林月站在村口，手里攥着半截冰冷的猪腿，脸冻得通红。天刚蒙蒙亮， frozen dew still clung to the branches of the bare trees. She'd been out for nearly two hours, trying to find enough firewood to keep the house warm. The sad part was, she still hadn't found a single dry piece.

Back home, her stepmother would've been out by now, gossiping with the other women in the village. Instead, she was out in the freezing cold, collecting firewood like some poor country bumpkin. With a sigh, she tightened her grip on the wet log in her arms and trudged towards the back of the village.

"Hey, there's our Lin'er!" someone called out.

Lin Moon froze. Just as she thought, she'd been spotted. A group of village women, led by her stepmother's younger sister, Wang Er, were approaching her, arms crossed and faces tightened in disapproval.

"What are you doing here at this hour?" Wang Er sneered, her eyes full of disdain. "Shouldn't a lady of your status be at home, spending her time on more... civilized pursuits?"