Hearing this, Meng Zhao couldn't help but chuckle, "Why is Dad still acting like a child?"
Xu Yunrong smiled and said, "That's right. If I hadn't helped with the arrangements, your father's popularity would be terrible."
When they reached the door, Xu Yunrong gently brushed the snowflakes off Meng Zhao, then pulled Meng Zhao to the stove.
"Hurry up and warm yourself by the fire. Why did you have to come all this way in this freezing weather?"
"I saw that the snow showed no signs of stopping, and I was thinking that if it got heavier, it would be harder to go out. So I took advantage of the time I could still come out and delivered the things ahead of schedule."
While they were talking, Meng Dashan returned from outside, looking like he had won a battle. "Old Li is just lying. He wouldn't let me in no matter what when we got to the door. Tch, he's really too proud to admit it. I know his son well. He hoards all the good stuff for his own little family. I would never send him anything."
After saying that, his gaze fell on Meng Zhao, and he couldn't help but praise her, "It's better to have a daughter, she's so sweet."
In fact, Meng Zhao didn't give anything valuable. A few hot buns, two cabbages, and a few white radishes were all worthless. Only the basket of charcoal could be sold for some money.
Seeing the charcoal Meng Zhao brought, Xu Yunrong exclaimed, "Zhao Zhao, you were so farsighted to stock up on this charcoal in advance. You have no idea how much the price of charcoal in the county has risen right now; it changes every single day."
Meng Dashan nodded slightly. "In previous years, it would snow in the twelfth lunar month, but this year the weather is very strange. It came more than half a month early. I heard that the north has already suffered from snow disasters. Those well-informed families have already started stockpiling charcoal for the winter. How can the price not rise every day?"
Upon hearing this, Meng Zhao couldn't help but sigh softly, "Alas, business at the shop is just too good, and I don't have much stock left. I estimate it will only last until the end of the year."
Upon hearing this, Meng Dashan frowned immediately, wanting to put the charcoal Meng Zhao had brought back into the basket again.
"Then Zhao Zhao, don't take any more here. Your mother and I can use less, it's fine. Let's focus on the shop first."
Meng Zhao quickly stepped forward to stop him, "Father, no need, this is only a little bit. It will be used up in half a day in the shop, and it won't be of much use. Besides, the purpose of making money is to enjoy life. If you stay at home and freeze just to make money, that would be putting the cart before the horse."
Firewood is very humid, and once burned, it produces a lot of smoke and has a pungent smell. Since Meng Zhao and her business owners couldn't use firewood in their shops, she seized the opportunity to stock up on a lot of charcoal.
Who knew it would get cold so early this year? They used some themselves, and with the shop doing so well, the consumption increased dramatically. The charcoal that was supposed to last through the winter will probably only last until the New Year.
But charcoal is so expensive right now, and stockpiling it would be a huge waste of money. After thinking it over, I decided it would be better to go back to the village and burn some myself.
Having found a solution, Meng Zhao was no longer in a hurry. He waited for the snow to melt before taking action. After talking with his parents for a while, he packed up and prepared to go back.
Just as she reached the alley entrance and was about to turn, a child suddenly rushed up and bumped into Meng Zhao. Fortunately, she reacted quickly and regained her balance. Upon closer inspection, she realized that the child was Uncle Lin's second daughter from the alley.
"Second sister, slow down! The road is slippery, what if you fall?"
Lin Erjie bumped into someone and was afraid of being scolded. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that it was Meng Zhao. Meng Zhao was the kindest person on their street.
"Sister Meng, we're building a snowman, come and see!"
Looking up, she saw that not long after she went out, several cute little snowmen had appeared on the street, and even her two children were rolling snowballs in the snow not far away.
Meng Zhao led the second sister over, and when they saw her return, Shen Qingze and Shen Qingyu immediately stepped forward and pulled the second sister's hand away, taking over the hand themselves. They acted as if they were afraid that Meng Zhao would be snatched away by someone else, which made the second sister stomp her feet in anger.
After Meng Zhao patiently praised each of them for building snowmen, he was finally released.
Her gaze shifted and she saw Xiao Chuan following behind with his head down. Meng Zhao said softly, "Xiao Chuan, you're older, could you please keep an eye on these kids for me and make sure they don't run off to other streets or fall and hurt themselves?"
Ogawa, who had been hanging his head, suddenly raised it and nodded solemnly.
Shen Qingze and Shen Qingyu asked him to go out and play earlier. He didn't want to come out. He and Sister Wei are currently living under someone else's roof, and they need to do more work so that they won't be disliked. But when he said he wanted to do some work, the adults at home said there was no work he could do and told him to come out and play instead.
But he had no interest in playing. Only after hearing Meng Zhao's arrangements did he feel at ease. He also had a mission to complete: to keep an eye on these children.
So after Meng Zhao went inside, Xiao Chuan patrolled outside. When he saw Shen Qingze taking off his gloves while playing, Xiao Chuan rushed over and immediately put them back on him, saying, "Don't take them off, or your hands will freeze and you won't be able to play with anything."
Not long after, they noticed that Shen Qingyu's hat was askew and her ear tips were red from the cold. They quickly went over and carefully straightened her hat, then tucked her exposed ear back into the hat.
Seeing that her second daughter was running again, she grabbed her and said, "Don't run. If you fall flat on your face, your new clothes will be covered in mud."
Upon hearing this, the second sister immediately stood still. This was a new dress her mother had made for her to wear for the New Year. She had begged for a long time before she was allowed to wear it today. If it got muddy, she would definitely get scolded when she got home.
Meng Zhao returned to the courtyard, first adding two spoonfuls of charcoal to the earthenware basin, then chatting with Aunt Gu and Aunt Feng'e while warming themselves by the fire, but soon told her she was sleepy.
I got up in the middle of the night to look for Wei Jinglan and Xiao Chuan. I spent half a day at the local temple, and when I got back, I couldn't sleep anymore. I also went to my parents' place. Although I didn't do any work, I was still busy.
"Mom, I'm a little sleepy and want to go back to my room to sleep for a while. Don't cook for me at noon; I'll eat with you tonight."
Madam Gu nodded, took a drying rack, picked up a few burning charcoal pieces from the earthenware basin, and asked Meng Zhao to take them back to the house for use.
Back in her room, Meng Zhao fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. When she woke up, the others were already busy preparing dinner. She saw Wei Jinglan sitting quietly in the room, and Meng Zhao slowly sat down beside her.
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