"Shoveling coal?"

Sun Weiguo was stunned for a moment, then looked back at Yao Xiujuan, his face full of confusion. As far as he knew, when Brother Tian was around, he was the one who shoveled the coal in the winter, and when Brother Tian was not around, it was Sister-in-law Xiujuan who did the work...

Yao Xiujuan came forward, looking ashamed, "Those days, my younger brother, his wife, and I went back to my mother's home with the children..."

"Grandma, it's all my fault. I was so focused on going back to my parents' home that I forgot to shovel several baskets of coal into the house for you."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Chu hurriedly said, "Oh, Xiujuan, don't overthink it, grandma is fine, really fine."

As if she was afraid to continue talking about this, Mrs. Chu quickly changed the subject, "Weiguo, what's the matter with you and Meiling coming here so early?"

Sun Weiguo thought of the main purpose of coming here and said quickly, "...Grandma Chu, this is it. We originally wanted to ask Sister Xiujuan if she wanted to go with us to Urumqi to pick up Li Zhiqing and his family of three, but now..."

Yao Xiujuan quickly replied, "Weiguo, I won't go. I'll trouble you and Meiling to go."

Old Mrs. Chu looked at Yao Xiujuan and waved, "Xiujuan, don't worry about me. I'm much better today. If you feel uncomfortable anywhere, I can just call your uncle next door..."

Yao Xiujuan shook her head. "No, you're more important. Besides, Xiuli and the others aren't guests. They're family. It's okay if I don't accept."

After he finished speaking, he looked at Sun Weiguo and smiled, "Weiguo, after you pick up Xiu Li and the others, don't go home for dinner. Come here for dinner."

Sun Weiguo nodded, "Okay, I understand, but we don't know when we can come back..."

Yao Xiujuan thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll prepare dinner. No matter how early you come back, I don't think you can get to the brigade until the afternoon..."

At this time, the door was pushed open, and Xinxin had two neatly braided pigtails on her head, with a big red bow tied at the end of each pigtail. Combined with her bright red floral dress, she looked very festive in this snowy season.

Xinxin ran to Old Lady Chu's kang, took her hand, and asked with concern, "Grandma, are you feeling better?"

Old Mrs. Chu smiled and nodded, "Much better."

"Xinxin's braids look so beautiful today. Was it your Aunt Meiling who braided them for you?"

Xinxin nodded repeatedly, then held her face in her hands and looked at Old Madam Chu with curved eyebrows and eyes, "Grandma, Xinxin's braids are pretty, isn't she pretty?"

Old Madam Chu looked at Xinxin lovingly as she acted cute, "She looks good, her braids look good, and Xinxin looks even better..."

Here, Yao Xiujuan nudged Li Meiling, who had just walked in, with her elbow and said, "Meiling, did Xinxin pull you into the house just to braid your hair?"

Li Meiling smiled and nodded, "Yeah, by the way, Xinxin heard that Xiuli is coming today, so she wants to go too!"

Yao Xiujuan objected without hesitation, "No, she can't go. She just got sick a while ago."

Xinxin, who had been full of anticipation, suddenly drooped. She reached out and took Old Lady Chu's hand, shaking it gently, and said coquettishly, "Grandma... Xinxin wants to pick up my aunt..."

Old Madam Chu glanced at Yao Xiujuan who was disapproving, stretched out her other hand, and gently touched her little face, "Xinxin, what Grandma said is not true, you should ask your mother..."

Xinxin wanted to say that it was not the case. If her great-grandmother spoke, her mother would have to be happy even if she was not happy about it. But looking at her great-grandmother's unquestionable eyes, she bit her lower lip lightly and walked to Yao Xiujuan reluctantly.

"Mom, I want to go..."

Yao Xiujuan frowned and looked at Xinxin. Just as she opened her mouth to object again, she saw Xinxin raise a hand and make a promise.

"Mom, I'm dressed warmly. I also brought the quilt that my great-grandmother made for me, so I won't be cold."

He didn't forget to play the victim, "Just let me go... I haven't even been to the city..."

Yao Xiujuan sneered, "Who said we haven't been there? Chu Yaxin, didn't your father say that children shouldn't lie? In the past few years, during Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr, whenever your father was around, he always took you there."

Xinxin pursed her lips and said, "But Dad has never taken me to the train station, and I have never seen a train. Lele has seen it..."

Sun Weiguo has always wanted a daughter, but Li Meiling gave birth to three sons in a row and had no daughter. He especially liked the two sisters Huanhuan and Lele from the Chu Tian family, so when he saw the aggrieved Xinxin, he felt distressed. He walked up to Xinxin, looked at Xinxin who had grown a lot taller than a few months ago, and said to Yao Xiujuan.

"Sister-in-law Xiujuan, let Xinxin come with us? We have a blanket on the carriage. Let her sit behind me, she won't be cold..."

Li Meiling also liked Xinxin, who had a pleasant appearance and a lively personality, and then said, "Sister-in-law Xiujuan..."

Yao Xiujuan looked at Xinxin, who was pleading, and then looked at Sun Weiguo and Li Meiling. Finally, she had no choice but to sigh and compromise, "Okay, then you must be a good boy and follow your Uncle Weiguo and Aunt Meiling. Also, don't ask for things without permission, or else don't blame your mother for punishing you when you come back!"

"Yeah, Mom, don't worry..."

Xinxin looked very happy and had no objection to Yao Xiujuan's various requests.

Old Madam Chu looked at Xinxin and then at Yao Xiujuan with a smile in her eyes, thinking that Yao Xiujuan was still too soft-hearted. Every time Xinxin begged her a few times, she would surrender. Unlike Xiaotian, no matter how much he doted on Xinxin, if they did something wrong, no matter how cute they acted or who said something nice for them, it would be useless...

At this time, Chu Tian and his men had been traveling day and night for ten consecutive days. When they just arrived in Shanxi, they encountered a heavy snowstorm. Director Jiang was afraid that something might happen on the road, so he just found a team to stay with and stayed there for three days.

"Secretary Jiang, we can't set out in such heavy snow..."

Chu Tian walked to Director Jiang and looked up at the sky.

Secretary Jiang nodded and said, "I always thought the snow in Northeast China and Xinjiang was heavy, but I didn't expect it to be even heavier here..."

"Could it be that the weather this year is unusual and it hasn't snowed this heavily before?"

Chu Tian grinned. Their driver was staying at a team member's house, while the people they were transporting were crammed into two warehouses in the brigade headquarters. Yesterday, with nothing to do, he chatted with the villagers. They said that it had never snowed so heavily in previous years. He didn't know what had happened this year, that it could snow so heavily...

Secretary Jiang turned his head to look at Chu Tian and smiled, "It's also possible..."

After a pause, he continued, "I just don't know when this snow will stop falling..."

Chu Tian shrugged slightly and thought to himself that he didn't know either, as there was no Meteorological Bureau now.

Seeing that there was no one around, Chu Tian leaned over to Secretary Jiang and whispered, "Professor Qi's granddaughter had a fever this morning..."