Chapter 57

Feathering snow filled the sky and the drifts had already come up to their ankles.
The horses could barely move. Zhang San dismounted and led a horse step by step through the thick snow, each footfall leaving a print behind.
Mu Wanqing was anxious; she'd never faced anything like this.
Wandering aimlessly without a direction, this couldn't go on.
She leaned to the window and scanned the white. "Brother Zhang, see if there's any shelter, even a big tree will do."
Zhang San was bundled in heavy winter clothes: two thick coats on top of one another, one of them belonging to Mu Ziang.
Even so, the cold still bit down to the bone.
He forced his eyes open and peered left and right, but could barely see a few meters. "No, there's nothing."
Only an unbroken sheet of white.
They took turns searching. After a long while, Mu Ziang suddenly shouted, "Is that a towering tree?"
Mu Wanqing followed his gaze and brightened at once. "Yes, yes, hurry over."
Zhang San pulled the carriage toward it. When they were still three meters away something tripped his foot.
"Ah!" Zhang San went down. He was so bundled that he couldn't scramble back up.
Without thinking, Mu Ziang jumped down from the carriage and helped him up. "Careful."
Brother Zhang grabbed his hand and hauled himself upright, then turned to see what had tripped him.
"Ahhh, there's a body."
Mu Ziang started and looked over. The snow had covered someone up to the head; only half a scalp showed, and you wouldn't notice unless you were looking closely.
He felt a pang. Who had been buried in a foreign place like this? Perhaps their family was waiting at home for their return, full of hope.
He gave a soft sigh. Since they'd found the person, they should bury them properly and mark the spot, maybe one day their relatives would come looking.
But as soon as he reached to move the snow he realized something was wrong: there was a faint warmth of breath.
"There's breath, heat. They're alive."
Seeing this, Mu Wanqing jumped down. "Second brother, Brother Zhang, get him onto the cart, and be careful."
If fate had placed them together here, they had to try to save him.
Once they had the man on board, Mu Ziang and Zhang San worked together to strip off the wet clothes. Mu Wanqing pulled an old black men's rabbit-fur cloak from under the berth. "Wrap him in this."
The worn rabbit-fur cloak had been bought from an innkeeper's wife. She'd treasured it then, and later, when she had a better cloak, she still hadn't given the old one away.
Now it came in handy.
"Second Brother, take some snow and rub his body slowly."
Whatever Mu Wanqing suggested, Mu Ziang did without question.
She tried every method she could think of. Whether the man lived or died would be on fate's terms now.
"Brother Zhang, tie the reins to the tree, make it secure. Clear the oilcloth stacked on the horse's back, it's full of snow, and brush the thick snow off the top of the carriage too."
That would hold them in place.
Mu Wanqing moved to help, but she was small and couldn't steady herself in the gale. Zhang San was alarmed. "Miss, please get back in the carriage."
She was clever and capable in her head, but her strength was lacking.
Mu Wanqing felt she might be more trouble than help, so she climbed back up and kept a close watch on Zhang San, ready to shout if anything dangerous happened.
Zhang San was slow in manner but efficient with his hands; before long everything was in order.
Mu Wanqing opened the curtain. "Brother Zhang, you get up here too."
Zhang San was a bit awkward, this was the young lady's private carriage, and ordinary people weren't allowed inside.
But the snow was only getting worse, and he had nowhere else to shelter.
"Drink this." Mu Wanqing handed over some ginger tea and poured a cup for her second brother as well to ward off the chill.
Mu Ziang drained his cup in one go. "Can he drink?"
The ginger tea was good, she even added herbs. When they'd had it at other times it had helped keep their clan from falling ill; even the frail children stayed well.
Mu Wanqing hesitated; this was her first time in such a situation. "Wait until he wakes, then give him a drink."
She studied the chilled figure. He was a youth, about the same age as her eldest brother, but the left side of his face was slashed and scarred, a frightening sight.
After some time Mu Ziang noticed the boy inside the cloak had started to warm up. He couldn't hide his delight. Had they managed to save him?
"Sister, when will he wake?"
"I don't know." Mu Wanqing could only say, do all you can and leave the rest to fate. "Everyone's different."
Zhang San kept glancing out the window; his face grew more anxious.
"Miss, the snow keeps falling and it's getting dark. What are we to do?"
Before the forces of nature, a single person's strength felt painfully small.
Mu Wanqing was anxious too. She had no idea what had happened to the others, whether anyone else had been scattered, or what their parents were doing now.
But she was the backbone of everyone; if she grew anxious, it would naturally affect the others.
She seemed unusually calm. "Just sit quietly and wait for the blizzard to pass. If worse comes to worst, we'll spend the night in the carriage. Don't worry, there's food and drink on board, and plenty of coal for the stove. Just go out now and then to clear the snow from the roof, and we'll be fine."
Mu Ziang looked uneasy. "Could there be wild beasts?"
Mu Wanqing took out an earthen pot, filled it halfway with snow and boiled it on a small clay stove. She rummaged in a drawer for two handfuls of peanuts and set them by the stove to roast.
"I had the Physician prepare some beast-repelling medicine. I sprinkled it around the carriage a little while ago."
"Does it work?"
"Of course." Mu Wanqing's tone was unusually firm; as for the truth, only she knew.
Fortunately, Mu Ziang trusted his sister completely. If she said it worked, then it must be fine.
So the few of them sat in the carriage all night, talking and eating without pause, steaming porridge one moment, roasted peanuts the next, then baked buns.
Mu Wanqing's cooking was universally praised; whatever she made tasted good. Zhang San and Mu Ziang ate with grins from ear to ear.
They chatted idly and ate and drank, and the long night felt less harsh.
Dawn was just breaking. Mu Ziang rubbed his belly, full but still craving. "If only there were a bowl of oil-tea noodles."
His sister's fried noodles were exceptional; he loved them more than anything.
"There are." Mu Wanqing precisely fished a cloth bag from the lowest drawer, untied the string, and revealed the oil-tea noodles, she loved to stock up on provisions.
Mu Ziang was overjoyed. His sister's carriage was like a treasure chest; it had everything. Wonderful.
He took the noodles and brewed three bowls with the kettle. "You haven't finished yet? We've already eaten ours."
Mu Wanqing always cooked a lot of fried noodles and shared them with those close to her; when hungry, hot water would do the trick, an essential for travelers.
Soon the carriage was filled with an enticing sweet aroma.
"Gurgle." Whose stomach was growling?
The three exchanged glances, then all looked toward the youth lying on the bedding.
The youth's eyes opened slightly, but his face was still as white as paper.
Mu Ziang beamed. "You're awake? Are you all right?"
The youth looked at them warily and struggled to sit up; his cloak slipped, and he suddenly realized he was wearing nothing underneath. Terrified, he grabbed the cloak. "Who are you people?"
"We…" Mu Ziang didn't know how to introduce himself and instinctively glanced at his sister.
Mu Wanqing answered slowly, "We were strangers who happened to meet on the road. After that we'll each go our own way. Nothing needs to be said, and you don't need to ask anything."
She took a sip of the steaming oil-tea noodles and lifted an eyebrow. "Want a bowl?"
Young and brimming with life, he recovered quickly.
The youth stared blankly at the bowl in her hand, captivated by the rich aroma. "Yes."
Mu Ziang generously prepared a bowl for him. The youth took a sip, froze for a moment, then ate ravenously. The sesame fragrance, crushed peanuts and flour blended perfectly; it was so fragrant and delicious it brought tears to his eyes.
"What's this?"
Mu Ziang boasted proudly, "My sister made these oil-tea noodles herself. Good, isn't it?"
"Your sister?"
"Ah, I mean…" Mu Ziang trailed off, he had nearly forgotten this was a stranger, not a relative.
Mu Wanqing lifted a lid and the food's aroma rushed up. "Want some sweet porridge?"
"Yes." The youth's eyes lit up as he ate the sweet, not-too-greasy porridge.
He had never known porridge could taste so good; the sweetness spread from his mouth to his stomach and his tense mood slowly eased.
Good food has a way of calming the heart.
He noticed that the Mu siblings paid no attention to the scar on his face; they didn't ask a thing or even seem to have seen it, treating him like any ordinary person. He let down his guard a little.
Many years later, after he had achieved fame and success, he would always remember that bowl of sweet porridge and that bowl of oil-tea noodles, more delicious than any delicacy.
It was from that day on that his life changed completely.
The blizzard lasted a full two days. Mu Wanqing frowned at the snow piled to her knees. How would they get through this?
She bit into a freshly made pancake and sighed softly. "Life is really hard."
The youth watched her silently. If you ignored the food in her hands and the cloak wrapped around her, there was a sliver of believability.
How could someone keep eating and still be so thin? The most important thing was, she had so much delicious food!
"Someone's coming, be careful." Suddenly his ears twitched and he sat bolt upright; his hand went instinctively to his waist but froze.
Mu Wanqing watched eagerly out the carriage window, her own ears pricked high.
Two people in a sled drew closer. "Third Miss! Third Miss!"
The familiar voice made Mu Wanqing leap up with joy. "It's Officer Zeng. I know he's capable."
She wrapped her cloak tighter and climbed out of the carriage, waving to the two. "I'm over here."
A stunned, nearly collapsing voice came from behind. "You're…a woman?"
"Yes, my name is Mu Wanqing." Mu Wanqing smiled. "Don't worry, I didn't see you in the nude, saw nothing at all."
The youth felt like he was splitting apart; explanation was just a cover!
He had no idea, at that moment, that the name Mu Wanqing would become the most important chapter of his life.
Officer Zeng hurried up to her, his face full of worry. "Miss, we've finally found you. You had us worried sick. Are you all right? Have you been starving? Here, take this steamed bun first to tide you over."
The bun he offered was hard and cold, but Mu Wanqing did not refuse. "I'll roast it and eat it in a bit. Is everyone all right? How are my parents? What's the situation now? How's the caravan? Have you made contact?"
Officer Zeng's mood had been up and down these past few days. "When I first noticed something was wrong I stopped the convoy and turned back to look for you, but you were gone. I was frantic, but with the heavy snow there was no way to search for people. First I calmed everyone down. Your parents stayed with the group and they're fine; it's you I'm worried about. Also... a dozen or so carriages are missing."
When everyone realized Mu Wanqing's carriage was missing, they nearly panicked.
Mu Wanqing pursed her lips. At the time Officer Zeng had been at the very front; she was in the middle and Deputy Captain Li brought up the rear.
Her parents' carriage was next to Sixth Uncle's and the others'.
"Was it the ones in the middle that went missing?"
"Yes. As soon as I noticed I called for a halt and organized everyone to gather together." Officer Zeng's ability to command had been tested. "Once the snow lets up I'll take a few men and split into groups to search for you. Your father and his men built these sleds."
The sleds were suited for traveling over snow, crude, but practical.
When Mu Wanqing and her group returned to the camp, everyone rushed out in excitement. Leading the way were Second Master Mu and his wife, and Mu Zicheng.
Second Master Mu had one arm around his daughter and the other carrying his son; his eyes were red and he was beside himself with emotion. "Qing'er, Ziang, you're back, you're back."
His body swayed and he fainted.
"Father!" Mu Wanqing shouted and everyone hurried over to support him.
A hand reached out and rested on Second Master Mu's pulse. "Palpitations from distress; joy and grief intertwined; the emotions are unsettled. A good sleep and he'll be fine."
It was the scarred-faced youth; he delivered the diagnosis without expression.
From nearby came a sharp intake of breath. He glanced over coolly; the other person immediately hung his head, unwilling to meet his eyes.
He snorted coldly.
"What is wrong with my father?" Mu Ziang stamped his feet in panic.
Sixth Uncle nodded vigorously. "This young healer is right. Your father hasn't slept for two days, he wouldn't eat or drink, tormented by worry. Seeing you return safely eased him; the tension has released. Take him to rest first."
Everyone helped carry Second Master Mu back to his carriage to rest. Madam Mu glanced at her children, but still worried about her husband.
Mu Wanqing waved her hand. "Mother, you stay with Father. I still have many things to take care of."
She turned to the youth. "You know medicine?"
"Of course. It's a family tradition, my father was a famous physician..." The youth's expression suddenly shifted and his voice cut off, as if he'd thought of something dreadful.
Mu Wanqing pretended not to notice and smiled faintly. "Where are you headed? If it's on our way we'll give you a ride; if not, I'll give you a carriage."
If he was truly a rescuer he should be helped fully, he had nothing; in weather like this he couldn't go far.
The youth stared at her steadily, his dark eyes ink-black. "My surname is Wei, Wei Shaohui."
Mu Wanqing responded, "Oh. Hello."
She had no way of knowing that he would become the future commander of the Wuyi Guards, a man whose power would eclipse all others.