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Xie Youshun felt that Xiao Lihua handled the situation at home very well when he heard her mention it. Hearing her give suggestions to Second Brother and Second Sister on how to make money, he silently thanked her while holding her hand. He had the best relationship with Second Brother and Second Sister at home; they had helped him a lot. Now that he was capable, he naturally wanted to help them as well. He felt warm inside knowing that Xiao Lihua had thought of it before he did.
Xiao Lihua said, "Today I noticed Ruyi looking at me strangely; she probably hates me now. If she dares to do anything to me in the future, don't blame me for not considering our family ties."
Xie Youshun sighed and replied, "Ruyi is the youngest child in the family, and she's good-looking with a sweet tongue. Our parents like her and have raised her to be quite proud. I never thought much of it; after all, which pretty girl doesn't have some thoughts? It's just that Ruyi has changed a lot since the engagement was broken off. As her older brother, I do feel sorry for her. However, if she causes trouble for our family, I won't need you to intervene; I'll handle her myself."
"Just leave it at that," Xiao Lihua said.
Xiao Lihua didn't want to create discord in the family over Ruyi, and she was quite satisfied with Xie Youshun's attitude.
The next morning, as soon as she woke up, Xiao Lihua felt an unusual chill in the room. She noticed that Xie Youshun was already missing from her side. Reluctant to get out of bed, she found it warm under the covers, which made the cold outside feel even more pronounced. She turned her head to look at her two sons beside her; she saw Muzi curled up under the blanket with only a small dark head peeking out, while Shitou's little face was exposed outside, rosy from sleep like an apple. His long eyelashes resembled little fans, and his mouth moved occasionally as if dreaming about delicious food.
Braving the cold, Xiao Lihua stretched out from under the covers and gently kissed Shitou's little face before quickly retreating back under the blanket with a happy smile.
When Xie Youshun lifted the curtain and entered, he saw the smile on Xiao Lihua's face and asked, "What are you smiling about?"
Xiao Lihua replied, "I was looking at our son. He’s getting cuter by the day! Look at his little face; it's getting chubby and so lovable! I just want to take a bite."
Xie Youshun looked at Shitou's little face and agreed that he was indeed adorable. He grinned widely, set down the charcoal basin he was carrying, and went over to gently bite Shitou's cheek.
Xiao Lihua playfully slapped him and said, "If you wake him up again! Let them sleep a bit longer."
Xie Youshun laughed and said, "It's time for them to get up anyway. I brought in this charcoal basin; let’s wake them up so they don’t suffer."
Xiao Lihua looked at the charcoal basin and asked, "Is it really cold today? Is it cloudy outside?"
"It’s snowing—quite heavily too! It probably started around midnight. Now when you step outside, the snow covers your feet," Xie Youshun said with a joyful smile. "Just looking at this snow makes me think next year's harvest will be good; the wheat will surely grow well."
Farmers love a good harvest, and Xie Youshun was no exception. Although snow can be quite cold and makes walking inconvenient, it didn’t matter much to him; just thinking about how beneficial it would be for the crops filled him with happiness.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Lihua quickly got up, wrapped herself in a quilt against the cold, and excitedly asked, "Really? It’s snowing? You didn’t sweep away the snow in the yard, did you? I still want to build a snowman!"
Xie Youshun asked, "Building a Snowman? How do you do that?"
"Just roll the snow into balls on the ground, then place a smaller snowball on top of a larger one. Doesn't that look like a person? It's really fun! Let's build one in the yard. You didn't shovel the snow, did you?" Xiao Lihua hadn't built a Snowman in years; it wasn't that she didn't want to, but rather she either didn't have the time or couldn't find a clean patch of snow. Now that she was here, life was easy and comfortable, and hearing about the snowfall made her think of building a Snowman.
Xie Youshun found it quite interesting and said he hadn't had time to shovel the snow yet, so they could go mess around with the fire pit together.
Xiao Lihua happily began to get dressed, only to turn around and realize that Shitou was already awake, staring at her with wide eyes. She leaned over and kissed his little face, saying, "Little lazybones, you're awake? If you're awake, get up quickly; it's snowing outside."
Shitou stretched out a little hand to rub his eyes, first giving Xiao Lihua a kiss before widening his eyes and saying, "I heard what Dad and Mom just said. Mom, I want to build a Snowman with you."
"Okay, let's build a Snowman together. Come on, Mom will help you get dressed."
Xiao Lihua first handed Shitou's cotton jacket and pants to Xie Youshun, who warmed them by the charcoal stove before she took them back to dress Shitou.
This year, Xiao Lihua made thick cotton clothes for her family, all filled with new cotton. The two adults were fine wearing them, but when the two kids put them on, they looked like two balls. At first, they could hardly bend their arms and legs; sometimes Shitou would really fall down but because of the thick cotton clothes, it didn't hurt at all. He would just crawl back up and laugh. But getting dressed required someone else's help.
After dressing Shitou in his clothes, Xiao Lihua handed him over to Xie Youshun, then started coaxing Muzi to wake up. The child was easy to wake; after just calling him twice, he opened his eyes as usual and exchanged kisses with Xiao Lihua, leaving her face wet with drool.
Xie Youshun helped Shitou put on shoes lined with rabbit fur; they were very warm and styled like little boots, making him look quite handsome. After putting on the shoes, he topped it off with a little hat that also had fluffy edges. The two children's faces looked rosy and cute; anyone who saw them outside would praise how well this family raised their kids.
Xiao Lihua neatly folded the bedding before getting out of bed. When she stepped outside and looked around, her eyes lit up; it was indeed snowing heavily. The ground was covered in white, and the rooftops were also blanketed in snow.
It wasn't cold while it was snowing; it would only get cold once the snow melted. At that time, when the wind blew and hands or faces were exposed to the air, it felt as sharp as knives. But right now was the most enjoyable time after the snowfall; snowflakes were falling quickly from above, making people unable to resist reaching out to catch them. The air was fresh; taking a deep breath felt like all impurities were expelled from the body.
"Shitou, Muzi, don't dirty the snow on the ground! Otherwise, our Snowman won't be white later! Mom will cook for you first; after we eat, you can play."
After giving her instructions, Xiao Lihua went to the small kitchen to prepare food.
Breakfast was simple because of the snowfall; Xiao Lihua made a large pot of noodle soup with four eggs added in. She also steamed three leftover buns from last night and prepared some pickled cucumbers and pickled string beans cut into pieces in a bowl. Before long, the meal was ready. Xie Youshun helped bring it into the house where the family gathered around the table to enjoy their meal.
"Mom, eating more vegetables is good for your health."
Stone stretched out his little arm and picked a piece of pickled cucumber for Xiao Lihua. Then he picked another piece for Xie Youshun, saying, "Dad, you eat too. Eating gives you lots of strength."
Xiao Lihua felt deeply moved and reached out to pat his little head, praising, "Little Stone is so thoughtful. You eat too, so you can grow tall."
Xie Youshun also felt gratified; his son was always so considerate, thinking of them whenever something good happened, unlike those children still rolling around in their parents' arms, demanding this and that. He thought his son was simply the best in the world.
Wood saw his mother praising his brother and stretched out his little short hand to grab some pickled vegetables, but he couldn't reach them and kicked his legs in frustration.
Xie Youshun helped him by picking a piece of cucumber for him. Wood took it and put it back into Xie Youshun's bowl, saying, "Dad eat." Then he looked eagerly at Xiao Lihua.
Xiao Lihua's eyes sparkled like crescent moons as she picked a piece of string beans and placed it in Wood's bowl, then took another piece for herself, saying, "One for Wood, one for Mom. Let's eat together."
Only then did Wood smile and start eating with his small chopsticks. He was still young but already used chopsticks very well; he didn't even need a small spoon and always said he was grown up.
The family finished a whole pot of noodle soup and three steamed buns. Outside, it was snowing heavily, but inside it was warm and cozy, making them feel truly comfortable.
After the meal, Xiao Lihua took the two children to build a snowman. Xie Youshun also became interested and came over to help. Before long, they had built a big snowman. Stone put two pieces of black charcoal for its eyes, while Wood was held by Xie Youshun as he inserted a carrot for the snowman's nose.
The family gathered around the snowman happily. When Copper Coin came over and saw it, he liked it very much and pulled Stone and Wood to help him build one at his house. Stone and Wood went with Copper Coin.
It was still snowing, and Xie Youshun and Xiao Lihua didn’t bother to shovel the snow; they returned indoors.
Xiao Lihua sat on the warm kang making shoes. Everyone in the family now had cotton shoes except for her; she needed to make another pair.
Xie Youshun sat beside her. He had a basket of corn that he was husking; this kind of work could only be done in winter and served as a way to pass the time.
While they worked, they chatted about Ruyi's matters. Ruyi would be entering the Gao Family in a few days. Although this little concubine's entry wasn't a grand affair, the Xie Family still wanted to hold a banquet to avoid making things difficult for the girl. They discussed how they would help with gifts as siblings-in-law. After finishing this topic, they talked about Second Brother and Second Sister's pig collection matters before moving on to next year's house construction plans. Xiao Lihua shared her thoughts on what she wanted to do, and Xie Youshun completely agreed with her; he fully trusted his wife's ideas now.
After discussing serious matters, they talked about what to have for lunch.
Xie Youshun rubbed his hands together and said, "Dumplings are best on snowy days; we can also have dumpling soup."
Xiao Lihua nodded and said, "Alright, let's have dumplings. Isn't there still a piece of lamb at home? We can make lamb dumplings with some carrots and green onions inside, and then make a lamb soup. Since it's snowing today, we can't do much. You can have a couple of drinks. If someone feels bored drinking alone, we can call the Qingfeng Brothers and Wang Erge's family over; the more, the merrier."
Xie Youshun happily sighed in response.
Just as they were enjoying their conversation, they heard Xiao Yue's voice calling from outside, "Fourth Uncle, Aunt Si, come out quickly! Stone and Wood are fighting!"
Xiao Lihua immediately threw aside the shoes she was holding, jumped down from the bed, and rushed outside. Xie Youshun quickly followed her.
Xiao Yue came in lifting the curtain, her little face flushed from running, and her pants were covered in snow, clearly indicating she had rushed over.
"Xiao Yue, what happened? Is Stone and Wood alright?" Xiao Lihua quickly asked. She was most afraid of the two kids fighting; they were so small that they couldn't possibly win. Although it was common for children in the countryside to fight, she still felt sorry for them.
Xiao Yue spoke with a sobbing tone, "It's Dog Egg and Big Tiger! And Shuanzi and Lock; they are all fighting us! Wood is bleeding!"
Xiao Lihua's mind went blank for a moment as she hurriedly ran outside. Xie Youshun picked up Yueyue and followed closely behind. He was anxious too; it was serious if someone was bleeding in this weather.
The author has something to say: Thank you to Wumengsheng for the landmine.
Thank you to 55 for the landmine.
Some readers mentioned wanting to see warm scenes, so I've decided to correct that. I will write both warm and excellent scenes; if anyone has any suggestions, feel free to let me know. I will definitely work hard.
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