When Aunt Wang saw the sack of sweet potatoes, her eyes crinkled with laughter, and her face wrinkled even more. "No problem, no problem, Auntie is very strong!"
"Alright, Auntie, be careful. Also, don't mention this when you go out," Gu Nanxun instructed Aunt Wang. Although he had plenty of grain, he believed that while everyone else was short of food, possessing a treasure could be a crime. If you weren't, it would only make others envious and jealous.
"Don't worry, Auntie understands!" Aunt Wang rubbed her red eyes, then looked up and smiled again. She said this with a smile. If she hadn't known Gu Nanxun was taking care of her before, she knew everything when he said those words. Don't underestimate this sack of sweet potatoes; if eaten sparingly, it could last for more than half a month.
"Sigh... I hope everyone can get through this difficult time smoothly!" After seeing Aunt Wang off, Gu Nanxun closed the door and walked in, only to hear Lin Qing's sigh.
"Don't worry! We'll definitely get through this," Gu Nanxun said with a smile as he returned to the kang (a heated brick bed).
The snow continued to fall, creating a stark contrast between the warmth inside and the cold outside. Lin Qing leaned on Gu Nanxun's shoulder, dreaming about their future life together.
"Nanxun, let's go see Grandpa and Grandma tonight! It suddenly started snowing, and I wonder how they are doing."
"Okay, I'll go with my third brother tonight."
Before they knew it, dusk was falling, and the two prepared dinner. Gu Nanxun and Lin Qing put extra care into their preparation. Lin Qing took out her treasured dried mushrooms and some cured meat she had previously sun-dried, intending to make a sumptuous dinner. Gu Nanxun was in charge of chopping vegetables and starting the fire. The two worked together seamlessly in the kitchen, their laughter echoing throughout.
Zhao Xi and Zhao Chen watched the two busy people in the kitchen, then quietly returned to their room.
As night fell, the oil lamp inside the house shone warmly and softly through the window. After dinner was prepared, Lin Yunfeng returned, and the group sat around the kang (a heated brick bed) to enjoy this simple yet cozy meal.
"Third Brother, why are you going out when it's snowing?" Lin Qing asked Lin Yunfeng disapprovingly while eating.
"I went out today because I thought the snow wasn't too deep, but I didn't expect it to be so deep when I came back. I won't go out tomorrow." Lin Yunfeng said while wolfing down his dinner. He was cold and hungry. Luckily, his sister had given him a military overcoat, otherwise he would have been freezing today.
Gu Nanxun used his chopsticks to pick up a piece of cured meat and put it in Lin Qing's bowl. "Well, don't go out tomorrow. It will be even harder to walk tomorrow when it freezes tonight."
Lin Yunfeng nodded.
After dinner, Zhao Xi and Zhao Chen cleaned up the dishes, while Gu Nanxun and Lin Yunfeng prepared to go out to visit their maternal grandparents. They put on thick cotton-padded coats, hats, and gloves to keep warm in the cold night. Then they took the food and some grains prepared by Lin Qing.
Stepping outside, the snow had stopped, but a thick layer of snow remained on the ground. Under the moonlight, the snow reflected a silvery glow, adding a touch of mystery and tranquility to the cold night. The two walked carefully through the snow, which was almost knee-deep, making each step particularly difficult.
When the two arrived at the cowshed, the two elderly people and their uncle's family were sitting around the kang (a heated brick bed) eating. When they saw Gu Nanxun and Lin Yunfeng, their grandparents smiled and quickly invited them to sit on the kang.
Seeing that his grandparents were eating, Gu Nanxun quickly handed them the food that Lin Qing had prepared.
Grandpa picked up a piece of cured meat, and said with a smile as he ate, "Even after being sent down to the countryside, my living conditions are actually better than before. I can eat meat every few days now."
The uncle chuckled and chimed in, "That's because we have a wonderful niece who married a wonderful son-in-law." He'd come to realize lately that his niece had excellent taste; look at the son-in-law she chose—capable, handsome, generous, and loving towards his wife—he was practically a model husband. He'd written to his sister before, praising Gu Nanxun quite a bit.
Little Ping An nodded along as he stuffed meat into his mouth.
After everyone finished eating, Gu Nanxun helped his grandparents check their house. Seeing that there were no safety hazards, he went outside to help them sweep the snow off the roof.
"The cowshed is quite old. If the snow gets too thick, it might collapse," Gu Nanxun said to his uncle while helping his grandparents shovel snow.
Hearing what Gu Nanxun was saying to his uncle, the family next door quickly came out to shovel snow off their roof. They had just arrived this year and hadn't experienced heavy snow yet. Hearing Gu Nanxun's words, they were startled. Luckily, they knew now, otherwise, if their house had collapsed while they were sleeping, would the people inside have survived?
“Every year, some houses in the village collapse under the weight of snow, so we need to be extra careful. The snow isn’t too heavy yet, but when it snows more heavily, we must make sure to clear it from time to time,” Gu Nanxun continued, afraid that his uncle might not take it seriously.
While brushing the snow off Gu Nanxun, his uncle said, "Okay, I know. I'll be careful. It's getting cold, you should go back soon too! Don't keep coming here unless it's necessary. Don't worry, I'll take good care of Mom and Dad."
The brigade leader only remembered to instruct the people in the cowshed to shovel snow in the evening. Everyone in the village knew that snow needed to be shoveled when it snowed, so when the brigade leader remembered, it was already night. He could only trudge through the snow to inform the people in the cowshed, but he saw Gu Nanxun standing in front of the cowshed talking to the people there. The snow on the roof of the cowshed had already been shoveled clean. He sighed helplessly and turned to leave.
Gu Nanxun looked up in the direction the captain had left, then said goodbye to his grandparents and left with Lin Yunfeng.
Back home, the two quickly washed up and went to their respective rooms to rest. Lin Qing didn't enter the space; it lay on the warm kang (heated brick bed) waiting for Gu Nanxun. Gu Nanxun snuggled into the warm quilt and gently embraced Lin Qing.
“My maternal grandparents are doing well. When I went there, they were having dinner. I also checked the house for them and cleared the snow off the roof. I also explained everything to my uncle.”
"Mmm, thank you for your hard work, honey." Lin Qing lay lazily in Gu Nanxun's arms, hugged him, and praised him with a smile.
Gu Nanxun reached out and pinched Lin Qing's nose. "You're getting better and better at giving me the runaround."
As the night deepened, the two gradually drifted off to sleep. In their dream, they saw a hopeful and beautiful future, with bountiful fields, children's laughter, and the happy life they had created together.
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