Chapter 133 It’s Snowing

Shi Qiu Shui's wish was ultimately unfulfilled. The next morning, when she woke up and opened the curtains, she saw a vast expanse of white outside the house.

Her eyes widened instantly, she jumped out of bed, put on her slippers and ran out of the room. Shi Yue, who was in the living room, watched Shi Qiu Shui rush out like a whirlwind.

Shi Qiu Shui ran out and opened the door with a clang. The cold wind blew snowflakes towards her. Just then, a snowflake landed on her neck, and she hissed from the cold.

Shi Yue saw that his daughter was frozen, but still standing at the door with the door open like a fool, so he quickly pulled her back.

"It's snowing heavily, what are you looking at here in just a sweater?"

Shi Qiushui's round little face was filled with excitement: "Dad, it's snowing!"

Shi Yue casually picked up one of his cotton-padded jackets and wrapped it around Shi Qiushui. He nodded and said, "Yeah, yeah, I see. It's snowing. It started snowing last night. Put on your clothes first, so you don't catch a cold."

"Oh, okay." Shi Qiushui obediently wrapped Shi Yue in his big cotton-padded jacket and asked with wide eyes, "Did it start snowing last night?"

Shi Yue: "Yeah, it started snowing around two or three o'clock. I got up and went to the bathroom outside, and I saw snowflakes falling from the sky."

Shi Qiushui uttered a small "Oh" and said, "No wonder there's such a thick layer of snow on the ground outside."

Hearing this, Shi Yue instantly became alert. He pinched Shi Qiushui's little face and said, "No matter how thick the snow is outside, you can't go out and play in the snow, understand?"

He emphasized, "Don't forget, you still have a cultural performance the day after tomorrow. If you catch a cold, then..."

Shi Qiushui pouted and said, "Dad, you don't have to say it. I know that if I catch a cold, I won't be able to go on stage, right? I won't go. I won't go to play in the snow."

Although she said so, her longing eyes were still staring at the snow outside the glass window.

Shi Yue rubbed the little girl's head and decided to keep a close eye on her for the next two days, otherwise she would definitely find a chance to sneak out and play in the snow.

"Okay, Xue has seen it too. Go back and get dressed. I'll get you some water to wash your face."

The weather is cold in winter and the water in the pipes is icy cold. You definitely can't wash your face and hands with cold water like you do in summer. Shi Yue always fetches cold water and then washes his face in a basin with hot water when he gets home.

"good."

Shi Qiushui responded and ran to her room. Shi Yue saw her back as she entered the room and reminded her, "Wear more clothes today. It's snowing outside and it's very cold."

"good!"

Shi Qiushui opened the wardrobe and took out the warm clothes that Shi Yue had bought for her two days ago. She put on the warm clothes, a sweater, and her school uniform pants. Shi Qiushui dressed warmly before opening the door and coming out.

"Are you dressed? Then go wash your face quickly. I have the noodles almost cooked. You can eat after you wash your face."

Hearing the door open, Shi Yue, who was cooking noodles in the kitchen, poked his head out.

Shi Qiu Shui obediently went to wash her face. The water for washing her face was poured by Shi Yue. After washing her face with the hot water, she applied perfume on herself. Halfway through, she smelled the fragrance coming from the kitchen, which was the fragrance of meat.

Shi Qiushui's eyes lit up: "Dad, what are you cooking?"

Shi Yue: "Cook noodles, didn't I just tell you?"

Shi Qiushui couldn't help but walk towards the kitchen, asking as he walked: "What kind of noodles are you cooking? They smell so good!"

Shi Yue came out of the kitchen with a bowl of noodles. As he placed it on the table, he said, "Mutton noodles. There's still some left from last night's braised lamb. I put it back into the pot, cooked two bowls of noodles, and poured the leftover lamb on top."

Shi Qiushui sniffed and scurried over to the table like a puppy, sighing at the bowl full of mutton: "It smells so good!"

Shi Yue returned to the kitchen and brought out another, obviously larger bowl of noodles. He said, "It smells good, eat it if it smells good. You can eat that bowl. I was afraid you couldn't finish it, so I put a little less noodles in it."

"Then I'll start eating!" Shi Qiushui rolled up her sleeves, picked up her chopsticks, and attacked the bowl of noodles. She couldn't wait to take a big sip, and with the noodles still blocking her mouth, she said incoherently: "Well, it's delicious, Dad, the noodles you cooked are delicious."

Shi Yue: "Don't just eat noodles, eat a few more bites of mutton."

"good!"

Shi Qiushui's head was almost buried in the bowl of noodles as she ate the mutton noodles in big mouthfuls.

Shi Yue picked up a piece of noodles with chopsticks and ate it in big mouthfuls. As he ate, he asked, "Girl, are you still rehearsing tonight?"

Shi Qiushui buried his head and sipped his noodles: "What's wrong?"

Shi Yue: "Oh, nothing. Your rehearsal ends late, right? If you're still rehearsing, I'll go out later to pick you up."

He took another sip of noodles and said, "Then I'll do the same as yesterday. I'll go home, cook dinner, and then go out to pick you up. Is that okay with you?"

Shi Qiu Shui nodded.

Shi Yue: "Oh, by the way, my dear, your class has been rehearsing every day, how is the preparation for the program going?"

Shi Qiushui swallowed the noodles in his mouth and said, "The rehearsal was very good. Dad, just wait. You will be able to see it the day after tomorrow!"

Shi Yue smiled and said, "Okay, then I'll wait and see. On New Year's Day, I'll go out early and grab a good seat to see you. If I go too late and can't grab a suitable seat, I probably won't even see you."

This New Year's Day performance was different from the previous Children's Day performances. Instead of the school inviting parents to the show, the elementary school and the factory jointly hosted it, using the factory's auditorium for the performances. The show wasn't just for the elementary school students, but also for factory employees and management. All together, there must have been several thousand people. If Shi Yue had arrived too late, he might not have even seen Shi Qiu Shui.

Shi Qiushui: "Dad, it's okay. I'll stand in the middle of our class, in the most conspicuous position. Even if you stand a little behind, you'll still be able to see me."

Shi Yue: "Hey, okay."

Shi Qiushui slurped his noodles and said, "By the way, Dad, don't you adults have any performances to do?"

Shi Yue: "Yes, the factory has also organized several programs."

"Huh?" Shi Qiushui was stunned. She widened her eyes and asked, "What show is this?"

Shi Yue: "Let me think about it, there seem to be quite a lot of programs. I heard that the factory office put on a skit, and there's also a factory chorus, and they said they're also putting on a big chorus. Oh, yes, and you know your Aunt Li's dance troupe, right? They're also putting on a show this time."

Shi Qiushui: "Really?!"

Her chubby little face trembled in surprise, and she said, "I haven't even heard Grandma Li say that!"

Shi Yue: "Then haven't you noticed that your Grandma Li hasn't been home much lately? She's been busy with training."

Shi Qiu Shui recalled for a moment and then nodded.

She has indeed rarely seen Grandma Li recently.

Shi Yue: "The factory should have prepared quite a few programs this time."

Shi Qiushui: "That's not as much as us kids prepare. Each of our classes has to put on a show!"

Shi Yue: "That's right, it's true that you have prepared more programs."

The employees in the factory are still mainly focused on their work. The departments that produced the program are not the main production departments, and several large workshops with many people did not participate in this event at all.

Shi Qiushui: "Dad, your security department didn't have any programs either."

Shi Yue: "Well, our security department is responsible for the safety of the factory. How can we have time to produce a program? Especially at the end of the year, there are more things to pay attention to. We are busy."

In fact, the reason why the Security Department had no performances was not only because they were busy, but mainly because none of these rough guys in the Security Department had any outstanding talents to perform.

Yes, there are more than 20 men in the security department, and none of them has any outstanding talents.

Originally, the factory office suggested to Shi Yue that the security department should also put on a program. Shi Yue got the list from the factory office and asked everyone in the office. He was immediately disappointed. There were so many people in the security department. Some of them sang out of tune, some had uncoordinated movements, and some stuttered when they spoke on stage. They were not good at singing in chorus, performing skits, or even performing three-line verses.

There was no other way, Shi Yue could only dejectedly tell the factory office that the security department had a lot of work to do during this period and could not produce the show.

Shi Yue didn't want to talk about the performance anymore, so he reached out and tapped Shi Qiushui on the forehead: "Alright, hurry up and eat. After dinner, I can take you to school. It's snowing today and the roads outside are slippery. We have to go out early."

"Hmm!" Shi Qiushui responded, burying her head in the food and devouring it. She finished the whole bowl of mutton noodles, including the soup. After finishing the meal, she wiped her mouth and said, "Dad, I'm going to pack my schoolbag."

Shi Yue: "Okay, go clean up. I'm almost done eating. When you're done, we can leave. I'll clean up the dishes when I get back in the evening."

Shi Qiushui packed her schoolbag and came out. Shi Yue had already finished his meal. He stood at the door and shouted to Shi Qiushui, "Come here, girl, put on your cotton-padded jacket. I'll put on your hat and gloves for you."

Shi Qiu Shui put on a cotton-padded jacket, and Shi Yue put on a hat and gloves for Shi Qiu Shui. Because Shi Qiu Shui forgot his scarf at school last night, he used his big scarf to wrap Shi Qiu Shui's face. He didn't stop until Shi Qiu Shui was as round as a little dumpling.

She was wrapped too tightly, and when Shi Qiu Shui went out, she had difficulty walking. She supported her arms on both sides of her body, like a little penguin from Antarctica.

Shi Qiushui took two steps, pushed up the brim of his big hat, and said, "Dad, it doesn't seem that cold outside?"

As she spoke, she loosened the scarf around her neck. Shi Yue had really wrapped her too tightly, and she could hardly breathe.

"Well, it's still snowing now, so of course it's not cold. It will be cold when the snow stops. The old people say it's not cold when it snows, but when it melts! Xiaoqiu, I'm telling you, don't take off your scarf. If you take it off now, you'll be freezing when the snow stops."

The person who spoke was not Shi Yue, but Old Lady Yang who went out to pour water.

Old people like Old Lady Yang seem to have one thing in common, which is that they think children don't wear enough. Shi Qiushui is so skinny that she looks like a dumpling, but she still thinks Shi Qiushui doesn't wear enough. She frowned and said to Shi Yue, "Little boy, I think Xiaoqiu isn't wearing enough. Why don't you go back and give her some more clothes?"

Shi Qiu Shui pulled Shi Yue's sleeve and shook his head gently.

What she was wearing now was already making her sweat, so she didn't want to put on any more clothes.

Old Lady Yang looked at Shi Qiushui and said, "I see Xiaoqiu isn't wearing a cotton-padded jacket, is she? Alas, you young people nowadays, and even children, don't like to wear cotton-padded jackets. You think cotton-padded jackets are not fashionable. They are not fashionable without sweaters and thermal underwear, right? If you ask me, you have to wear a cotton-padded jacket. Sweaters are so breathable, and thermal underwear is so thin. How can a cotton-padded jacket be both windproof and warm? Those cotton-padded jackets sold outside are no good either. They don't use good cotton, and they're not warm either. If you want to talk about the warmest, it's still the kind we make ourselves. Don't you think so, Shi Yue?"

"Ah, yes, yes, Aunt Yang, you are right." Shi Yue nodded, then said with a wry smile: "But my craftsmanship is not very good, so making a cotton-padded jacket is really a bit difficult for me."

Old Lady Yang sighed and said, "Alas, that's right, but you're clumsy and can't do it."

Shi Yue took the blame for his clumsy hands. He smiled and said, "But it's okay. Xiaoqiu's school has heaters, so the classroom is still relatively warm."

Old Lady Yang: "Yes, heating is still quite warm. A few years ago, didn't they say that every household in our alley would install heating? At that time, there was a vote, and I voted in favor, thinking that installing heating would be warmer than burning the stove. But later, because the heating had to be paid for by each household, many households were unwilling to install it, and the plan never came to fruition."

At this point, she curled her lips and said, "If you ask me, those people are just confused. Installing heating costs money, and you still have to pay heating fees every year, but heating is much warmer and more convenient. Besides, even if we don't install heating, everyone can burn their own stoves. Don't we still have to buy coal briquettes, and don't we also have to spend money? When you calculate it this way, it's not much cheaper than installing heating!"

Shi Yue nodded, he also thought it was appropriate to install a heater.

Let’s not talk about anything else, just burning the stove requires you to pay attention at all times. If you don’t pay attention, it will easily go out. If the stove goes out, you have to relight the coal balls, which is very troublesome.

"Hey, Shi Yue, isn't it time for you to send the kids off?" Old Lady Yang slapped her thigh and said, "Look at me, I've been talking to you and I've forgotten the time. I've delayed you from sending the kids off. Please stop chatting with me and hurry up to send the kids off. We can chat anytime. It's not good to be late for sending the kids to school."

"Then I'll be leaving first."

Old Lady Yang: "Hey, let's go, the roads are slippery in the snow, please be careful when you walk."

"Auntie Yang, please be careful when you go in and out." Shi Yue smiled and waved to Auntie Yang.

Shi Qiushui also waved to Old Lady Yang: "Grandma Yang Baibai."

After saying goodbye to Old Lady Yang, Shi Yue took Shi Qiu Shui out of the yard. It had been snowing for most of the night, and there was a layer of snow on the ground in the yard, not to mention outside. There was also a thick layer of snow on the ground in the alley. However, in front of each courtyard gate in the alley, a path was swept out to facilitate entry and exit.

Shi Yue took Shi Qiu Shui's hand and walked carefully along the swept path. On the surface, Shi Qiu Shui followed Shi Yue obediently, but when Shi Yue was not paying attention, she always quietly stretched out her feet to step on the thick snow on the side. By the time they walked out of the alley, a long string of small footprints had been left on the ground.

Shi Yue didn't really notice Shi Qiu Shui's little action at first, but when they arrived at the school gate, Shi Qiu Shui waved to Shi Yue and was about to enter the school gate. Shi Yue glanced and noticed that the little girl's cotton boots were covered with snow, and the melted snow water had soaked the uppers of the little girl's cotton boots.

Shi Yue thought about it for a moment and guessed that Shi Qiu Shui must have stepped into the snowy area when he was not paying attention.

He reached out and grabbed the little girl who was about to run away and said, "Remember what I told you this morning?"

Shi Qiushui reacted for a moment, then said with a pout, "Remember, don't play in the snow."

"Yes." Shi Yue nodded and asked, "What will it be like to play in the snow?"

Shi Qiushui: "Playing in the snow will make you catch a cold, and if you catch a cold you'll have to take bitter medicine. It will also make your voice hoarse, and you won't be able to sing on stage."

Shi Yue: "It's okay as long as you remember it clearly. I was afraid that you didn't remember it clearly, so I went to play in the snow secretly without telling me."

Hearing this, Shi Qiu Shui grabbed the corner of his clothes and avoided Shi Yue's sight.

She whispered, "No, I won't go play in the snow secretly."

Shi Yue didn't expose the little girl. He just waved his hand and said, "Okay, go in. Remember to stamp your feet before entering the classroom."

Shi Qiushui subconsciously lowered her head and saw the snow on her shoes. She finally realized where she had been exposed. She smiled guiltily at Shi Yue and said, "I know, Dad, I'm going in."

After saying that, the little girl ran away.

Running to the classroom door, Shi Qiu Shui raised his feet and stomped on the ground to shake off the snow on the uppers of his shoes before entering the classroom.

As soon as Shi Qiu Shui entered the classroom, he saw Xiao Pang and Xiong Jie covering their hands with red faces beside the radiator.

Xiong Jie: "Boss!"

He shouted to Shi Qiushui, "Boss, you're here just in time! Put your bag down quickly. We're going to have a snowball fight with Class 1. Just now, Xiaopang and I went to play snowballs with them, and the boys in their class, relying on their large group, attacked us! We got beaten up really badly just now. Boss, you have to avenge us!"

Shi Qiushui: "No, I don't want to play snowballs."

Xiong Jie: "No, Boss, why don't you go have a snowball fight? Snowball fights are fun on snowy days!"

Xiaopang: "That's right, what's the point of snowing if you don't play in the snow!"

Xiong Jie: "Besides, Boss, are you just going to watch us get bullied by the guys in Class 1?"

Xiaopang: "That's right, Xiaoqiu, you can't do this!"

Of course Shi Qiu Shui also wanted to have a snowball fight. She also wanted to build a snowman, a big one with her name on it.

However, thinking of the upcoming New Year's Day party, Shi Qiu Shui still held back!

She said to Xiaopang and Xiong Jie, "It's so cold outside. It's easy to catch a cold if you go out to play in the snow. If you catch a cold, you won't be able to attend the New Year's Day party!"

Xiong Jie and Xiaopang paused.

That’s true.

Compared with snowball fights, the New Year’s Day party is more important.

Xiong Jie immediately said, "Then Boss, don't go to play snowballs. I won't go either!"

We can miss him during the snowball fight, but we can’t miss him at the New Year’s Day party!

"Wait, I understand!" Xiaopang suddenly exclaimed, and Shi Qiu Shui and Xiong Jie looked at him when they heard the voice.

I saw Xiao Pang rubbing his chin, squinting his eyes, and saying in an unfathomable manner: "I know why Class 1 has been besieging Xiong Jie and me!"

Xiong Jie looked at Xiao Pang in confusion and asked innocently, "Why?"

Xiaopang: "Because they want their class's performance to be more popular than ours at the New Year's Day party!"

Xiong Jie: “Ah?”

Shi Qiushui also: "Ah?"

They both looked puzzled, not knowing how Xiaopang's thoughts came to this.

Xiaopang: "Xiaoqiu reminded me that playing snowballs will make you catch a cold. If you catch a cold, you won't be able to go on stage and perform. Those people from Class 1 just now surrounded Xiong Jie and me. They must have known that we were indispensable to this chorus!"

Xiong Jie: ...

Yes, is that so?

Didn’t the students from Class One just besiege them because they were the only two students from Class Two on the playground?

Shi Qiushui: ...

When did Xiaopang and Xiong Jie become indispensable characters in this collaboration?

She looked at Xiaopang with an indescribable look and fell into deep speechlessness.

Fatty continued chattering, "I've felt for a long time that something wasn't right with Class 1. When they lost to our class in the relay race at the last sports meet, they were incredibly upset. I even heard the boys in Class 1 say it was all because of Chen Xin. If Chen Xin hadn't deliberately fallen down and failed to pass the baton to the runner-up, their class definitely wouldn't have lost to us in the relay race."

Xiong Jie's train of thought was gradually distracted by Xiao Pang. He frowned and said, "It seems so. Class 1 seems to have some grievances against our class. Last time, when there was garbage in Class 1's sanitation area, they said it was thrown by our class, when it was clearly their class that didn't clean it properly!"

Xiaopang: "Right, the people in Class 1 just have a grudge against our class, so it's not surprising that they use such insidious methods to sabotage our class program."

Xiong Jie: "Wow, the people in Class 1 are really insidious!"

He said angrily, "If you hadn't seen through their plan, we would have fallen into their trap this time!"

Xiaopang: "Yeah, the people in Class 1 are so insidious!"

Xiong Jie: "No, I have to tell the other students in our class not to be fooled!"

Xiaopang: "Yes, go tell the others quickly and tell them not to go out and play snowballs, especially not with the students from Class 1!"

Xiong Jie: “Okay!”

Having said that, Xiong Jie ran out in a flash.

It was not until Xiong Jie ran away that Shi Qiu Shui realized what was going on.

She looked confused. How did things get to this point?

What made Shi Qiu Shui even more confused was that Xiaopang's words spread more and more widely, to the point where the entire first grade knew about it.

When the students in Class 2 heard this, they believed it without any reason. In order to perform at the New Year's Day party, they decisively gave up a series of outdoor activities such as snowball fights and making snowmen.

When the innocent classmates learned about this, they were very angry. They thought that the people in their class were not as sinister as they thought! Several little boys who had played snowballs that morning wanted to ask Xiao Pang for an explanation directly, but since no one had ever spoken to them about this matter, it was not easy to get an explanation.

But the rumors kept spreading outside, and in order to save their reputation, the students finally had no choice but to stop going out to play snowballs.

The remaining students in Class 3 and Class 4 of Grade 1 saw that no one from Class 1 and Class 2 came out to play snowball fights, so they made some guesses. No matter what the conclusion of their guesses was, the final result was that no one from these two classes came out to play snowball fights either.

The first-grade teachers who were originally prepared to keep a close eye on the children and not allow them to go out and play snowballs:???

What a sudden surprise, wow?