Fu Yu heard him and quickly called out loudly, "Yu'er, Xiao He, put on your jackets first, or you'll catch a cold later."
"Yes." Seeing his father telling him to put on his jacket, Yu'er obediently sat on the kang and picked up his padded trousers and jacket. With Qi Ge's help, he put them all on. Then, he and Qi Ge eagerly crawled to the window and watched their father shovel a path through the knee-deep snow, all the way to the front door.
Yu'er, excited, put on his shoes with Qi Ge and ran out.
Even though Yu'er was usually well-behaved and sensible, his heart was stirred by the thick snow. He rushed out after Qi Ge without a second thought.
The adults' knees were barely covered, but he, a little tot, almost disappeared into it. The snow poured into his collar. Looking at the little fellow's crumpled, bun-like face, they didn't know whether to laugh or cry, completely baffled.
Fortunately, Grandpa Meng followed behind them. He hadn't kept an eye on his grandson for a moment, and the naughty boy had already rushed into the snow. He didn't even have time to stop him.
However, he was quick to pull his grandson out of the snow.
Grandpa Meng looked at his grandson's small appearance with a bit of heartache, but more so with amusement.
Qi He couldn't help himself. He was afraid of making Yu'er unhappy if he laughed, so he quickly turned away.
Yu'er: He seemed to hear laughter and wanted to see who was laughing at him. However, his grandfather had already picked him up and returned indoors, so he saw nothing.
Seeing Grandpa Meng carrying Yu'er indoors to change clothes, Qi He restrained himself and stopped frolicking in the snow like a silly young deer. He obediently picked up the snow shovel and helped Uncle Fu and the others shovel snow.
Fu Xinci also woke up not too late. When she pulled back the curtains, she saw a pure white, snow-covered world outside the window.
The winter morning sun fell on the accumulated snow, refracting brilliant radiance, as if draping the mountains and glaciers in a holy light.
A path had already been shoveled from the front courtyard to the main gate. Grandfather was leading his adopted father and Meng Qicheng in shoveling snow in the yard.
The main gate of their house was open, and she even heard Grandfather say that Qi He and Meng Yuluo had gone to the village to help, as many households were blocked by snow and unable to get out.
Qi He's team was growing. Previously, it was just him and Meng Yuluo, but now the Meng Qishan brothers and Meng Yutang had joined, along with Meng Yuwen and Meng Yuwu.
Several teenagers, carrying snow shovels, were helping the villagers of Mengjia Village clear the snow blocking their doorways.
On the hillside of the garrison, Qi Yuanshan looked on from afar and suddenly had an idea.
In fact, this idea had occurred to him long ago, back when he saw these few boys fighting together in Ningyuan City.
He had been busy before and hadn't had time to act on it. Now that he finally had some free time, he wondered if he should discuss it with these boys.
Qi Yuanshan decided that after they finished shoveling snow today, he would go and talk to the boys.
Thinking of that scene, Qi Yuanshan also became enthusiastic and ordered the soldiers at the garrison to go out and shovel snow after breakfast.
The soldiers did not cry out in complaint. Instead, they winked at each other, all quite cheerful.
Why were they cheerful? Of course, shoveling snow was much easier than training, and they were very willing, even if they had to do it all day.
Breakfast at the Meng family's today was steamed buns made of three kinds of flour and stewed cabbage. Although it was a simple meal of one dish and one staple, the family ate with relish.
At the table, Qi He, holding half a steamed bun, did not forget to tell everyone, "Fortunately, we went to help, otherwise everyone would be stuck in their houses and couldn't get out."
The more Qi He spoke, the funnier he found it. "Grandpa Meng, you should have seen how comical Meng Yutang was."
"What silly thing did he do this time?" Fu Xinci also wanted to know.
"If Meng Yuluo and I had gone a little later, he would have dismantled the window."
"That naughty child. In this cold weather, if he dismantled the window, wouldn't he freeze into an icicle?" Grandpa Meng now felt that the child deserved a beating.
"Yes. His grandmother was scolding him, so he didn't dare to act."
"Pfft." Yu'er treated it like a joke. When he heard that his cousin was being scolded by his grandmother, he covered his small mouth and snickered.
...
Breakfast was eaten late today. By the time everyone put down their chopsticks, it was almost noon.
Standing at the main gate, Qi He looked at the thick snow on the open fields and suddenly felt playful. He let out a loud shout, "Let's have a snowball fight!"
"Okay!" Not only did Meng Yuluo, who was following behind him, agree, but Meng Yutang and the Meng Qishan brothers from the neighboring courtyard also ran out.
Yu'er was also eager to join, but Fu Xinci stopped him.
"Sister, can we also have a snowball fight with Qi Ge and the others?"
Fu Xinci, thinking of the highest realm of snowball fighting where everyone else was your enemy, shook her head and said, "No."
"Why?"
"Yu'er, it's perfectly fine for us to just watch here." Fu Xinci was adamant about not joining the snowball fight.
Although Yu'er's little head was full of confusion, he obediently stood at the main gate with his sister and watched.
As the battlefield expanded, Yu'er's little eyes couldn't keep up. Especially when he saw the uncles and older brothers, who were older than him, chasing each other and tumbling in the knee-deep snow.
He remembered the scene of himself rushing into the snow that morning, the icy snow pouring down his collar and onto his chest.
The cold touch made his skin and flesh feel as if they were frozen with ice shards.
Thinking about it, he shivered. He didn't want to experience that again. He now finally understood that his sister's words were right.
The boys ran farther and farther, getting closer and closer to Wujia Village.
Dan Xiaocong, bored at home, ran out of the house to watch when he heard the noise.
When he realized that the boys having a snowball fight were all familiar faces, he spontaneously rushed out. He wanted to join too.
Huang shi, who came out behind him, shouted, "Xiao Cong, Mom said it's too cold outside, hurry back."
"Mom, you go inside first, I'll play with Xiao He and the others for a while."
"Oh, you naughty child, hurry back. If you get a shoe full of snow, you won't be able to use your feet."
"Mom, it's okay, I'll be back soon."
"Alas, this child, what can I do?" Huang shi saw that she couldn't stop her son and had to go back inside to find her mother-in-law for a solution.
Dan Yinyin and Dan Shishi were both sitting in the main hall, peeling corn with Aunt Wu. When they saw their mother come in, they habitually rolled their eyes.
Huang shi glared at her. She just didn't understand why her daughter was so insensitive. She had taught her since childhood that getting along well with her brother would be her support in the future. But her daughter seemed like a blockhead, unresponsive to any persuasion.
Oh dear, she had to find a private place to have a good talk with her.
Dan Yinyin saw the look in her mother's eyes and knew what she was thinking.