Chapter 238 The East Wind Overwhelms the West Wind
That night, a fine crackling sound was heard outside the house, and the wind blew the door open with a loud noise. Zhao Xiping woke up. He heard a rolling sound in the yard, which was quite loud. He quickly put on his sheepskin coat, got out of bed, and opened the door.
It was snowing, or to be more precise, it was snow seeds falling. The snow fell on the ground with a crackling sound. He walked out and the snow seeds hit his face, causing pain.
"Third brother?" Zhao's father called from inside the house, "Are you up? Is it raining?"
Zhao Xiping picked up the basket that was rolling around in the yard and said, "It's snowing and the wind is strong outside. You and my mother should wear more clothes tomorrow morning."
"I said it was going to snow last night, but your mother didn't believe me." Father Zhao muttered a few words, then coughed a few times.
"Drink some water." Zhao's mother thought his cough was annoying.
"The water is cold, how can I drink it?"
Through a door, the old couple's voices hummed in a muffled hum. Zhao Xiping stood under the eaves, gazing at the sky. Perhaps his mind was hazy from the night, and he suddenly remembered his childhood. When he went out to pee at night, he would hear his parents lying awake in bed complaining about their three sons, each one with a bigger appetite than the other, and how they couldn't save any money all year round, so they had to eat it all. The chatter back then had made him uneasy, but now it made him feel at ease.
When she opened the door, a gust of cold wind rushed in. Sui Yu hissed and pulled up the mattress to cover her head.
"Would you like some water?" Zhao Xiping asked.
"No."
"Is the kid awake?" he asked again.
"No, he's in a deep sleep."
"Hehe." The child pretending to be asleep chuckled. He curled up in the quilt and asked, "Dad, is the snow heavy?"
"It hasn't snowed yet. Now it's snowing seeds, like little stones. Do you want some water?"
The kid smacked his lips and said drink.
Zhao Xiping went out again. He opened the door and went out, then ran quickly to the west kitchen. The door to the kitchen yard was not locked, so he pulled out the stick that was poking at the door knocker and went in.
The two big black dogs sleeping under the haystack pricked up their ears, quickly crawled out from under the haystack, and approached quietly.
Two sounds of breathing approached. Zhao Xiping turned around and saw two dark dog heads and wagging tails in the light of the fire.
"Do you think I'm a thief?" Zhao Xiping asked. "Be careful! I'll kill a pig and give you the bones tomorrow."
The water in the pot boiled, he scooped two bowls of water, and drove the dog out again.
"Dad, do you want some hot water?" Zhao Xiping asked through the door.
Father Zhao perked up when he heard this. He got out of bed, his coat on, and shouted happily, "I just coughed twice. Your mother is so fussy. It doesn't matter if she drinks water or not. Did you hear that? This old woman is such a troublemaker."
Zhao Xiping handed the bowl over, and without even entering the door, he tiptoed out, saying, "The kid is thirsty."
The old man's face fell half an inch. He closed the door, drank half a bowl of hot water in one breath, and muttered, "I benefited from my grandson's help."
The kid stretched his neck to drink a few sips of water, and when his thirst was quenched, he quickly lay down, hissing with cold.
Zhao Xiping handed the unfinished hot water to Sui Yu, who took the bowl and drank it all in one gulp.
"Do you want to drink?" he asked.
"No more."
"You really don't want to drink anymore?" The man joked with a smile. He put down the bowl and went out to close the door.
After walking around outside, he felt as cold as a lump of ice. As soon as he got into bed, the mother and son lying next to him both disliked him.
"Mom, my dad is touching me," the kid shrieked softly, "his hands are so cold."
"Don't move, don't move. The warmth in the quilt is almost gone." Sui Yu held down the corner of the quilt and kicked the man with her legs in the quilt, but he caught her and clamped her feet with his legs.
"Not sleeping anymore?" She stared at him in the dark.
"Can you sleep?"
Unable to sleep, people always wake up in the middle of the night very awake, especially after drinking water and talking. She was annoyed with him, reached out and pinched him, saying: "I said I didn't want to drink water, but you forced me to drink water."
"I didn't force you to drink." Zhao Xiping smiled.
"You've already put the bowl to my mouth, and you still haven't forced me to drink? You're making me drink your son's leftover water." Noticing that his body had warmed up, Sui Yu pushed the child lying in her arms to her, "Go sleep with your stinky dad."
"My dad doesn't stink."
Zhao Xiping laughed, and Sui Yu rolled her eyes in anger.
"It's snowing. We'll kill two pigs tomorrow." Zhao Xiping got down to business. "There are forty-three pigs in the pen. We kill ten a month, and five more during the New Year. By the beginning of next spring, the pigpen will be empty again."
"Okay, I want to eat meat in big mouthfuls too." Only when Sui Yu kills pigs at home will he not feel sorry when stewing and eating meat, because he does not have to buy it with money, and he does not need to measure the meat with money, so he feels refreshed when eating it.
"I also want to eat meat in big mouthfuls." The kid imitated.
"Aren't you going to sleep yet?" Zhao's father knocked on the wall next door, his voice filled with impatience. "It's the middle of the night, why are you still talking?"
Zhao Xiping's previous good mood disappeared in an instant, and he felt a little annoyed. It was really a dampener.
"Go to sleep." Sui Yu lay down, tucked in the mattress, closed her eyes, and said, "You two can sleep in each other's arms tonight. Don't bother me."
No, the kid crawled over and wanted to sleep next to her.
"Didn't you say your father doesn't stink?" Sui Yu pulled up the mattress to cover his head and spoke while hiding in the quilt.
The kid chuckled twice and whispered in Sui Yu's ear that he had lied.
"Zhao Mingguang, I heard you." Zhao Xiping snorted coldly, "If you think I stink, you can sleep with your uncle next year."
The kid didn't say a word. He closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep but he couldn't fall asleep. He couldn't be quiet for a while and then started groaning and wanting to pee.
The door opened, and a series of footsteps echoed in the yard. Father Zhao turned over and whispered, "If you keep going for a while, it will be dawn."
Mother Zhao was too lazy to pay attention to him. There was nothing to do on a snowy day, so what was the harm in getting up a little later in the morning? This old man was just looking for trouble, and the third brother gave him a good look again.
The falling snow seeds turned into snowflakes, the night became quiet, and people fell into a deep sleep.
When the daybreak came, the chickens were still lying in the shed because they felt cold. Zhao's father opened the door and came out. He was in the yard, chasing away the birds on the wall and urging the old woman to get up, making it impossible for everyone to sleep early in the morning.
Zhao Xiping opened the door with a stern face and stared at him silently. Zhao's father's voice gradually disappeared. He kicked the snow, hunched his neck and walked out of the door, going straight to the kitchen.
The yard returned to silence. Sui Yu hugged the baby and took another nap. When she woke up, the two pigs had been slaughtered, and Zhang Shun and Li Wu were pouring water to scald the pig hair.
"There's porridge warming up on the stove in the warehouse." Zhao Xiping said to Sui Yu.
"Okay." Sui Yu brought the kid closer to him and asked, "Why are you looking so sullen? When did it start? I didn't hear anything."
Zhao Xiping didn't sleep at all. He got up as soon as he couldn't fall asleep. As soon as he went out, he went to talk to the old man. The father and son argued for a few words. The old man was defeated and agreed to the requests made by the third son one by one.
But Zhao's father still held his anger. In the days that followed, apart from eating, drinking and sleeping, he didn't say a word to his son and grandson.
Sui Yu did not show up or say a word from beginning to end, pretending to be unaware of the quarrel. She smiled when she saw people, and did not go near her in-laws when she didn't see anyone.
The aroma of the pig-killing dishes dispelled the cold of winter. Two pigs were slaughtered every few days, and the smell of stewed meat never dissipated from the kitchen. Everyone ate and drank, and after a full meal, they spent time in the teahouse, not caring whether it was snowing or sunny outside.
"This winter has passed so quickly. In the blink of an eye, it's already the end of the year again." Hu Shang walked out of the guesthouse to loosen his belt. He patted the flesh around his waist and said to his elder brother, "I haven't gained weight in years."
Sui Yu happened to come over in the snow. She stamped the snow off her feet and asked, "What are you doing outside? Aren't you afraid of the cold?"
"I'm fat, so I'm not afraid of the cold." Hu Shang joked.
Not only did the merchant gain weight, but Sui Yu also gained weight and her face became round again. She had been eating meat all day long, which made her qi and blood abundant. Her family was harmonious and her life was peaceful. She looked good all day long.
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