The atmosphere was strangely awkward, and in the end, no one spoke.

After an unknown amount of time, Tao Hai stood up and said, "Don’t worry, you’re of noble birth. Just think of me as your servant; there’s no need to feel burdened by this."

As he left, he let out a long sigh, which made Tang Zhaozhao even more troubled and her heart felt heavy.

She inevitably thought of Chu Mu again, wondering how his treatment was going.

They had stayed here for three days. On the day Tang Zhaozhao’s monthly affair ended, she felt as light as a swallow, and when she stepped out of the cave, she had a sense of disorientation, as if it were a lifetime ago.

Tao Hai had been very strict these past two days, not allowing her to step out of the cave even once, nor let her feel the cold wind.

Who would have thought this rogue would be so thorough when it came to doing things.

Tang Zhaozhao felt that being with Tao Hai these few days was much more comfortable than being with those palace maids.

She didn’t even have to speak; Tao Hai had already thoughtfully arranged everything.

Except for not letting her go outside.

That day, Tang Zhaozhao had just walked a short distance from the cave when she saw snowflakes falling from the sky.

Winter, it seems, has arrived early.

Normally, when there wasn’t snow, this place was already quite cold. Now with snow falling, it was truly unbearable.

To be honest, she suspected she might freeze to death here.

She wasn’t dressed warmly; she was only wearing a grass cape and her own clothes. She hurried back into the cave.

Upon entering the cave, Tao Hai, with an anxious expression, stopped and pulled her close.

"Where did you go?"

Tang Zhaozhao glared at Tao Hai, "Do I need to report to you if I go out for a walk?"

Tao Hai shook his head, "Not really, just that it’s not safe in the mountains."

Tang Zhaozhao said nothing, and Tao Hai said, "Come over here, I made a fur coat for you, try it on."

The fur is nice, the hair is all snow white.

Sadly, to keep warm, she has to wear the side with the fur inside, and the leather side outside.

Once worn, it was far from elegant.

However, it was very warm.

Tao Hai used the remaining miscellaneous fur to sew himself a piece too, using grass rope he twisted and a stone needle. Once worn, it was fairly warm.

But compared to the outside cold, it was still not warm enough.

Tang Zhaozhao sighed, it would be great if she were by her mother’s side; there would be many warm clothes available. But now she was with Tao Hai.

Thinking of this, she regretted it deeply.

If only she hadn’t been too playful with that kite, not knowing if her father and mother sent anyone to look for them.

Considering how thoughtful Tao Hai had been recently, she wouldn’t blame him, but she also didn’t want to see him again.

When Tao Hai lit the fire, the temperature in the cave rose a bit.

But it was still somewhat cold, and at first, it was a bit smoky.

Gradually, it got better.

Tang Zhaozhao asked, "When can we go down the mountain?"

Tao Hai replied, "I estimate we’ll be trapped in the mountains for at least half a month."

Tang Zhaozhao frowned, "Now that winter has arrived, fewer animals are out, and crops are all buried under the snow. Life ahead will be tough."

Tao Hai said, "I’ve been hunting for days and have dried some meat. I’ll go to the river and see if I can break the ice to catch some fish."

Tao Hai looked at Tang Zhaozhao, "Stay here, don’t go anywhere. I’ll take advantage of the early snow to try and fish in the river."

Tang Zhaozhao frowned, "Are you treating me like an ordinary woman? I can do this with you." 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Tao Hai said, "You’re still dressed too thinly."

Tang Zhaozhao looked at the even thinner-dressed Tao Hai, his hands reddened from cold, yet he thought her attire was too thin.

She said, "I’ll go with you."

Then she cut a large piece from the fur blanket.

"Let’s make sleeves for the fur coat."

Perhaps to save material, neither fur coat had sleeves.

"If you cut so much off the fur blanket, you’ll be cold at night."

Tang Zhaozhao said, "Survival is most important now, if that doesn’t work, I’ll find more dry grass."

A few days ago, she really didn’t have any strength, aching all over, and so she left everything to Tao Hai, only doing some weaving of grass mats.

Now that she’s better, she’ll naturally work together with Tao Hai.