72: Chapter 72: The First Scene of Heavy Snow_1 72: Chapter 72: The First Scene of Heavy Snow_1 Zhulan experienced her first snow in ancient times, a heavy snowfall like goose feathers.
Overnight, the land donned new attire; when she got up in the morning and tried to push the door open, it wouldn’t budge.
Peering through the crack, she saw the snow reached halfway up her calves, and it took some effort to finally push the door open.
Gazing at the sky, Zhulan watched the snowflakes whirl in the grey, overcast sky.
Without wind, she couldn’t tell when the snow would stop.
With a hiss, she murmured it was bitterly cold.
Looking down at her cotton-padded shoes, she hesitated to step forward, knowing they’d surely be filled with snow and soaking wet by the time she returned.
She longed for a pair of boots.
Seeing it was her eldest, Zhulan thought she’d be spared from fetching firewood herself.
“Eldest, fetch some firewood for your mom, will you?
I need to heat the kang.”
She felt a sense of satisfaction, thinking it was great to be at the top of the food chain!
Zhou Eldest rubbed his hands together, breathing a cloud of warm air, “Alright, Mom!”
The firewood at home was neatly split and stacked, which made fetching it in winter not only convenient but a lot less miserable.
Zhulan kindled the firewood; her second son and Rongchuan both got up.
They first lit the fires in each room and then the three of them began to sweep the snow.
By the time they were halfway done, the third and eldest sons had joined in.
Zhulan’s mouth curved into a smile; the original soul had been reluctant to let her two scholarly sons do labor, but she’d been eager to have them work.
Only through labor could one appreciate its difficulty, rather than complacently studying as if making a grand contribution.
The results were quite remarkable; the third son became more diligent in reciting his books, and the eldest learned to be more considerate.
During breakfast, Zhou Eldest asked, “Mom, we usually slaughter a pig after the first snow every year.
Should we kill one this year too?”
Zhulan had been thinking about the pig slaughter; she had been craving a hearty meal since the onset of winter, “Wait until the snow stops.”
Zhou Second expressed some concern, “They say a snowfall brings a good harvest, but such heavy snow from the first snowfall could spell disaster if it continues for a day.”
Zhulan looked up at their own roof with worry.
Most rural houses in ancient times were made of mud, and their roofs were not sturdy.
According to the original soul’s memory, it was quite common for roofs to collapse under the weight of the snow in winter.
“Eldest, you and Second should clear the snow off the roof later.”
The eldest son had been mindful of this as well, “Of course, Mom.”
Zhou Second frowned at his two scholarly younger brothers, “We can’t go to the private school today.”
Zhulan saw no alternative, “We’ll have to wait until the roads clear.”
Zhulan’s memories from her original life were clear; it was common for private schools to close in winter.
There was nothing to be done; transportation in ancient times was difficult.
The original soul remembered one year when a snow disaster blocked the roads for two months, and they even ran out of salt at home.
Thinking of this, Zhulan felt uneasy about ancient times without weather forecasts and resolved to stock up on supplies from the county once the roads were clear, preferring to have extra rather than running short.
After breakfast, the whole village came to life as every household began clearing the snow from their roofs, dreading the possibility of a collapse.
Zhulan called over Lady Li, “Hunter Wang’s family has quite a few rabbit skins.
As she spoke, Zhulan counted out a hundred coins; the price of skins didn’t vary much, and she gave Lady Li money based on the highest price they might be.
“If the hides are cheaper this year, use the extra money to buy some meat.
For tonight’s first snowfall, we’ll make sauerkraut and pork dumplings.”
Lady Li’s mouth watered at the thought, “You can count on me, I’ll definitely save more Silver Coin to buy meat.”
She was already figuring out how to haggle, completely forgetting to ask why they needed so many hides!
In less than an hour, Lady Li returned triumphant, carrying the hides and meat.
“Mom, I got the hides for eight coins each and bought over two pounds of pork belly with the rest.”
Zhulan praised her, “Well done.”
Setting down the hides, Lady Li asked, “Mom, what are you going to do with all these hides?”
Zhulan replied, “To make shoes.”
Lady Li visibly shivered with dismay, “Mom, we have cotton shoes at home.”
Why is mother-in-law so restless now!
With a loud bang from the backyard, Zhulan and Lady Li both jumped in fright.
Lady Li was the first to regain her composure, “Which family’s roof has collapsed?”