After Wu Rongzhou left, the remaining people sat down to eat together. The steamed buns made by their own family had thin skins and large fillings. The oil from the meat buns even seeped out. Just looking at them made people's mouths water. If you took a bite, the rich meat juice would burst in your mouth.
When making the filling, Meng Zhao was worried that the cabbage and tofu would be bland, so she heated some lard and poured it on top. The fresh aroma of the cabbage and the rich aroma of the lard blended together, creating a rich and layered taste.
The porridge was cooked until it was soft, sticky, and thick, sliding down my throat and warming my stomach. A bite of steamed bun followed by a bite of porridge, along with Meng Zhao's pickled radish strips, was incredibly comforting.
After dinner, thinking about how busy I'd probably be tomorrow, I went to bed early.
The next morning, Meng Zhao slowly woke up, got up and walked to the window. He opened it a crack and looked out. He saw that the sky outside was a clear blue, so he figured the snow probably wouldn't continue.
After having a quick breakfast, Meng Zhao planned to go back to Shenjia Village to check on the situation, but there were probably many disaster victims gathered at the city gate, so she didn't dare to leave the city rashly. Aunt Qian's husband and son had just returned from outside, so Meng Zhao thought she would go over and ask them about it.
"Uncle Zhou, I need to go back to the village. I heard that things are very chaotic at the city gate, so I came to ask you about it."
Zhou Xin looked at him as if he had asked the right person. "You've come to the right person. When I came back, I went through several city gates. Right now, the disaster victims are all coming from the north. The magistrate has built many shacks and set up a porridge distribution point at the north gate. Most of the disaster victims are heading that way. There aren't many people at the west gate. You can go out from there."
Meng Zhao quickly nodded, thanked them, and went home to start preparing. First, he called Gu Shi and Xiao Chuan, and specially changed into a worn-out set of clothes. He didn't dare to bring too much stuff, only some rice and flour, and a piece of pork. He went out through the west gate of the city. Although it was a detour, it was better than being stopped by someone.
As for Shen Qinghe, Meng Zhao asked him to stay in the county and keep an eye on the Huimin Hospital for her.
Once outside the city gate, one could see a large number of disaster victims gathered nearby. Some were wandering alone, while others were huddled together in small groups. When they saw someone driving by in a cart, they immediately surrounded them and begged for food.
Meng Zhao knew their suffering, but the little food on their cart was not enough to save many people. If they stopped the cart now or revealed that there was food on it, they would be in danger. So Meng Zhao and the others could only pretend not to see it and speed up the donkey cart.
Presumably because they didn't see much in their vehicle and the people inside weren't dressed well, no disaster victims chased after them.
Although the road back to the village was muddy, it was still passable. By the time I arrived at Shenjia Village, I was covered in dirt. The village was deserted, with hardly anyone in sight. I guessed everyone was at home.
Meng Zhao and his two companions first went to the village head's house. They knocked on the door, and Yu Mei's voice came from inside, "Who is it?"
Meng Zhao quickly raised her voice and loudly replied, "Sister-in-law Yu Mei, it's me, Meng Zhao."
No sooner had he finished speaking than footsteps echoed in the courtyard, followed by the sound of the door bolt being pulled.
Sister-in-law Yumei greeted Meng Zhao warmly while stepping aside to make way for him: "Oh dear, what brings you here at this hour? Look how dirty you are! Come in, come in."
The village head probably heard Meng Zhao's voice too, so he put on a coat and hurriedly came out of the house. When he saw that it was Meng Zhao, he quickly welcomed them inside.
"Boss, go get some charcoal and light the charcoal stove. Remember to make sure it burns brightly." Although he and Yumei could earn wages at the workshop, the price of charcoal was too high, so they couldn't afford to use it on ordinary days. If it was cold, they would lie in bed, cover themselves with blankets, and wear more clothes.
Upon hearing this, Meng Zhao quickly waved his hand, "No need to trouble the village head. We dressed very warmly before going out, and we're not cold at all."
When the three of them went out, they wore layer upon layer of clothes, as if they wanted to put on all their clothes. Because they were wearing so many layers, Meng Zhao's arms were somewhat restricted, making it very inconvenient for her to move around.
They were all wearing big hats and their faces were covered with scarves. If Meng Zhao and the others hadn't spoken first, the village head and Sister-in-law Yu Mei probably wouldn't have recognized her.
The village head smiled and said, "It's alright. We prepared charcoal at home before the New Year, but we haven't used it much yet. Today is a good day to warm up."
The newly lit charcoal was burning brightly, the flames leaping and roaring. It was a warm time, and Meng Zhao and the village head's family moved benches and sat around it. Meng Zhao first took off her hat, scarf, and gloves to warm them up a bit.
After pausing for a while, he said, "Village head, it snowed for so many days during the New Year. Were any houses in our village crushed by the snow?"
The village head sighed slightly, his expression somewhat grave. "Yes, quite a few. Like Shen Laosi at the east end of the village, his old house was dilapidated and couldn't withstand such a thick snowfall. Half of it collapsed in an instant. And Li Erye at the west end of the village, his whole house collapsed after this snowfall. If it hadn't been discovered in time, he almost wouldn't have been able to get out. And the house that Li Yunxiang rented also couldn't withstand it and has a big hole in it."
"How are they doing now?" Most of the houses in the village are quite old, and the snow has to be cleared frequently. However, some people are too lazy to move, or they fall asleep at night and don't notice, so the snow can easily collapse.
“I was just about to tell you about this. Their houses collapsed, and with the freezing weather, there was no way to repair them. So I let them move into the starch workshop. Because the roads were covered in snow, I didn’t discuss it with you and just made the decision on my own.”
Upon hearing this, Meng Zhao immediately waved his hand, "What's there to discuss? The village head did the right thing. The workshop was built with solid blue bricks. Since construction hasn't started yet, it would be a good thing if the villagers could have a temporary place to stay."
Seeing that Meng Zhao did not object, the village head was relieved and began to talk about other things in the village. Although the houses were crushed, fortunately there were no casualties. Most of the villagers had made money this year and had enough to eat.
For some widowed and orphaned families, the village head and the clan elders discussed and withdrew a sum of money from the workshop's accounts to buy some grain and send it over before the New Year. This was something Meng Zhao had agreed to when the contract was signed. In short, it was much better than in other villages.
Hearing that nothing serious had happened in the village, Meng Zhao asked the village head to accompany them to the pig farm to check on the situation.
Because the villagers don't usually go to the pig farm, there was still a lot of snow on the road leading to the pig farm. Meng Zhao and the others didn't take the cart, but instead carried rice, flour, and pork into the farm.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
