The next morning, Gu Sheng was the first to open the door of the little thatched hut.
A rush of icy air flooded into the house. The snow was piled up high enough to cover Gu Sheng's knees.
The gust of cold air woke up both the young miss and Luizhu. It was still dark outside. They huddled deeper into their blankets.
"Hey, close the door quickly!" Lu Yan mumbled sleepily.
After so many nights of being cold, warmth felt even more precious.
Gu Sheng went outside and closed the door. The girls fell asleep again.
When he returned, it was still dark outside.
Through bleary eyes, Luizhu watched him carry in several more heavy bags.
The stove had cooled down. Gu Sheng refilled it with a new bucket, half-coal and half-wood, before lighting it using some scraps.
Smoke filled the room, and he opened the door to let it disperse.
By now, both girls were wide-awake.
Luizhu reluctantly got out of the warm bed, and put on her thin cloak.
The sky had lightened. But it was still much earlier than their usual wake-up time.
The fifth miss too sat up. Luizhu helped her wash up while Gu Sheng disappeared into the kitchen.
Soon, good smells filled the house. The two girls cheered up.
Luizhu went to the kitchen to see what Gu Sheng was up to.
The young miss sat in bed, keeping warm, and feeling that this morning was not as intolerable as the ones before.
Soon, the doctor emerged from the inner room, and went outside. Gu Sheng followed him.
The young miss took this chance to look into the kitchen.
Luizhu excitedly showed her the new sacks filled with food supplies.
Lu Yan looked joyfully through bags of rice, dried vegetables, lentils, dried meat, several small bags of spices.
They talked together excitedly, exclaiming over their discoveries.
Only the sound of the yard gate opening reminded them.
Lu Yan quickly rushed back to bed. The warm blankets felt wonderful to her cold feet.
Gu Zheng and the doctor entered.
After the greetings, Gu Zheng went into the kitchen, while the doctor disappeared into the inner room.
Soon, the morning meal was ready: savory porridge with little pieces of dried meat, salted and spiced to perfection.
Lu Yan internally praised Lu Zheng's cooking skills. She hadn't eaten such good porridge even at her family's house.
Luizhu had fewer filters. She took one bite, and smiled brightly at Gu Zheng, "Mister Gu Zheng is so good at cooking! With your skills, you ought to have been a cook instead."
Gu Zheng coughed, and thanked Luizhu.
The doctor just ate his meal slowly without saying a word.
Later, Gu Zheng brewed tea and Luizhu brewed medicine.
The little miss with her stomach full, was feeling extremely satisfied. Even though she'd been meaning to talk to the doctor, she couldn't help but fall asleep again.
Luizhu went to clean the kitchen. Gu Zheng and the doctor silently played go at the table.
---
When the little miss woke up again, it was almost time for the midday meal. The whole house was once again filled with a mouth-watering aroma of well-cooked meat.
The young miss wrapped herself up tightly in her thickest cloak, then went outside with Luizhu to relieve herself.
For the little girls, the snow was almost thigh-high. Thankfully, Gu Zheng had already cleared a path to the outhouse, and the gate of the yard.
They walked slowly to the outhouse over the icy ground, their breaths emerging as little clouds.
Lu Yan covered her nose and mouth with a handkerchief. The cold air hurt her nose and throat.
Luizhu held her arm, and carefully helped her along the little path.
As they were returning, Luizhu reported, "Gu Zheng cooked again. Another meat stew, this time with some dried vegetables."
They paused in the middle of the path.
The sky was dull grey. Weak winter sunlight shone down on them. Birds were chirping, but otherwise the snow-covered world seemed quiet and peaceful.
The little miss ran her fingers through the soft powdery snow, humming absent-mindedly in response.
She gathered the snow and packed it tightly together to make a little ball.
Had she been healthy, she would have made a big snowman with Luizhu. But even this little walk had left her feeling tired, and her fingers felt icy cold and wet.
She threw the little snowball at the tree in the corner of the yard.
They continued walking.
Luizhu's voice was filled with excited anticipation. She turned to the fifth miss with bright eyes, "Wouldn't it be nice if they stayed here for the whole winter?"
Lu Yan paused in her steps, her brow furrowing, "How long will the food they brought last?"
Luizhu paused to think, "With four of us eating, at least one week."
"What about the coal?"
"Hmm, about the same. Maybe a little longer than a week."
Lu Yan stared at the snow, slowly muttering to herself, "Gu Sheng brought supplies last night, and more this morning."
A cold breeze fluttered through the yard.
"Where did he get the supplies from this morning? Everything was already snowed in!"
A glob of snow dropped from the thatched roof to the ground with a soft sound.
"He must have ordered them the night before, and had someone specially deliver them."
Lu Yan turned to look at Luizhu with panic in her eyes, "Do you think they knew about the heavy snow before coming and stayed here anyway?"