Chapter 114 It's Snowing
Before she knew it, it was the winter solstice. As soon as Lu Mingyue opened the door, she was stunned by the scene before her.
Overnight, the island was covered in a blanket of white snow, and the entire landscape was white.
Huo Zheng had already cleaned the path from the living room to the front door.
"Leilei, Yaoyao, get up and look at the snow!" she called out as she turned and went into the house.
No sooner had he finished speaking than hurried footsteps were heard coming from inside the house.
The two children peered out from the doorway, their eyes instantly lighting up. Leilei, holding his sister's hand, jumped up and down, shouting, "Mommy, it's snowing! We're going to build a snowman!"
Yao Yao also tiptoed and swayed along, constantly muttering "build a snowman" in her little mouth.
Lu Mingyue smiled and gently rubbed their frostbitten little faces: "Eat your breakfast first, and after you finish your hot porridge, Mom will go with you."
Breakfast was warm sweet potato porridge with pickled vegetables. The two children were rummaging through their bowls, their minds already wandering outside the yard.
Just as breakfast was finished, Huo Zheng's footsteps could be heard at the courtyard gate.
He brushed the snow off his clothes and called out as he entered the room, "Mingyue, the team is organizing snow removal, I came back to give them a heads-up."
Turning to Leilei and Yaoyao, who had finished eating and were peering out the window hoping for snow, she bent down and instructed them, "When we go out to build a snowman later, make sure you're wearing your thick cotton-padded coats and shoes properly so you don't get cold. Stay close to your mother and don't run around and cause her any trouble, understand?"
The two children quickly straightened their little bodies and nodded, with Yao Yao even adding in a clear voice, "Don't worry, Dad, I'll watch over my brother!"
Lu Mingyue handed him his thick gloves: "Be careful on the road. Come back early after you've cleared the snow. I'll save some hot porridge for you."
Huo Zheng took the gloves and put them in his pocket, then patted the children's heads before turning and striding into the snow outside the courtyard.
After he left, Leilei pulled his younger sister and ran into the house: "Mom, let's go put on our cotton shoes!"
Watching the siblings' joyful figures, Lu Mingyue smiled, picked up the broom in the corner, and swept the snow that had blown to the doorway back into a path so that it would be easier for the children to play.
Lu Mingyue had just swept half a snow path with her broom when she heard the clanging sound of shovels hitting the ground coming from the alley entrance.
Looking up, I saw Huo Zheng leading several men from his team toward me.
Each person held a shovel in their hand, and a handcart followed behind them, specifically for transporting the shoveled snow.
"Mom, it's Dad!" Lei Lei pulled Yao Yao and ran out of the courtyard gate. He spotted Huo Zheng in the crowd and rushed towards the alley entrance with his sister.
Just as he ran up to her, Huo Zheng reached out and stopped him: "Slow down, the ground is slippery."
The two children wouldn't stay still, circling the shovel. Leilei looked up and asked, "Dad, can we help you shovel the snow?"
The men around him laughed. Cui Jianguo, who was also in the group, joked, "These two kids are full of energy. Let's find them a small shovel."
Huo Zheng couldn't refuse, so he went home and got two small shovels.
Leilei immediately imitated the adults and started digging in the snow.
Yao Yao squatted to the side, scooping up the scattered snowflakes from the roadside and putting them into the handcart.
Lu Mingyue stood at the gate of the courtyard, watching and occasionally calling out, "Don't get snow on yourself."
The children had been busy with their little shovels for less than half an incense stick's time when Leilei straightened up and rubbed his arms, while Yaoyao poked the shovel into the snow, her little face turning red: "Mommy, my arms are sore."
Seeing this, Lu Mingyue smiled and walked over to brush the snow off them: "You little ones can't take this much. Don't hold the adults back here, go to the corner of the yard and build a snowman. Mom has saved some carrots for your noses."
Upon hearing this, Lei Lei immediately perked up and pulled Yao Yao along, running into the yard.
The two children squatted in the snow, each taking a handful to make snowballs.
They would occasionally bicker about who should roll the big snowball, but they would quickly get together to figure out how to give the snowman eyes.
The sound of shovels gradually subsided. Huo Zheng told the soldiers clearing the snow to go back first, and then he walked back himself.
As soon as I turned into the courtyard, I was amused by the little objects in the corner of the yard.
The snowman that Leilei and Yaoyao built had its head tilted to the side, with a carrot nose sticking out of the center of its face.
The two button-shaped eyes were of different heights, and he was wearing a bright floral scarf. He looked quite naive.
"Why does this snowman have a crooked nose?" Huo Zheng put down his shovel and walked over, and the two children immediately surrounded him.
Leilei hurriedly explained, "The wind is too strong, the carrots just won't stick straight!"
Huo Zheng smiled and rubbed his head, then reached out to straighten the snowman's crooked nose and adjusted the two buttons back and forth, fixing the snowman's uneven eyes.
Lu Mingyue also came out carrying a bowl of freshly cooked hot soup. Seeing the three of them standing at the gate of the courtyard smiling, she simply invited them in to warm up.
"Come in and have some hot soup, freshly made radish soup, to warm you up."
The children wanted to pull Huo Zheng along, insisting that he add another little hat to the snowman.
Huo Zheng then found an old cotton hat and put it on the snowman's head, which made the children clap their hands.
Seeing the snowman neatly arranged, the children went inside, satisfied.
Huo Zheng brushed the snow off his body and turned to Lu Mingyue, saying, "Everyone in the team worked hard to clear the snow today, and the canteen specially made cabbage, pork, and vermicelli, along with freshly steamed buns. Let's go get the food so you don't have to bother."
Lu Mingyue smiled and agreed.
At noon, I took Leilei and Yaoyao, who were carrying lunchboxes, and headed to the cafeteria.
As soon as I entered, I saw that it was bustling with activity, with many family members queuing up for meals.
Inside the window, plump steaming buns were steaming, and the chef was using a large ladle to scoop food into lunchboxes. The cabbage was tender, the pork was glossy, and the vermicelli was chewy. The soup was poured over them, making it so fragrant that it made people swallow their saliva.
The family reunited, and Huo Zheng carried a lunchbox full of food to a table. Lu Mingyue distributed steamed buns to the children.
Leilei took a bite of the fluffy steamed bun, then shoveled a mouthful of vegetables into his mouth, and mumbled, "Mom, the glass noodles today are even more delicious than the ones at home!"
Yao Yao nodded in agreement, grabbing a steamed bun with her little hand and putting it into her mouth.
The family sat together, enjoying the hot food, and ate it all up.
After the meal, family members were cleaning up the dishes around the table in the canteen.
Everyone was tired from clearing snow today, and the family members spontaneously organized to help clean up.
Lu Mingyue also picked up a rag and started wiping the table.
Zhu Xiaofang, who was at the next table, smiled and handed over an empty lunchbox: "The cabbage and vermicelli are really delicious today. The kids ate two steamed buns each."
Lu Mingyue wiped the table and agreed, "That's right, the cafeteria chefs' cooking is more lively than what I make at home."
On the other side, Huo Zheng led the soldiers towards the backyard, with Lei Lei and Yao Yao following behind like little shadows.
Fortunately, it wasn't anything serious today, so the children just went along.
There was a lot of firewood piled up in the backyard of the canteen waiting to be chopped. The cook was worried about not having enough manpower, but he immediately smiled when he saw them coming.
"Comrade Huo, you've come at the right time. Help me chop some firewood; we'll need to start a fire to cook dumplings tonight."
Huo Zheng picked up the axe and taught Lei Lei to practice chopping wood while holding onto a small block of wood, while Yao Yao moved the chopped firewood into the woodpile.
Although the little ones are small, they study very hard, and beads of sweat appear on their foreheads.
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