The snow fell on and off all night without stopping. Perhaps because the shop was closed, I felt less concerned and slept in, which was rare for me. When I went out, the food was already prepared.
Gu made pumpkin porridge and fried a few crispy on the outside and soft on the inside radish cakes. Meng Zhao ate two cakes and drank a big bowl of porridge with the pickled vegetables she had made earlier before stopping.
After finishing their meal, they didn't go back to their rooms. It would be a waste to have a stove in every room, so Meng Zhao and the others lit two stoves in the main room and moved two beds over. Everyone stayed in the main room whenever they had nothing to do, and it was actually warmer with more people talking.
Madam Gu took a few pieces of fabric from the house and placed them on the table. "You children have grown so fast. I imagine you won't be able to wear this year's clothes next year. Since we're not open for business right now, I'll make you a couple more outfits."
Upon hearing this, Meng Zhao's face immediately lit up with a grin. "Alright, then I'll trouble you, Mother. It's a pity my cooking skills are too poor to be of any help."
Madam Gu shook her head slightly, a smile on her face. "No one can be good at everything. If you were good at everything, wouldn't you drive everyone crazy?"
Hearing a knock at the door, Meng Zhao quickly went out to open it and saw Aunt Qian coming over with a sewing basket. She greeted her warmly.
"Aunt Qian is here. Have you had breakfast yet?"
"I've already eaten. I just cooked some porridge. The snow is falling so heavily. I've been worried about how my two husbands are doing out there."
Aunt Qian's husband works as an accountant. This year, he was assigned by his employer to collect debts. Her son, Zhou Xiucai, was worried that his father might encounter some accidents while traveling alone, so he insisted on accompanying him. As a result, Aunt Qian was left all alone at home this year for the Spring Festival.
Meng Zhao comforted her, "Uncle Zhou is always out and about and has seen all sorts of things. He's very experienced. And Scholar Zhou is so filial. They'll take care of each other while they're out. Everything will be fine. Don't worry, Auntie."
Aunt Qian came into the house and saw that all the children were there. She took out a handful of roasted peanuts from her cotton coat pocket and distributed them to each of the children. "Children, come and try some of the peanuts that Auntie roasted herself."
In fact, Meng Zhao knew very well that the price of charcoal had increased several times over this year. Aunt Qian was at home by herself and naturally couldn't bear to burn charcoal for heating. She came to Meng Zhao's house mostly to get some warmth. However, Aunt Qian was always good at dealing with people and would bring a small gift every time she came, so Meng Zhao never said anything about it.
Aunt Qian found a stool and sat down to do needlework with Madam Gu. "I heard from people who came back from outside that the snow this year is really heavy. Even the capital city was hit by a snow disaster, and many people froze to death."
Gu clicked her tongue in astonishment: "Really? Logically speaking, the capital is so wealthy, how could so many people freeze to death?"
Meng Zhao, who overheard their conversation, explained, "It's not all of them who froze to death. It's been so cold all day, and the snow just won't melt after it falls, so it keeps piling up. Many people can't even leave their homes. Those who have stored up food at home are a little better off, but if they don't, they'll probably starve to death. Moreover, many people have been crushed to death by the weight of the snow on old houses."
Madam Gu sighed, "They say a timely snowfall promises a good harvest, but who would have thought that heavy snow could kill people? Oh dear, should we reinforce our house?"
Shen Qinghe, who was standing nearby, said, "Mother, don't worry. I went up to check yesterday, and our house is quite sturdy. But when there's more snow, we'll still have to go up and clear it."
Madam Gu nodded. It was good that everything was alright. It was the New Year, and no one wanted to talk about those sad things, so they changed the subject.
Wei Jinglan originally wanted to make clothes with Gu Shi, but before she could even get to Gu Shi's side, Meng Zhao quickly pulled her away.
"Jinglan, come here, I want to show you something." Meng Zhao then took out a wooden frame and a black wooden board.
Wei Jinglan looked at the thing with great confusion. "Zhaozhao, is this what you dried in the sun a few days ago? What is it used for?"
A few days ago, Meng Zhao went to a carpenter's shop, ordered a frame, and brought over a wooden board. He found a small brush and applied the ground ink little by little to the board. One application wasn't enough, so Meng Zhao waited for it to dry and then applied another layer of ink. After it was almost dry, he applied a layer of raw lacquer, which made the board even harder and more waterproof.
Seeing Wei Jinglan's puzzled expression, Meng Zhao smiled slightly, "You can't use this thing on your own, but you'll understand when you combine it with something else."
After saying that, he took out another thing from behind him, a box of small white sticks. Meng Zhao picked one up and started drawing on the blackboard, and several Arabic numerals appeared on the blackboard.
That's right, what Meng Zhao made was the most common blackboard and chalk set in modern classrooms.
Seeing that the small white stick could leave marks wherever it went, Wei Jinglan found it very magical, but what intrigued her even more was what Meng Zhao had drawn.
"Zhaozhao, what do you mean by these drawings? I don't understand them."
"These are Arabic numerals. Didn't you ask me before why I'm so fast and accurate at calculating? The secret is related to them. I'll teach you how!"
A few days ago, he came over to tell her that he had successfully persuaded Wei Xiucai to teach at the village school in Shenjia Village.
Because he was worried about not having enough manpower for spring plowing, he ordered the bricks, the location, and the blueprints before the New Year. He was ready to start building the village school right after the New Year, even before the weather got warm.
However, what Master Wei taught was naturally all classics, history, philosophy, and literature, which were for taking the imperial examinations. Her workshop workers, as well as Shi Tou Shun'er, were all old, and there were many women among them, so learning these things would be basically useless to them.
She wanted to find someone to teach them knowledge beyond what they needed to learn for the imperial examinations.
During this time, while recuperating, Wei Jinglan often took the time to tutor Shen Qingze and Shen Qingyu. She was meticulous, emotionally stable, and spoke eloquently, making her very suitable to be a teacher.
"As you know, I usually have to go to the shop to manage the business, and my second brother has to go to the county school, so we don't have much time. I know you learn things very quickly, so I want you to learn first and then help me teach the children. I don't know if you'd be willing."
Then he told her about the village school in Shenjia Village, saying, "If you're willing, you can teach more people in the future."
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