The Two Sisters Were Moved

The two little girls had followed Zhang Sheng and the others so unguardedly because they had no other choice.

After all, in the depths of winter, they had neither food nor clothes. Sooner or later, they would be unable to survive.

If they were lucky, someone might buy them as servant girls to do odd jobs. If they were less fortunate, they would be sold into a house of ill repute and scrape by there. What choice did they have?

With two little girls joining them on the way back, Zhang Sheng and the others walked a little more slowly.

But that gave him a chance to learn more about the two sisters.

"Do you have names?"

"Young Master! We do. My name is Daya, and this is my younger sister, Erya."

In this era, servants generally called the head of a household master, and the lady of the house was called mistress, so it was nothing unusual.

Zhang Sheng, however, was a little unaccustomed to being addressed that way.

After all, he had received a modern education, and he found it somewhat hard to accept a form of address that went so against common sense.

But after giving it some more thought, he decided to do as the locals did, lest he stand out too much.

"Did you escape after your home was hit by the snow disaster too?"

"Mm!"

"What about your parents?"

"They died..."

After learning the basics of their situation, Zhang Sheng felt a heaviness in his chest. For a moment, he could not even find words to comfort them.

The sky darkened quickly in winter. It was not yet five in the afternoon, but night had already fallen.

As the sun disappeared, the temperature began to drop. The sisters were already scantily dressed, and now their bodies had grown somewhat stiff as they shivered uncontrollably.

Seeing this, Zhang Sheng knew it would not do. Otherwise, the sisters would be frozen stiff before they reached home.

At the thought, he did not hesitate. He took off his winter coat and put it on the younger sister.

As for the elder sister, he could only ask Uncle Dashan to take off one of his coats. Otherwise, Zhang Sheng would not be able to bear the cold either.

With that, the sisters were much better off. They only needed to make it home.

And so, one adult and three children trudged through the biting wind, with a hint of warmth seemingly lingering among them.

"We're finally back. It's freezing! My hands are almost stiff!"

"Y-young M-master! S-sorry!"

"It's not your fault. Since I promised to bring you back, I couldn't let you freeze. We're home now. Things will get better from here on."

After Uncle Dashan knocked, Auntie came to the door. When she saw that his winter coat was gone, she immediately grew worried, afraid something had happened.

"Husband! What happened to you? Why did you come back in such thin clothes? Where's your winter coat?"

"Now's not the time to talk about that. Let us in, and hurry and make some hot food. We have two more mouths to feed today."

Auntie was confused at first by Uncle Dashan's words, but when Zhang Sheng and the others came into view,

she understood everything. Without delay, she hurried to the kitchen to prepare some food.

"Come on! Let's go inside and warm up first! It's far too cold out here."

When they reached the living room, they saw Huzi warming himself by the fire, his little face flushed red from the heat.

"Daya! Erya! Come sit down and warm yourselves. There'll be food soon."

Seeing that the sisters still seemed shy around strangers, Zhang Sheng immediately invited them over.

The sisters' eyes had already begun to shine at the sight of the brazier, but because they were only servants,

they did not quite dare approach it. Now that Zhang Sheng had spoken up,

they no longer cared whether it was proper. Giving in to their longing, they slowly edged toward the brazier.

"That's it! Don't be too restrained here. Eat and drink as you should, and make yourselves at home from now on!"

"Mm! Thank you, Young Master! Sob..."

Perhaps Zhang Sheng's words had touched them, or perhaps they had thought of their own miserable plight.

They began to choke back sobs, and the mood grew a little sad.

"Big sisters! Why are you crying? Can I bring you something tasty to eat?"

Huzi's innocent words drew everyone's attention to him at once.

The sisters looked at the little boy they did not yet know, their eyes damp with tears, and the scene suddenly felt a little warmer.

Time passed bit by bit, and the sisters gradually warmed up. Even their cheeks took on a faint rosy hue.

"Come over and eat!"

Auntie was quite quick at cooking. It felt as though hardly any time had passed before the meal was ready.

"Daya! Erya! Go eat first. Afterward, take a hot bath and get a good night's sleep. Life will be better tomorrow."

The night sky was exceptionally quiet, with only the cold wind raging outside the window. For Daya and Erya,

it was as though they had entered heaven that day. They had never imagined they would live in such a large house

or eat such delicious food. Although they had only come here as servants,

their young master treated them so well and had shown them such care along the way that their gratitude toward Zhang Sheng grew even deeper.

"Sister! Are we going to live here from now on?"

"Mm! We're staying here. Don't you want to?"

"I do! There's enough to eat, warm clothes to wear, and a big house to live in. I don't want to leave."

"Mm! We won't leave. As long as we listen to Young Master from now on, we won't be driven away."

"I'll be good!"

The sisters lay under the covers, talking about what had happened that day, and their hearts settled here completely.

The night passed peacefully. Early the next morning, Zhang Sheng prepared to begin cultivating as usual.

Then he heard a faint sound from the courtyard, and he wondered what was happening.

He opened the door and looked outside. It was Daya and Erya, who had arrived the day before. The two were sweeping the courtyard.

"Daya! Erya! Come here!"

"Good morning, Young Master!"

Seeing that they were still wearing the winter coats given to them the day before, Zhang Sheng felt he needed to get some clothes for the sisters. It was not quite right for them to keep dressing like this.

"Wear these clothes for the next few days. Everything happened so quickly that we didn't have time to prepare clothes for you.

You don't need to get up so early every day, either. There isn't much here that needs cleaning, so sleep a little longer in the mornings."

Listening to Zhang Sheng's instructions and his words of concern, the sisters once again felt fortunate in their choice and were filled with hope for the life ahead.

The morning's events were only a small interlude, but Zhang Sheng did not forget them. He kept them in mind.

At mealtime, he brought the matter up with Auntie, who readily agreed.

After all, people in this era made their own clothes; there were no ready-made garments for sale.

It was the same at clothing shops: measurements had to be taken before the clothes were made.