Shoveling and pushing snow is a big job, but luckily the Li family has many members.
Not only did they quickly tidy up their own home, but they also had time to help the elderly men next door.
Jia'an and Jiaxi's little hands were red from the cold. They ran back from next door and shouted loudly as soon as they entered the house.
"Grandma, Uncle said to have some ginger soup made at home. Grandpa Zhao and the others next door have caught a cold; they have a fever and a cough."
"You all need to stay away from Fu Niu'er, lest she catch her illness!"
Grandma Li reached out and separated her two naughty grandsons, preventing them from getting close to Jiayin.
Then he called his daughters-in-law to make ginger soup, and even gritted his teeth and added two spoonfuls of brown sugar from the house.
Tao Hongying and Zhao Yuru are both warm-hearted; they cooked the food and took it to the neighbor's.
Several old men sat around the quilt on the kang (a heated brick bed), their faces all looking unwell.
I forgot to bring firewood into the house yesterday, and the fire went out at night. I was thinking of lighting the stove again this morning.
Unexpectedly, heavy snow fell, sealing the doors and windows, trapping us inside and leaving us frozen.
Fortunately, Li Laosan brought his boys with him, otherwise they might have all perished.
At this moment, they were drinking the hot brown sugar ginger water in large gulps.
The house was filled with Li family members. Zhao Yuru and Tao Hongying heated the kang (a traditional heated brick bed) and cooked porridge. Li Laosan led his sons to shovel snow on the roof and clean the yard. Only then did they feel alive again, and their eyes turned red.
"Old Kui died a miserable death, but he did do a good thing by leaving behind a big courtyard, which provided a place for such a good family to settle down. We all benefited from it."
When the village chief rushed over, the Li family had already finished their work. He was touched, but he couldn't help feeling proud of his old friends.
"How about it? Isn't the place I found for you good? It's right next to those Li family kids, so they'll definitely take care of you a bit."
"Yes, yes, you're so smart, you're so cunning."
The old men were happy, and their lively banter helped them recover from their colds.
Just then, Zhao Yuru and Tao Hongying brought over some porridge, and everyone slurped it down.
The sweet aroma made the village chief's mouth water, so he ate a bowl as well.
"Third son's wife, fourth son's wife, you've really gone through a lot of trouble. After finishing up at home, you still have to come and take care of these old folks."
"Uncle, don't be so polite. We're neighbors, it's only right that I lend a hand."
Tao Hongying waved her hand and smiled, "I was always busy cooking before and couldn't come over to help. Now that I have more free time, we'll definitely come over more often."
“Good, good. If everyone in the village were like your family, I wouldn’t have to worry about anything.”
The village chief was very pleased and praised them a few times, which made Tao Hongying and Zhao Yuru blush. They quickly made an excuse to go home.
As if by prior arrangement, the heavy snow would come again every time the villagers finished clearing away the accumulated snow.
So much so that the villagers have been extremely busy this month, and they haven't stopped cursing God.
A timely snowfall promises a good harvest, and snow is generally a good thing, but too much snow is not necessarily a good thing.
The elderly gathered together and began to worry about whether the weather would be favorable for planting next year.
The children, however, were the most carefree. They spent an hour each morning at the Li family school, and then it was their time to run around and have fun.
Building snowmen, having snowball fights—they can have all sorts of fun activities.
The river outside the village was completely frozen solid, and the ice sleds could be taken out.
You can hear the shouts and yells of naughty boys almost every time you pass by...
Jiaxi and Jia'an were frightened by falling into the water earlier and developed a fear of the river.
But after being persuaded by her friends, she soon forgot her fear...
Jiayin was incredibly envious at home, but unfortunately, besides chewing on her toes, all she could do was try her best to crawl.
The only little bit of fun was sneaking a snack with my grandma at night.
Grandma Li found a small silver spoon somewhere and scraped apple puree, which was just right for feeding Jiayin.
Unfortunately, she was worried that Jiayin's stomach couldn't handle it, so she only fed her three or four spoonfuls each time, and Jiayin had to enjoy the rest of the apple herself...
When will this miserable infancy finally end?
Jiayin hugged her toes and gnawed on them while continuing to worry.
Tao Hongying came in from outside and couldn't stop laughing when she saw her daughter like this. She then spoke to her mother-in-law.
"Mom, look at our Fu Niu'er, she's just like a little adult, she even sighs!"
Grandma Li was sewing shoe soles when she traced a line on her scalp with the needle and replied smugly, "My Fu Niu is very clever; she's probably thinking of something important."
Tao Hongying unbuttoned her clothes to breastfeed her daughter. Jiayin was already used to it and no longer felt any shame or resistance. She drank the milk happily with big gulps.
Tao Hongying now has a job cooking, which allows her to earn money for the family. The food is also quite good, and most importantly, Jiayin is worry-free and knows how to care for her mother.
If I eat a full meal before bed, I won't bother her all night and can get a good night's sleep, so her milk supply is even better than before.
Seeing that her daughter seemed to have gained weight and grown taller, Tao Hongying was very happy and couldn't help but miss her husband who was away from home.
"Mother, judging by the days, the fourth son will be back soon."
“Yes,” Grandma Li replied, glancing at the window instinctively.
"It's almost the twelfth lunar month, and they've been gone for twenty days. I reckon they're on their way back."
Jiayin counted on her toes as she ate, pondering in her mind that her father's journey as a镖师 (bodyguard/escort) was likely to be tough, given the recent heavy snowfall.
But she was still confident that her father would return safely, after all, his archery skills were really good, and he was born with superhuman strength, which was more than enough to protect himself.
Leaving aside the worries at home, just consider the official road a hundred miles away, where the Wuwei Escort Agency's caravan is currently braving the wind and snow to make its way.
The snow fell last night and is still quite fluffy. The carriages didn't have too much trouble passing over it.
However, the heavy snow obscured the road conditions, and wagons carrying goods frequently fell into deep ditch.
At times like these, everyone has to work together to lift the carriage out.
This is the most troublesome thing on the journey of a镖师 (bodyguard/escort).
First, horse-drawn carriages are prone to tipping over, requiring the cargo to be reloaded.
Secondly, the carriages were heavy, and it took a lot of manpower to lift them out, which reduced the protection of the convoy.
If there are bandits or brigands, they could easily take advantage of the situation, which is extremely dangerous.
But that's all in the past. Now, no one in the escort agency is worried anymore, because two newbies have joined this escort mission!
This escort mission offered high pay and low risk, so everyone wanted to join, inevitably leading to some competition.
But Liu, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort), reported to the chief镖师 (bodyguard/escort) and insisted on bringing two outsiders along, which made everyone somewhat unhappy.
Unexpectedly, the two of them gave everyone countless surprises on the way.
For example, at this time, a carriage accidentally veered off the tracks, and its right rear wheel fell into a deep pit. The chestnut horse, its nose puffing out white steam, tried several times but couldn't pull the carriage out, and angrily pawed at the ground.
Braving the wind and snow, a boy came running up, shouting to the driver, "Uncle Xu, the wheel has fallen into a ditch?"
"Yes, Jiayi, I was a little sleepy and didn't see the tracks properly, so I veered off course a bit, and by sheer coincidence, I fell right into them."
The man driving the cart held the whip, feeling quite annoyed.
"Don't worry, wait for me." Jiayi replied with a grin, turned around to look at the back of the car, and then said.
"Uncle Xu, I'll count to three, then you urge the horse on. If we all push together, we can get out."
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