CHAPTER 78: CHAPTER 78: MISS PEI, CAN I FOLLOW YOU?

Pei Shu’er made sure everyone was dressed warmly enough to withstand the freezing temperatures below minus ten degrees.

She quickly instructed Zhang Chao and his group to deliver hot water to everyone and moved those who were severely frozen into the straw huts.

The drop in temperature was just too sudden; if people had been given some time to acclimate, their bodies might have managed better, sparing them from such suffering.

Once they were a bit warmer, Pei Shu’er had them drink some lukewarm water to warm up.

Meanwhile, Pei Shu’er took out some firewood from the straw hut that hadn’t been affected and added it to the fire to keep it from going out.

Still, some people, despite their preparations, were too weak and in poor locations, and succumbed to the cold, dying stiffly on the ground.

"Mother, you can’t die! If you die, what will my brother and I do?"

This was the cry of a young girl, her face also frozen stiff, with tears quickly turning to ice.

Another young boy knelt on the ground, calling for his mother, and his cries were heart-wrenching.

An elderly woman also wailed in agony: "Old partner, you’ve left me alone in this world, how am I supposed to live? We’ve been together for half a lifetime."

Those who lost loved ones grieved deeply, crying as if they would stop breathing from their sorrow.

There were also some who were fighting with those troublemakers.

Their teeth and fists were involved, eyes filled with hateful light.

They initially had blankets, but those troublemakers came and snatched them away.

Their family members were already frail, blankets scarce, and several of their relatives were frozen to death as a result.

Pei Shu’er sighed, reflecting on the unpredictability of fate.

This was something she couldn’t control; she was just an ordinary person doing the best she could within her capabilities, without a guilty conscience.

The blankets she distributed exceeded the intended amount; she had to handle the aftermath carefully to avoid raising suspicion among the others.

She knew all too well that if people discovered her space, they might label her a monster and burn her at the stake.

She walked around, discreetly retrieving the blankets stacked in the corners into her space whenever no one was watching.

Afterwards, Pei Shu’er went out and saved a few who were not yet dead from the cold.

But for those already dead, there was nothing she could do.

These few individuals expressed their immense gratitude, bowing their heads in thanks to Pei Shu’er.

Pei Shu’er stepped aside, unwilling to accept such grand gestures.

"Please get up, no need for such courtesy. Helping each other is normal when we’re all related in some way."

Tears wiped away, they turned to Pei Shu’er and asked, "Miss Pei, can we join you?"

Pei Shu’er pondered; in the original storyline, the place of exile was bitterly cold and harsh. Surviving in such a place alone was impossible.

Yet, the ones before her were both men and women, all quite frail, possibly incapable of heavy labor.

She had the intention to build her own faction but didn’t want it to seem too easy, welcoming anyone, lest it turn into a haven for freeloaders.

Thinking about this, Pei Shu’er asked, "Then tell me, what skills do you have?"

A little girl nodded: "Miss Pei, my mother knows how to weave straw sandals and mats. My brother and I can weave and gather materials. We will work hard to make things for you."

The boy, around ten years old, eagerly nodded, his eyes filled with tears.

"Miss, please take in my sister and me. We won’t be freeloaders and will work to help you."

Pei Shu’er nodded in agreement, but her expression was stern.

"Alright, but if you ever try to shirk work or betray us, we will not hesitate to expel you, and you must return what you’ve taken."

Hearing this, a woman hurriedly said, "Miss Pei, I am skilled at farming, you will need me when we arrive at the place of exile."

Pei Shu’er looked up at the woman, noticing that though she was thin to the bone, she seemed honest, her palms were thick with calluses.

Pei Shu’er nodded: "Alright, you can come with me, but don’t overstep."

She also accepted an old couple; they lacked energy now but had decades of farming experience.

In addition to tasks assigned by government officers, they still needed to grow their own food for daily life.

Several people cried tears of joy, but Pei Shu’er did not keep the other two; they were lazy and cunning with no skills and likely just hoping to mooch off her.

Pei Shu’er applied the same stern approach to them.

Exchanging glances, everyone saw excitement in each other’s eyes.

No one rested well through the night until the environment stabilized, allowing them to sleep at last.

But upon waking, several more had died in their sleep.

Forty people died that night.

The government officers looked at Pei Shu’er and the others with gratitude; if not for her, they wouldn’t have noticed the cold wave.

Not only the exiles, but the officers could have frozen to death in the cold wave.

After the calamity of last night, the officers took rice and flour from the carriage to prepare a hot meal for everyone.

Everyone took the day to rest and heal from the frostbite.

The officers had to bury those who had died from the cold on site and cover the surface with lime for disinfection.

In the morning, Pei Shu’er let everyone nap in the straw hut, restoring some of their energy.

In the afternoon, she began to organize her people to work.

"We should weave more straw mats; they can be laid on the ground, used to build straw huts, and even used for bathing."

In such cold weather, bathing was not ideal, but keeping warm was essential.

Everyone had realized the benefits of the straw huts last night; without them, several of them might have frozen to death, including Liu Xu and Tang Shuo, Tang Qinghuan among them.

Tang Qinghuan and Tang Shuo wanted to join everyone in weaving, tugging at Pei Shu’er’s hand and pleading.

Unable to refuse their sweetness and knowing their sincerity, Pei Shu’er gave them two vines to practice on the side.

As for the newly joined siblings, they were quite skilled at weaving straw mats and sandals; despite being young, their speed was impressive, and they showed no sign of slacking.

The old couple and the woman named Honghua also weaved diligently, their speed commendable, weaving many mats and sandals in one afternoon, using up all of Pei Shu’er’s stock of wild grass.

She then instructed everyone to gather firewood along the way since the weather would only get colder, and dry wood wasn’t available everywhere.

The sun only became warm around three in the afternoon, so Pei Shu’er sent people to collect the blankets previously given away.

Things were going smoothly; everyone returned the blankets with gratitude.

But there were a few shameless individuals who refused.