Only half a month had passed.
That was all it took for disaster to strike Xiao Man.
She had been on fire duty that day. By right, she should have been relieved at the Hour of Shen. But she never came back.
Qing Tian felt uneasy.
Using an excuse, she slipped away toward the stove room.
The moment she arrived, her heart sank.
Xiao Man was sitting alone in front of a cold, lifeless hearth. The fire had long gone out. In her hands was a crumpled letter, clenched so tightly it looked as if she might tear it apart. Her shoulders trembled, and suppressed sobs leaked out, broken and weak.
"Xiao Man?" Qing Tian called softly as she hurried over.
Xiao Man raised her head.
Her face was drenched in tears. Her eyes were swollen, red, and empty.
The moment she saw Qing Tian, her restraint collapsed.
She grabbed Qing Tian's sleeve like a drowning person clutching at driftwood.
"Qing Tian..." Her voice shook violently.
"My mother... my mother is dying..."
The words barely came out.
"The letter says her old illness came back. The doctor said she needs good medicine, or... or she won't survive this winter..."
Her hands trembled as she passed the letter over.
The paper was rough. The handwriting uneven—clearly written by someone who barely knew how to read.
The message was short.
Cruel.
Mother critically ill. Five taels of silver needed for medicine.
Five taels.
For nobles inside the palace, it was nothing. A snack. A whim.
For a fire girl like Xiao Man—whose monthly pay was only three qian of silver, most of it deducted before it ever reached her hands—it was a number beyond reach.
"I've been saving for almost three years..." Xiao Man whispered, her voice shattering.
"My redemption money... I was only two taels away from ten..."
Tears streamed down her face.
"If I send the money home, my mother might live."
"But if I do... I may never leave this place."
Her fingers dug into her own palms.
"If my mother knew I chose my freedom over her life, she would never forgive me—even in death."
"But if I stay trapped here forever... what happens to her then?"
Save her mother.
Or save herself.
It was a choice no sixteen-year-old girl should ever have to make.
Qing Tian's chest tightened painfully.
She grabbed Xiao Man's ice-cold hands.
"Don't panic," she said firmly.
"We'll find a way. Together."
That night, Chen Po's small room was lit once more by an oil lamp.
The news crushed everyone's spirits.
"Five taels..." Fu Gui muttered, frowning deeply.
"Our shared fund doesn't even reach one."
"I still have one qian of silver," Xiao Anzi said quietly. "It was a reward."
Xiao Luzi silently placed a few dozen copper coins on the table.
Chen Po sighed, then took out an old silver bangle from the bottom of her chest.
"My dowry," she said. "Pawn it first."
Even so, it was far from enough.
And everyone knew—
Xiao Man's redemption money was her entire life's hope.
Years of labor. Years of endurance. Years of dreaming of freedom.
Who could ask her to destroy that?
The room fell silent.
Only Xiao Man's quiet sobbing remained.
Qing Tian stared at the scattered coins, at Xiao Man's desperate face.
She had seen this choice before—in another life, on glowing screens and comment sections.
Save your mother or secure your future.
She never imagined it would appear here.
In flesh and blood.
Then, clarity struck.
"Xiao Man," Qing Tian said calmly, decisively.
"Your redemption money cannot be touched."
Xiao Man froze.
Pain and confusion filled her eyes.
"I'm not saying we won't save your mother," Qing Tian continued.
"That money is your future. It's what will keep both of you alive after you leave this place."
"We save your mother."
"But not by destroying your only way out."
"But five taels..." Xiao Man whispered. "How can we—"
"We don't need all five at once," Qing Tian cut in.
"We just need enough to stabilize her condition."
Her thoughts flowed rapidly.
"Then we help you save again."
"You were two taels short. Including this emergency money, let's say three."
"There are six of us."
"If each person saves fifty copper coins a month, one year gives us three taels and six qian."
"Enough to fill the gap."
She looked around the room.
"Are you willing?"
"Fifty coins a month. To rebuild Xiao Man's hope."
"This is a loan. One day, when she leaves the palace, she'll repay it."
Silence.
Then—
"I'm in," Fu Gui said immediately.
"I'll eat less oily food. Xiao Man has always helped me before."
Xiao Anzi nodded hard.
"So am I."
"Me too," Xiao Luzi added.
Chen Po smiled gently.
"This old woman will not be missing."
Xiao Man collapsed.
She dropped to her knees and bowed deeply, her forehead hitting the floor with a dull sound.
"Get up!" Qing Tian pulled her up quickly. "You don't owe us bows."
In the end, they gathered a little over two taels of silver.
Not enough to cure—but enough to buy time.
Enough to keep hope alive.
That night, under the star-filled sky, the autumn wind cut cold and sharp.
But Xiao Man's hand, gripping Qing Tian's, was warm.
"Qing Tian..." she choked. "I'll never forget.