The snow Chen Yang had been longing for finally arrived on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month.
The day before the snow, the old village head had organized the village to make rice cakes and sticky rice dumplings, creating a lively atmosphere.
The new rice harvested this year made for exceptionally fragrant steamed rice cakes. The villagers made sticky rice dumplings, and Chen Yang also had a turn swinging the large hammer.
He was so tired from it that he slept soundly until dawn. When he woke up and pulled back the curtain, he found the world outside the window covered in white.
The entire courtyard was filled with snow. Before his rebirth, he had been on the other side of the ocean, and after returning to China, he lived in Shenzhen. Chen Yang hadn't seen such heavy snow in many years.
The vegetable patch in the yard was completely hidden by the snow.
In the entire courtyard, only the stone roller, resembling a small, bulging hill, and the dark, steaming well mouth with its uncovered lid remained visible.
"Hiss, it's really cold."
He had only been up for a short while, but he already felt the cold wind creeping into his neck.
He turned to adjust the corner of the quilt for Shen Xue, who was still sleeping. His wife was truly suffering from her pregnancy.
In the beginning, she couldn't sleep and woke up very early every day. Now that her morning sickness had improved and she slept more soundly, Shen Xue, who used to wake up earlier than Chen Yang, was now often sleeping in.
Chen Yang indulged her. When he woke up, he would take the children out of the room to play, allowing her to rest well.
He put on another layer of clothing and finally felt a little warmer.
The two little ones had already woken up. At their age, they were full of energy and always woke up early.
However, it was too cold, so both of them were huddled under the covers, only their little heads peeking out. Seeing Chen Yang enter, they immediately became excited.
"Daddy, cold."
"Want a hug."
Despite saying they were cold, the little ones were already out of bed and snuggling into Chen Yang's arms.
"You little rascals, put on your clothes, don't catch a cold, it's so cold today."
He quickly helped the little ones put on their clothes, adding an extra sweater for the girl. In this cold weather, it was crucial not to catch a cold.
Then, he picked up Chen Hao, who was still reluctant to get out of bed, helped him put on his clothes, and then quickly led the two children out.
"Mom, is the porridge on the stove ready? The thermos doesn't have any hot water. I'll boil some for these two to wash up."
When Chen Yang got up, his mother-in-law had already started cooking porridge. She was about to go out to the yard to uncover the vegetables buried by the snow, fearing they would all be crushed and die if left under the snow.
She probably didn't want to make too much noise by stepping on the snow, which might wake up her daughter and son-in-law, so she had been waiting.
"The porridge is almost ready. Your dad is in the room by the stove. There's hot water on the stove," Su Dan Xiao Shuo Wang.
Liu Chunmei pointed to the room. His father-in-law was warming himself by the stove, and Chen Yang saw that there was a coal stove burning.
He had bought coal a few days ago when he went to the market. His father-in-law had been very dismissive, saying there was plenty of firewood on the back mountain and why waste money on coal, calling it a waste.
But now, warming himself by the stove seemed quite comfortable. As the son of a landlord, he must have often warmed himself by a brazier in his youth and knew how pleasant it was to burn charcoal.
"Dad, when you burn coal, you can only do it in the main hall. Don't close the doors. Absolutely don't burn it in the inner rooms. If you close the doors and windows, the coal will consume the oxygen and you'll get poisoned."
In those days, few people in the countryside burned coal, and not many knew about the danger of carbon monoxide. Chen Yang reminded his father-in-law in advance to avoid any accidents.
"I know. I got up early and saw it was snowing. If it weren't for my precious grandchildren getting cold, I wouldn't be burning this coal. It's a waste of money."
"When you lie in bed at night, with the new cotton quilt we just got, there's no need to burn coal. It's very warm."
A honeycomb briquette cost three fen and five li. This was burning money, so how could the old man not feel the pinch?
However, the fire from burning coal was indeed warm. He couldn't bear to move his hands away from the stove.
Chen Yang picked up the kettle from the stove, poured some cold water into a basin, mixed it, and took the two children to brush their teeth and wash their faces.
Just as he was about to get them some porridge, he didn't notice that the two little ones had rushed into the yard.
As a result, one stumbled and buried himself in the snow.
After a night of heavy snow, the snow at the doorway was as deep as Chen Yang's knees. The two little ones were so small that only their heads were visible above the snow.
Chen Yang hurried to the door and dug the two little ones out of the snow.
"Did any snow get into your clothes? Is it cold?"
He quickly brushed the snow off the two little ones and brought them to the stove.
If snow got into their undershirts, it would be freezing cold. They mustn't catch a cold.
"Daddy, I want to go out and play."
"The snow is white and so beautiful."
Although they were immediately submerged in snow when they went out, neither Chen Hao nor the little girl was afraid of the cold. Instead, they were eager to play.
It wasn't just Chen Yang who hadn't seen snow in a long time; these two little ones also hadn't.
Last year, they were just over a year old and could barely walk steadily. They couldn't play in the snow. Now they were over two years old and full of energy. Seeing the snow, they naturally wanted to play.
"Okay, eat your porridge first. You'll be warm after eating. Then Daddy will clear a path in the yard, and I'll take you out to play."
Chen Yang dotingly patted the heads of the two little ones and then went to get them porridge.
Children at this age loved to play, and it was impossible not to let them.
As long as their clothes didn't get snow in them and they didn't play too wildly and catch a cold, it would be fine.
"I love Daddy the most."
Hearing that they could go out to play in the snow, the little girl was overjoyed. She hugged Chen Yang and gave him a kiss.
The two little ones slurped down a bowl of sweet potato porridge. Then, the mother-in-law chased the father-in-law away from the stove, and he joined Chen Yang with a shovel to clear the snow.
They had to at least clear a path to the door. Otherwise, with so much snow, it would be inconvenient to walk.
Not long after, Shen Xue also woke up. By the time she finished washing up, Chen Yang and Shen Futang had already cleared a path to the door.
"Let's go, Daddy will take you out to play."
Chen Yang put down the shovel, and the two little ones immediately bounced with joy.
"Before you go out to play, put on your hats, protect your ears, and wear the little gloves Mom made for you."
Chen Yang bundled the two little ones up tightly before taking them out.
Leading them, their feet crunched on the snow. Unfortunately, the snow was too deep, and each step left a pit, making it difficult to walk.
If it froze over for another night, it wouldn't be so deep with each step. The snow was still too soft now, making it even harder for the two little ones to move.
Chen Yang was already sweating profusely after just playing with them around the yard.
In such cold weather, looking at the briquette stove his father-in-law had lit, Chen Yang couldn't help but think how pleasant it would be to have a hot pot with some meat on a snowy day.