Flames, a pot, coldness, a smile.

“Shhh... shhh... shhh...”

The rain outside the door had grown softer and softer. Inside the wooden cabin, the family sat around the dining table, at the center of which stood a large bowl filled with cold pea porridge.

Their cow had been injured, and with the field needing to be plowed, the whole family had turned out to help. This meal was prepared the previous night, with Mother and little Nina rising in the dead of night to see to it.

The simple fare, even when steaming hot, was never considered delicious; now, cold, it was utterly tasteless. Yet, no one at William’s table seemed to care. Not a soul gave their attention to the bowl in the center; instead, their minds were elsewhere, their eyes repeatedly glancing to the left side of the cabin. Each and every one wore a smile bright with joy.

“Ross...” Old William’s gaze never left the cow. “...shouldn’t we go thank the priest?”

“Father, you’ve asked that three times already!” There had been too much to do that morning, no chance to sneak away to hunt. Wu Qingchen’s stomach had long since been growling, and he could only grimace as he chewed the cold beans. “Of course we’ll go thank him... but now’s not the time. Once the cow’s wound is fully healed and she’s fit to work, we’ll all go to the church together.”

“Oh... oh... to church... to church...” William nodded eagerly, but his next question revealed he had hardly listened to Wu Qingchen’s answer: “Right, Ross, how much longer until the cow recovers completely?”

That was the third time too!

Wu Qingchen sighed inwardly, forcing down another mouthful of beans. “...I’m not sure how long complete recovery will take, but to heal the wound should be another two or three days...”

“Two or three days... two or three days...”

Even though it was the third time he’d heard those words, as soon as Wu Qingchen finished speaking, old William couldn’t help but break into a wide grin. On the other side, Jacqueline, Idra, Grace, and little Nina—who had long since finished her meal and was now tidying up the clutter—smiled as one.

Just two or three days!

For a poor farming family, having their most important laborer recover half a month ahead of time during the busiest season was a blessing beyond measure.

“Father... father...” Beside him, Idra, her face still alight with joy, swallowed the last mouthful of porridge, set down her wooden spoon, and glanced at the nearly untouched bowl before old William, quietly reminding him, “...Father, the third bell will ring soon... will you...?”

“Oh... oh... the third bell... the third bell!”

The next moment, the family watched as old William snapped upright, grabbed his bowl, and shoveled the porridge into his mouth with astonishing speed, never once taking his eyes off the cow.

“Done!” In less than a minute, William set down his empty bowl and stood, giving his orders without looking back: “Jacqueline, clear the table. Idra, Grace, get the Tord family’s plow ready...”

Half a minute later, standing beside the cow, William glanced quickly back into the cabin. The table was already cleared, Idra and Grace had the plow lifted.

“All right, let’s go!”

The family stepped out of the cabin, but just as they passed through the door, William heard footsteps behind him. Turning, he saw Wu Qingchen standing there, both hands gripping a wooden hoe.

“Ross...” William frowned. “What are you doing?”

“Going to the field, of course...” Noticing his father’s eyes on the hoe, Wu Qingchen gave it a little shake, his voice puzzled. “...Isn’t that right? I can’t handle the plow on my own, so I’ll have to dig with this...”

“Digging? The field? No, no, no...” William shook his head vigorously. “No digging! No field! Nonsense...” He reached to take the hoe from Wu Qingchen’s hands. “Go back. Quickly now, look after the cow this afternoon—nothing else matters...”

“Father... wait... Father...” Wu Qingchen had to back away several steps to escape William’s grasp. “Don’t be hasty. The priest taught me that the next treatment is in the evening... It’s still early, nothing to do, nothing to watch over... Father! Wait... we have to go to the church later! Maybe the priest has more to teach... for treating the cow!”

“The priest! Treating the wound!”

At those words, William instantly stopped struggling for the hoe, letting go.

Wu Qingchen quickly retreated several more steps. “Father, I’m off. The third bell is near, you’d best hurry too...”

With that, he gripped his hoe, skirted around his family, and hurried away toward the east side of the village.

“Father...”

Watching Wu Qingchen’s shrinking figure, William stood dazed, glancing anxiously at the brightening sky. Idra softly prompted, “Father, should we go?”

“Yes, let’s go.” William came back to himself and stepped forward.

But after just two steps, he stopped again and turned to his daughter, who was struggling to carry her younger siblings. “Nina, put Pavo and Karma back inside. You don’t need to work this afternoon—stay home, look after the cow, and when the evening bell rings, start preparing supper...”

“...Supper? Father... wait...” Nina turned back instantly, pointing to the big pot bubbling over the fire in the cabin. “What about the herbs in there? Should I throw them out?”

“No, no, no!”

The others exclaimed in unison, and William tightened his grip on little Nina’s arm. “Absolutely not! Besides watching the cow, you must also watch that pot of herbs... Ah, how could I forget—Grace, run and ask Ross what to do with the herbs in the pot...”

“All... right... father...” Grace’s voice trailed off as she dashed out, and by the last syllable, she was sprinting down the muddy village path, legs moving as if she hadn’t spent the morning doing hard labor.

No one paid attention to her departure.

All eyes were fixed on the right side of the cabin, eight gazes glued to the boiling pot. The cabin was silent save for the crackle of burning wood and the bubbling of murky liquid, interrupted only by the sound of heavy breathing.

Time seemed to slow.

Though only a minute or two passed, it felt to them as if ages had gone by. At last, a clatter of footsteps rang out from outside. Grace burst back in, panting for breath.

“Well?” Without waiting to catch his breath, William gripped Grace’s shoulders. “What did Ross say?”

“Ross said... said...” Grace was gasping, her face contorted with effort. “It’s fine, there’s still plenty of herbs left. When you cook, you can pour out the decoction, and boil more for treating the cow tonight. If you need it now... well... you could pour it out now too...”

“No! Absolutely not! What if there aren’t enough herbs, or something goes wrong when we boil it again tonight? We mustn’t throw it away!” William said gravely, turning to his daughter. “Nina, remember, this afternoon you must watch that pot and keep the fire going—use as much wood as you need!”

“And... don’t worry about supper tonight. I’ll borrow a pot from the Richards when I come back...”

“Or... we could just keep eating cold food...”

“It doesn’t matter. Missing a proper meal or two is nothing—healing the cow is what matters most!”

“Remember—watch the cow, watch the fire...”

“Watch the pot, don’t let anything fall in!”

“And...!”

Turning back at every other step, after countless reminders, William finally led his wife and two sons away toward the lord’s fields as the sky grew ever brighter.

Inside the cabin, little Nina’s eyes darted from the cow, to the iron pot, to the fire, to the younger siblings tumbling and crying on their bed. She looked utterly anxious, on the verge of tears.

I was wrong! I’ll never again complain about how hard plowing is! Father, brother, let me go work in the fields!

----
Half an hour later.

On the west side of the village, on a small hillside hidden among dense shrubs, Wu Qingchen set down his hoe and, following the coaches’ instructions, alternately massaged his aching arms and legs.

Both his hands and feet were sore.

First, his legs: in just over forty minutes, he’d left the cabin, run to the east side of the village, then circled around to the west.

Then, his hands: in the same short span, at the stream to the east, the wooden bridge to the west, the steep turn on the hillside, and the shady paths in the village valley, he had wielded his hoe, hauled stones, and dragged branches and thorns.

Even his eyes had been working. The whole time, he kept a sharp lookout, setting off every sound trap along the way. At the slightest rustle, or the distant sight of a villager, he would immediately hide himself without leaving a trace.

Now, his efforts were about to pay off.

From his hiding place by the shrubs on the hillside, he squinted as he watched a large herd of oxen approach around the distant bend.

----
Five minutes later.

As the herd drew closer, before the display screen, Li Ziping, Jiang Fuming, Huang Xing, Ji Mingming, Xie Yang, Li Zhenxing, Chen Wenming, Huang Zhong, Boris, Abdul, Johnson, and countless others...

Millions of strategists, tens of millions of soldiers, billions of citizens—all held their breath in unison, their faces displaying the same tension, fervor, excitement, and anticipation...

And...

A cold, unforgiving smile.