The Laba Festival passed, followed by another heavy snowfall. Seeing the snow already reaching his ankles, and the sky still actively snowing, Grandpa Meng began to worry.
"Such heavy snow is not good. If not careful, some roofs could collapse under the weight."
"Indeed." With the experience from last time, Fu Yu would take Meng Qicheng every couple of hours to clear the snow from the entrances.
He would also climb a ladder to clear snow from the rooftops.
Through the glass window, seeing the snow continuously piling up beside the bluestone-paved path, Yu'er was overjoyed. He felt that the snow clearing efforts at home today were much more substantial than last time.
If not for his grandfather constantly chattering beside him, he would have been busy following his father.
Han Zhi refused to enter the house. His small body stood inside the doorway, frequently lifting the curtain a sliver to look outside, his small face filled with obvious worry.
"Xiao Zhi, what's wrong?" After a while, Fu Yu noticed the child behaving differently than usual.
"I..." He had heard what Grandpa Meng and Uncle Fu were saying earlier. He also remembered what his grandfather and grandmother had said before, and he worried that the house's roof would collapse.
Seeing his conflicted expression, Fu Yu patiently squatted down and chatted with him for a while. After Fu Yu learned about his concerns from the little one, he went inside to tell his old father.
Grandpa Meng glanced out at the vast expanse of white snow swirling outside. He wanted to fulfill the child's filial piety: "Why don't you take the child back to Wujia Village before it gets dark and pick up his grandparents? We still have empty rooms in our front courtyard house."
"Alright, son is going now." After Fu Yu finished speaking, he told Han Zhi to wear more clothes, and then went to harness the donkey cart.
When Han Zhi heard that Uncle Fu was going to Wujia Village to pick up his grandparents, his little face lit up like a flower.
He ran into the house with quick steps to put on his padded jacket. He obediently let Grandpa Meng tie his scarf for him, then happily went out to find Uncle Fu.
Watching the child's skipping figure disappear into the swirling snow, Grandpa Meng couldn't help but chuckle. He hoped this little fellow would always maintain such a pure heart.
Facing the vast, falling snow, Fu Yu's eyes were almost unable to open.
Fortunately, he was a meticulous person. He proceeded with extreme caution, driving the donkey cart slowly forward. It was fortunate that Wujia Village was not far, and there was only one road, so they arrived at Wujia Village relatively quickly.
As soon as the donkey cart stopped at the entrance of the Han family's courtyard, Fu Yu first lifted Han Zhi off the cart.
The little fellow struggled to step through the snow towards the house, shouting as he ran, "Grandpa, Grandma, I'm back!"
The elderly couple inside, who were talking under a quilt, thought they had misheard. It wasn't until they heard the front door being knocked that they realized their grandson had truly returned.
However, thinking about the heavy snow outside, the elderly couple's hearts tightened when they thought about their grandson returning in such weather.
"Xiao Zhi, did you..." Grandpa Han wanted to ask if his grandson had made a mistake, leading the Meng family to send him back in this weather.
He stopped mid-sentence, seeing his grandson's expression, which didn't seem like he had been sent away.
"Grandpa, Grandma, it was Grandpa Meng who sent Uncle Fu to pick you up."
"Pick us up?"
"Yes." Fu Yu stood at the front entrance, not entering. He stated his purpose, "The snow is getting heavier and heavier today, and this child was worried about you, fearing your house might collapse under the snow, so he wouldn't even enter the house."
The elderly couple looked at their grandson, who gazed at them with filial love, and with trembling hands, they caressed his hair.
"My father couldn't bear to see it, so he sent me with the donkey cart to pick up the two elders."
"This, this how can we..." Grandpa Han found it hard to believe his ears.
Fu Yu carefully glanced at the precarious roof swaying in the wind and snow, and then urged them loudly, "Elderly couple, you should pack up quickly. I see this roof is also a bit shaky."
"Ah." Grandma Han was fearful. They knew their own situation; their dilapidated old house might not even survive the day.
Seeing his wife start packing, Grandpa Han quickly helped her.
The Han family truly didn't have many possessions: just two sets of bedding, a few worn clothes patched repeatedly, three sets of bowls and chopsticks, and three bags of grain.
With so little, they quickly packed and loaded them onto the donkey cart.
Grandpa Han then went to fetch their big yellow dog, and Grandma Han picked up the dog's bed. The family of three boarded the donkey cart amidst the restless barking of the dog.
Mrs. Zhang next door, hearing the noise, opened her door to peek over. She vaguely saw the elderly Han couple leaving in the donkey cart.
Enviously, she closed her door and returned inside to murmur to her son and grandchildren: "I didn't expect the Han family to have such wealthy relatives."
"Mother, what did you see?"
"I just heard the big yellow dog next door barking, so I curiously opened the door to take a look. Oh my, it's quite something! The elderly couple was picked up by a donkey cart."
"Really!" Single Xiao Cong was also very curious.
"Grandma saw it, but whether it's true or not, I don't know."
"If Grandma saw it, it's definitely true." Single Xiao Cong was best at pleasing Mrs. Zhang.
"This rascal, you're so good at flattering me." With her grandson accompanying her, Mrs. Zhang smiled from ear to ear.
The journey back seemed even more difficult. Fu Yu didn't dare ride the donkey cart and instead walked beside the donkey on the snowy ground.
Fortunately, this section of the road was relatively flat. Fu Yu didn't dare to let his guard down, constantly reminding the Han family of three to hold on tight.
However, as soon as he opened his mouth, a large clump of snow was blown into his mouth by the north wind. It was icy cold, almost choking him.
For the rest of the journey, he dared not speak again.
Yu'er leaned on the windowsill, gazing in the direction of the main entrance. He would occasionally ask, "Grandfather, why isn't Father back yet?"
Grandpa Meng watched the snow fall incessantly outside, also worried about his son.
Hearing his grandson's question, he couldn't afford to be careless. He smiled and replied, "Your father will be back soon. Yu'er, are you hungry?"
"Yes, a little." Yu'er knew what his grandfather was about to say and continued, "Grandfather, I want to wait for Father to come back, and then we'll eat together."
"Good. Our Yu'er is such a good child, thinking of his elders."
Praised by his grandfather, Yu'er felt a little shy. His chubby fingers continuously drew on the misty glass window.
Suddenly, faint barking sounds, "Woof woof woof," could be heard from outside. Yu'er felt a little scared and quickly moved from the windowsill to his grandfather's side.
"Don't be afraid, Yu'er. It's probably your father who's back."
Yu'er was a little confused. Why would there be barking sounds if his father was back?