Manager Zheng’s face hardened, and he said impatiently:
“Whoever can think of a way to climb to the top of the slope will be rewarded with ten taels of silver. We must get up today, no matter what. If we fail, everyone will be punished by laboring in Jinsha Mountain.”
At this, everyone shivered.
But upon hearing that there was silver to be earned, they genuinely started thinking. However, after racking their brains, no good ideas came.
Fortunately, after a while, a young servant stepped forward and said:
“Steward Zheng, I have a plan, but it will be quite costly. I don’t know if it’s suitable.”
“Speak quickly. The cost is not an issue.”
Finally, someone offered a plan, and Manager Zheng looked expectant.
The icy slope was incredibly sturdy. He had men chisel at it for a long time, only managing to create a shallow pit. If they continued to carve a path, it would likely take four or five days to reach the top.
Manager Zheng understood that a capable subordinate needed to report back to their superior as quickly as possible.
Four or five days?
Frankly speaking, if Physician Gu were awaiting rescue, he’d be dead in four or five days.
Prince Xia would also not like to wait four or five days for his report.
“Sir, my plan is to find dozens of sheep, slaughter them on the spot, and then press the hot lamb legs directly onto the ice. The hot blood will combine with the ice, and it will quickly freeze into a ladder of lamb legs, allowing us to ascend.”
The servant proposed.
Upon hearing this, Manager Zheng’s brow unfurrowed. He ordered men to immediately find dozens of sheep to test if the plan was feasible.
In less than half a day, more than twenty sheep were brought. Manager Zheng had the officers test it on the spot. Indeed, after the hot lamb legs were cut off and pressed onto the ice, they froze firmly at once. Even stepping on them didn’t dislodge them; they adhered very strongly.
“Sir, this plan is feasible!”
The officers reported with surprise.
“Bring all the sheep! Slaughter them all and make lamb leg ladders!”
Manager Zheng was overjoyed.
With the lamb leg ladders, Manager Zheng, along with three subordinates, finally managed to reach the top of the slope with great effort.
Wangcai, who had been dozing on a mat, suddenly heard movement. It stood up uneasily and then tugged at Gu Qingcheng’s quilt. She was sleeping soundly.
After the quilt was pulled open and seeing she hadn’t woken up, Wangcai nudged her back.
Gu Qingcheng was nudged awake by Wangcai. Seeing the quilt fallen beside her, she thought she had kicked it off herself, and Wangcai was reminding her to cover up.
So, groggily, she pulled the quilt up, covered herself, and said:
“Thanks, Wangcai, I’ll sleep more.”
Seeing Gu Qingcheng still wanting to sleep, Wangcai became anxious and desperately pulled her quilt again.
Only then did Gu Qingcheng sense something was amiss and asked, “Wangcai, what is it?”
Wangcai turned its head towards the outside and made muffled sounds.
Gu Qingcheng now heard it clearly. Something was wrong. There seemed to be movement outside, voices, but not from their family.
Gu Chaobei and Hu Lanfang were tidying up in their upper room where they slept, preparing to change into thicker bedding. The weather had improved, so they wouldn’t need to sleep crowded together in the dining room.
Gu Qingcheng put on her rough cotton jacket and had just walked to the front of the courtyard when she heard someone knocking at the gate outside:
“Physician Gu, Physician Gu, are you there?”
Gu Qingcheng: …
Manager Zheng?
How did he get up here?
Gu Chaobei and Hu Lanfang also heard the commotion, and they looked at each other.
But now that Manager Zheng was at the door, it was impossible not to see him.
Since he could climb to the cliff top to find them, it meant he was determined to see them, alive or dead.
Gu Chaobei quickly went to open the door.
Seeing his daughter already standing at the courtyard gate, he said softly:
“Qingcheng, go back inside and gather your things. I’ll handle this.”
“Okay.”
Gu Qingcheng immediately understood her father’s intention and quickly ran towards the dining room with Wangcai.
Inside the dining room were their scattered iPads, electric heaters, and the electric stove. The quilts on the floor were also fine; they weren’t too conspicuous. Necessary heating facilities were essential, otherwise, it would be strange for them to have survived.
There was no need to collect the charcoal basins. They only needed to put away the electronic products and the mahjong table.
Gu Qingcheng instructed Mi Guo that if she was worried about not knowing how to respond, she should just nod and shake her head when asked. She would handle the rest.
Mi Guo quickly nodded.
At this moment, Gu Chaobei had already opened the courtyard gate. Seeing Manager Zheng, they exchanged a smile of joy, meaning:
Wow, my brother, you’re still alive! What a narrow escape. It feels like seeing each other again after a lifetime! I missed you so much!
Of course, this was all in their own imagination.
Gu Chaobei said warmly and politely:
“Steward Zheng, how did you get up here? We couldn’t get down. the slope is frozen over. If we tried to go down forcibly, we’d likely break our legs.”
Manager Zheng said happily:
“The Prince was concerned about you and told me to come up the mountain to check. I’m so glad you are all well.”
Gu Chaobei put on a look of emotion and said:
“How dare I have earned the Prince Xia’s concern. It must have been difficult for you, Steward Zheng, to come up in the snow.
Fortunately, we had prepared some rice, flour, grains, and oil on the mountain, so we weren’t starved. We also bought a lot of coal from Boss Zhang at the time and kept the floor heating on to get through the coldest days.”
“Physician Gu has exceptional medical skills and boundless virtue. Heaven itself protects you.”
Manager Zheng flattered.
“Alright, alright, let’s not talk out here. It’s very cold. Come in, warm yourselves up.”
Gu Chaobei invited Manager Zheng inside.
He knew his daughter was quick at collecting things and should have finished by now. If he kept Manager Zheng outside for too long, he might become suspicious.
Manager Zheng chuckled and followed him inside.
Wangcai and Kele were also in the side room. Hu Lanfang, Gu Qingcheng, and Mi Guo also came forward to greet Manager Zheng.
“Oh, your whole family, including the cats and dogs, are safe and sound. What good luck.”
Manager Zheng exclaimed.
“Yes, it suddenly turned cold that day. Our house happened to have a Kang (heated brick bed) built, and we had prepared charcoal. So, we burned wood and charcoal desperately. Look, these are the soot marks.”
Hu Lanfang pointed to the beams and pillars of the side room, which were indeed blackened from the smoke that day, indicating the urgency of the situation.
Manager Zheng’s suspicion was immediately dispelled, and he sighed:
“It wasn’t easy. During the great cold that day, the guards on Jinsha Mountain noticed something was wrong and set off fireworks as a signal. Prince Xia’s side received the warning and set off city-wide fireworks as a preemptive warning. He led everyone into the cellar in time, and some citizens also took shelter in the cellars, escaping the disaster.”
So, Prince Xia had also gone underground to escape the cold?
Gu Chaobei thought to himself, so there was a city-wide warning. No wonder there were still signs of so many people active in the city.
Therefore, they couldn't be underestimated. Ancient people had a strong sense of disaster prevention.
Gu Chaobei mused for a moment, then asked Manager Zheng how he had managed to ascend the mountain, as they themselves couldn’t get down due to the slippery ice slope.
Manager Zheng explained the method of using lamb legs as ladders.
Gu Chaobei’s family was once again “amazed.” Gu Chaobei “moved”ly said, “How dare I trouble Steward Zheng with such effort.”