Chapter 99
The desolate chill of late autumn arrived like a galloping horse, charging in with full force, its neighing echoing loudly as it swept through the fallen leaves.
Little Ruili woke up, and as usual he stuck his feet out from the soft blanket. He was surprised that his little dad hadn’t come to wake him up today. However, the biting cold wind pricked his skin like a little hedgehog, startling him so much that he quickly pulled his feet back under the covers.
He reached out his chubby arms to hug Ruijin, who was sleeping beside him: "Brother, it’s so cold."
His icy feet chilled by the wind were pressed against Ruijin’s warm stomach, waking him up.
Ruijin rubbed his eyes, his face squished by Little Ruili’s cheek, making him look like a misshapen dough ball: "Why are you up so early?"
"It’s so cold, so cold."
Ruijin had been comfortably warm under the blanket, but Little Ruili’s tight hug made it hard to breathe. He glanced toward the door: "Little dad!"
At this time, the two fathers had just gotten up. Sensing the sudden change in weather, they didn’t even bother putting on their outer clothes and went straight to the courtyard to check.
The village was shrouded in autumn rain and thick fog. The rain fell rapidly, as if trying to make up for the lack of rain during summer and early autumn. Occasionally, a gust of wind would blow, sending shivers down their spines.
Instead of rubbing his own arms, Zhang Fangyuan wrapped his arms around Xu He’s shoulders. Both were dressed lightly, but the sight of the rain and wind didn’t make them feel cold. Instead, they felt a sense of relief.
"Finally, the charcoal will be in demand!"
"Not just charcoal. The cold weather will also slow down the spread of the epidemic."
Xu He felt happy and snuggled into Zhang Fangyuan’s strong embrace. The two exchanged a glance and instinctively moved closer, but Zhang Fangyuan suddenly felt his pants being tugged.
He frowned impatiently and glanced down, only to see Little Ruijin looking up at him, pulling on his pants.
"Ruijin, why are you up?"
Xu He followed his husband’s gaze and saw the child. He quickly retracted his slightly raised chin and coughed lightly.
Zhang Fangyuan bent down to pick up Little Ruijin: "Are you cold? Why did you come out by yourself?"
"Little Ruili is cold and wants more blankets. He called for you, but you didn’t answer."
Zhang Fangyuan touched the tip of his nose and glanced at Xu He. They really hadn’t heard. Usually, the children woke up later, but with the sudden change in weather, the couple had gotten up early. They hadn’t expected the kids to wake up so early too.
The two returned to the room, where Little Ruili was clinging to the edge of the bed, seemingly waiting for his brother to bring their two fathers.
"Do you want to sleep a little longer?"
Xu He picked up Little Ruili and held him in his arms. He wasn’t sure how long the two brothers had been making noise in the room, but their bodies had already lost the warmth of the blankets and were now cold. Worried that the children might catch a cold, he quickly put on a cotton coat for them.
Little Ruili yawned. He was a bit sleepy to begin with, but his feet got cold and he woke up from the cold, draining some of his energy. Now that he was dressed warmly, he was ready to doze off again.
Ruijin also slumped on Zhang Fangyuan’s shoulder: "I want to sleep."
The couple put the two children back to bed and had Gancao fetch the thick, soft winter quilts, replacing the thin autumn ones.
With the sudden drop in temperature, not only did the children’s quilts need to be changed, but theirs did as well.
The autumn rain fell incessantly, turning the fields into a muddy, soggy mess. Few people ventured out, and even the farmers who went to gather pigweed wore bamboo hats and thick straw raincoats. The once lively village suddenly felt desolate.
It wasn’t just the village, even the city wasn’t faring much better.
The cobblestone streets, washed clean by the night’s rain, gleamed under the dim light. A pair of cloth shoes would get half soaked when walking on it. Few vendors set up stalls in the city, and although the shops remained open, they were eerily quiet.
Every now and then, a shopkeeper would step out from under the eaves, hands behind their back, gazing at the rain.
After a long drought, the sudden rain, though cold, brought a small sense of relief to the city’s residents.
By the time Zhang Fangyuan arrived in the city, it was almost noon. The rain showed no signs of stopping, and the sky was so dark it was hard to tell the time.
He went straight to the charcoal shop. Business was slightly better than in summer and autumn, but not by much. Perhaps the sudden cold had reminded people who hadn’t stocked up on charcoal to come and buy some.
Zhang Fangyuan asked about the prices, which were still the same, they hadn’t risen yet. He didn’t do anything else and returned to the village, mentioning to the village chief that everyone should take the opportunity to stock up on charcoal and firewood.
"What’s there to fear after one day of rain? Winter is almost here. Of course, it’s cold when it rains in autumn."
A villager said, "We still have some charcoal and firewood left at home. We’ll use that for now. Why stockpile so much?"
"Besides, if we’re going to stockpile, we should wait for the weather to clear up."
The village chief relayed the message but didn’t push further. Even he thought the weather might warm up again.
However, seeing how much charcoal the Zhang family had stockpiled, he decided to gather some firewood once the weather cleared, better safe than sorry.
But the clear weather the villagers were waiting for didn’t come for half a month. The rain continued day after day, with the best day being one without rain. But before the fields could dry, the drizzle returned.
After a few days of rain, people were still in good spirits, thinking it would help prevent the spread of disease. But after half a month of cold, damp weather, the villagers began to grow restless.
This people just want to argue, lol. If he didn't say anything they'll say he was greedy and didn't help his fellow villagers. We'll to each their own, I guess.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update!!!!!!