dognovel Chapter 150 The Blizzard Arrives
Chapter 150 The Blizzard Arrives
As the heavy, fluffy snow continued to fall, and the snow seemed to be getting heavier, the roads that had been cleared by each household were quickly covered with a blanket of white snow, creating a vast and pristine white landscape.
"Oh my goodness, this is a once-in-a-century snowfall! Look at this, it's terrifying!" The village chief's wife stood at her doorstep, gazing at the swirling snowflakes, and exclaimed in amazement.
Hearing this, the woman next to him smiled and agreed, "That's right, judging from this, it looks like a blizzard is coming." As she spoke, she hunched her neck, as if trying to ward off the cold weather.
The village chief's wife frowned, her face full of worry, and said, "Although our village is close to the mountains, the villagers don't have much firewood at home. In this cold weather, if the snow continues without stopping, I really don't know if this firewood will be enough for everyone to last until the snow stops."
At this moment, Old Su couldn't help but interject, "Hey, why are you worrying about this all the time? Just mind your own business. Isn't it good enough if your own home is warm and cozy?" He had a hint of disdain on his face, clearly not taking the village chief's wife's concerns seriously.
Upon hearing this, the village chief's wife flew into a rage, pointing her finger at Old Su and shouting, "Pah! How can you be so selfish? If everyone were like you, only thinking of themselves, what hope would our village have? It's utterly unbelievable!"
Old Su was so angry that his face turned red from the scolding that he roared, "Hey! This is my house, and I won't tolerate your nonsense here! If you don't want to stay here, then get out of here right now!" With that, he waved his arms, making a gesture to drive him away.
"Like a dog biting Lü Dongbin, not recognizing a kind heart! Humph! Fine, I'm leaving!" The village chief's wife glared angrily, trembling with rage, and turned to leave, cursing under her breath. Her steps were hurried and fast, as if something terrifying was chasing her.
Seeing this, the woman beside her quickly grabbed a basket full of various roasted nuts and seeds and hurriedly chased after him. As she ran, she gasped for breath, calling out, "Auntie, don't be angry! My husband, Old Su, is just straightforward and doesn't know how to talk, please don't take it to heart!" However, the village chief's wife was furious and wouldn't listen to any of this. She abruptly pulled the basket from the woman's hand, didn't even glance at it, and continued walking briskly forward without looking back.
Watching the village chief's wife's retreating figure, the woman couldn't help but feel worried. She feared that the village chief's wife might do something foolish because of this incident. So, despite the blizzard intensifying and the biting wind, the woman gritted her teeth and followed closely behind the village chief's wife, escorting her all the way.
The wind howled, whipping up swirling snowflakes that stung people's faces. The roads became incredibly slippery and difficult to traverse, each step requiring tremendous effort. But the woman persevered, struggling against the wind and snow, determined to ensure the village chief's wife returned home safely.
Finally, after much difficulty, the woman successfully escorted the village chief's wife to her doorstep. Seeing the village chief's wife go inside and close the door, the woman finally breathed a sigh of relief; her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled. Then, she turned and, facing the raging blizzard, trudged towards her own home.
At this moment, a blizzard was raging through the village. Some simple thatched huts couldn't withstand the fierce winds and the weight of the snow; their roofs were blown away, leaving the interiors in ruins. Older, already dilapidated houses succumbed to the weight, collapsing under the thick snow and becoming piles of rubble. Worse still, many doors and windows were damaged in the blizzard. Cold winds carrying snowflakes poured in through the cracks, making the houses drafty and quickly covered with a thin layer of snow, rendering them uninhabitable.
Because the village chief's house was too small to accommodate so many disaster victims, he had no choice but to personally lead them to the town government office for assistance and shelter.
"Muyang, I'm truly at my wit's end! I can only beg you for a huge favor: to take care of these poor villagers. Providing them with some food, water, and shelter would be enough. Once this heavy snow stops, I'll immediately return to the village and organize everyone to rebuild their homes." The village chief pleaded with Su Muyang, his face full of worry and helplessness.
Looking at the village chief's anxious and exhausted expression, Su Muyang felt a surge of sympathy. He nodded without hesitation and comforted the village chief, saying, "I understand your difficulties. Don't worry, I'll take care of things here. You should go back and handle the village's affairs as soon as possible." After saying this, Su Muyang saw the village chief to the door and waved goodbye.
After seeing the village chief off, Su Muyang immediately sprang into action. He quickly summoned a group of constables and instructed them to go to town to find suitable inns, ensuring that all the disaster-stricken people were properly accommodated. After some effort, the constables finally found several inns with available rooms and successfully settled everyone in.
However, Su Muyang did not stop there. He knew that simply solving the accommodation problem was far from enough, so he used his own money to purchase a large amount of food, daily necessities and other supplies, and personally delivered them to each guest room and distributed them to every disaster victim.
Meanwhile, the eldest son of the Su family stood at his doorstep, gazing at the swirling snowflakes falling from the sky, his heart filled with worry for his elderly parents who lived in the village. Thinking of their dilapidated old house, which had been in disrepair for many years, his anxiety grew. After much hesitation, the eldest son decided to go to his parents' house and persuade them to move in with him to avoid the sudden blizzard.
"Father, Mother, why don't you two move in with us? That way, you can help look after the children, and we children will feel more at ease," the eldest son of the Su family said sincerely.
However, Old Su shook his head and refused without even thinking, saying, "I'm not going! As the saying goes, there's no place as comfortable as our own doghouse. I'm perfectly fine living here, I don't want to go anywhere else!"
Seeing this, the woman standing nearby quickly chimed in, "Yes, son, I'm not going either. Your house isn't very big to begin with, and if I go there, it'll be so inconvenient for everyone to be crammed together. Besides, I'm used to living in my old home, and I feel very safe here."
Hearing his parents' insistence, the eldest son of the Su family became anxious and raised his voice, asking, "Dad, Mom, why are you two so stubborn?! Look at this house, it's already so dilapidated, it might suddenly collapse one day! What will we do then?! Do you not value your lives and insist on guarding this broken-down house?!"
Faced with his son's questioning, Old Su remained unmoved, simply waving his hand and replying indifferently, "Alright, alright, stop worrying. We've lived here for most of our lives, and we've always been fine. It's nothing, you should go home now." With that, he turned away and ignored his son.
"Father and Mother! Why are you so stubborn? Look around here, so many houses have collapsed, and those residents are all displaced and homeless. What good would it do for you to stay there for a few days? Oh dear, I'm so angry that I'm going to die!" The eldest son of the Su family shouted angrily at his parents.
Old Su was so angry that he puffed out his beard and glared at his wife. He retorted without backing down, "Hmph! Since ancient times, how can there be a reason for parents-in-law, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren to live under the same roof? It's so inconvenient for them to keep coming and going! Why can't you put yourself in our shoes? Anyway, we're just staying in our old home and not going anywhere. Don't waste your breath trying to persuade us!"
Seeing the father and son arguing so fiercely, the woman standing nearby quickly stepped forward to mediate, saying, "Son, that's enough. When your father gets stubborn, he won't listen to anyone. You should go home quickly and not continue this entanglement." As she spoke, she gave her son a wink, signaling him to leave immediately.
Seeing his parents' stubbornness, the eldest son of the Su family, despite his thousand dissatisfactions and ten thousand helplessness, could only sigh, shake his head, and turn away without even looking back once.
Outside, the blizzard intensified, with large, fluffy snowflakes falling thickly, turning the world into a white expanse. The biting wind howled past, its chilling roar echoing through the air. In such severe weather, people had no choice but to stay indoors, huddled around the fireplace for warmth. While such days were undeniably monotonous and tedious, for the moment, it was undoubtedly the safest and most comfortable way to live.
When the eldest son of the Su family appeared alone at the door, Miss Leng's intelligent eyes instantly understood everything. She knew that her parents didn't want to live with them, and there must be a reason. However, worried that too many words would hurt the eldest son's feelings, she quickly acted, poured him a cup of steaming water, and gently handed it to him, saying with concern, "Drink some hot water to warm yourself up."
The eldest son of the Su family slowly took the water glass, feeling the warmth from his palms, but his heart remained heavy. He sat wearily on the slightly worn stool, gripping the water glass tightly in both hands, as if trying to draw strength from it. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke, "No matter what I say, my parents won't listen to my advice. No matter how many kind words I say, they just insist on not living with us. Alas, I really have no other choice." He finished speaking with a heavy sigh, his face full of helplessness.
Miss Leng smiled slightly, trying to soothe her husband's emotions, and gently replied, "In that case, let's go back to visit them often and bring them more delicious food. After all, it's only right to be filial to our parents." Then, she looked up at the sky and asked softly, "It's getting late, what should we eat tonight?"
The eldest son of the Su family was already shrouded in weariness. He replied weakly, "Do as you please. I'm too tired right now and just want to rest." As soon as he finished speaking, he leaned his head back in the chair, closed his eyes, and seemed to have exhausted even the strength to speak.
Seeing this, Miss Leng felt a pang of heartache and quickly lowered her voice, saying, "Alright, then you can sleep peacefully for a while. I promise I won't disturb you." Then, she turned and walked towards the children playing nearby, a kind smile on her face, and gently instructed, "My darlings, your dad is exhausted and needs a good rest, so you two mustn't make any noise!"
"Understood!" The children's clear and orderly voices echoed throughout the room.
Immediately afterwards, Miss Leng tiptoed to the sleeping eldest son of the Su family and carefully draped a soft blanket over him. After doing this, Miss Leng turned and went to the kitchen to begin preparing the meal.
However, the children were getting bored with nothing to do. So, they decided to follow Miss Leng into the kitchen to help.
As soon as she entered the kitchen, Miss Leng smiled and said to the children, "Let's make this clear first: the ingredients we're using today are all very precious, so we absolutely can't waste any. Making glutinous rice balls is relatively simple, so you two little ones can try making them; and I'll be in charge of making some wontons. Once your father wakes up, we'll start cooking and eating right away." After saying this, Miss Leng still had that kind and gentle smile on her face, her gaze fixed on the children.
Upon hearing this, the children nodded eagerly in agreement, indicating that they would definitely do as requested.
Meanwhile, in another part of the town, Yang Yuyan was sharing a room with He Shuiqing. Yang Yuyan looked worried, her brow furrowed as she said anxiously, "Such a huge blizzard has hit outside. I really don't know if our little Bao has eaten enough or stayed warm enough. Sigh, I wish I could bring him here to live with us right away!"