With the braised meat gone, Meng Zhao felt a little heavy-hearted, so she changed her mind and instead of going to find her parents, she turned around and went back to the rented courtyard.
In the courtyard, Madam Gu gestured and said earnestly, "Yes, Qinghe, it's that gap. This wooden board must be covered tightly so that snow won't get in."
Shen Qinghe is currently reinforcing the donkey shed under Gu's guidance. If the snow falls too heavily, it could easily collapse the shed, so it needs to be reinforced in advance. They also need to add more old cotton quilts and weeds to the shed to keep it warm.
Seeing Meng Zhao return, Madam Gu asked with some confusion, "Hey, Zhao Zhao, didn't you go to your parents' house? Why are you back now?"
Meng Zhao calmed herself down and forced a smile. "I only realized I forgot to bring something when we were almost there. Let's go tomorrow." After saying that, she stepped forward to help hand over the wooden board.
After the donkey shed was set up, everyone started cooking together. By the time the food was ready, there was already a thin layer of snow in the yard. The group sat inside the house and lit the stove.
"Zhao Zhao, try this stir-fried potato noodles. It's my first time making it." Aunt Feng'e looked at Meng Zhao with anticipation.
Meng Zhao picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks, put it in her mouth, chewed it, and nodded. "Not bad, Auntie, your cooking skills are getting better and better."
Hearing Meng Zhao say it was good, Aunt Feng'e narrowed her eyes and said, "That's good. I was wondering what to do with the potato noodles you got for me last time."
After the potato starch noodles are dried, they are of varying lengths, making them difficult to store. Therefore, some of the excess portion at the end is cut off. In addition, due to repeated transportation and handling, there are always some crumbs, which are not easy to sell to customers. Meng Zhao himself could not finish them all, so he divided them into several portions and gave them to the workers in the shop.
"You can eat these potato noodles however you like. Just soak some in water, throw a handful in when you're stir-frying vegetables, and they're ready to eat once they're cooked together."
So Aunt Feng'e talked to Madam Gu about how to pair potato noodles with different dishes and what dishes they would taste best with.
After dinner, Meng Zhao helped clear the table, then went to the stove to fetch a basin of hot water. After washing up and soaking her feet, she went to bed.
Around midnight, Meng Zhao was suddenly awakened from her sleep. It turned out that the wind outside was strong and had blown open the strips of cloth blocking the window, leaving a small crack. Although it wasn't big, the wind made a whooshing sound when it blew through.
Meng Zhao couldn't help but shiver. He quickly put on his cotton coat, got up to try to stuff the gap back in, and while folding the strips of cloth, he saw the outside view through the gap.
After some time, the falling snowflakes had completely covered the ground, turning the yard into a white wonderland.
Gazing at the boundless white snow, Meng Zhao's thoughts drifted away, recalling the brother and sister she had seen earlier that day. In such cold weather and with such heavy snow, how could they possibly withstand the biting wind and icy snowflakes while sleeping on the streets with only a dirty, tattered quilt?
After stuffing the cloth strips back in, Meng Zhao returned to her warm bed, but she tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. Finally, she sighed, sat up, put on her thickest clothes, and gently opened the door. The cold night wind rushed in, making her shiver again.
He walked up to Shen Qinghe's room, knocked on the door, and called out twice, "Second brother, second brother."
In his sleep, Shen Qinghe vaguely heard someone calling him. His eyelashes trembled slightly, and he slowly opened his eyes. It sounded like his sister-in-law's voice.
As he gradually regained consciousness, a clear knocking sound reached his ears. He instantly realized that someone was indeed outside the door. He quickly put on his clothes and went to open the door. The cold wind was still blowing fiercely outside. Shen Qinghe pulled Meng Zhao into the house.
"Sister-in-law, what's wrong? Is something important?" Shen Qinghe looked at Meng Zhao with concern.
"Second brother, when I came back today, I saw a brother and sister who were thinly dressed and homeless. With such heavy snow, I'm afraid something might happen to them. Could you come with me to check on them?"
After saying that, Meng Zhao shrank her neck. She didn't want to trouble Shen Qinghe, but she was afraid that if she went out by herself, she would have more help if something unexpected happened.
After hearing Meng Zhao's words, Shen Qinghe replied without hesitation, "Okay, sister-in-law, wait for me."
Shen Qinghe first put on another layer of clothing for himself, then skillfully lit the charcoal fire, added it to the hand warmer, wrapped it with a cotton cover, and handed it to Meng Zhao, saying, "Sister-in-law, take this; it will keep you warm on the road."
In the quiet snowy night, the pure white snowflakes illuminated the darkness considerably, so there was no need to carry lanterns.
The freshly fallen snow was fluffy and soft, making a crunching sound underfoot. Meng Zhao led the way, relying on her memory, and finally arrived at the alley she had been in before. She went straight to the courtyard gate, but did not see the brother and sister. She had not seen any new footprints along the way, so they must have left before the snow fell heavily.
"I suppose they've already left. In this cold weather, I wonder if they can make it through," Meng Zhao said, frowning with worry.
Shen Qinghe knew in his heart that every winter, some people would freeze to death.
Once the snow melts, several small mounds will appear on the mountains in the county. If you're lucky, your family will bring the body there to be buried, and you'll have a tombstone. If you're unlucky, there will be no other family members left alive, and your body will often only be able to wait until you meet a kind person who will bring the whole family to the mountains for a simple burial.
But seeing Meng Zhao's worried expression, he couldn't bear to tell her the cruel truth, so he comforted her instead, saying, "They may have found a more sheltered doorway, or someone may be willing to take them in. They should be fine."
Hearing Shen Qinghe say this, Meng Zhao nodded, "It's just too much trouble for you, Second Brother. It's so cold, and you've made a wasted trip."
Shen Qinghe quickly shook her head, "It's alright, sister-in-law."
On the way back, Meng Zhao kept looking around, hoping to see them around the corner. Snowflakes fell in a flurry, landing on her, but she didn't notice. Seeing this, Shen Qinghe reached out and grabbed Meng Zhao's arm.
“Sister-in-law, I’ve remembered a few places where some homeless people in the county might gather. Why don’t we go take a look?”
Meng Zhao raised her head slightly, looked at Shen Qinghe beside her, and a hint of hesitation flashed in her eyes. "It's so late and so cold. You have to go to the county school tomorrow. Let's just forget about it."
“If we go back like this, my sister-in-law won’t be able to sleep peacefully. Why don’t I help her look for a few more places? If we can find one, great. If we can’t, there’s nothing we can do. At least we’ve done our best, and my sister-in-law can rest in peace.”
Shen Qinghe's voice was steady and powerful, yet filled with concern for Meng Zhao. Looking into his determined eyes, Meng Zhao felt a surge of warmth in his heart. Knowing that refusing again would seem a bit pretentious, he nodded slightly.
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