Chapter 155
The first snow of early winter drifted down in the morning. The sky was gloomy, darker than usual. Snowflakes landed on the ground and rooftops, only to be swept up again by the wind. Before long, the snow grew heavier.
Those who had curled up in their quilts all night, finally warming their hands and feet, now faced the moment of getting up. Though their eyes remained closed and they were unaware of the snow outside, many could keenly feel the cold. Most country folk had never studied books, and among them, the more ill-tempered men wrapped their quilts tighter, clinging to the precious warmth they had managed to gather. Muttering curses under their breath at the damned weather, they thought of how little work there was to do in the fields during winter’s idleness, then rolled over and went back to sleep. Only the women and fulangs responsible for sweeping, cooking, and family chores got up.
From the large house built by the second branch of the Shen family in the southeast of Qingxi Village came a few barks of dogs, which soon quieted down.
In the room, light seeped through the thick paper pasted over the windows, dim and far from bright.
The figure on the bed stirred. Lu Gu poked his head out from under the quilt. In the middle of the night, he had felt cold and, without realizing it, buried himself deeper. Now, as he emerged, the chill attacked his face. Listening to the wind outside, he thought to himself that today was even colder.
Shen Xuanqing, lying beside him, woke up too. They had gone to bed early the night before, and with two tangpozis in the quilt and two thick cotton blankets piled on top, they had slept more soundly and comfortably than most, undisturbed by the cold all night.
Hearing the wind, Shen Xuanqing remarked casually, “Might be snowing.”
As he spoke, Lu Gu sat up to put on his clothes. Since they shared a quilt, such a movement inevitably let cold air in, so Shen Xuanqing sat up as well, retrieving the clothes they had left between the two blankets to keep warm.
Normally, Lu Gu would take a moment to shake off sleepiness after waking, but today was so cold that the moment his feet touched the floor, the chill jolted him fully awake. Rubbing his face, he noted how dark the room still was, unlit by any lamp. “I’ll light the clay stove. What do you want for breakfast? There’s still some red bean glutinous rice cake from yesterday, we can steam it on the clay pot lid while the water boils.”
“Alright.” Shen Xuanqing nodded in agreement. Seeing Lu Gu rub his cheeks twice, he reached out as well, cupping Lu Gu’s face in his hands and giving it a good squeeze, they were soft and smooth to the touch.
His grip was a bit too firm, squishing Lu Gu’s face out of shape.
Feeling the strength in those hands, Lu Gu frowned slightly. It didn’t hurt, but he swatted Shen Xuanqing’s wrist in protest.
Shen Xuanqing released him with a laugh, utterly unrepentant. Now Lu Gu understood why Shen Yan said her second brother could be so annoying. After their little scuffle, they went outside together and discovered that it really was snowing.
When the front and back doors of the main hall were opened, cold wind rushed in. Guaizi, curled up on a hemp sack, buried his head deeper, unwilling to get up. Lu Gu didn’t disturb the lazy dog, closing both doors halfway to leave only a small gap for ventilation.
He crouched by the clay stove, striking flint to start a fire, while Shen Xuanqing went to the woodshed at the back and brought in a bundle of kindling.
Ever since Shen Xuanqing returned, the two of them had been sleeping here at night.
When this house was built, the plot of land had been large, with the rabbit hutches, cattle and sheep sheds, and chicken and duck coops in the backyard all set far from the main hall. The courtyard was spacious, so the various smells only became noticeable when the wind blew south. In winter, the odors were much lighter than in summer.
The new house had many livestock, so someone needed to stay overnight anyway. With three sturdy blue-tiled rooms - each larger than those in the old house, Shen Xuanqing temporarily set aside his plans to build another new house after living there for a few days.
He had originally thought that since Shen Yan was growing up without a proper room of her own, squeezed in with her mother, and with his elder brother and sister-in-law now having Zhao’er, the family was gradually expanding. Perhaps he and Lu Gu should build a new house and move out. It wouldn’t be a full separation, they’d still share the land and livestock, as managing everything alone would be impossible.
But the real reason for this idea was mostly his own private desire.
Back when he and Lu Gu lived in the mountains, they had never needed to restrain themselves at night. Returning home had changed that, he was always afraid of being overheard. But now things were better. The new house was just the two of them, more spacious and comfortable than the old one, saving them the expense of building another.
Soon, the stove fire burned vigorously. Lu Gu took four pieces of red bean glutinous rice cake from the bamboo basket and placed them on the clay pot lid. By the time the water boiled, the cakes would be warm.
The cakes could be eaten cold, but in such freezing weather, warming them up made more sense, they were gentler on the stomach that way.
The red beans and glutinous rice had been bought by Wei Lanxiang in town. She had made a small batch of cakes just two days prior. With little to do during winter’s idleness and money to spare, she busied herself finding ways to treat the younger ones at home. The red bean glutinous rice cakes were something she’d heard about from villagers, and in a burst of enthusiasm, she tried making them. Though not as pretty as the ones sold in the town, they tasted just as good.
With snow falling, wind blowing, and the sky still dim, Lu Gu and Shen Xuanqing sat by the clay stove, boiling water and warming themselves.
Dahui, who had been sleeping on the hemp sack, stood up, shook himself, and walked toward the stove. Unfortunately, Lu Gu and Shen Xuanqing occupied the prime spots, leaving no room for him. After circling once, he settled by the back door to watch the snow instead.
By the time Guaizi stretched, yawned, and got up, the snow had grown heavy.
The water boiled. Lu Gu and Shen Xuanqing washed their faces and brushed their teeth with green salt, of which they still had plenty, enough to last two or three months.
Thanks to the wind, the snow hadn’t yet accumulated much on the ground. Dahui walked a lap around the front yard, leaving a trail of paw prints in the thin layer of snow. Flakes clung to his fur, and when he returned to the main hall to find Shen Xuanqing and Lu Gu no longer by the stove, he squeezed next to Guaizi. Soon, the snow melted into water, dampening his coat.
Dabai and Dahei were also awake. The four dogs jostled for space by the stove, growling low in their throats as they shoved one another. Hearing the commotion after washing his face, Shen Xuanqing saw they were on the verge of fighting and barked a sharp reprimand, silencing them at once.
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