When Shen Qinghe returned, the three of them had already chatted for quite some time.

As soon as Meng Zhao stepped out of the temple, she felt the light was a bit dazzling. Only then did she realize that it had already gotten light sometime earlier.

The snow on the ground had unknowingly reached above my ankles, and showed no sign of stopping.

Meng Zhao and Xiao Chuan helped Wei Jinglan home. When they opened the door, they startled Gu Shi, who had just woken up in the courtyard.

"Zhaozhao? Qinghe? Why are you back from outside?" Then, her gaze fell on Wei Jinglan and Xiaochuan, her eyes full of doubt. "Who are those two?"

“There was a snow disaster in Liaodong. The two of them were fleeing here. I felt sorry for them, so I decided to take them over to stay for a few days.”

Hearing Meng Zhao say this, Shen Qinghe nodded. Madam Gu had no suspicions. Since it was someone Meng Zhao brought back, she had to treat them well. So she quickly stepped forward and replaced Meng Zhao, saying, "Hurry up and come inside to warm up. It's so cold, don't catch a cold."

The commotion in the courtyard woke up the others. Since Wei Jinglan and Xiao Chuan were staying there, the group began discussing room arrangements.

Aunt Feng'e offered to squeeze in with Madam Gu for the next couple of days, and Meng Zhao, after obtaining Shen Qingze's consent, let Xiao Chuan stay in his room temporarily.

Neither of them was very clean, so they couldn't go to bed directly. Meng Zhao told them to sit for a while while she boiled some hot water to wash up before they rested.

Since it was for washing up, Meng Zhao didn't use the clean water inside the house. Instead, he went to the water vat in the yard, lifted the lid, and found that it was covered with a layer of ice. Fortunately, the ice wasn't too thick. He found a clean stick, hit it twice, scooped out half a pot of water with ice shards, and started a fire.

Meanwhile, Xiao Chuan sat on a stool in the room, looking very reserved. Shen Qingze and Shen Qingyu surrounded him, staring at their older brother with wide, curious eyes.

Even though he knew they meant no harm, Xiao Chuan still felt uneasy and couldn't help but run outside.

Seeing Meng Zhao boiling water, they went to help. Soon after, the two children also ran out. Meng Zhao smiled and said, "The three of you sit closer together so it'll be warmer."

With Meng Zhao around, Xiao Chuan felt a little more comfortable, and the three of them huddled in front of the stove, talking about something.

Shen Qinghe was sweeping snow in the yard. After Gu Shi finished decocting the medicine she bought for Wei Jinglan, she and Aunt Feng'e each took a large broom and went out to sweep snow.

Meng Zhao took a set of his old clothes and asked Shen Qinghe to find a set of his childhood clothes. He gave them to Wei Jinglan and Xiao Chuan. When the two came out, Gu Shi and Aunt Feng'e, who had just returned, were stunned.

"Who wouldn't say you two are siblings? How come you're both so good-looking?" Madam Gu was the first to come to her senses and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

Wei Jinglan was thin, and Meng Zhao's old clothes were a bit too big for her. It was precisely this ill-fitting clothing that highlighted her gentle yet resilient temperament.

Xiao Chuan also has a small face and large features. If you only look at his face, you really can't tell that he is a little boy.

Aunt Feng'e leaned closer to Meng Zhao and said, "Zhao Zhao, your taste is still as good as ever."

The implication is that she insisted on marrying Shen Qing'an because she was attracted to his looks, and now she brought them back because they are both good-looking.

Meng Zhao really wanted to cry out that she was wronged. It was true that she was somewhat attracted to good looks, but when she first saw the two of them, they were both disheveled and dirty. How could she tell that they were good-looking? She really didn't save people based on their appearance.

Wei Jinglan was still weak, but she forced herself to come out and thank everyone before going back to rest. Xiao Chuan said he couldn't sleep and helped sweep the snow in the yard.

After finishing breakfast, Shen Qinghe walked out of the courtyard under everyone's watchful eyes.

"My brother is so pitiful. He has to go to the county school in such heavy snow."

Shen Qingze nodded. "Luckily we don't have to go to school yet, otherwise we would have to get up early to study."

Meng Zhao listened from the side, a mischievous smile on his face, and reached out to pinch their rosy cheeks: "Hmph, you two can't escape. When spring comes, you'll both be going to school."

Seeing the two of them frowning, Meng Zhao couldn't help but smile mischievously.

"Mother, is there still a lot of snow on the street?"

"When we came back just now, there were a lot of people outside shoveling snow. I guess they've cleared a path by now."

Meng Zhao nodded, found two baskets, filled one with some steamed buns they had just made, as well as winter radishes and cabbages, and filled the other basket with some charcoal before going out.

As I walked next door, I ran into Aunt Qian coming out with a broom. "Aunt Qian, out shoveling snow?"

"That's right. When your mother called me, I was still half asleep. I swept the snow in the yard, ate some breakfast, and then came out. Zhao Zhao, it's snowing, where are you going?"

"The snow came down suddenly, and I was worried that my parents hadn't prepared enough food. Luckily, I have quite a lot here, so I'll take some over to them."

Hearing Meng Zhao's words, Aunt Qian couldn't help but look envious. "Oh, it's so good that you live so close by. It's so convenient to deliver things back and forth. Unlike us, when it snows, we can't even go back home."

Meng Zhao smiled gently, chatted for a few words, and then continued walking forward.

When they arrived at the street where Meng's Meat Shop was located, there were already many people busy clearing the snow. When they saw her coming with a basket, they greeted her.

"Zhaozhao, you still come to deliver things in the snow. Are you afraid your parents will go hungry?"

Meng Zhao chuckled twice, "I'm not hungry, but there's not much variety of food available in this cold weather, so I have to eat something fresh."

An uncle next to him saw Meng Zhao coming over and shouted into the shop, "Meng Dashan, you lazybones, if you don't come out and shovel the snow, your daughter won't be able to get into the house."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!