Snowflakes danced in the air as Qiuming City welcomed its second heavy snowfall of the year. The cold snap from the far northern regions was more fierce than in previous years, burying the Romanov Kingdom in deep snow that reached to the knees and continued to spread southward.
Refugees huddled in wooden sheds, wrapped in blankets of various colors, wearing all their warm clothing and crowding against the walls to escape the chilly wind and snow.
Food was no longer a problem for them, with two pounds of bread and two large bowls of oatmeal every day, which were enough to fill their stomachs. But as the new year just began, eating nothing but bread and oatmeal left them feeling like something was missing.
The nobility did not see it that way, in their eyes, being able to provide bread was already a kindness. You ungrateful fools, to still want more food?
What a joke!
