By the time Lian Qingfeng realized what was happening, Gao Dongxing had already put his clothes on him; it was his thickest down jacket.

Although I don't want to go out every day, I didn't say I wouldn't go out at all. If I don't go out and move around and just stay in bed all day, my body won't be able to take it in the long run.

"Dongxing, you're in good health, why don't you return those clothes to Uncle Lian?"

“What are you talking about returning? Everything is shared by everyone now. Besides, let Dongxing go out and do some work, so you can have an easier time.” Gao Shuzhen was also very happy to see how clever her son was.

“I’m going out too, and you gave my clothes to Dongxing, what am I supposed to do?” Lian Qingfeng was very angry.

“This isn’t what you’re saying. Let Dongxing go out to work too. What if he gets sick if he doesn’t wear warm clothes? Or should we have Jianpeng give Dongxing back the clothes he was wearing before?” Gao Shuzhen threw the problem back at them.

Zhang Xiaohan was about to say something after watching the mother and son's actions, but her husband stopped her.

Lian Jianpeng had previously asked his wife to speak up so that Gao Dongxing could go out and work with him. Now that he had achieved his goal, he shouldn't cause any more trouble.

As for his father not being able to go out without a piece of clothing, it didn't affect him much. Before, when Lian Qingfeng went out with him, he basically just did some exercise and couldn't help at all; sometimes he even had to point fingers and give orders.

At this moment, Zhang Xiaohan also remembered her husband's complaints to her that her father-in-law not only couldn't help but also interfere when he went out, so she stopped saying anything.

Seeing that neither his son nor his daughter-in-law spoke up for him, Lian Qingfeng was also very angry. He had helped them so much before, but in return, they were just sitting there silently.

After putting on his down jacket, Gao Dongxing felt warm all over. He stretched his body and said to Lian Jianpeng and the others, "Brother Jianpeng, wait a minute, I'll go out with you. It's been so long since I've been out, I'm really looking forward to it."

Lian Jianpeng was also happy, but he still nodded aloofly. If Gao Dongxing was going out with him, he could go further. The firewood in the vicinity had basically all been found by everyone. When he went out with his father before, he didn't want to go far at all. If he went alone, it was another matter whether he could bring back the firewood.

Gao Shuzhen had been distressed to see her son hiding under the covers every day. Now that he could finally go out, she held his hand and told him to be careful and stay safe while he was out.

She also asked Gao Dongxing to find out about Gaojia Village. Judging from the past few days, staying in the city is far less convenient than staying in the village. If possible, she still wanted to rely on her brother, since having land in the countryside could at least solve the problem of food and firewood.

As for the military's methods for dealing with those who cause chaos, they have also come up with a solution: in times of chaos, harsh measures are needed. If anyone is found causing trouble again, they will be thrown out of the city and left to fend for themselves.

In addition, personnel are being allocated, with plans to disperse some of them to rural areas to farm on their own.

However, since everything is still frozen, we can only wait for the ice to melt before we can make arrangements.

While they were freezing and starving, the Yun family in Pinghe Village sat on a warm kang (a heated brick bed), cracking sunflower seeds and watching TV dramas that Yun Qi had downloaded earlier.

Although the Spring Festival won't be as lively as it used to be this year, all the preparations are still made in the same way as before, without any shortcuts.

After eating Laba porridge on Laba Festival, a series of sacrificial activities to the gods begin. Today happens to be the Little New Year, which is also the day to worship the Kitchen God.

Yunqi had prepared so many supplies, but he had forgotten about the image of the Kitchen God, "Zao Mo". Without "Zao Mo", the whole ceremony felt incomplete. Although the family had prepared candy and sugar melons to send to the Kitchen God, he still felt very uncomfortable facing the empty stove.

While they were struggling with their decision, Yuqing and Yunxiang from Qifang's aunt's family came over together. After exchanging greetings, Yuqing handed them a painting.

"Uncle Ming, this is a stove frame I drew myself. I hope you won't find it offensive."

The painting depicts the Kitchen God in official robes in the center, flanked by his wife, with the couplet "Speak good words in Heaven, bring good fortune back to the palace" written on both sides. Although the colors are not very rich, it is still quite remarkable to find so many colors at this time.

"Our Yuqing is quite the little prodigy; this drawing is truly wonderful," said Mother Yun, holding Yuqing's hand and praising her.

"It's not as good as my aunt says. These are all drawn based on my grandfather's description. It should be said that my grandfather gave good guidance."

"She's a filial and good girl," Yun's father praised from the side.

Si Cheng immediately found some glutinous rice flour, mixed it into a paste, and stuck it to the new stove. Suddenly, he felt that the whole festive atmosphere was there.

Yunxiang and Yuqing didn't linger, as they had to return home to perform the Kitchen God Festival. Yunqi quickly stopped them, took a bag of dried fruit from the room, and stuffed it into their arms.

"These were bought earlier, and they'll spoil if we don't eat them soon. Please help me out." Without waiting for their refusal, she pushed them out.

"We only brought one painting, how can we take so much else?" After saying that, the two of them were about to put the bag on the table.

"Take it quickly, it's nothing special, just something fun to eat, a little snack for the New Year." Dad Yun stuffed the bag into their arms again, "If you delay any longer, your uncle will get angry."

The two had no choice but to go home early. When they got home, they were scolded by their families, and now they were really in even more debt.

With the "stove stand" in place, the family burned three sticks of incense under it and offered fruits, snacks, and other items, finally sending the Kitchen God away.

Days passed by one after another, and even after the Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, the weather still didn't warm up at all.

With the spring planting season almost over, there's still no sign of warming up. The elderly in the village are getting blisters on their lips from worry. If the weather continues like this, who knows how difficult things will become in the future?

Because of this, families are paying more attention to their greenhouses. Some families have even nailed together many wooden boxes, erected many wooden frames inside their houses, and planted potatoes and sweet potatoes in them.

Families with large members are even starting to reduce their food intake in a planned manner.

"If this continues, many people may not have enough firewood," Mr. Yun worried. Even though they had prepared so much firewood, and Yun Qi had even added a lot of coal, half of their firewood was already gone. If it didn't get warmer soon, many families would run out of firewood.