CHAPTER 176: CHAPTER 176: IT’S SNOWING

176 Snowfall

Qiao Muchen and Zhao Zhitong, naturally unwilling to be outdone, also mounted their sticks, shouting as they galloped off. Such comical behavior! Who knew if, looking back on it as adults, they wouldn’t be so embarrassed their toes would feel capable of digging a three-bedroom apartment right out of the floor. But for now, it was clearly just pure fun.

The three little ones ran wildly until they were hungry, and only then did they settle down. After running for so long, there weren’t any "cases" for them to solve in their small village. At most, it was someone’s chicken being snatched by a weasel again, or vegetables from someone’s doorstep being pilfered by an elderly neighbor, or some old woman cursing and brawling in the street—all just trivial matters. There was absolutely no room for the little radish heads to intervene. So, once they were tired of playing, the little ones agreed to go to Zhao Zhitong’s study to read books in the afternoon. Afterward, they each headed home to their own mothers.

...

Whether in ancient or modern times, vacations always seemed to pass in a flash. As if in the blink of an eye, the vacation was over, and they were heading back to school.

However, the weather grew increasingly cold. Zhao Zhitong started going to school clutching the warm handmuff Sun Mei had made for her. A charcoal stove had also been lit in the school, naturally provided by Country Gentry Wei to keep the children from feeling cold. Therefore, in addition to the monthly food fee, they also had to pay an extra fee for the charcoal fire. However, since Country Gentry Wei’s family bore the brunt of the charcoal cost, the students’ parents had no objections.

However, classrooms needed to be bright for lessons. To ensure the room was well-lit, two rows of large windows had been installed in the left and right walls. As a result, even with the charcoal stove, it wasn’t particularly warm, but it was better than nothing. Evidently, the cold weather hadn’t dampened the learning enthusiasm of the two little ones, Zhao Zhitong and Qiao Muchen.

In recent days, they had been excitedly trying to verify a previous debate they’d had: how exactly did frost form? For this purpose, Qiao Muchen even stayed at Zhao Zhitong’s house for two days. The pair worked from dawn till dusk, trying to verify it. However, due to inadequate conditions, they couldn’t ensure a state of only water vapor or only water droplets. Thus, after several days of effort, they didn’t manage to prove anything conclusive. They did, however, confirm one thing: water droplets they placed on leaves would turn into ice crystals. Although they couldn’t verify a precise result, the two little ones thoroughly enjoyed being able to conduct experiments themselves.

With the sudden arrival of winter’s first snow, the children were all excited, and even the adults at home were happy. The children were naturally happy because they could play in the snow. The adults were happy because a timely snowfall heralded a bountiful year; the heavier the snow in winter, the better the wheat harvest would be the following year. This winter’s first snow had arrived right on time, a good omen. It meant there would surely be a bumper harvest the following year, and after paying their taxes, they would have more grain left over.

When Zhao Zhitong woke up groggily, she heard a SWISH SWISH sound from outside. She scrambled out from under her warm covers, pressed her face to the window, and peered out. She saw a world blanketed in ice and snow, with Zhao Dong sweeping with a large broom taller than himself.

"Wow! It’s snowing!"

Zhao Zhitong was instantly overcome with excitement and shouted, "Sister Yaya, look! It’s snowing! Let’s go build a snowman!"

Forgetting all about sleeping in, she hurriedly threw on her clothes, donned her cloak, and trotted outside. Snowflakes were still drifting down continuously. As fast as Zhao Dong swept the snow away, a fresh white layer would settle right behind him.

Just then, Zhao Cheng and Zhao Yu also emerged from their rooms, rubbing their hands together and blowing on them. "Wow, the snow is coming down so hard!"

Then, looking at Zhao Zhitong, they asked, "Little Sister, with such heavy snow, will your school still hold classes?"

Zhao Zhitong lifted her little feet, making tiny footprints in the snow, and said happily, "Of course we will! Why wouldn’t we?"

Zhao Yu said, "But it’s snowing, and the roads will be difficult to walk on."

Zhao Zhitong said casually, "Teacher said that learning requires perseverance. It’s just snow, not raining knives, so why wouldn’t we go to school?"

Hearing this, Zhao Yu nodded emphatically. "Mhm, you’re right, Little Sister."

He had initially seen the snow and thought about skipping his practice for the day. But after hearing Zhao Zhitong’s words, he instantly felt ashamed. How could I give up just because of a small difficulty?

So, he made a little cheering gesture for himself (one Zhao Zhitong had taught him) and then, grabbing his sword, began to practice in the courtyard. By now, Zhao Yu’s swordsmanship was beginning to show real form. The SWISH, SWISH, SWISH of his sword cutting through the air, set against the swirling snow, seemed to compose a winter’s song.

Zhao Ya came out of her room and, seeing her brother Zhao Yu practicing his sword in the courtyard, exclaimed in surprise, "Brother, you’re so diligent!"

Meanwhile, Zhao Zhitong was squatting in the snow, playing, her little hands frozen bright red without her even noticing.

Just then, Sun Mei heard the commotion outside. She poked her head out of the kitchen and saw Zhao Zhitong squatting happily in a pile of snow. She immediately called out, "Tongtong, stop playing! You already got one pair of shoes soaked playing in the water yesterday. This is the only pair you have left to wear. If these get wet, you’ll have to go to school in damp shoes today!" She then called Zhao Ya and Zhao Cheng into the kitchen to wash their faces.

Zhao Zhitong finally got up, clutching a small snowball as she ran into the kitchen.

Seeing the young girl’s hands frozen as red as little carrots, Sun Mei sighed helplessly. "If you keep playing in the snow like this and get frostbite on your hands, don’t come crying to me when they’re itchy and painful."

Zhao Zhitong blinked. "Mom, this snow isn’t cold at all! The more I play with it, the hotter my hands feel."

Sun Mei dished out the boiled eggs, then reached over, took the snowball from Zhao Zhitong’s hand, and tossed it outside. "That’s because they’re getting frostbitten. They’re so cold that they start to feel hot. Stop playing, now. Hurry up, wash your face, and eat. Your brother will take you to school in a bit."

With that, she pulled Zhao Zhitong over to the washbasin, wiped her face with a warm towel, and then applied the moisturizing lotion she had prepared earlier to the faces of all three children. Luckily, I was clever enough back then, she thought. When stocking up, she had bought a lot of baby moisturizing lotion from a certain brand, and naturally, hadn’t forgotten to hoard a box of skincare products for herself too. Now that the weather was cold, if one didn’t apply moisturizer after washing their face, their whole face could become dry, chapped, and red. Take a walk down the street these days, and you wouldn’t find a single child running about whose face wasn’t red—except, of course, for her own little ones.

"Mmm, this lotion smells so good!" Zhao Ya, copying Zhao Zhitong, rubbed the lotion between her little hands and then smeared it all over her small face. Then they all burst out laughing.

After washing her face, Zhao Zhitong took her bowl and squatted by the stove, sipping her dough drop soup. Once she finished eating, she clutched a warm boiled egg in her hand and hurried off to school with Zhao Cheng. Along the way, they could see many villagers sweeping snow from their doorsteps and children playing in the snow.

Zhao Zhitong was small to begin with. Sun Mei, afraid she’d get cold, had dressed her in exceptionally thick clothes: a padded cotton jacket on the inside and a white cloak on the outside, which made her look even shorter. Her tiny figure, hopping and skipping through the snow, looked just like a little rabbit—utterly adorable.

...