As the child grew up, Wen Qian would take her to patrol the area they resided in.
For a young child who couldn't travel far, Wen Qian brought a trailer. On flat ground, she would let the child sit in it, with a cushion made of corn husks on the bottom to absorb shocks.
She would tell the child that she and the neighboring families had divided the land, with stakes and boundary stones marking the borders that were originally demarcated.
This area was theirs, and the child would have to continue living here in the future, so they needed to patrol it regularly to prevent others from encroaching on their land.
The child nodded understandingly, not yet realizing that agreed arrangements could change, and that people were fickle or malicious by nature.
Of course, with Wen Qian still around, the child wouldn't face such a situation for a long time. But if she were alone in the future, it would be a different story.
When patrolling the area bordering the Liu Family, Wen Qian was always extra cautious. Over the years, they had maintained an uneasy truce, like two neighboring towns separated by a river.
But as long as they were still around, she had to leave obvious signs to show she was tending to this area, deterring others from entertaining any ideas.
In fact, Old Liu had lost interest in this mountain area. He wandered from village to village, occasionally visiting the nearest small town.
When weary, he would return to rest, knowing his wife would always be home with food and drink prepared.
This virtuous wife seemed to have lost both her husband and child, supporting the household alone by setting traps, farming, and foraging.
Felling trees, chopping firewood, and fetching water - she did everything herself, even trying to save money for her child.
Sadly, her motherly devotion went unnoticed by her son away from home, buried deep in her heart. Though worried, she could do nothing about it.
She didn't regret refusing her son's request to leave with him back then, keeping herself busy each day.
If it were just for her own survival, what she did would have been enough. But she had a husband who came and went like a ghost.
Not only would he consume the food she stored, but he would also take a lot with him when leaving, returning empty-handed.
He would also swindle money from her by saying something half-true, like claiming to have heard news of Young Liu's whereabouts.
With that excuse of searching for their son's trail, Old Liu would take the meager savings his wife had kept.
But he wouldn't actually look for anyone, just spend it all. In his view, there was no problem in spending it since he could always claim he didn't find any leads.
Old Liu no longer wanted to work. Labor was no longer a necessity for him, as long as someone else was supporting the household.
One should enjoy life while they can - that was his philosophy.
Indulging in pleasure may be a philosophy embraced in every era, but it certainly doesn't mean leaving the mess for others while enjoying oneself.
Old Liu built everything on the suffering of others, caring only for himself, and not his son or wife.
It was fortunate that at least one of them was willing to serve him, though the child had rebelled and left home.
Old Liu was quite proud of having one person to attend to him, even if he looked down on his wife.
What was he proud of? He knew it well in his heart.
Winter came early that year. Wen Qian and the child stayed home, only venturing out when the snowfall was light to clear the roof.
Seeing the unfavorable weather, Old Liu returned early. He disliked winter not because of the cold, but because it restricted his range of activities.
During this time, he could only hole up at home, the only place where he could stay for so long with food and firewood.
Similarly, his wife was also happy, as winter was the only time this breadwinner would stay home instead of wandering.
She believed home was a man's final haven, so he must still care about her to some extent.
She didn't consider the possibility that this man wouldn't bother building a home elsewhere, nor would anyone else be willing to let him eat and drink for free throughout winter without doing any work.
She simply thought that no matter how he behaved outside, he would eventually return here, his final destination.
The two sat facing each other in silence until she spoke first: "I wonder where our son is spending the winter?"
"He's not a fool. He'll find a warm place, won't he?" Old Liu believed their son was better off away from home. If he hadn't offended someone and couldn't go south, he too would have gone to play around.
The conversation ended quickly, leaving her gazing worriedly at the snow outside, concerned her son might be freezing and starving.
But for Young Liu, anywhere was better than home.
Since leaving, he had indeed suffered greatly. But being away from his family also opened his eyes to many things.
He had always thought his father was beyond redemption, but now realized his father was quite clever in doing what was best for himself, unconcerned about others as long as he was enjoying himself.
He also thought his mother was foolishly stubborn, clinging to a man and treating him like a god, believing a man could shelter her from wind and rain when it was his own father who brought those troubles.
He had long thought his mother stupid for waiting in vain for a prodigal son who would never return.
Later, he realized he was just as delusional as his mother - she thought his father would reform, just as he thought his mother would listen to his advice.
His father wouldn't change, and his mother wouldn't heed any of his counsel.
He only understood these things after leaving his family, realizing how futile his previous frustrations and efforts had been in trying to change them.
Young Liu felt as foolish as his mother, thinking he could change others through his own efforts.
In fact, apart from himself, he couldn't change anyone else.
With this realization, he knew that if he could go back in time, he definitely wouldn't have interfered in his mother's life, just as he wouldn't have cared about his father's well-being.
Back then, he could do neither. Now that he could, he was already far away.
Although unaware of what his mother was doing, he knew she must be struggling. But so what?
If he gave her a cake, she would probably share half with his father. Thinking of this, Young Liu dismissed any longing for his mother.
As the bitter winter came to an end, Wen Qian and Ni Sha went to the market together, where they first learned from Big Jin's account of an incident: Old Liu's wife had died during the winter.
Everyone was shocked and inquired about what had happened.
Old Liu only vaguely said that his wife had frozen to death.
The actual cause of death was indeed freezing. She had gone out to fetch firewood but got lost in the blinding snowstorm, unable to find her way back home. Tragically, she froze to death right next to the wall of the Liu Family's house, just a wall away from shelter.
