The Little Childhood Friend in a Female-Dominated World (ChatGPT Translated)

Has winter arrived?

(No additional lines provided)

With a warm feeling in her eyes, tears fell down as Ji lowered her head, unable to speak through her sobs. She tightly held Xu Mu's hand.

Without saying a word, Xu Mu couldn't help but shed tears as he silently held Ji's hand.

"Xiao Feng. . . she, she. . ." Ji choked, shaking her head, unable to utter a word. The old servant beside her wiped away tears, trembling as he handed a letter from the border to Xu Mu.

The letter, written on white paper with black characters, was filled with dense text. But Xu Mu only saw one sentence: "General Xiao Lu, while leading a surprise attack on the enemy, was discovered and died on the battlefield. His body was burned by the enemy. By the time we arrived, it was too late for everything."

Xu Mu felt a strange sensation in his throat, unable to see clearly. It seemed like flashes of black passed before his eyes, as if he couldn't distinguish whether he was standing or sitting.

He stood up, wanting to say it couldn't be true.

Before he could speak, blood sprayed from his mouth.

Xu Mu felt weak all over, as if he was floating in a dream. His consciousness slowly faded, and the last voice he heard was Xiao Liu's desperate cry, "Master!"

Xiao Feng was dead, without even a body, only a few lines written on white paper with black characters.

Xu Mu didn't believe it. He would wait for his wife to return triumphantly. She had promised to take him to Jiangnan for a trip, and she had promised to bring back a fur cloak for him by the end of the year. She would never break her word.

The border of Dayu had been repeatedly defeated and was in a state of retreat. Xiao Feng told him that this year the war would end and a peace treaty would be signed between the two countries, allowing her to stay in the capital and be with him every day.

Xu Mu had always believed her words because Xiao Feng had never broken her promises. He had been counting the days, and now it was already autumn. Was it still far from the end of the year?

Far?

Far.

Because his wife, she would never return before winter.

Without Xiao Feng, what meaning did the seasons hold for him?

Xu Mu felt as if his chest had been torn open, as if a hand had reached into the wound and ripped out his heart, leaving behind an empty and desolate chest cavity.

The pain, suffocating pain.

. . .

(Note: The translation provided is a literal translation of the text. Some phrases may not flow naturally in English, but the meaning of the original text is preserved. )

Xu Mu clenched the collar of his clothes with his hand, curling up in pain on the bed.

"Young master? Little young master?" Xiao Liu, the night attendant, heard movement inside the room and hurried in. What he saw was Xu Mu, with tear streaks on his face, curled up in a ball, clutching his chest with fingers that had turned white from tension, with veins popping on the back of his hand.

Xiao Liu hurriedly stroked his back and softly called out, "Master, wake up quickly. You had a nightmare."

This gentle voice was like a gentle breeze, slowly dispersing the despair and pain that enveloped Xu Mu.

Xu Mu opened his eyes, his vision blurred by tears, everything was hazy. His fingers, clutching his chest, felt numb. He asked Xiao Liu in a hoarse voice, "Has winter arrived today?"

His wife would be coming back soon when winter arrived.

Xiao Liu was taken aback, then said, "Master, you were half asleep. It's almost the end of the year, winter has long arrived."

Almost the end of the year? He remembered that he hadn't made it through autumn and had followed Lu Feng. . .

Xu Mu blinked away the tears in his eyes, and his vision became clear. Xiao Liu had just lit a lamp and placed it by the bedside. The flickering light was dim, but it illuminated the surroundings of the bed.

He had dreamt of what happened after Lu Feng's death again. . .

Whenever he fell asleep, he would often wake up crying like this, grabbing Xiao Liu and asking if winter had arrived.

Xiao Liu would always cry and beg him to take care of himself, saying that his health was too weak, and if he continued like this, he might not make it to winter.

But in the end, he couldn't make it to winter.

Xu Mu took a slow breath, feeling the cool air entering his lungs. Everything hurt now, making his body tremble. He met Xiao Liu's worried gaze and finally shook his head with a bitter expression.

He took several deep breaths, but the palpitations in his chest still didn't calm down. It felt empty in his chest, as if something was missing, causing Xu Mu to instinctively clutch at his clothes over his heart.

Xiao Liu panicked, "Master, where does it hurt? I'll go and fetch a doctor."

"No need." Xu Mu grabbed his sleeve and shook his head. "Bring me my cloak, I want to go out."

"Now?" Xiao Liu hurriedly shook his head. "It's not yet dawn, it's very cold outside. If you have any orders, I can go for you. You shouldn't go out."

Regardless of Xiao Liu's dissuasion, Xu Mu got out of bed and put on his shoes.

No one knows better than Xiao Liu, who has served him for four years, how stubborn this master's temper is.

Seeing Xu Mu bowing his head to put on his shoes, Xiao Liu reluctantly handed him the thickest cloak with a hood.

Xu Mu wrapped himself in the cloak and didn't even want to wait to put on another piece of clothing. He immediately headed towards Ting Feng Courtyard.

He just wanted to see Lu Feng now. Only when he saw her standing alive and well in front of him, would his empty chest feel full.

Xiao Liu tightly held the glass lamp and followed closely by Xu Mu's side, not daring to make a sound. She was afraid that if she called someone to serve him, news of the young master secretly meeting a courtesan in the middle of the night would spread.

If the young master were a few years younger, it would be fine. But now that he's thirteen, waking up from a nightmare in the middle of the night and running to the courtesan's room, even if it were true, outsiders probably wouldn't believe it. There might even be people behind their backs criticizing the young master for shamelessly throwing himself at her.

Author's note: Little theater.

Crazy all the way: I heard someone is throwing themselves at others tonight. My blanket is already warming up. Just waiting for him to come.

Sweet Mi Jian: (Just stepping out) Sss!!! Why is it so cold? It's freezing my internal organs. Who cares about my heart. Forget it, forget it, I'm not going anymore. I should hurry back. The blanket is still warm.

Lu Feng, eagerly waiting for someone to come: . . . Why aren't they here yet? Did the wind blow them off course? _(:зゝ∠)_

Xu Mu, back in bed: =v= Comfortable~

Note: Unrevised