The first snow fell at the end of November.
After two months of preparation, Lu Qingjiu filled nearly every corner of the house with food. He even remembered to ask Zhu Miaomiao to send him a large stack of his favorite jelly candies. Zhu Miaomiao had originally planned to visit again during the Lantern Festival, but after hearing from Lu Qingjiu that Shuifu Village would be closed due to heavy snow, she had to give up and decided to return next year.
The snow fluttered and fell, and overnight, Shuifu Village was covered in silver. The branches and the ground were all white, and the whole world turned into a beautiful pure white.
Lu Qingjiu lit a pot of charcoal in the house and moved the dens of Little Flower, Little Hei, and Little Fox inside. The three little animals, dressed in clothes tailored by Lu Qingjiu, huddled together beside the charcoal, lazily warming themselves. In the summer, Little Flower's belly was the coolest, but in the winter, Little Fox was the most popular, especially its tender pink belly, which felt so warm in his arms. Yin Xun abandoned Little Flower and reached out for Little Fox. He stuffed the little fox directly into his down jacket, so when he was out working, he'd occasionally see a confused fox head peeking out from under his collar. Yin Xun would reach out and tuck the little fox's head back in...
Seeing this, Xiaohua angrily scolded Yin Xun for being ruthless, saying that Yin Xun had promised to take care of him forever in the summer, but now that the weather was cold, he betrayed her and threw himself into the arms of the little fox. Yin Xun was speechless and could only be called a scumbag.
Lu Qingjiu didn't bother to care about their grudges and just let them be.
With the cold weather, it's natural to crave something warming. Lu Qingjiu began making stews frequently, with things like stewed chicken and duck often appearing on the table. The most delicious of these was the scallion-deaf meat that Bai Yuehu had brought back. The skinned scallion-deaf looked like lamb, but the meat was even more tender and plump. The broth made from the bones was rich and fragrant; a large bowlful on the way out in the morning would warm you up. Lu Qingjiu used some of the meat in a stew, paired with sesame paste, fermented bean curd, and chives. It was fragrant and tender, without any hint of the muttony tang, perfectly suiting Lu Qingjiu's taste.
After the snow fell, the temperature began to drop, and Lu Qingjiu had to wear a thick down jacket.
Winter was probably the season Lu Qingjiu found most difficult to adapt to. Shuifu Village didn't have heating, so the only way to keep warm was to place a few charcoal braziers in the house. However, placing too many charcoal braziers wasn't very safe, as poor ventilation could produce a large amount of carbon monoxide, which is deadly. To prevent this, Lu Qingjiu had to open the windows a little. Even if the cold wind was blowing in from outside, he had to keep the air circulating indoors.
It was very cold that day, so Lu Qingjiu wrapped himself up into a ball. He had a cold constitution, which was not a big deal in the summer, but he couldn't stand it in the winter. His hands and feet were almost cold from head to toe, and no matter how much he rubbed them, he couldn't warm them up.
Because winter was about to come, Bai Yuehu harvested all the vegetables in the fields and dragged back more than 200 kilograms of sweet potatoes. There was really no place to store them at home, so he simply piled them in the cellar and covered them with a layer of oilcloth to block the snow.
Sweet potatoes are delicious in any dish. You can steam them with rice and cook them into soft and sticky sweet potato porridge. Or if you want to be more creative, you can mix them with flour and make fried sweet potato cakes. They are all very appealing.
Sweet potato pancakes are similar to pumpkin pancakes in that they're made by kneading sweet potatoes with flour, pressing them into pancakes, and deep-frying them in a frying pan at low heat. The resulting pancakes are crispy on the outside and soft and sweet on the inside. Paired with pickles and fermented bean curd, you can enjoy several without getting tired of them.
These sweet potatoes solved the food problem for the pigs and chickens in the pigsty during the winter. Lu Qingjiu was a little worried that the chickens would be affected by the cold weather, but Bai Yuehu said not to worry about the chickens, as they were very strong and the low temperature would have no effect on them. Lu Qingjiu was relieved.
While the weather was still warm, Lu Qingjiu and Yin Xun went up the mountain again and picked some wild oranges that had not yet fallen.
The leaves of these orange trees have been shed, but the branches are full of golden oranges. Because of the light snow last night, a thin layer of white snow has adhered to the oranges and branches, which looks quite poetic. Lu Qingjiu took a bamboo pole and knocked the oranges down and put them into the backpack. These oranges are very sour, but they are very good for canning. The canned goods don't need to be soaked in water. When you want to eat them, just scoop a little with a spoon and eat them directly. It is a good snack in the vitamin-deficient winter.
Yin Xun tasted one and his face wrinkled with sourness. Seeing him like this, Lu Qingjiu reached out and grabbed one in his hand.
Yin Xun thought Lu Qingjiu wanted to eat too and was waiting to see the show, but Lu Qingjiu casually stuffed the orange into his pocket and said with a smile, "I'll take one back for Bai Yuehu."
Yin Xun: “…” Lu Qingjiu, you are such a bad guy.
The two packed the oranges and headed back down the mountain. Compared to normal days, Shuifu Village had become much quieter after the onset of winter. Along the way, they didn't see any villagers. The village was completely silent, as if everyone had vanished overnight. Lu Qingjiu's nose was red from the cold. He tried to cover it with his hand, but his hand was also cold, so he had no choice but to give up.
After finally arriving home, Lu Qingjiu saw Bai Yuehu cleaning the ice on the ground in the yard as soon as he entered. Bai Yuehu lowered his head and carefully shoveled the ice off the stones bit by bit.
"Yuehu, Yuehu." Lu Qingjiu ran over and took out the oranges from his pocket and handed them to him. "We picked these oranges on the mountain. Come and try them."
Bai Yuehu glanced at Lu Qingjiu, took the orange, peeled it, and cut it into two halves. As usual, he stuffed one half directly into his mouth.
Lu Qingjiu and Yin Xun stood by and looked at him curiously, but saw that Bai Yuehu looked unmoved and asked, "Why are you looking at me?"
"Is it delicious?" Lu Qingjiu asked him.
Bai Yuehu said, "It's okay."
"Is it sour?" Lu Qingjiu now began to doubt Bai Yuehu's sense of taste.
"It's okay." Bai Yuehu said calmly, "What's wrong?"
"It's okay." It seemed that Bai Yuehu would not give him any feedback as he imagined. Lu Qingjiu was a little disappointed and said, "Then you continue sweeping. I'll go back and deal with the oranges."
"Go ahead." said Bai Yuehu.
Lu Qingjiu and Yin Xun turned and went back into the house, not noticing that as they left, Bai Yuehu gently loosened his grip. The shovel he had been holding to handle the ice fell from his hand and shattered into several pieces. Bai Yuehu glanced at the shovel, then at the remaining half of the orange in his hand, then silently walked to the chicken coop and threw the orange into the chicken coop.
This was probably the first time the chickens had tasted the food shared by the White Moon Fox since they were born...
Lu Qingjiu didn't know that his sour oranges had caused tons of damage to Baiyue Fox. He peeled the oranges in the house, then boiled them in water with sugar. After boiling, he put them in a glass jar and stored them. When eating, he could just scoop them out with a spoon.
After I finished harvesting the oranges, it was already dark. In winter, the daylight is only about nine or ten hours long. It gets light late in the morning and dark early in the evening.
Today's dinner was a pot of scallion soup, set over a charcoal fire, bubbling with steam. While there weren't many vegetables, just cabbage and bean sprouts, there was plenty of meat, and it came in all sorts of flavors. Lu Qingjiu also braised a chicken, one of their family's fighting chickens. The meat was tender and incredibly plump. The braised chicken was salty, fragrant, and tender, and when you bit into it, you could taste the unique flavor of the chicken as you sucked on the bones.
Lu Qingjiu curled up into a ball, eating the cabbage boiled in the bone soup. It must be said that the bone soup and cabbage are a perfect match. The taste of the vegetables becomes fresh and sweet. After taking another sip of the soup, his whole body is warm.
This dish really makes people feel happy in winter. Not to mention Bai Yuehu, even Yin Xun ate a few more bowls of rice than usual.
After dinner, it was almost nine o'clock in the evening and light snow began to fall outside. Lu Qingjiu asked Yin Xun if he wanted to stay at his house for the night. Yin Xun shook his head, saying that he had to go home today.
"The incense and candles in the Buddhist shrine have not been added yet. If you don't go back, the candles in the shrine will go out." Yin Xun replied.
In this case, Lu Qingjiu did not force it.
After Yin Xun left, Bai Yuehu cleaned up the table and went to the kitchen to wash the dishes. When he finished and returned to the house, he saw Lu Qingjiu dozing off on a chair.
The burning charcoal brazier made the room warm, and the light it emitted cast a faint red on Lu Qingjiu's cheeks. The color of his lips was brighter than usual, and he looked very warm, like the sun in winter.
Bai Yuehu said nothing and walked slowly to Lu Qingjiu's side. He lowered his head and his eyes fell on the corner of Lu Qingjiu's lips, where a slight arc appeared, as if telling Bai Yuehu that Lu Qingjiu felt very comfortable at this moment, and he was intoxicated by the pleasant temperature.
Perhaps sensing someone approaching him, Lu Qingjiu's eyelashes trembled, and then he opened his eyes. His black pupils were a little dazed at first, but only gradually focused when he saw Bai Yuehu standing next to him. He muttered something, his voice soft and sleepy: "I... fell asleep..."
Bai Yuehu said, "Yeah."
"Ah... so comfortable." Lu Qingjiu shook his head, trying to wake himself up. After a sumptuous dinner and the warm temperature in the room, he fell asleep unknowingly.
"Go to the bedroom and sleep." Bai Yuehu said, "Be careful not to get sick." Humans are very fragile animals, and a disease can take their lives.
"Yeah, okay." Lu Qingjiu stood up, still yawning. He remembered something and said, "By the way, the oranges I gave you this afternoon are canned. Can I make some for you to try?"
Bai Yuehu's expression froze for a moment, but soon returned to normal and said, "No need."
Lu Qingjiu: "Ah?" He was stunned for a moment, a little unresponsive, "Really?"
Bai Yuehu said, "No, I'm full."
Lu Qingjiu: “…” He was stunned. He didn’t expect to suddenly hear Bai Yuehu say that he was full under such circumstances.
Lu Qingjiu: "Are you really full?"
Bai Yuehu: "Yeah." His tone was so firm, but it made Lu Qingjiu suspicious. Bai Yuehu didn't eat much that night, which was far from his usual level. Could it be that he secretly added food... No... It seemed that there was another reason...
When Lu Qingjiu realized why Bai Yuehu refused the canned oranges, he finally couldn't help laughing: "The canned oranges are not sour and are very sweet."
Bai Yuehu didn't say anything, just looked at him.
Feeling a little guilty under Bai Yuehu's gaze, Lu Qingjiu coughed awkwardly: "Ahem, I was just joking with you.
Bai Yuehu's expression was unfathomable, and he said calmly, "It's quite funny."
Lu Qingjiu: “…” Brother, I’m sorry, he will never dare to do it again.
Finally, Lu Qingjiu went to the kitchen and poured Bai Yuehu a bowl of oranges. The oranges had been boiled in sugar water, and the sourness inside was fully diluted. The perfect combination with the sugar made it a sweet and sour dessert. It was a great after-dinner dessert. After taking a bite, Bai Yuehu was sure that this was not the sour orange that made her teeth fall out in the afternoon, so she slowly ate the whole bowl.
After eating, Lu Qingjiu returned to his bedroom to rest.
The weather was too cold, and taking a shower in the bathroom without a heater became torture. Lu Qingjiu sweated all over while picking oranges today. Although he was afraid of the cold, he still gritted his teeth and took a shower. After the shower, he quickly put on his clothes and rushed into the bed. However, he couldn't warm up for a long time after curling up in the quilt, especially his feet, which were almost numb from the cold.
Lu Qingjiu added a few pieces of charcoal to his charcoal brazier to make the fire burn a little more vigorously, but he felt that it was really a drop in the bucket and he was still very cold.
Was the winter in Shuifu Village this cold in his memory? Lu Qingjiu curled up in his bed and closed his eyes. However, in his mind, the only memories of winter in Shuifu Village were the warm stew made by his grandmother and the moonlight falling in the yard, illuminating the snow.
Lu Qingjiu didn't sleep very well, probably only three or four hours, and the extinguished charcoal fire woke him up from his dream. He really couldn't sleep, so he got dressed and went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast, thinking that moving might make him feel better.
Bai Yuehu appeared behind Lu Qingjiu at some point, and by the time Lu Qingjiu saw him, he seemed to have been standing at the door for a long time.
"Can't sleep?" Bai Yuehu asked him.
"Yeah." Lu Qingjiu nodded.
"Are you having a nightmare?" Bai Yuehu asked again.
"No." Lu Qingjiu smiled, "It's just too cold."
Bai Yuehu tilted his head slightly when he heard this. He couldn't feel normal temperature changes, so he couldn't understand what it felt like for Lu Qingjiu to be woken up by the cold, but he thought it wouldn't be a pleasant experience.
"I'd better clean the kang." Lu Qingjiu was a little tired and yawned, "Otherwise, I really don't know how I'm going to get through this winter."
The kang is in his grandmother's room. Lu Qingjiu has always kept the original appearance of his grandmother's room, which can be regarded as a kind of concern.
It's only winter now, but he can't stand the cold. When December comes and he doesn't use the kang anymore, he's really afraid that he will freeze to death.
Bai Yuehu said, "Let me do it. Which room?"
Lu Qingjiu wanted to refuse, but heard Bai Yuehu say, "You'll have to touch the cold water."
Hearing the word "cold water", Lu Qingjiu couldn't help but shudder. Although there was a water heater at home, the weather was so cold that the water temperature was difficult to raise, and the effect was really average. So now Lu Qingjiu tried not to touch water as much as possible...
"Okay, thank you for your help." Lu Qingjiu didn't force it any further. "It's the room in the southeast corner."
Bai Yuehu nodded, got a towel and a broom, and went to clean the room.
Lu Qingjiu made some glutinous rice wine and egg dumplings in the kitchen. Both the dumplings and the glutinous rice wine were homemade. Lu Qingjiu cooked a big pot, beat five poached eggs in it, and scooped two spoonfuls of brown sugar. Yin Xun and Bai Yuehu each had two eggs, and one was enough for him.
It was snowing heavily outside. Yin Xun didn't have an umbrella when he came over, and a thin layer of snow piled up on his head and shoulders. When he came in, he saw Bai Yuehu cleaning the house and said, "Why did you suddenly think of cleaning the room?"
Lu Qingjiu explained that she was too cold and wanted to use the heated kang. Yin Xun asked, "Do you have enough charcoal? The mountain will probably be closed next month, so we can't be short of charcoal."
Lu Qingjiu said: "It seems not enough, let's go to the town to buy some more."
Yin Xun said, "Okay."
Lu Qingjiu said, "Yuehu, come and have dinner."
A large pot of glutinous rice dumplings was shared among the three of them. Made of glutinous rice, they were soft, sweet, and very filling. Lu Qingjiu finished a small bowl and was almost done. He looked at the weather outside and felt a little worried. It was so cold that he had no desire to go out. He wished he could stay huddled by the stove every day. However, if he wanted to heat the kang, the charcoal at home would definitely not be enough, so he had to go to town to buy some.
Perhaps Lu Qingjiu's expression was too sad, Yin Xun rubbed his nose: "Why don't I go, you just stay at home."
Lu Qingjiu asked: "Can you drive?"
"No," Yin Xun said, "but it doesn't matter if I can't. The minivan can drive automatically anyway...why not just let it drive on its own?"
This did make some sense, but Lu Qingjiu was still a little worried. Just when he was thinking about going with Yin Xun, Bai Yuehu beside him spoke up and said, "Yin Xun and I will go together." He probably knew what Lu Qingjiu was worried about and added, "I have a driver's license."
Lu Qingjiu was shocked: "Really? You still have a driver's license?"
Bai Yuehu nodded.
Lu Qingjiu asked curiously, "When did you learn this? You don't still have your ID card or household registration, do you?"
Bai Yuehu said, "Of course, otherwise I would be an illegal resident." He said it so frankly that for a moment Lu Qingjiu felt that it made sense.
So in the end, Lu Qingjiu stopped hesitating and waved his hand to let Bai Yuehu and Yin Xun go to the town to buy charcoal. However, before leaving, Yin Xun seemed to want to say something to Lu Qingjiu but hesitated. Lu Qingjiu thought he was afraid of being alone with Bai Yuehu, and was about to say a few words of comfort when he heard Yin Xun whisper, "Hey... Jiu'er, where's the money for the charcoal?"
Lu Qingjiu: "..." I'm sorry, he forgot that he controls the family's finances, and his family's mountain god and fox spirit are so poor that they can't even afford xiaolongbao...
Lu Qingjiu took out his card, put it in Yin Xun's hand, and told him the password.
Yin Xun held the card tightly in his hand and told Lu Qingjiu that he would protect the card with his life, and even if he lost his life, he would return the card safely.
Lu Qingjiu: "...But aren't you already dead? Where does your life come from?"
Yin Xun: “…” He was speechless.
Yin Xun and Bai Yuehu, both holding their cards, boarded the pickup truck. Lu Qingjiu watched them disappear into the village. This was the first time Yin Xun and Bai Yuehu had gone to town together, and watching them leave, Lu Qingjiu felt the complex emotions of a mother sending her son away.
While feeling happy that his son had finally grown up, Lu Qingjiu was also worried about whether he would encounter any unsolvable difficulties. Suddenly remembering something, Lu Qingjiu quickly called Yin Xun and asked him to buy Bai Yuehu a phone and a SIM card while he was buying charcoal. He had forgotten about this matter before, so he might as well do it together this time. Besides, Bai Yuehu was there, so he could choose the phone he liked.
Lu Qingjiu sent the two away and returned to the house. He first added charcoal to the charcoal basin, then placed the cut sweet potato strips next to the charcoal basin, intending to roast them slowly.
After being baked and dried, sweet potato chips become very chewy and can be chewed for a long time, making them a great snack to pass the time. Winter brings fewer things to do, and most people just stay home watching TV and surfing the internet. Lu Qingjiu took the opportunity to organize his Taobao store. This month's goods have already been shipped, and he'll have to take a break for at least two months before reopening in the spring.
As soon as the store's announcement went out, there was a wave of outcry online. The effectiveness of the hair tonic from "Xiaocun" was obvious to all, with almost no negative reviews, and many people even shared photos of their hair growth before and after. However, despite the effectiveness of the hair tonic, the production is too limited, with only 100 bottles per month. Once all the bottles are sold out, the owner won't restock. Everyone was desperate to grab the next month's supply, but who knew the owner would just stop making it...
"Boss, please, I'm begging you. I'm hoping to go back for a blind date during the Chinese New Year with long hair."
"Boss, please sell some more. I'm relying on your hair growth water to make a living."
“Boss, boss…”
Lu Qingjiu casually clicked on a few dialog boxes and saw comments like this. He was immediately a little amused, but he still did not continue to open the store. After all, he could not even leave the village next month, so how could he ship the goods?
Lu Qingjiu simply closed the chat software and stopped reading.
Yin Xun and Bai Yuehu went to town, and Lu Qingjiu was too lazy to cook, so he took out some instant noodles to make do. After he finished his simple meal, he went to make a thick quilt on his grandmother's bed and heated up the kang.
After the kang was heated, Lu Qingjiu couldn't wait to lie down. Feeling the warm temperature in the quilt, he let out a long sigh of comfort.
The little fox cub also came over and nestled next to his head. Lu Qingjiu touched its little head and said, "Come on, let's take a nap together. They will be back when you wake up."
The little fox licked Lu Qingjiu's fingers and coiled up into a ball.
Wrapped in the heat, Lu Qingjiu fell into a deep sleep. He didn't get enough rest last night, and now he almost fell asleep as soon as he touched the pillow. Until he faintly heard Yin Xun calling him: "Qingjiu, Qingjiu, where are you? We are back."
Lu Qingjiu opened his eyes dazedly and replied, "I'm here."
With a creaking sound, someone seemed to push the door open and a pair of cold hands touched his forehead. Lu Qingjiu vaguely saw Bai Yuehu's face and said vaguely, "Yuehu... I'm so hot."
The author has something to say: I modified the two bugs about why Yin Xun needed to go back and the location of the sweet potato stacking.
Lu Qingjiu: It’s so hot
Bai Yuehu: You seem ripe.
Lu Qingjiu: Hmm?
White Moon Fox: Since it’s cooked, you can eat it.
Lu Qingjiu: Hmm...
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