Chapter 82 Begonia in the Snow

Tianqianguan, a small border town, has an administrative level equivalent to that of a county, so the highest official position is the county magistrate.

In other places, when there is no snow, people will hold a snow festival and pray for snow.

However, the snow scenery here is unique, with snowflakes flying almost all year round, so people do not pray for snow.

In addition, they hold a snow festival every summer to worship the Snow Goddess.

On the eve of the beginning of winter, the county magistrate would lead local gentry, elders, village heads and other respected elders to express gratitude for the protection of the Snow Goddess and celebrate her birthday.

Pray that there will be no snow disasters in winter and that the mountains will be closed due to blizzards, so that the people can spend the winter safely.

The people here have great respect for nature, so on the day of worshipping the Snow Goddess, even classes in the school will be suspended.

In addition to the formal worship ceremony led by the county magistrate, the people will also spontaneously celebrate and enjoy the snow in various ways to express their gratitude to the Snow Goddess.

On this day, everyone, from children to powerful people, will participate and worship together.

On this special day, the students and teachers of the bookstore and Yuebi Bookstore may be able to take a break, but the Su family is extremely busy.

The Su family followed local customs and prepared generous offerings such as cattle and sheep to express their sincere respect for the Snow Goddess.

Early in the morning, Su Shengsheng was called to her side by her elder sister-in-law Cen.

Cen was holding a rouge-colored jacket with white velvet edges embroidered with crabapple flowers, and she gestured to Su Shengsheng with a smile on her face.

Su Shengsheng looked at the dress full of girlish charm and couldn't help feeling helpless. "Sister-in-law, you've gained weight, and you've been busy enough with the work in the embroidery room. Why are you making clothes for me too?"

Cen smiled nonchalantly, holding the small jacket and continuing to gesture, "You child, you are so busy all day long that even your mother can hardly see you."

After saying this, he took it back in his hand and said, "You've grown taller, but why is your waist two inches wider?"

She took the clothes back and didn't let Su Shengsheng leave, so she started to alter them on the spot.

Hearing this, Su Shengsheng couldn't help but pinch her waist, which was completely free of fat. "Have you gained weight? Why don't I feel it?"

Cen looked at her rosy little face and felt that she had lost some of her childishness and became very pretty and charming.

"She's already a grown-up girl."

Su Shengsheng looked back at the needlework in her hand. She didn't want to wear such a youthful outfit. "Seventh sister is younger, so it will suit her better than me."

Mrs. Cen ignored her. "You should wear more bright colors while you're still a girl. Once you become someone's wife, you'll be embarrassed to wear them. Besides, why do you wear such plain clothes all day? You're such a beautiful girl, why don't you dress up?"

Seeing that her sister-in-law had already started removing the stitches, Su Shengsheng could no longer refuse.

She wandered around the room, looking at the pattern her sister-in-law was embroidering and the fabric on the loom. "Sister-in-law, don't tire yourself out. You still have health."

"Only when I have something to do can I feel at peace." Mrs. Cen smiled, cut off the thread, and called Su Shengsheng over to try it on.

As she helped him change his clothes, she said, "Today is the day to worship the Snow Goddess. Although classes are closed, the children are still making snowmen and ice sculptures. As a teacher, you should play with the students for a while and not be so busy that you're nowhere to be seen all day."

I have to say that my sister-in-law’s craftsmanship is really good, and the clothes are perfect for wearing.

When Su Shengsheng heard that they were going to make a snowman, she was afraid of getting her new clothes dirty, so she wanted to take them off.

Cen held her down and said, "In less than a month, Master Ji will be leaving for Shangdu to take the imperial examination. The beginning of winter is almost here, and snowy weather and slippery roads will delay our journey. We might have to set off early. It's hard to find suitable winter clothes on the road, and I don't see you preparing any."

Cen lowered her voice and said, "If you really feel that your embroidery is not up to par, just draw a pattern and I will do it for you."

Hearing that this matter was going to be brought up again, Su Shengsheng stopped worrying about the clothes and obediently found an excuse to run away. "Brother Heng said he wanted to build a snowman, and I forgot about it. Sister-in-law, I'm going first."

Seeing that she didn't even want the clothes she had changed out of, Cen shook her head, "This child..."

In fact, the female students in the embroidery room had made an appointment to play snowballs early in the morning.

Su Shengsheng was afraid of the cold and didn't want to move, but as Ji Yanli's departure day was getting closer, even her mother urged her to spend more time with him.

Today was special, and her family called her back, but she could only hide away and make a snowman.

The female students in the library attend night school and only have classes in the evening, so they cannot meet the male students.

But today is a school holiday, and I don't know who started it, but she insisted on having a snowman-making competition with the boys across the street.

How could those male students be honest?

Seeing that the snowman he built was not as exquisite as the female student's, he simply threw a snowball at her, and it soon turned into a battle between a man and a woman.

Su Shengsheng was dragged here forcibly. She originally wanted to maintain her dignity as a female teacher, but she was the female teacher opposite, and the female student was bullied and had to ask her for help.

In the end, it turned into a melee.

Across the wide streets, no matter whether it was the learned old teachers in the school or the young and promising students, as long as they stopped, they would become the target of the snowball attack, and no one was spared.

Su Shengsheng had just made a snowball, but before she could throw it out, a bigger snowball was thrown at her.

The snowman thrower obviously didn't have time to hold the snowball tightly, and threw the whole thing over. Although it didn't hurt, Su Shengsheng was instantly turned into a snowman.

The students only dared to attack her without any care because they saw that she had a good temper and was not angry.

Su Shengsheng gently shook her head full of snowflakes, and the snowflakes that accidentally fell into her collar brought a hint of coolness.

She exhaled a puff of white air, her eyes fixed on the smirking male student, and then returned the snowball with a precise parabola, causing everyone to laugh.

When the female students saw Su Shengsheng being attacked, they all stepped forward to help.

The two sides threw snowballs back and forth, drawing beautiful arcs in the air, accompanied by laughter and flying snowflakes.

"The snow-covered branches reflect the setting sun, while the crabapple blossoms alone, reflecting the frost.

The fragrance remains in the cold wind, and the jade-like bones and icy skin are flawless.

The snow weighs down the branches, bringing spring to the fore, and the red dots look like clouds.

I have nothing to fear from the cold weather, I stand proudly in the snow, still in my prime. "

"Begonia in the Snow, what a beautiful poem!" A student approached Ji Yanli, looked at his painting, and asked with a smile, "Brother Ji, is this painting about the people or the scenery?"

Outside the window, the pink crabapple flowers look even more beautiful against the backdrop of crystal clear snowflakes.

The snowflakes dotted on the hem of the skirt are like tiny inlaid pearls, perfectly blending the purity of snow with the tenderness of crabapple.

The result of a chaotic battle was that Su Shengsheng turned into an ice man.

She, along with Brother Heng and Ning Jie, who were also dressed in icy clothes, shivered as they returned to the Su family to change clothes.

While scolding them, the mother brought them ginger sugar water, "Why are you so unruly? You got into a fight with the students."

Brother Heng sneezed repeatedly, mumbling, "Brother Heng wanted to help sister, but she sneezed me too."

Upon hearing this, Su Shengsheng buried her face in the ginger bowl.

At that time, I couldn’t even open my eyes, so how could I tell who was with whom?

Fortunately, Ning Jie had recently been exercising outdoors with Su Shengsheng, which had improved his physical condition and he did not feel any discomfort at all.

As Heng Ge was young and weak, the old lady was worried that he would catch a cold, so she did not let him participate in the evening bonfire show.

With the opening of the night market, the county magistrate also visited Pinglai Street to have fun with the people, and every household went out to have fun.

In front of the embroidery rooms of the Su family, stalls were set up, displaying exquisite embroidery works.

Su Shengsheng was also caught by her mother and helped to shout in front of the stall.