sky finally cleared and the sun dried the trees, Mo Lixia grabbed a hoe and headed into the forest. She needed to prepare firewood for winter. She was terrified of the cold.
She found a small tree about the thickness of her fist. It took her the entire morning to chop it down, leaving blisters on both hands.
Exhausted, she collapsed on the ground, unable to stand.
Maybe I should just buy firewood from the city, she thought. We aren't short of money.
But she quickly dismissed the idea. The mountains were full of resources; there was no need to waste money. Besides, she was now a beautiful young woman, and ancient times were dangerous. Her self-defense skills were non-existent. It was safer to stay home.
I'll just take it slow. One tree a day adds up.
To protect her hands, she sewed a crude pair of gloves.
After a few days of hard labor, she had gathered a decent pile. But today, she was utterly exhausted. Just as she returned home, she saw Shen Muqing walking in with a massive bundle of firewood on his shoulder.
"Brother Shen? This... firewood..."
Shen Muqing lowered his head, avoiding her gaze. "Winter is coming. My family is ready, but my mother was worried you and Doctor Qian hadn't prepared enough."
He spoke shyly. Before Mo Lixia could respond, he grabbed the hoe next to her and strode out the door to chop more.
Mo Lixia wanted to stop him, but looking at her meager progress from the past few days, she decided against it.
In the Great Imperial Dynasty, Fucheng was a region where rice was the staple food. However, in Quling Village, not everyone could afford white rice. Most people ate corn and coarse grains. Noodles were common, but dumplings were rare.
Mo Lixia hadn't seen anyone eat dumplings in years. When she first made them for Qian Chuan, he said he hadn't eaten them in a long time.
"You don't know, Lixia. Fucheng borders the Southern Borders, so the customs are mixed. In the central parts of the Great Imperial Dynasty, dumplings are common for festivals. Here, they are a rarity."
Since tasting her dumplings, Qian Chuan had become obsessed.
Adhering to a balanced diet, Mo Lixia only made them every four or five days. Today, she soaked some dried shepherd's purse, planning to make shepherd's purse and egg dumplings for Master and Brother Shen.
Eggs were precious in the village, but in their home, they were plentiful. Mo Lixia didn't know how much money her master had, but they certainly didn't lack food. Two years ago, she had started raising chickens and ducks in the backyard, and now they had more eggs than they could eat.
"Lixia's dumplings are getting more and more delicious. Ah, these extra years of life haven't been in vain..." Qian Chuan sighed contentedly, though he could only eat seven or eight at most. "Whoever marries my disciple in the future will be a truly lucky man!"
"Master, having you is enough for me." Mo Lixia retorted. Why is he talking about marriage during a meal?
"There are things you don't understand now. When you reach my age, you will..." Qian Chuan's voice trailed off. "When I was young, I also thought I could live like this forever..."
After serving her master, Mo Lixia packed another portion of dumplings and brought them up the mountain to Shen Muqing.
When she arrived, the small pile of firewood had grown into a small mountain. The difference in physical strength between men and women was undeniable.
"Brother Shen, stop chopping. Come and rest. I brought you dumplings."
Seeing Mo Lixia, Shen Muqing quickly put down his tools and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. "Lixia."
"You've chopped so much, it's enough. Here, drink some water first."
Shen Muqing rubbed his hands on his clothes for a long time before taking the water flask she offered. He took several large gulps and grinned at her foolishly.
"This water is so sweet."
"Haha, it's just plain water. You must be thirsty. Here, shepherd's purse dumplings. Eat them while they're hot."
"I didn't know you could make dumplings, Lixia. My mother can, but she rarely makes them for me." Shen Muqing devoured a dumpling in one bite. "Lixia's dumplings are delicious! Even better than my mother's."