"Xiao Ning, thanks to the fact that you brought back a lot of wood and coal a while ago, it started snowing in the middle of the night yesterday, and we were all woken up by the cold."
Your Uncle Li went out and got some wood to start the stove. This kang (heated brick bed) is so nice, so warm and cozy; we didn't even feel the cold outside.
Aunt Li was truly grateful to Jian Ning. That girl was so capable.
They always think ahead in everything they do. If they hadn't set up their kang (heated brick bed) and prepared for winter in advance, the sudden drop in temperature last night would have definitely made the elderly couple suffer.
"It's good that you two haven't caught a cold. If you need to burn fuel, then burn it. Don't be stingy. The weather has only just changed, and it might get even colder later."
"It's frozen outside, so we can go out now. I reckon the water will be frozen solid too. I saw quite a few people already outside downstairs. The snow has lessened now."
"Let's all go down and check on things in a bit. Let's eat first." Aunt Li was getting really bored living upstairs. Living up there all the time, so detached from reality, always makes you feel uneasy.
Breakfast consisted of hot red date and millet porridge, scallion pancakes, stir-fried eggs with chili peppers, and cold shredded carrots and potatoes.
Jian Ning really liked this. She didn't know what seasonings Aunt Li used, but it was crisp and refreshing, and tasted great when rolled with scallion pancakes.
After dinner, the whole family was dressed neatly, not only in down jackets but also in thick snow boots. They lined up to go downstairs.
The floodwaters had receded to just below the third-floor window, so I went out to take a look.
It's really lively outside. It seems like everyone in the neighborhood has come out. Although most of the familiar neighbors look pale and sickly, they're so happy to have a chance to chat that they don't care about the cold.
They gathered in small groups, talking loudly. They were mostly saying they didn't know when this awful weather would end.
"Let's go outside and take a look," Aunt Li said. She was a newcomer and didn't know any of the neighbors, so she took Li Mengyao's hand and carefully led her outside.
The snow on the ground was quite thick, and the floodwaters had frozen it solid overnight. Although you couldn't drive a car on it, walking on it was definitely not a problem.
The road surface was a bit slippery, so the old lady was very careful.
What if I fall and get injured? Wouldn't that be a burden on my children? We don't even know what the situation is like outside right now. We don't even know if the hospitals are functioning properly. Maybe I won't even have a doctor to treat me if I get injured.
The main gate of Jinmao Mansion was already submerged by water; once you walk out, it's a flat plain.
Not far from the residential area, I saw a woman lying on the snow, repeatedly swinging a hammer and smashing it against the ice.
"Is there anything edible underground? It's frozen so solid, it's probably hard to take it out. Let's go take a look." It's human nature to love joining in the fun.
Uncle Li swaggered over, hands behind his back. Before he even got close, he gasped. What was frozen in the water wasn't food, but a living, breathing person!
Wearing a diving suit, face to the ice, eyes wide open, filled with despair and helplessness, it made his heart clench.
The woman was in a small wooden boat, frozen in the floodwaters. She was only wearing a thin outer garment, seemingly oblivious to the cold.
She was still frantically pounding the ice with a hammer. The flying ice shards scraped her face, leaving many bloody marks, but she seemed completely oblivious.
"Young lady, the person is gone, there's no hope. You should get up and go home." Uncle Li couldn't bear to see her like this, so he went over and pulled her up.
"Brother, please, please save my son! He's only twenty-three!"
After being pulled back by Uncle Li, the woman paused for a moment, slowly looked up at him, and suddenly, as if grasping at a last straw, rushed over and hugged Uncle Li's leg, kowtowing and begging repeatedly.
"Sister, it's not that I don't want to help, it's that there's nothing I can do. The person is gone, frozen inside..."
Before Uncle Li could finish speaking, the woman suddenly leaned forward and collapsed in front of him.
"Old woman, what should we do?" This startled Uncle Li. He had only come to watch the commotion, how could someone be clinging to him like this? Should he help her up or not?
"I knelt for so long that my blood stopped flowing from the cold. In this freezing weather, I don't know how long I've been smashing things here."
Jian Ning was the first to quickly walk over. She directly applied a blood-activating talisman to the woman.
"I'll give her this coat, but where am I supposed to take it? Is there anyone at the hospital?" Uncle Li was completely unfamiliar with the city, and in his anxiety, he took off his own coat and covered the woman with it, pacing around in circles.
"Aren't you cold? Go home quickly. We'll take care of things here."
Aunt Li glared at Uncle Li. This old geezer, wearing only a sweater, was trying to act like a Good Samaritan. Wasn't he afraid of freezing his old bones?
"Dad, wear my clothes. I'm full of energy, I'll be fine."
Jian Anping, who was standing next to him, quickly took off his down jacket and gave it to Uncle Li. He himself was only wearing a thermal undershirt. He couldn't help but shiver.
"Xiao Ning, what should we do with this person?" Li Mengyao felt sorry for her husband but was also worried about the woman on the ground. She pulled Jian Anping's hand to warm him up and asked anxiously.
Subconsciously, Jian Ning was the backbone of this family, even though she was the youngest. But these days, she had won their trust and respect.
"She'll wake up soon. Let her go home by herself. Brother, you hurry back and get dressed. Sister-in-law, make her some ginger soup to warm her up."
“Okay,” Li Mengyao said, pulling Jian Anping along as they hurried home.
Da Zhuang, who was standing nearby, came over, glanced at the person inside the ice, then at the woman on the ground, and suddenly reached out to help her up.
"Aunt Liu, Aunt Liu, wake up!"
The woman on the ground heard someone calling her and slowly opened her eyes. She grabbed Dazhuang's hand.
"Dazhuang, your brother is gone, gone!" She pounded her chest, crying her heart out. Dazhuang couldn't help but shed tears too.
After crying for a while, she looked up at Jian Ning and asked, "Sister, can I take Auntie home? She lives in the neighborhood next door."
“Okay, let’s go,” Jian Ning bent down and helped Liu Da Niang up with Da Zhuang. Her legs were so cold she couldn’t feel them. Da Zhuang carried her on his back. Uncle Li helped support her from behind, and they went to the neighboring community.
This residential complex is located across the street from Jinmaofu, next to the building where Dazhuang's house collapsed. It consists of low-rise buildings.
Aunt Liu lives on the ninth floor. Da Zhuang is just a child, and he couldn't carry him anymore after carrying him halfway. He held onto the handrail, panting heavily.
Jian Ning had no choice but to go up herself. She couldn't very well let the two elderly people carry her up!
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