"Bang——"
The door of the outer room was blown open by a gust of cold wind, emitting a loud noise. The chilling wind swept in a few snowflakes, causing Mu Caiwei to shiver.
"So cold!"
Upon seeing this, Fei'er immediately rose from the heated kang and, putting on her shoes, said, "Wen'er, let's go out and gather some firewood with your second sister."
"Hmm."
Wen'er hummed in assent, just about to step off the kang, when he seemed to remember something and walked back. He reached up onto the upper part of the kang, pulling out a quilt and placing it over Mu Caiwei's bedding. He then spoke to Mu Caiwei like she was a child, saying, "Older sister, lay underneath this quilt for the time being. Once second sister and I come back with the firewood, the house won't be as cold."
A warm feeling spread through Mu Caiwei's heart, and she reached out to pinch Wen'er's thin, sallow cheeks. Pushing herself up, she said, "Your sister will go with you!"
"No, that certainly cannot happen. Older sister hasn't fully recovered yet, you can't go out." Wen'er pressed down on Mu Caiwei's rising shoulder with his tiny hands as if he were the adult. After advising her for a few more moments, he stepped off the heated kang.
Lady Du closed the door, saying uneasily, "With the heavy snow blocking the mountains, beasts that can't find food in the wilderness are all wandering around near the village. Just today, at the market, there were rumors of a hunter from Zhoujia's Village getting devoured by a wild boar, nothing left of him but skeleton. Be careful, don't go too far. Just gather around the village."
Fei'er and Wu'er agreed. They found a woven wicker basket used for gathering firewood in the outer room before quickly rushing out the door.
"Oh my, Sister Fei, are you going to take Wen'er with you to pick up firewood?"
Aunt Zhou, with a basket in her hand, blocked the entrance, stopping the young siblings.
Aunt Zhou was an outsider living in Mu Family Village. Her family made a living by hunting, and because Mu Family Village was closer to the mountains, it was easier for her to hunt. Thus, her husband and she decided to move their home to Mu Family Village.
Although the villagers of Mu Family Village didn't reject outsiders, each family had their own land. Therefore, any outsiders, or people like Mu Zhongqing who had been kicked out of their families, could only build houses on the vacant land on the outskirts of the village. Aunt Zhou's house was built in the west of the village, not too far from Mu Caiwei's house.
Usually, when the men of her family weren't at home, Aunt Zhou often visited nearby houses to avoid feeling lonely. Lady Du, being gentle and accommodating, understood Aunt Zhou's feelings. After a while, they became familiar and close.
"Sister Zhou, what brings you here today?" Hearing the voice of Aunt Zhou, Lady Du came out from the inner room to greet her.
Pulling Fei'er and Wen'er along, Aunt Zhou walked into the house, speaking sarcastically, "When am I not free? I'm almost dying of boredom. Not like you noble folks who are always occupied with matters, always bustling off to the market to sell your hair and rushing to hand over the retirement money to the elderly."
Upon hearing this, Lady Du lowered her head and touched her head which was covered with a handkerchief, muttering, "You've heard about it?"
"Huh! How can such a significant matter as selling hair be concealed? Even if I didn't know, everyone within ten miles and eight villages knows about it. They are all discussing it!"
"Err…"
Learning that she had become the talk of the town, Lady Du's face was covered with a layer of shame. She mumbled, "I had no other choice!"
Aunt Zhou forcibly stuffed the basket into Lady Du's arms and said, "Couldn't you ask me if you had no other options? Have you ever considered me as your sister? Besides, the skin and hair one has, they owe to their parents; it is shameful to cut and sell. How desperate were you that you had to sell your hair? Tell me the truth, were you bullied by the two old people again?"
Lady Du spoke softly, "It wasn't entirely for them. Yesterday, Wei'er collapsed from hunger. I figured, our hair could always grow back. We aren't untouched young girls, who cares about being shameful and ugly? So it would be better to cut and sell it to get through this crisis. That's why I rushed to the market early in the morning to sell it..."