Chapter 26
The main purpose of Shu Yanrong and his son's trip was to discuss with Shu Wanxiu about going to the county town to collect grain. Now that it was settled, it was almost time for them to go home.
Half a day passed, and the snow continued to fall, sometimes heavily and sometimes lightly, without stopping.
Before leaving, Shu Yanrong walked around the two thatched huts with unease, carefully checking whether the doors and windows were leaking air, whether the roof was leaking snow, and whether they had enough firewood for the winter.
It was discovered that Shu Wanxiu had filled the small gaps where the window frames met the walls with weeds and other materials. The newly replaced roof this year also covered the roof completely, and the firewood for winter was piled up everywhere, including in the wooden shed, the main room, and under the eaves, so there was no need to worry about it being insufficient.
No matter how carefully he examined it, he only found one problem that needed to be solved.
"The snow on the roof is quite thick. Let's go down the mountain to borrow a ladder, sweep the snow away, and then we'll head back."
That's why her uncle holds such a high position in Shu Wanxiu's heart. For example, if he hadn't brought it up, she probably wouldn't have thought of it until evening or the next day.
She closed the door and led the way, with Shu Yanrong carrying Shu Shouyi behind, and Shu Chenglin dragging his still slightly painful injured leg at the very back.
"Oh no! This is bad."
Before she even reached the stream, Shu Wanxiu became annoyed.
"When it snows, the log bridge becomes difficult to cross."
In the freezing cold, if you slip and fall into the stream, even the strongest body will feel the cold.
"It's alright, you continue leading the way. When we get there, you and Shouyi wait here, and I'll take your cousin across." The two grown men crossed the small log bridge in just a few steps, and Shu Yanrong didn't take her worries to heart.
Shu Wanxiu glanced back at Shu Chenglin's legs, said nothing, but led them in another direction.
Xun Yi's blacksmith shop was built at the foot of the mountain, and to get from his house to the village, one had to cross a stream. Because he sometimes used a wheelbarrow to transport iron materials and heavy objects, he specially built a sturdy wooden plank bridge.
At first, Shu Wanxiu didn't walk by often and didn't notice the difference. Later, when she was fishing in the stream, she passed by here more often and suddenly realized it.
By the time Shu Yanrong realized that Shu Wanxiu had taken a detour, the wooden plank bridge was already in sight.
In the past, the crisp sound of blacksmithing could be heard from afar, but today it was quiet. The Xun family's doors were tightly shut, and not even a wisp of smoke was seen coming from the chimney.
Shu Wanxiu glanced in that direction a few more times, which caught Shu Yanrong's attention. He asked, "Which family lives there?"
"Hmm..." Unexpectedly, her uncle asked a question. Shu Wanxiu carefully answered, "The owner of this house is surnamed Xun. He is the blacksmith in the village."
Having said that, remembering that her uncle's family would need to purchase a lot of ironware in the future, and that Xun Yi was the best ironsmith in the area, Shu Wanxiu recommended that he come to Xun Yi's shop next time he needed to buy ironware.
Having heard that this was the best blacksmith in the surrounding area, Shu Yanrong said, "Okay, I'll definitely come and patronize him."
The wooden bridge was also covered with a thick layer of snow. The group of them crossed it one after another, leaving behind several sets of footprints.
After clearing the snow, Shu Yanrong told them not to go down the mountain.
"We'll return the ladder on our way. You can stay home and warm yourselves by the fire. Don't go out and get cold."
"Don't worry, walking around a few more times will warm you up and make you feel warmer."
Shu Wanxiu carried a basket of freshly picked vegetables and insisted on seeing them off to the village entrance.
Amidst the heavy snow, the two groups parted ways at the village entrance, but there was no sadness, for they would meet again tomorrow.
After the two people seeing him off could no longer be seen, Shu Chenglin wanted to help carry the vegetable basket in Shu Yanrong's hands.
Shu Yanrong said indifferently, "Just walk your own path."
Shu Chenglin calmed down, enduring the slight discomfort in his legs, and tried to hurry home as fast as possible.
Just as cold sweat was about to break out on his forehead, Shu Yanrong stopped him.
"You think your leg is healing too fast? Then you'd better move to the back!"
Although his father's tone wasn't very friendly, Shu Chenglin instantly relaxed.
"Why!"
He happily stopped and made way for his father to go first.
Shu Yanrong didn't even spare his foolish son a glance, and walked straight ahead along the path the son had cleared for him.
Halfway through the journey, both of them had their hair and beards turned white by the snow. Shu Chenglin followed his father up a slope, feeling bored. Looking down, he suddenly squinted and pointed ahead, saying, "Dad, look, isn't there someone over there?"
The entire land was covered in silver, making any living creature that moved about there particularly conspicuous.
Shu Yanrong followed his son's finger and indeed saw a moving figure.
From their vantage point, they couldn't discern the height or appearance of those below. A quick glance revealed that snow covered their shoulders, heads, and even the front of their clothes.
Shu Yanrong glanced at him briefly, then looked back at the road beneath his feet. Shu Chenglin, however, kicked his footsteps as he went down the slope, and asked his father, "What do you think that person is doing out here in this freezing weather? He seems to be pushing a cart."
Naturally, no one discussed this issue with him.
Shu Chenglin had no choice but to speed up and get ahead as quickly as possible.
He walked nonstop despite his injured leg, and logically the distance between them should have closed quickly, but that was not the case.
Why did that person stop?
As he approached the bottom of the slope, Shu Chenglin saw the answer.
The man was pushing a wheelbarrow with a covered bamboo basket on each side. For some reason, he was untying the straw rope binding the baskets, preparing to unload them.
Upon noticing someone approaching, the person stopped untying the rope and stood up straight.
Shu Chenglin was three steps away from him. His gaze followed the man's body as he rose up. When the man stood up completely, he noticed something extremely rare.
He actually had to look up to this person.
After Shu Chenglin turned sixteen, he rarely met anyone taller than him.
He carefully examined the person in front of him and was disappointed to find that this person was about the same age as him, and apart from being taller, seemed to be superior to him in terms of physique, appearance, etc.
"What are you standing there for?" Shu Yanrong called out to Shu Chenglin in an annoyed tone.
Despite his aching leg, he still rushed to see the spectacle. Shu Yanrong was already speechless about his son's behavior.
I spoke up because I was afraid that his leg, which wasn't broken last time, would be broken again today, and the family would have to spend more money to hire a doctor for him.
As for the other young man in the snow, Shu Yanrong glanced at him and guessed without thinking that he must have encountered some trouble.
He tried to strike up a friendly conversation: "Young man, it's freezing cold outside, do you need any help?"
Xun Yi could hear the goodwill in Shu Yanrong's tone, but looking at the two unfamiliar faces in front of him, he shook his head slightly.
"Thank you, but no need."
Neither the father nor the son were the type to rush into things. When they were refused, they nodded, indicating that they would take their leave.
Xun Yi then bent down to untie the rope, but the moment his hand touched the bamboo basket, he couldn't help but turn around and glance at the two people's backs.
Some questions would be impolite to ask directly, so he changed his approach and inquired, "Do you know any refugees who have fled here from famine?"
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