The wind and snow outside had stopped, and the faint sounds of children from the village having a snowball fight on the thick snow could be heard through the cracks in the window.
I pushed open the door, and a blanket of white snow came into view. A slight chill swept over me, but it couldn't dampen my joy at the sight of the snow-covered landscape after the storm.
Grandma Zhou was behind me, reminding me that it was cold outside and that I should put on a cloak to keep warm when I went out, while also telling me not to forget to close the door.
I glanced at the only precious black fur coat hanging on the wall in our house. It was old and faded. My parents would only wear it when they went on long trips, and they were reluctant to wear it on ordinary days.
I had no reason to put it on, mainly because wearing a heavy cotton-padded coat already made me as inconvenient to move around as a ball. How could I walk if I wore it?
I said "oh" and simply closed the door.
But the moment I stepped out of the room, I realized what it meant to "not heed the advice of elders and suffer the consequences."
A cool breeze slipped into my collar, making me instinctively shrink my neck.
I huddled up like a country woman on the street, my hands tucked into my sleeves.
With crunching steps on the snow, I strolled out of the yard with a sauntering gait, intending to join the village children for some fun.
Wen Heng, without me even noticing, followed me around like a little shadow.
They imitated my unsteady gait, stepping on the rows of footprints I left in the snow, their posture looking even awkward and comical.
I couldn't be bothered with him, so I wandered over to the group of kids who were having a great time having a snowball fight and watched the fun with my hands in my pockets.
Having spent so long in the Taihang Mountains, I never knew that snow could be enjoyed in this way.
Wen Heng followed behind me and, just like me, hunched his neck and put his hands in the sleeves of his cotton coat.
He and I huddled together like two turtles in our ball-shaped cotton coats. We stood side by side, watching the laughing children in front of us, and we grinned and laughed out loud too.
I stopped smiling, turned my head, and looked down at him.
He stopped smiling, turned his head, and looked down at me.
"Ha!" I gave him a dismissive snort.
The moment I finished speaking, I was struck hard on the head by a cold, sharp force.
Only when a few snowflakes landed on the tip of my nose did I realize that some naughty kid had carelessly thrown a snowball at my head.
"Heh!" Coincidentally, at that very moment, Wen Heng also lowered his eyes and gave me a cold snort, mimicking my disdainful expression.
His expression, however, seemed a little stiff.
It made me feel that his expression was mocking my current, pathetic state.
I twitched my lips, thinking to myself, "I don't know what's wrong with this kid today. He not only imitates me but also laughs at me."
Just as I was about to reach out and poke his chubby cheeks to vent my frustration, a snowball suddenly hit Wen Heng's face hard, leaving his head and face as white as mine.
I pointed at him and laughed gleefully, and he joined in with a silly grin.
"Hey, we don't want to play with idiots and mute people, get out of here."
These mischievous kids kept throwing snowballs at my face and body, Wenheng and me.
I initially thought it was just the innocent talk of these kids and didn't take it seriously.
Who knew that these little brats, who hadn't even grown their hair yet, would push their luck? A few of the bolder kids even started shoving Wenheng and me.
I saw Wen Heng stagger backward, his buttocks and the back of his head hitting the ground with a thud. Despite his tall stature, he only frowned and looked at me with a pitiful expression, without uttering a sound.
My heart tightened, and I quickly stepped forward to help him up, asking anxiously, "Are you alright?"
When Wen Heng heard my worried greeting, the furrowed brows relaxed and he shook his head at me.
I reached out and gently rubbed the back of his head, still a little worried: "How could it not hurt when you fell so loudly? How could you be so clumsy? Didn't you know to dodge?"
Wen Heng lowered his head obediently like a big cat, letting me stroke the back of his head. When I called him stupid with a look of disgust, a smile appeared on his lips.
Still laughing? What an idiot.
I stood up, intending to teach these kids a lesson, but to my surprise, they had already run off to build a snowman, showing no remorse whatsoever.
I have a short temper and I'm always petty and protective of my own. If I don't teach them a lesson this time, they might bully Wen Heng again next time.
He's my man, Ah Hua's man. I can bully him, but if anyone else lays a finger on him, I'll fight them to the death.
Even if he is a weak and helpless brat.
I grabbed Wenheng's hand and stormed over to the mischievous child who was diligently building a snowman some distance away.
I instructed Wen Heng to roll up his sleeves and quickly build a super snowman several times larger than theirs, just like I had.
Then, they shaped a snowball and, with great force, smashed it onto the head of the snowman they were almost finished building. The snowman's head, as if frail and weak, fell off the snowman's body with a "smack" and shattered into pieces.
Dealing with these brats is easy. First, destroy their hard-earned treasures, then put something even better and bigger in front of them to make them envious, and you'll take them down in no time.
Sure enough, the children stared with somber faces at the headless snowman standing alone in the cold wind, then ran over to my giant snowman with delight.
They looked on with longing, as if they wanted to step forward and chase us away, but I stood firm and blocked their way. I stared at the group of kids for a moment with a stern face.
In the end, one by one they were frightened by my serious expression and ran home crying to their mothers.
I turned to Wen Heng triumphantly.
He was staring blankly at the giant snowman above him, lost in thought. He was looking at the snowman, but I was looking at him—what a handsome face.
The Zhou couple took such good care of Wen Heng; just look at his chubby cheeks!
It always makes you want to reach out and pinch it.
Unfortunately, there was a significant height difference between him and me, so I had to stand on tiptoe and reach out to pinch him.
Unexpectedly, I slipped and fell hard onto Wen Heng, who had just turned around. His broad chest hit me so hard that my nose hurt.
This caused Wen Heng to stagger back a few steps, and he was about to fall to the ground again. In a moment of urgency, I grabbed Wen Heng's waist and lifted his hind legs.
By hooking our heels onto the trunk of a ginkgo tree behind us, Wen Heng and I were able to stabilize ourselves and escape this ordeal.
But with my heavy kick, the thick snow on the entire tree trunk fell down like an avalanche.
Wen Heng, as if afraid that the falling snow would hit me, also put his arm around my waist and used his body to protect my head and body.
But my head and face were buried in his warm chest, making it hard for me to breathe.
It took a lot of effort to break free from his embrace, and panting heavily, she yelled at Wen Heng, "Are you trying to suffocate me?"
Only then did they realize that Wen Heng's head, shoulders, and even his entire body were completely covered in thick, white snow, as if he had been submerged.
A few snowflakes continued to fall sporadically from overhead.
I stared at Wen Heng's clear eyes, where my reflection and the falling snowflakes were mirrored, and I froze, my heart pounding for a moment.
Wen Heng, trembling from my drinking, said weakly, "We can't let Xue bully Ahua."
I never expected him to say such a thing. I was both amused and inexplicably moved.
I touched the tip of my nose, coughed awkwardly, and reached out to brush the snow off him while telling him to lower his head.
He obediently lowered his head, and after I brushed away the snowflakes from his temples, I still couldn't resist pinching his fair and tender face.
It feels so comfortable to hold in your hand; it's plump and soft.
Looking at his contorted face, she said gently, "I'm telling you, you're stupid. Why don't you just pull me away and run away? Then Xue wouldn't be able to bully me."
After he finished speaking, Wen Heng opened his mouth in surprise and said, "Oh?"
But my "Oh?" made me feel like I was mentally challenged.
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