On the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, the Wangjia Village was repairing its ancestral hall. None of the Lu family members went, and the village chief did not force them to go.
The snow stopped on a sunny day, the sky was clear and blue, and the plum blossoms in the courtyard were in full bloom. The red plum blossoms covered in snow exuded a subtle fragrance. Qin Xiaozhou basked in the sun under the plum tree and watched the birds chirping in the persimmon tree. It was a relaxed and bright day.
Lu Xiaosi played by himself in the yard, wandering around holding onto the flower bed. The yard gate was closed, so there was no danger. Lu Yan was being forced by Wang Lan to learn needlework. She didn't want to stay in the kitchen by the fire, so she went to the yard to bask in the sun.
Zhao Fang and Wang Lan were making hairbands by the stove in the kitchen. The materials they used were leftover silk scraps from the embroidery workshop. The colors were bright and they were perfect for children.
Lu Yan couldn't do it. She would run away after only two or three stitches, clutching a scarlet ribbon. "Mother, I want this one."
Wang Lan laughed and said, "Alright, young girls should dress more brightly."
Qin Xiaozhou took out several silver bells she had bought, "Sew them onto your hairbands, and you and Jinxiu can split them up."
Lu Yan hugged Qin Xiaozhou's arm with a smile and thanked her affectionately. The hairbands were quickly made, and the two little girls tied their hair into double buns and then tied the hairbands on, looking charming and cute.
Zhao Fang touched Lu Yan's face, which was fair and tender with rosy cheeks, showing no trace of her previous suffering. "Go play, but don't go to the ancestral hall or any deserted places."
Lu Yan pulled Qin Jinxiu along happily as they ran out the door, their dog following behind, disappearing in a flash.
Even under the sun, they still felt cold. Qin Xiaozhou scooped Lu Xiaosi up in her arms. "This kid is so healthy and energetic. Even in this cold weather, his hands and feet are warm."
“That’s right.” Zhao Fang laughed, pulling her son into her arms. “He’s my little stove. Come here, baby, warm your mother up.”
Qin Xiaozhou strolled over to Xiao Shitou's crib. The little girl inside was looking at people with her big, bright eyes. She was so cute. She couldn't help but pinch Xiao Shitou's cheek. "When did our little Shitou wake up? She's such a good baby, not crying or making a fuss."
With the adults all out in the front, the children couldn't be left in the backyard, so Wang Lan moved the small wooden bed to the kitchen, where a fire was lit, making it much warmer than the backyard.
Wang Lan put down her needlework, picked up Xiao Shitou, and said, "Come on, Grandma will see if he's hungry or needs to poop."
Having cared for so many children, she was very skilled at this. She brought over a bowl that was warm on the stove, containing steamed eggs that were fragrant, smooth, and soft. "Good child, eat up."
"Eat, Grandma, I want some too." Lu Xiaosi struggled out of Zhao Fang's arms. "I want to eat eggs."
Wang Lan laughed heartily, "Little glutton, yes, everyone gets a share."
The laughter and chatter in the kitchen had no effect on Lu Yunxing. He remained steadfast, studying diligently day and night, wishing he could sleep with his head on a pillow.
A matchmaker knocked on the Lu family's door in the snow. No one wanted to come in the freezing cold, but unfortunately, the person in charge of the Lu family was usually in the county town and not at home, so they could only come to propose marriage in the dead of winter.
Lu Yunxing is only fifteen years old, so it wouldn't matter if it dragged on for three or four years. He decided to refuse.
The matchmaker grumbled and swaggered away on the muddy road, half-frozen. The marriage proposal had fallen through, and the deal was off again. A few days later, word spread throughout the nearby villages that the Lu family had high standards and that their marriage proposal was no longer viable. Several other families in the area who had considered the marriage gave up on their plans.
Snowflakes began to fall heavily from the sky, continuing for three or four days without stopping. Qin Xiaozhou looked at the gray world and yawned boredly. Suddenly, a loud noise came from the southwest of the backyard, along with the sound of tiles crashing down and Wang Lan screaming!
Qin Xiaozhou's half-finished yawn was abruptly stopped in her tracks, and she ran towards the backyard shouting, "What's wrong? What happened?"
Lu Yan put Xiao Si under the eaves and hurriedly ran into the backyard, then ran back in. "It was a walnut tree branch by the outer wall of the backyard that broke off under the weight of the snow and fell onto the roof of the storage room. No one was hurt."
Walnut tree branches are more brittle than other trees. In the past, most of the branches of this walnut tree covered the roof of the storage room. Thinking that the storage room would be cool in the summer, I didn't touch it. I didn't expect that it would cause damage now. As long as no one was hurt, it's fine.
The broken tiles weren't all falling yet; they kept crashing down with a crackling sound.
Lu Yunfeng followed him in, feeling somewhat guilty. "It was my oversight. I should have thought that the snow would break the branches. We'll cut off the remaining branches later to prevent them from breaking again tomorrow or the day after."
The house, which was only built this autumn, had one room collapse under the weight of tree branches. Fortunately, it was just a storage room on the southwest side near Qingzhugou, but it still made Wang Lan's heart bleed and her eyes redden. She went in to rescue the grain and meat.
Qin Xiaozhou pulled her back, saying, "Those are all inanimate objects and won't kill you. The rice jars are all covered, and meat with dirt on it can still be eaten after washing. It's the people who will be hurt that are the real problem."
Lu Yunxing stopped reading and started looking around the storage room. "The rafters have collapsed, and the tiles could fall down at any moment. We need to get the branches out and clear the broken tiles from the roof before we can go in."
Wang Lan slapped her thigh and said, "I'll go to the village and ask people to come and help."
The Lu brothers carried a ladder and climbed up the tree trunk. Qin Xiaozhou found a rope and tied it to the branch they were going to cut. There were houses below the tree, and if the branch fell down and was even slightly pressed, the tiles would break. In this cold weather, what would happen if there was a hole in the roof?
Lu Yunfeng chopped at the tree branches one by one, and the snow on the branches mixed with the twigs fell down in a flurry. He looked down and called out, "Move over a bit, don't stand so close."
Qin Xiaozhou and Lu Yunxing moved back to the west corner of the wall. "Be careful of the nicks in the branches when they fall and hit you."
Wang Chao and several men from the village rushed over. "Sister-in-law, let me pull it up. These wet branches are very heavy." He then pointed to two other people. "Go and bring a ladder over and place it against the side of the house. If the branches fall, they can slide down the ladder and reduce the impact."
Qin Xiaozhou was surprised. This person was quite clever. She always treated people to a meal when they came to help. So she followed Wang Lan to the front kitchen. Lu Yan and Qin Jinxiu were very curious and watched from the backyard. Zhao Fang was holding her youngest son under the eaves in the backyard. The boy was naughty and would run away if she wasn't careful.
Wang Lan was pacing anxiously in the kitchen. "Five men need to eat several bowls of rice. There isn't enough rice in the kitchen. I'll go get some from the back."
Qin Xiaozhou stopped him, "I'll go. I'll wear a straw raincoat on my head. That thing is hard and thick, and it's the best for cushioning."
As soon as the talent arrived in the backyard, Zhao Fang snatched it away, saying, "I'll go."
It was too much for one person to handle, so Qin Xiaozhou went along too. One of them lifted the lid of the rice jar to block the dust, while the other scooped out rice. Zhao Fang couldn't help but cough, her mouth and throat full of dust. "That's enough, let's get out of here quickly."
When Qin Xiaozhou came out, she was carrying a string of meat. Broken tiles came crashing down, and Lu Yunxing caught them at the door. "Sister-in-law, are you alright?"
He had seen it clearly from outside; the tiles had all hit Qin Xiaozhou on the back.
Qin Xiaozhou straightened up from her bent back and took off the raincoat. "It's alright, this raincoat is thick enough."
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