Chapter 28
Chapter 28: Blades Have No Eyes
Heavy snow tumbled down from the leaden sky, falling thick and fast.
Nuomin’s face was hidden inside her furry hat as she turned her head: “Changqing? Why aren’t you riding a horse?”
“It’s not far from here, so I didn’t ride.”
“Oh… I want to go meet my father.” Nuomin nodded, telling him to hurry back: “It’s cold—hurry back and warm up by the fire!”
If nothing else, Xie Changqing absolutely couldn’t get frostbitten, or their pasture would truly be finished.
No one had expected this year’s snow to fall so heavily and so suddenly.
Even Qiaoba hadn’t expected it, otherwise he would have set out for town earlier.
After hearing this, Xie Changqing said without hesitation: “Wait, I’ll come with you!”
“Ah?” Nuomin looked at him with some surprise, hesitating: “You don’t need to go… My father might not even come back today.”
She was purely just worried and wanted to try her luck.
“I’ve already checked the whole pasture today—nothing urgent for now.” Xie Changqing said, quickening his pace: “Either you go ahead, and I’ll ride Lightning to catch up in a moment.”
That wouldn’t work.
Nuomin was also afraid he might wander off alone and get lost somehow.
After all, he used to be an idiot and couldn’t remember routes at all.
She simply turned around and waited for Xie Changqing together.
In just this short time, a white layer was already becoming visible on the grassland.
“Good thing the grass here is long.” Nuomin sighed, patting her horse: “Otherwise this year would be terrible for them.”
In previous years, every time they came to winter grazing grounds, they’d camp very far from water sources.
The pastures that arrived first would occupy the good spots early, leaving no room for latecomers.
Being far from water was one thing—at worst they’d just be more diligent and make more trips.
But being far from water meant the grass didn’t grow well.
Without grass, the livestock could only gnaw on dried grass, and after a whole winter they’d be skin and bones, taking a whole spring and summer to recover.
By late autumn, they couldn’t fetch good prices at all.
So this year, they had gained a significant advantage.
But this snow was falling too early. Nuomin looked into the distance, somewhat worried: “Our family is fine—my father has been storing up fodder, but some families probably haven’t stored enough…”
“Mm, fortunately Uncle Qiaoba instructed them earlier to drive the livestock farther away.” Xie Changqing rode Lightning without going back to put away the medical kit, hanging it on the saddle: “When the snow gets heavy later, they can just eat the nearby grass.”
Nuomin glanced at him and shook her head: “When the snow is heavy, the grass will all freeze and rot.”
Hearing this, Xie Changqing was shocked.
If livestock ate rotten grass, it would be very cold and hard on their stomachs, not to mention easily causing illness and diarrhea.
In this weather, diarrhea meant losing body heat, making death very likely.
Seeing he understood, Nuomin sighed: “So now you get it, right? My father had to make this trip.”
Didn’t Qiaoba know it was going to snow? He clearly knew.
But he still went.
With snow this heavy, if he had already crossed the mountain, that would be fine.
But if he hadn’t been able to cross the mountain… once this snow fell, he wouldn’t be able to cross.
Snow would melt immediately upon touching the ground, then freeze, and only then could snowflakes accumulate on top.
Climbing such a steep mountain in these conditions would be suicide.
“Someone once slipped on the mountain and couldn’t get up for half an hour.”
Xie Changqing nodded and comforted her: “Uncle Qiaoba knows how to read the weather—he must have already crossed the mountain.”
“…I hope so.” Nuomin said, raising her whip: “We need to move fast!”
“Alright.”
Facing the wind, neither of them spoke anymore, because opening their mouths would fill them with snow.
When they reached the foot of the mountain, Nuomin dismounted.
What made her anxious was that by now the snow had accumulated to some depth, yet Qiaoba was still nowhere to be seen.
Xie Changqing looked around and said hesitantly: “We didn’t see anyone else on our way here…”
That meant Qiaoba really hadn’t returned yet.
“Let’s wait a bit.” Nuomin said, taking two machetes from the grass basket: “Come on, let’s chop some firewood to take back.”
Later they could drag it behind the horses and let the horses pull it back.
They could also sweep snow off the grass along the way, making future travel easier.
“Alright.” Xie Changqing didn’t waste words, took the machete and started chopping wood.
This snowfall had refreshed his understanding of nature—in any case, the more firewood the better.
If it got even colder later, they probably wouldn’t be able to leave the fire at all.
After chopping for a while, he actually didn’t feel cold anymore, instead feeling quite warm.
After taking off the fox fur, Xie Changqing’s movements became more efficient.
Nuomin also rested for a bit, sighing: “I just don’t know when the Sixth Pasture moved to winter grazing.”
With their stubborn temperaments, they might not have even set out yet.
If they got trapped on the other side of the mountain because of this, they’d be in big trouble this time.
“They should be arriving soon, right?” Xie Changqing couldn’t say for sure either.
If nothing else, just Agula going back should have told them it was time to move to winter grazing.
Because if they didn’t come over soon, they probably wouldn’t have anywhere to choose from.
“That’s true too.”
The two chatted while chopping, staying busy until noon, when they had each chopped two large bundles of firewood.
“Let’s rest a bit.” Nuomin looked worriedly up the mountain, unable to see anything: “Have something to eat.”
Xie Changqing made a sound of agreement, muttering to himself: This doesn’t make sense—Qiaoba wouldn’t be so reckless.
Even if he really wanted to buy things, he shouldn’t delay coming back…
He had just taken a piece of bread from the grass basket when he heard someone shouting from halfway up the mountain: “Hey… hey!”
“Father!” Nuomin’s eyes lit up as she jumped onto her horse’s back: “Father!”
Her voice was clear and bright, the tail end rising slightly in the wind and snow, carrying far enough to be heard from a distance.
Qiaoba obviously heard it too and happily called back.
At this point the snow had just formed a thick layer, and the bottom hadn’t frozen solid yet. Stepping on it mixed with withered leaves made it muddy and slippery, but safe.
Because of this, Qiaoba quickly came down the mountain.
Seeing them, Qiaoba was very happy.
But immediately after, he put on a stern face: “Who told you to come out!? Especially you, Nuomin—it would be one thing if you came alone, but how could you bring Changqing out too!?”
Seeing they had actually been chopping wood, he got even angrier: “Changqing’s hands are for treating illnesses—how could you have him chopping wood!?”
Blades have no eyes—what if he cut his hand? If he couldn’t treat the livestock, whose fault would that be!?
Nuomin wasn’t upset at being scolded, smiling as she admitted her mistake: “Alright, next time I’ll chop wood for them and won’t let him do manual labor.”
“That’s more like it.” Qiaoba glared at her but couldn’t help smiling in the end.
Patting her head, he looked at Xie Changqing with a smile: “Changqing, guess what I brought back!?”
His face was full of pride. Xie Changqing’s eyes lit up: “Ah, is it salt blocks!?”
“Of course there are those.”
But that wasn’t all.