Chapter 1647 - 1075: Heroine of the Republic 49

Chapter 1647: Chapter 1075: Heroine of the Republic 49

After An Hu left, the snow in Dingyuan County also arrived in succession. Because everyone was unwilling to return to the village for the New Year, this year An Yi decided to spend it in the county.

The greatest advantage of spending the New Year in the county is that no matter what you do, you don’t have to worry about being gossiped about.

In winter, they only heated two kangs in the hall. The corner of the hall’s living room was for cooking, making it impossible to settle the nuts, so the five mother and children were placed in the west room, which was in the corner of Angel’s bedroom, where they made a large wooden tub filled with straw and torn urine pads, keeping it quite warm.

The house of the An family in the county is different from the one in the countryside. In winter, keeping the doghouse by the warm kang in the hall doesn’t cause them to freeze. The space in the county is small, unable to manage such a setup, so the only choice is to move it into the house.

An Yi would occasionally wash them in the space, letting them frolic. They were inherently filled with spiritual energy, able to understand human speech, and wouldn’t bark indiscriminately. This is how they got their current shelter now.

As for the chickens, most households kill them when it gets unbearably cold, and then feed them again in the coming spring, repeating this process every year.

Her family also killed the chickens; after all, in the freezing weather, they hardly laid eggs. With eight chickens, it also saved a sum on winter expenses, not just on feed, but with the meat too.

During festivals, having chickens, fish, and pork denotes true prosperity, suggesting surplus year after year and a bountiful harvest in the days to come.

The snow in the Northeast falls for several days or intermittently, but due to the low temperature, it doesn’t melt. If not cleared in time, it freezes, which is very dangerous and makes it tougher to dig out paths. Thus, something everyone does either in the morning or before bed is to sweep away the accumulated snow inside and at the door, ensuring a path that can be walked normally.

When An Yi was opening the door to sweep snow as usual one year, a person’s figure was huddled in the corner of their house’s gateway, shivering. There seemed to be bright red bloodstains around him. She frowned and instinctively walked over, "Comrade..., are you okay?"

Upon touching him, the entire person slumped there, motionless. The reason he was still trembling was the burning heat of his body, possibly... due to inflammation of a wound?

After a careful examination, she found he was shot in the leg. Messy strands of hair covered his face, obscuring his appearance, only knowing that this person was very tall but not robust, even slightly frail. How could he be shot in this icy world?

Shot!

In what era is this, people getting shot, clearly indicating a problem.

Rescue?

Or not?

Ultimately, instinct overcame inner demons. She went home to call Angel and Anna; together, the three of them hauled him into the east wing room used for storing odds and ends but also with a kang. After a simple cleanup, An Yi rummaged through her space and found mattresses and blankets stored from wartime. The kang was first laid with straw, followed by the mattresses and blankets, and then they lifted him onto it.

"You two go heat the water first. Meanwhile, I’ll tidy up outside the gate."

Investigation methods of this era cannot be underestimated. Seeing his condition, it was likely that he’d sustained the injury two or three hours ago, so she had to hurry.

To leave no trace, one must first melt the snow, then use something with a strong scent for concealment.

She used salt to melt the snow; the salt in her space piled into a small mountain. Just extracting a small basin was considered generous.

Then, mixed stinky bamboo shoot juice from her snail noodle dish with salt, and shoveled the snow away. There was mud on the road, and this mix formed a black mess, making it unnoticeable. She specifically cleared all bloodstains within a li (half a kilometer) range of her home using the same method.

Later, with chicken blood and chaotic footprints for confusion, she ran to a small grove in the county, where more bloodstains were shed.

Thanks to her space for camouflage, blood discreetly trickled down along her fingers from the basket she was carrying, so even walking shoulder to shoulder with passing locals, it wouldn’t draw attention. After all, the sky wasn’t fully bright yet, making it hard to see without careful observation.

With the temperature dozens of degrees below zero, who would wake so early in the morning, leaving passersby and neighbors far fewer than one would expect.

After arranging everything, she returned home, finding the sisters had already wiped the man’s face clean. Seeing that familiar face, An Yi froze.

Could it be him?

Though not knowing his name, they had already met several times directly and indirectly. Once so spirited, now equally downcast.