"You talk about me, you’re also indifferent to the snow." Qin Xiangnuan brought the dishes into the kitchen. Watching from the window as Zhiqing left with Conghua in the heavy snow, even though it was night, the world was still cloaked silver-white with ice and snow, indescribably cold.
She quickly washed everything and returned to her room, ready for bed. It was already nearing ten o’clock, and there wasn’t much entertainment. She didn’t like watching TV, and there weren’t any special programs, having watched "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" countless times, "Dream of the Red Chamber" for what felt like two lifetimes, and could recite "Journey to the West" by heart.
As she drifted off to sleep, she heard the sound of someone walking on snow. She turned over and continued sleeping, quickly dismissing the noise outside which was replaced by sweet dreams.
In the early morning, when she woke up, she quickly grabbed her clothes and got up, then immediately drew back the curtains. The snow was still falling outside, blanketing the earth in pristine white. Snow had accumulated thickly on the roof, perhaps twenty centimeters by now. With such heavy snowfall continuing, the coldness of the day was not like it was decades ago; such snow wouldn’t melt in a month if the weather persisted.
Soon, her breath fogged up the glass, blurring it. She pulled the curtains shut, found some thicker clothes to wear, and headed out to her shop. She knew that while her shop was small, it had gained some reputation in the area. On good weather days, people working out and office workers would stop by, but the local residents shopped more when the weather was bad. Thus, no matter the weather, it hardly affected her business, though it made it tougher on her.
Yet, over the years, she had grinded through it this way. She enjoyed the process of making money and the joy of earning it.
Just as she opened the door, Conghua scampered over, wagging its large tail constantly. The snow was imprinted with its paw prints; it seemed to really love the snow, especially rolling around in it.
"We’re going," Jian Zhiqing had already taken a scarf and wrapped it around him. He walked over, took a beige scarf from Qin Xiangnuan’s hand, and wrapped it around her neck. From this angle, Qin Xiangnuan could see the man’s thick eyelashes and excellent skin. Perhaps it was genetics; Jian Zhiqing and Jian Zhiqin’s skin were like Li Qiuhua’s—quite attractive. During their adolescence, they had no acne or hormonal imbalances, so their skin was very smooth. She seldom saw men with such good skin, although it wasn’t pale, possibly due to long-term exposure to the sun and wind.
"Let’s go," he extended his hand to Qin Xiangnuan. Inside her sleeve, she clenched her fingers before placing her hand in his large palm.
Her hands had fared well this year, only suffering a little bit of chilblains. She believed that in a few more years, they would no longer occur. For her hands, Zhiqing had procured many medications. Even before winter arrived, he had diligently applied treatments. She didn’t know if it was due to those medications, but in the recent year, the chilblains had lessened. Along with the advancements from the system in a few years, she hoped they wouldn’t reappear.