The snow was falling harder and harder, nearly burying the small courtyard. The first thing everyone did each morning upon waking was shovel snow.

A few of the roof beams were buckling under the weight and showed signs of collapsing. Several of the men went into the mountains to cut lumber, planning to completely rebuild the roof.

Evelyn Ford and Wyatt Vaughn went to the village to gather some tiles. Many of the roof tiles had shattered, so they had to go into the village to find replacements.

The going was tough. The snow was incredibly deep, and they had to rely on walking sticks to move forward, one laborious step at a time.

When they reached the village, a vast expanse of white stretched out in every direction. Wyatt Vaughn was more familiar with the area, having explored it back when they were picking persimmons. She led Evelyn Ford to a collapsed courtyard, planning to use a hoe to dig through the snow and retrieve the tiles underneath.

Half of a nearby building was still standing, though it looked ready to topple at any moment.

Evelyn Ford gave the unstable wall a kick. With a loud CRASH, the rest of the building collapsed.

Wyatt Vaughn jumped, thinking Evelyn had been crushed, and hurried over.

"Are you okay?"

"I’m fine. There are still tiles on what’s left of this building. We don’t have to dig for the ones under the snow; we can just gather these."

"Alright, I’ll go get the bamboo baskets. My brother said we need about forty or fifty, and they have to be intact."

Evelyn nodded. Wearing thick gloves, she bent over and started digging through the snow, unearthing the tiles.

"Ouch!"

Wyatt Vaughn missed her footing and fell into a cellar. Evelyn Ford rushed over to check on her. Thankfully, the cellar wasn’t very deep. Evelyn untied the rope from a bamboo basket and quickly pulled Wyatt out. But she was in bad shape—she had sprained her back and injured her ankle.

"I’m sorry, Evelyn. I don’t think I can move."

Wyatt Vaughn was crying out in pain, and as tears began to well in her eyes, Evelyn quickly covered them.

"Don’t cry. Crying in this weather is dangerous. Your tears will freeze instantly, and you’ll get frostbite on your eyes."

Evelyn Ford sighed. Getting injured at a time like this was just asking for misery.

"You can’t take your boots off now. It’s too cold. I’ll carry you back first. Can you hang in there?" 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Wyatt Vaughn was trembling in pain. "I can... but I’m heavy. Evelyn, use the whistle. Get my brother and Quincy to come carry me. Don’t go spraining your back too."

"The wind’s too strong. They might not hear the whistle. Besides, they went for lumber and probably aren’t back yet. Come on, I’ll carry you back. I’m very strong." Evelyn Ford crouched in front of Wyatt Vaughn, who slowly shifted onto her back.

"There we go. You’re not heavy. Let’s head back to the courtyard now."

Evelyn Ford hoisted Wyatt Vaughn up and started running toward the courtyard. She was incredibly strong, but the ground was too slippery, and she stumbled and fell from time to time. With Wyatt’s full weight pressing down on her, the effort was exhausting her.

Back at the courtyard, only Wendy was home; the others hadn’t returned yet. Evelyn Ford quickly carried Wyatt Vaughn into the house.

"Wendy, add more wood to the fire!"

"Okay, right away." Wendy, who had been cleaning the sheep pen, immediately ran inside upon hearing Evelyn’s shout.

"Is Wyatt hurt?"

"She fell into a cellar. Close the door and build up the fire."

Evelyn Ford warmed her hands, then helped Wyatt Vaughn out of her clothes and quickly began to massage her back.

"It’s pretty bad, Wyatt. You’re going to be laid up for a few days. You’ve strained both ligaments and muscles. Take a painkiller for now; I’ll go see if I can find any ointment."

She’d collected a lot of medicine back in Zaltar’s District Two, and Evelyn Ford remembered there was an ointment for sprains and bruises among the supplies.

She found various salves and some safflower oil liniment in the shipping container and quickly applied them to Wyatt Vaughn. The sprained ankle was also severe. A fall from four or five meters meant there were likely contusions and even hairline fractures.

"It’s all my fault for not watching my step. Now I’m just going to be a burden to everyone."

"Don’t say that. It’s normal to get hurt. I get injured all the time."

Evelyn Ford patted her on the shoulder. "Don’t dwell on it. Just lie on your stomach and get some sleep. I’m going to go bring back those tiles."

"Just wait a little. When Quincy and my brother get back, have them go."

Evelyn Ford waved her hand dismissively. "I’ll be faster on my own."

"Wendy, look after Wyatt. She’s injured and can’t move."

Wendy nodded. "No problem. I’ll keep an eye on her."

Evelyn Ford gave a small smile, adjusted her warm hat and scarf, and left the courtyard.

She was indeed faster alone. Within half an hour, she had brought back two baskets of tiles.

A few minutes after she returned, the men came back carrying the lumber. The path into the mountains was treacherous, so it was no wonder they’d been gone for so long.

When Ronan Kendrick learned that Evelyn Ford had gone to retrieve the tiles by herself, he pulled her aside.

"Did you fall?"

"I did, but it didn’t hurt. I’m wearing thick layers."

"Leave that kind of work to me from now on."

Evelyn Ford smiled, pressing her lips together. "Alright. But I’m tough. A little fall is nothing."

Ronan Kendrick gave a helpless sigh and could only reach out to pat her on the hat.

Quincy and Miles Vaughn were terrified when they learned Wyatt Vaughn was injured. They both breathed a sigh of relief only after seeing she wasn’t in any serious danger.

"Let’s get this roof fixed. Otherwise, the wind will blow in while we sleep tonight, and everyone’s going to freeze."

Taylor Vance propped up the ladder, and Miles Vaughn and Peter Owens climbed up to shovel off the snow. The others handed down the old tiles, discarding the ones that were shattered.

Once all the tiles were removed, they began replacing the beams. Seven or eight of them were already broken, and several more were severely cracked. It was better to replace them all than to risk the roof suddenly collapsing in the dead of night and burying everyone underneath.

Evelyn Ford went to the kitchen to boil water and prepare a meal, and Wendy came over to lend a hand.

A few hours later, the roof was completely refurbished, and the snow and broken tiles in the courtyard had been cleared away.

Since Wyatt Vaughn was injured and confined to her bed, Quincy stayed in the room to have dinner with her.

The others gathered around the hearth, warming themselves by the fire as they ate.

"The snow is even deeper in the mountains than it is down here. Looks like it won’t be stopping anytime soon."

"You can’t even find a single sheep dropping in the mountains now. All the animals have probably holed up to hibernate. It’s a good thing we managed to hunt that Musk Ox. In this godforsaken weather, you can’t get by without meat."

"That’s right. You need meat and hot soup when it’s this cold. Strong liquor helps you endure it, too. There aren’t any wild fruits in the mountains now, or else we could brew some alcohol. I’m great at brewing, you know. My grandfather was a master brewer," Zion Lowell said proudly.

"Once we get to The Northwest and have the right setup, I’ll brew some for all of you to try."

"There was some liquor on the ship before, left behind by that group from Xylos. I made sure to save it. I’ll go get it for everyone."

Evelyn Ford wasn’t lying. The group from Xylos had indeed left a good amount of liquor on the fishing boat.

Evelyn Ford opened the shipping container and took out two bottles of liquor. Xylos was an extremely cold country, and alcohol was considered an essential comfort. Everyone there drank—men and women, young and old—so it wasn’t surprising to find liquor on their boat.

When Evelyn Ford returned to the kitchen with the liquor, everyone’s faces lit up with excitement.

"It’s really the famous ’Big Green Bottle’ from Xylos!"