TSWPF -Chapter 63 Mindful

Li Qingling reached out and vigorously rubbed Ah Huang’s big head. “Thank you, Ah Huang.” It wasn’t surprising that everyone cared so much for Ah Huang—he truly deserved it. “Where have you been all this time? Did you go back to Song Mountain?” The snow here was already heavy; the snow in Song Mountain must be even worse. How did he even manage to find food in such deep snow? Not only did he feed himself, but he even brought a roe deer back for them.

Ah Huang couldn’t speak. He simply nudged Li Qingling’s hand with his big head and hummed twice.

That alone counted as a response to Li Qingling.

Li Qingling continued to rub his big head, chattering away at Ah Huang, regardless of whether he could understand her words or not.

Ah Huang didn’t mind her rambling. He simply lay down beside her, resting his head against her calf, staring at her intently as if he were seriously listening.

The children at home, realizing Ah Huang had returned, ran out excitedly and started playing with him.

Seeing the little ones, Ah Huang was equally thrilled, licking one here, licking another there. Even Li Qingning, still in bed, wasn’t spared—he trotted into the room, placed his front paws on the bed’s edge, stretched his big head over, gently licked Li Qingning’s small hand, then, satisfied, ran back out.

In Ah Huang’s mind, they were his family.

He liked everyone, but his favorite was Li Qingling. Perhaps it was because she had rescued him, or because he had grown up drinking her spiritual water; he had an innate dependence on her.

Li Qingling looked at the children playing with Ah Huang, let them continue, then, carrying the roe, went to the kitchen with Liu Zhimou.

For dinner, they enjoyed a hearty meal of roe deer meat, which left the children’s eyes sparkling.

It had been snowing constantly, making trips to the town to buy meat very difficult.

These children hadn’t eaten meat in a while, so having such a feast naturally brought them joy.

Since this day, Ah Huang would bring back prey every other day.

Sometimes it was a wild chicken, sometimes a wild rabbit; the largest catch was the roe deer.

This routine, feeding the children every two days, left their cheeks rosy and healthy-looking.

Even Li Qingling, who was slightly sensitive to the cold, had recovered.

Probably because the roe deer meat was particularly nourishing, restoring the blood she had lost.

Feeling better, Li Qingling focused even more on tending her rabbits and chickens.

The weather was too cold—if she didn’t keep them warm, they could easily freeze to death.

If they all died, all her efforts would be in vain.

Moreover, she didn’t know how long this snow would last.

If it kept falling without end, the villagers would be in trouble again.

Although a bountiful year’s snow was a blessing, continuous snow wasn’t ideal.

She could only hope heaven would show mercy on those who farm, giving them a chance to survive.

That day, Aunt Huang came by to check on Li Qingling and see how she was doing.

She lingered at the doorway, warming her hands, watching the endless snow, and sighed, “Who knows when this snow will stop? If it doesn’t, it could delay planting. That would be terrible.”

“Come in, Aunt Huang. Don’t stand outside; it’s too cold. Don’t catch a cold,” Li Qingling said with a smile, beckoning her in.

Recently, Aunt Huang often dropped by to check on her. Li Qingling was grateful for her care.

She had already decided that once she could expand her chicken farm, Aunt Huang would be the first person she would ask for help, as a way of repaying her kindness.

Aunt Huang nodded and entered the main room, sitting across from Li Qingling. Li Qingling promptly poured her a bowl of hot water and pushed it in front of her to warm her up.

Aunt Huang didn’t hesitate. She drank the hot water in one gulp and felt her body warm up immediately.

Placing the bowl back on the table, she looked at Li Qingling with concern. “How are you feeling? Any better?”

Li Qingling smiled. “I’m mostly fine now. Nothing serious. Thank you for your concern.”

With good food every two days, wild meat, and her own spiritual water, she was indeed well. She couldn’t reveal the full truth, so she answered Aunt Huang this way.

Aunt Huang carefully observed Li Qingling’s complexion and, seeing her looking healthy, relaxed.

“That’s good. That night really scared me. I thought you…” She trailed off, then spat twice on the ground. “It’s over. All over now.”

Indeed, Li Qingling was extremely lucky. If an ordinary person had been trapped under the collapsed house, they wouldn’t have survived.

Thinking of this, Aunt Huang made it a point to befriend Li Qingling, often stopping by to chat and build rapport.

“It’s really over. I was lucky that night; otherwise…” Li Qingling shivered at the thought.

If she hadn’t survived, what would have happened to her younger siblings? They were so small.

Although she trusted Liu Zhimou to take care of them, it would still be extremely difficult for one person to raise so many children.

Fortunately, the Bodhisattva protected her, letting her wake up safely.

Aunt Huang nodded repeatedly. She truly believed Li Qingling had been very fortunate.

“These things are in the past. Don’t dwell on them—look forward,” she gently advised. “Surviving such hardships ensures future blessings. I believe your luck will be plentiful.”

Judging by her medical expenses and the state of her livestock, it was clear the children’s family had some resources. Without them, they couldn’t have afforded medical care or raised so many chickens.

Aunt Huang felt that befriending Li Qingling would bring good fortune to her own life.

Li Qingling smiled and nodded, agreeing that the past should be left behind.

“Aren’t you going to live at Zhimou’s home forever?” Though she sympathized with Li Qingling, Aunt Huang’s thinking reflected the times—an unmarried girl living in her fiancé’s house was considered inappropriate. “Why not stay at your grandfather’s? If you lived there, no one would say anything.”

At first, she thought Old Li was heartless—his granddaughter’s house collapsed, she was injured, yet he did nothing.

Later, she learned from Madam Liu that Old Li had asked Li Qingling to let her three siblings stay at his house, but she refused, insisting on living with Liu Zhimou.

Because of this, some villagers whispered that Li Qingling was improper, moving into her fiancé’s house so quickly.

Li Qingling had heard such gossip but didn’t care.

“What’s the use of going back to my grandfather’s? My three siblings and I would suffer again, unable to eat or stay warm,” she said, her smile dimming. “Honestly, compared to my past hardships, I’d rather not care about reputation at all.”

Though she wasn’t the original owner, she remembered the previous suffering vividly.

Thinking of Madam Liu, Aunt Huang sighed. Indeed, if Li Qingling’s siblings returned to Old Li’s house, they might even struggle to have enough food.

“But you can’t live here forever, can you?”

“No, just temporarily. When the weather improves, I’ll have someone rebuild my house.” Upon hearing this, Aunt Huang visibly relaxed.

She was relieved that Li Qingling wouldn’t stay with the Liu family forever. If she did, Aunt Huang would have reconsidered maintaining their friendship.

A tarnished reputation was hard to recover from. Aunt Huang didn’t want Li Qingling to compromise her son’s marriage prospects.

She smiled, nodding. “Good, that’s good.”

After getting the information she wanted, Aunt Huang didn’t stay long, exchanged a few more words, and left.

Once she was gone, Li Qingling exhaled softly, looked up at Liu Zhimou, and shrugged.

“Living here… I’m afraid I’ve even tarnished your reputation. Do you mind?”

Liu Zhimou shook his head. “If I minded, I wouldn’t have let you stay here.” His view aligned with hers—reputation didn’t matter to him.

“When I rebuild my house, do you want to build one here too?”

Liu Zhimou considered it. He wanted to, but thinking of Li Qingfeng and Liu Zhiyan going back to school, and the expenses, he shook his head.