Tu Guang Village, Qing Zai State.
A middle-aged man, tall and sturdy, was pounding herbs. The crisp sound echoed throughout the house. From afar, a small figure was running toward him.
A little girl about five or six years old, with two braided pigtails, her face showing innocence and cheerfulness.
"Father! Look what I caught."
Xiao Yu, her face smeared with mud, held a small basket with both tiny hands extended toward the man. Inside the basket were fish and shrimp struggling for their lives.
"Xiao Yu, you've been mischievous again, but not bad. Looks like today we won't be hungry." The man rubbed Xiao Yu's head.
He looked at her affectionately as if praising her. This man was Li Jiang, who had moved to Tu Guang Village two months ago.
When he arrived, he also brought along a little girl about five years old named Li Yu. Due to their extremely poor circumstances, the villagers helped them sincerely.
Li Jiang worked as a woodcutter and also as a healer, so he was well respected and cherished by everyone. Li Yu, although a girl, was talented and quick-witted, and the villagers had even arranged for her engagement with their sons.
At that moment, a man appeared at the entrance and stepped into Li Jiang's house. His voice was hoarse, but he was still middle-aged and full of vigor.
"Master Jiang, could you come see my wife? She's too weak. She was laughing just yesterday, but now…" Chu Nga stopped and sighed deeply.
Li Jiang looked thoughtful, then prepared his tools to visit Chu Nga's house. Carefully, he told Xiao Yu not to follow strangers before leaving.
Xiao Yu was used to being alone at home; she comfortably sat on a wooden chair drinking water, her legs swinging.
Meanwhile, after arriving at Chu Nga's house, Li Jiang observed the entire layout of the house and sighed deeply.
He walked to the bed to check on Mrs. Chu, only to see her hands and feet cold as ice, her face sunken, eyes dimmed with only a faint light left. Her breath was slow and shallow, but heavy and hard to describe.
Chu Nga looked at Li Jiang with anxious and worried eyes, and then Li Jiang shook his head.
In a gentle but helpless tone, he said, "Hard to save. Mrs. Chu is weak and her bedroom faces the north wind. The weather suddenly turned cold these last few days… It's already a miracle that she's still alive!"
Mr. Chu trembled and whispered, trying to find a glimmer of hope, "Then I'll change her room and give her wild root medicine… What about…"
Before Chu Nga could finish, Li Jiang gestured to be quiet, his eyes filled with sadness as he said,
"It's useless. This cold toxin is extremely strong. From my observation earlier, the north wind carries a very strong cold toxin, which people call Han Chao a kind of silent cold disease that emerges during bone-chilling cold… Maybe Han Chao is coming."
"Even if you save her today, what about tomorrow or the day after? What happens when Han Chao arrives?"
Li Jiang sighed, his eyes full of sorrow and a bit of helplessness. "When Han Chao comes, I'm just an ordinary healer with weak skills. Moreover, this place is wild and remote, making treatment difficult."
Chu Nga understood, his face darkened, but his eyes still held a faint hope.
His pained gaze turned toward Li Jiang; he couldn't bear to see Mrs. Chu leave.
Li Jiang took ten packets of medicine from his bag and said,
"These are ten packets of medicine specialized for treating cold toxin. Boil and divide into three doses per packet. This is all I can do. If Mrs. Chu survives Han Chao, she's truly blessed."
"As for money, just keep it. I'm not in a hurry. We're in the same situation."
After speaking, Li Jiang closed his eyes and stepped outside. He looked north and felt as if thousands of icy needles pierced his skin.
Inside, Chu Nga no longer cared about anything except Mrs. Chu's weakening breath.
He hurriedly moved her bed to avoid the north wind. Then quickly boiled water and prepared the medicine.
After a moment of calm, Mrs. Chu drank the medicine and her health improved. A warm hope appeared on her. He suddenly remembered Li Jiang's words.
Han Chao was coming… Mr. Chu was startled, then his eyes seemed to curse the heavens as he hurried toward the village entrance.
Before Chu Nga appeared a thatched house, inside flickered candlelight and thin black smoke trails drifting upward.
Chu Nga stood before the house and knocked urgently. Moments later, an old man opened the door.
With kind, gentle eyes, he said, "Why do you look like you've seen a ghost? What's the matter?"
Chu Nga trembled but quickly relayed Li Jiang's message before leaving, worried about Mrs. Chu.
Old Chen looked thoughtful, sighed, then called his son, Chen Mu, telling him to spread the news and prepare the village for Han Chao.
Upon hearing "Han Chao," Chen Mu quickly abandoned his meal and beat the drum to announce to the villagers.
Now news of Han Chao had spread throughout the village. Everyone quickly prepared food and forest roots in the cold winter dusk.