The two of them walked along the village's narrow path.

Snow had been falling for several days already, and the village was now blanketed entirely in white. Layer upon layer of gathered snow pressed down upon the treetops, bending the branches slightly, sending small flurries of loose powder drifting down from time to time.

A cold wind swept through, carrying a bite sharp enough to invigorate the spirit considerably.

Fortunately, perhaps because the Zhou Kingdom's fortune of mountains and rivers had grown steadily stronger, this year's snowfall had not been especially heavy, nor the cold as biting as in years past. And before the first days of winter had even arrived, Xiao Mo had already issued various decrees, purchasing considerable stores of grain and making thorough preparations for disaster relief through the winter months.

Xiao Mo felt that the great majority of common people should be able to pass this winter in reasonable comfort.

Even on a snowy day such as this, most of the village's men had gone out. Some were working in the city, others had gone up into the hills to gather medicinal herbs or hunt game to sell. At this hour, the village was left to small children running to and fro through the lanes, while the women washed clothes and cooked meals, keeping house, lending the village a lively, bustling warmth of its own.

The river had not yet frozen over, but washing clothes still left the women's hands chapped and red, their movements quicker than in summer, without the leisurely gossip that accompanied the same task when the weather was warm.

"Hm? Is that Ruxue?"

"Ruxue, you're back!"

"Ruxue, you grow lovelier every time I see you."

"Ruxue, have you eaten? I'm just about to go home and make a meal. Would you like to come sit with us? I'll make you a chicken broth."

Not far into the village, just as Xiao Mo and Yan Ruxue were passing by the riverside, several women washing clothes caught sight of Yan Ruxue and brightened at once, calling out to her with the easy warmth of old neighbors.

Seeing this, Xiao Mo understood that Ruxue was very well liked in this village. After all, most villages thrived on idle gossip, and to be genuinely beloved by nearly every older woman in the place was no small thing.

"Aunty Xia, there is no need, we have already eaten. We had a little time to spare today and came back to look in on everyone. We won't trouble you any further," Yan Ruxue replied warmly, returning the greetings with a soft smile.

"Ruxue, you are always so formal with us! Now who is this young scholar? My, what a handsome face." Aunty Hu's eyes lit up at the sight of Xiao Mo. More to the point, this was the first time she had ever seen Ruxue arrive with a man in tow.

"Aunty Hu... this is my husband..." Yan Ruxue said slowly, her long lashes blinking softly, carrying a shy sweetness particular to young women.

"My goodness, Ruxue, so you're married!" Aunty Hu exclaimed in surprise.

"Hu Mi, you weren't in the village at the time, so you wouldn't have known. Ruxue was married right here in our village, and what a grand affair it was!"

"And Ruxue was so beautiful that day. I have never in my life seen such a lovely bride."

"Indeed, indeed. And this young gentleman is very handsome as well. What a fine-looking pair you make together."

Two other women chimed in from the side to explain.

"Now listen here, young man, you had better treat our Ruxue well. A good girl like Ruxue, most men would go eight lifetimes without meeting someone half as fine."

The group's attention turned upon Xiao Mo, voices layering over one another in praise of Yan Ruxue.

"Our Ruxue is truly remarkable. To have won her hand is the good fortune of three lifetimes," Xiao Mo replied with a smile.

Yan Ruxue lowered her head slightly, her expression carrying a faint, lovely shyness.

Seeing this, the women burst into a round of cheerful teasing.

After a good while of chatting with the aunties, Xiao Mo and Yan Ruxue continued on their way.

Along the village's narrow paths, chickens and ducks moved about in loose, unhurried clusters. As they passed each household, the yellow watchdogs would lift their heads and look toward Xiao Mo and Yan Ruxue, preparing, it seemed, to bark a warning to demonstrate their usefulness. But before a single sound could escape them, one glance from Yan Ruxue reduced them to a pitiful whimper, some of them rolling onto their backs and exposing their bellies entirely.

"Oh, Ruxue, you're here!" Aunty Chen, who had been hanging laundry in her courtyard, set down what she was holding the moment she saw Yan Ruxue, wiped the water from her hands, and came forward with warm, affectionate greetings.

"Aunty Chen, how is your son these days? Is he well?" Yan Ruxue walked over with a smile.

"Very well indeed, thanks to the herbs you sent before. You saved my son's life. He's apprenticed at a blacksmith's shop in the city now."

Aunty Chen's eyes were full of gratitude. "Only, we don't know your address in the city, so we had no way to bring my son to thank you properly, Ruxue. Wait right here, I'll go into the city and call him back at once, so he can bow his head to you properly."

"There is no need, Aunty. It was nothing at all, truly. And besides, we are only passing through today," Yan Ruxue said, gently taking the woman by the arm.

"All right, all right, Chen Miao, you know perfectly well what Ruxue is like. The more formal you are about it, the more uncomfortable she becomes."

A neighboring woman stepped out of her own doorway, carrying a basket of dried dates, and added warmly, "Ruxue, come taste some of our freshly dried dates. They've been kept beautifully, and they're wonderful."

"Aunty Wang, there are only two of us. We couldn't possibly take so many. Just a few to taste would be more than enough." Yan Ruxue reached out her slender white hand and took a small handful of the large red dates.

"Not enough, not enough! You must take more!" Aunty Wang insisted.

"We truly cannot eat that many, Aunty." Yan Ruxue could only laugh helplessly.

After several rounds of polite refusals, Yan Ruxue finally relented, filling her handkerchief with a generous handful, and only then did Aunty Wang let them go.

Walking through the village's open fields, Yan Ruxue nibbled at the red dates as she went, small and contented as a little squirrel.

Xiao Mo turned his head to look at the woman beside him and could not help smiling.

The always graceful and composed woman had let slip this small, girlish side of herself, and Xiao Mo found it all the more lovely for it, all the more alive. And at this moment, Ruxue seemed considerably more at ease than he had ever seen her before.

"Would husband like some?"

Noticing Xiao Mo's gaze, Yan Ruxue held out the dates in her palm, her eyes blinking at him.

"I'll have a few, then."

Xiao Mo took several dates from Yan Ruxue's hand and put them in his mouth.

"Aren't they sweet?" Yan Ruxue asked with a smile.

"Mm, very sweet."

Xiao Mo nodded, letting his gaze drift across the whole of the village. He could not say why, but a feeling of inexplicable familiarity rose in his heart, one he could not quite place no matter how he reached for it, yet one that carried an unmistakable warmth.

"Elder Sister Ruxue is back!"

"Elder Sister Ruxue!"

"Does Elder Sister want some preserved sweets? Mother just made them."

"Elder Sister Ruxue, come play with us! You haven't come to play with us in so long."

"Elder Sister Ruxue, who is this big brother?"

Before long, several small children came running out across the open fields.

"Him?" Yan Ruxue turned her head, stole a quiet glance at Xiao Mo, and smiled softly.

"He is Elder Sister's husband."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.