Forced to marry a disabled man in the countryside? I'll repay you tenfold!

After hesitating for more than ten seconds, Old Liu finally handed over the piece of lean meat he had bought yesterday: "Dr. Su, please use my meat. We can't just eat yours."

Su Wanqing paused for a moment, then smiled and took it: "Okay!" She casually used her small knife to cut it into pieces and put one piece in each metal lunchbox.

It's a pity I didn't buy any staple food yesterday.

Without saying a word, Wang Zhiqing took out all the rice and refined flour he had bought at the market yesterday: "Dr. Su, I have rice and flour here, please make it as you see fit."

Su Wanqing's eyes lit up—she was just worried about not being able to take out the white rice from her spatial storage! Now she had an excuse: "That's perfect, let's have pilaf for breakfast!"

Aunt Zhang spread her hands: "I didn't bring anything, but I won't eat for free! Feel free to call me any chores you need!"

Li Laowu's wife quickly chimed in, "Me too! I'll take care of all the heavy lifting!"

Su Wanqing waved her hand: "Alright, everyone's having a tough time right now, so contribute whatever you can. I brought a lot of food, so I'll contribute more. You can contribute your labor if you can. As long as we get back safely, everything is negotiable!"

"Yes!" Everyone responded, and the atmosphere immediately became lively.

Zhou Yanshen watched his young wife lean against the cushion, her few words winning people over, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his lips. This girl, no matter what difficulties she's in, can always inspire those around her.

The meat broth in several metal lunchboxes was bubbling and steaming. Su Wanqing poured in Wang Zhiqing's rice, added some raisins, stirred it, and covered it to simmer. Soon, a unique aroma wafted out—the fragrance of meat mixed with the aroma of rice, and the freshness of dried vegetables and mushrooms, making one's mouth water.

Lifting the lid, boxes of golden rice, soaked in meat gravy, glistened with oil, interspersed with chunks of meat, dried vegetables, and mushrooms; every grain of rice shone with an enticing sheen. Aunt Zhang was the first to take a bite. It was so hot she gasped for breath but couldn't bear to spit it out, mumbling, "Delicious! So delicious! I've never eaten such delicious pilaf in my life!"

Old Liu's family shoveled food into their mouths, too busy eating to speak. Wang, the educated youth, had tears welling up in his eyes, whether from the heat or the deliciousness, he couldn't tell. Li Laowu's wife muttered between bites, "If I could eat like this every day, I'd be willing to be confined for a month..."

Old Wu held his lunchbox, chewing slowly and deliberately, and said with emotion, "I will remember this meal for the rest of my life."

If we can't go back, this will be our last meal.

After finishing the meal, Zhou Yanshen's expression turned serious: "We don't know if the hail will stop today, so we can't just wait around. With hail this big, we can't leave. Once the hail gets a little smaller, I'll run back for help. If it's still heavy by tomorrow, I'll have to go back too. You guys wait here. But—"

He paused, then said, "The ground is completely frozen, and firewood is getting harder and harder to find. Everyone should gather as many branches as possible today."

Upon hearing that they might be stuck here again for the rest of the day, everyone's faces showed worry, but they knew there was nothing they could do. The hail was pelting down outside; who dared to leave?

Aunt Zhang was the first to stand up: "Since we're just killing time anyway, let's pick up as much as we can! Who knows we'll have to stay here for a few more days!"

After eating, everyone who can move around gets moving.

This mountain valley is high up, and after a night of hail and snow, the hail and snow rolled downhill. Aunt Zhang, Li Laowu's wife, and Wang, the educated youth, would rush out every now and then, using a makeshift curtain of branches to quickly gather firewood, then run back just as fast. No one dared go far; the hail outside was no joke.

Zhou Yanshen was in charge of clearing the passage. He would go out and work for a while, then come back to rest for ten minutes or so, and then go out and work again. He couldn't let this road be blocked by snow and ice, otherwise, in less than two days, this place would be completely turned into an ice cellar.

Old Wu couldn't get out because of his broken leg, but he didn't stay idle.

Su Wanqing gave him acupuncture to relieve the pain, and he sat by the fire, drying the wet branches that everyone had collected, and then weaving them into various things—a curtain to block the snow, a straw mat to sit on, and most importantly: a branch shield.

"If the hail is still this big after one more day, we'll have to trouble Comrade Xiao Zhou to make another one of these to block the hail." Old Wu explained as he braided, "Make it thick, with three or four layers of branches pressed together, so the hail can't get through."

Ten kilometers, walking back in a blizzard, would take at least half a day. Without this, you'd be riddled with holes halfway there.

They agreed that if the hail was still this heavy tomorrow, Zhou Yanshen would have to walk back to the regiment with his shield to ask for help.

Su Wanqing leaned against the cushion, looking at the gray sky outside, her heart heavy.

She finally understood why so many people died that winter in the original text—with snow falling like that, roads would be blocked, villages would be cut off from each other, and without food, water, or firewood, no one could survive. There were no snowplows in those days; once the snow froze, vehicles couldn't move.

……

Meanwhile, the 65th Regiment was frantic with worry.

Uncle Ding didn't sleep all night, his eyes were bloodshot. He sat by the bed, thinking of a solution all night, but found that he couldn't come up with any ideas.

Zhou's mother yawned lazily as Gu Yuan served a sumptuous breakfast. Lin Tingting ate happily, while Qin Xue sighed with some worry, "I wonder if my brother found them with his men last night..."

Uncle Ding got angry seeing Zhou's mother acting as if nothing was wrong: "Alright! Hurry up and eat, then go find Secretary Liu and ask if they've found the person!"

Zhou's mother yawned and said slowly, "Brother, don't worry. Things are already like this, what's the use of worrying? How many big and small things has Yan Shen endured? He can't just die from this little blizzard? He must have his own way of doing things."

She shoveled a mouthful of rice into her mouth and added, "Back then, Yan Shen went on a mission and they said he was almost wiped out by the bombing, but he came back to life, all lively and energetic. What's so surprising about that?"

Uncle Ding was too lazy to argue with her. He quickly finished his meal, put two thick cotton-padded coats over his head, and ran to the command post.

……

Liu Shuqing paced anxiously in the command post, almost wearing marks on the floor tiles. Upon seeing Uncle Ding, he immediately rushed forward: "Old Ding, any news?"

Uncle Ding shook his head, his eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep: "He hasn't come back all night. What about Commander Qin?"

Liu Shuqing sighed, "When Commander Qin set off last night, the trucks could still move, but after a blizzard and hail all night, the roads are completely frozen solid, and it's probably difficult for trucks to drive. I'm thinking, either they haven't returned from the county town—in this weather, they really can't go out. Or maybe..." He paused, not finishing his sentence.

"What is it?"

"Even Commander Qin hasn't found them yet." Liu Shuqing rubbed his temples. "But don't worry too much. Maybe they've already made contact and are on their way to the county town. In this weather, we can only wait until things calm down a bit before they come back to let us know."