"Dad, a few people came looking for us before, hoping I can go up the mountain with them to find some firewood." Si Cheng told his father-in-law about this directly.

Hearing this, Mother Yun was very unhappy: "Why do these people come to you for everything now? Aren't they just treating you like a laborer?"

Father Yun knew that these people had come for a reason, but whether to help or not was a problem.

Si Cheng could see that his father-in-law was in a dilemma, but he had already made up his mind.

“Dad, I’ve already arranged with them to go up the mountain together tomorrow. I’ll break a hole in the ice for them, and they’ll have to work on the rest themselves. I’ve made that clear to them beforehand.”

Upon hearing that Sicheng had made this decision, Yun's father was very grateful. These were all his relatives, and he couldn't bear to let them suffer in the cold there. His son-in-law's help would make it more likely that everyone could collect more firewood.

"Then you must be careful when you go up the mountain, and try to find relatively flat places." Yunqi had long anticipated this situation, so this was the only instruction he could give.

Early the next morning, many people gathered outside their homes to wait for Sicheng. This cold snap was far beyond everyone's preparations, and with everyone now planting crops indoors, the need for timber was even greater. So, basically the entire village mobilized this time.

Si Cheng led everyone to the woodland where the trees had been more lush before. Looking at the fallen trees, everyone felt helpless, as many of these trees were ones they had replanted themselves.

Si Cheng opened a hole in each corner and loosened the ice before letting everyone clean up the broken ice.

Everyone only looked for broken branches; they didn't touch the trees that were still stubbornly resisting the cold. Even so, the broken branches were enough for them.

Although obtaining firewood is difficult at this time, transportation is simple. Just push it down the mountainside, and once you reach the bottom, you can easily pull a tree that is dozens of times heavier than yourself.

Everyone's preparations were correct. This freeze caused them to miss the spring planting and summer harvest. With summer almost over, everyone continued to stay at home, bundled up from head to toe, to hibernate.

"There's no spring or summer here. If it doesn't get warmer soon, it will really continue to get cold." Everyone has gone from anticipation to disappointment time and time again. If it weren't for the harvest still being made in the greenhouse, they would be even more uncertain.

But this climate change came unexpectedly. The weather suddenly warmed up for no apparent reason, and the ice was melting rapidly without the sun. In less than half a month, there was no trace of ice left, only broken branches weighed down by the ice.

"This kind of weather is unbearable. Just a few days ago we were still heating the kang (a traditional heated brick bed), and now we're sweating even in short sleeves. It's so strange." Everyone gathered in the square that day to discuss the upcoming farm work.

Si Cheng and Yun Qi remained silent. They knew this was just the beginning. This sweltering weather would continue, eventually evaporating all the water inside, and they would face a severe drought.

"The ice has finally melted. While it's still early, everyone can still plant a season of rice," some villagers said optimistically from the sidelines.

"That's right. If we can't grow some food, we really won't have any confidence at all."

"I just don't know if there will be enough oil for everyone's farming this year?"

"That should be enough. Didn't they bring some back from the county town last time?"

Several old men also arrived at the square at this time, and their village chief told everyone the results of the discussion.

“The rotary tillers in the village are still usable after our inspection, but you’ll have to find your own fuel. The village didn’t bring back much fuel last time,” the village chief said, stating a condition that didn’t surprise anyone, as everyone knew the village’s fuel reserves. “As for who will plant first and who will plant later, we’ll decide by drawing lots. Each household will send one person to draw lots. What you want to plant in your fields is up to you.”

Seeing that no one had any objections, the second grandfather came out and said something else: "There's another thing. The Ouyang family and the Hou family moved to our village last year. After spending time together, they've become people of our Pinghe Village as well."

Upon hearing this, everyone turned their attention to the Ouyang and Hou families, and both families politely nodded to everyone.

"After discussion, we've decided to let them manage the wasteland near their house. Does anyone have any objections?"

"That wasteland is large, but the harvest won't be very good," someone who was on good terms with both families suggested.

At this point, Mr. Yun also stepped forward and offered his opinion: "Actually, a few acres of land can be reclaimed at the entrance of the village. It is close to the water source and should be used as paddy fields."

After discussing it, the villagers said, "That piece of land is close to a water source, but there are too many loose stones there. It will take a lot of effort to clear it out."

The monkey and the bear quickly stepped forward to say that they weren't afraid of trouble and that a little effort would be enough.

The other villagers had no objections, as it didn't take up their own land, and the two families had gotten along well in the village recently. Some people even invited them to help with the land clearing.

Seeing that no one had any objections to the village's decisions, the village chief took out a temporarily nailed box from the side and asked everyone to draw lots.

Yunqi stepped forward and grabbed a number that was neither too early nor too late. As for what to plant at home? Everyone had already discussed it at home and had started soaking the rice seeds a couple of days ago.

In fact, every household had already begun preparations during the ice melt season. Although the weather was quite hot and humid, the fields in their area were suitable for growing rice, so everyone followed the old practice of cultivating rice seedlings.

The farm machinery was working hard in the fields, and the villagers, young and old, gathered at the village entrance once again. The already high wall was being reinforced, and a lookout tower was being added on top, with plans to have someone stationed there to guard it in the future.

Meanwhile, the city's troops began to disperse and scout the surrounding areas. Their main task this time was to assess the surrounding conditions and determine how many people each village could accommodate.

They are now eager to disperse these people as soon as possible. Although they have a lot of food reserves, the people below are becoming increasingly riotous. As the weather warms up, several conflicts have occurred.

Deeply ingrained beliefs prevented the use of force against civilians unless absolutely necessary, resulting in many soldiers being injured.