“Your whole family has already been divided into four portions because of the family division. If you hadn’t divided the family, so many of you would only get one portion. You should be content.”
“Exactly. Look at our family, with so many members, we’re also divided into one share. We also have to say it’s unfair.”
"Why don't we collect them and redistribute them according to the number of people in the family?" This was the suggestion made by someone whose family had grown too large.
"Look at Qifang from Third Grandfather's family. She's a girl from our area, and she didn't ask for an extra share. How dare you make such a demand?"
These words made Chen Baoguo and the others, who were hiding in the crowd, blush with embarrassment. Although they were all bundled up and no one could recognize them without them saying a word, they still felt very embarrassed.
They knew their arrival had placed a heavy burden on their brother-in-law and his family. Now, the two families were crammed into two rooms, and the food they had brought was far from enough; they would have to rely mostly on their sister's subsidies. However, they were incredibly grateful to have arrived early; if they had stayed in town at this point, they would undoubtedly have faced certain death.
Chen Baoguo quickly grabbed his sister's hand. Although he also wanted to secure some benefits for himself and ease his sister's burden, he knew he couldn't let her continue to incite public anger at this moment.
When everyone saw that Chen Zheng stopped talking, they let the matter drop.
Back home, Sun Shiguang asked Sun Zhimiao to take a few big fish from his place.
The other two daughters-in-law also had their opinions, but because the Chen family had been so welcoming and helpful lately, they couldn't afford to turn against them. They even had their own children bring them two fish.
The village wives, enjoying their comfortable lives and having just received so much fish, considered sending some back to their parents' homes as New Year's gifts. These thoughts were immediately suppressed by their elders. With everything frozen solid, even if they weren't afraid of the cold, the thick ice along the way made it easy to slip and fall. Moreover, since they were walking the entire way, anything that happened along the way could be fatal. After this analysis and considering the consequences, they dared not cause any more trouble. Si Cheng and his companion, however, had no such concerns. While stockpiling supplies, Yun Qi had prepared some ice skates, specially made from abroad, which were excellent for both warmth and skating on ice. The two also hired an instructor to teach them how to skate.
To avoid upsetting their parents, the couple even performed a figure skating routine for them outside the gate. They thought this performance would guarantee their trip, but their parents still refused. Although skating would increase their speed, it wasn't without its risks. If they encountered rocks or deep pits on the road, skating alone wouldn't be enough.
That day, everyone was at home doing chores as usual when suddenly they heard the clanging of a gong at the village entrance. The sound was particularly loud in the quiet mountain village.
Si Cheng quickly grabbed the coat next to him, put it on in a flash, and gave instructions to his family.
"You all stay home and watch the house. I'll go check on it first. Don't go out unless it's absolutely necessary."
"Who knows who might come over at this time? Be careful when you go over, and take this to the side for self-defense." Yun Qi took out a dagger from his spatial storage and put it directly into Si Cheng's riding boot.
Si Cheng quickly walked out, and Yun's father only had time to tell him to be careful before he disappeared from sight.
As soon as I stepped outside, I saw young people from every household running out, all heading towards the village entrance. Since they've gotten used to this kind of weather and can walk around, everyone clears a small section of the nearby road every day. Because the ice will refreeze the next day, clearing it once a day isn't too difficult, making it easier for everyone to walk.
When we arrived at the village entrance, several families who lived nearby had already arrived and were looking out from behind the wall using ladders.
"What's the situation outside?" The person asked as soon as they arrived.
"It looks like there are four people outside, but they are all wrapped up tightly, so it's impossible to tell if they are men or women."
"There are only a few people. Open the door first, come in and see what's going on. There are so many of us here, we're not afraid."
"Easier said than done. That door is frozen solid. Who could open it?"
"So how did we get out of the fishing camp last time?"
"Every time, it's Cheng Ge and the others who open the door first. Otherwise, how can we get out?"
"With so many people here, if everyone just put their minds to it, the door could be opened in no time. Do we really have to wait for someone else to do these things?"
"We don't know who the people outside are. They don't answer when we ask them, they just keep gesturing for us to open the door."
Si Cheng arrived at this time, but he did not speak first. Instead, he stood aside and watched coldly.
At this moment, the village chief arrived at the village entrance: "Can someone tell me what the situation is like outside?"
Everyone shared their experiences, saying that the people outside were not saying anything, and no one dared to make a decision.
Knowing there were only four people outside, the village chief and the others told them to open the door and bring them in to see what was going on.
"The problem is that the ice on the door is now frozen solid, making it impossible to work on."
Monkey King and his companions arrived at this point. Hearing this, they understood immediately and mocked, "Those who live nearby, go home and get a stove to heat up the knife. It'll only take a moment. Don't rely on others for everything. Do you expect to depend on others for the rest of your life?"
A few young people nearby immediately realized, "Yeah, ice is afraid of fire." Some of them ran straight home.
The other onlookers murmured, "Didn't we think of that?"
"I never expected this! I didn't even think about it!" Yun Tao said, stamping his foot.
Fearing they might start causing trouble again, the village chief quickly asked, "Why aren't they saying anything? Have you asked them where they came from?" As he asked, he walked towards the wall and gestured for the people climbing the ladder to come down.
The village chief climbed onto the wall and shouted down, "Where are you from? Who are you looking for?"
The people below didn't say anything, but simply pointed to the door, signaling them to come in.
"The door is frozen and can't be opened for a while. I'll have them put the ladder down so you can climb over first, okay?"
The person below shook his head, pointed to his leg, and waved his hand.
"Are your feet frozen? Is that why you can't climb up?"
The people below nodded slightly upon hearing this.
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