Chapter 155: It’s Snowing
The gossip about Wu Laogen and Li Cuihua had entertained the entire production team, and the clinic had become the new hotspot for all the neighborhood gossip.
Ning Xiyue was thoroughly enjoying herself, listening to all the stories about Wu Laogen and Li Cuihua. The gossip made time fly by, and just as it was starting to die down, she looked up out the window—
Huh? It’s snowing.
At some point, snow had started to fall outside. Large, fluffy flakes drifted down, already covering the rooftops and ground in a thin white blanket.
“It’s really snowing.”
Ning Xiyue put down the book in her hands and ran excitedly into the courtyard. The snowfall was getting heavier, and when she stretched out her palm, the snow melted into cold water on her skin — but her heart felt warm and delighted.
Watching the snow flutter down, she murmured happily to herself, “Great, it’s finally snowing. The days of ‘cat winter’ can finally begin.”
Ever since the weather started getting cold, Ning Xiyue had been looking forward to “cat winter” — a time when work stopped and people stayed indoors, much like students eagerly await winter or summer vacation.
During cat winter, there would be no work in the fields, and she wouldn’t need to stay in the clinic all day. If someone needed medicine, they could simply come find her at the educated youth courtyard.
“Xiyue, come over here, it’s cold out — and the sweet potatoes are ready!” Li Xiuxiu called from beside the stove, pulling out two steaming roasted sweet potatoes and waving her over.
“Coming!” Ning Xiyue rubbed her reddened hands together, breathed some warmth into them, then held them near the stove before taking one of the hot sweet potatoes. “Mm, this is really sweet.”
Li Xiuxiu took a bite of hers and lifted her chin proudly. “Of course. I have a knack for picking sweet potatoes. Every year I save the best ones for roasting. There’s nothing better than roasting them at home when it’s snowing.”
“Impressive.”
Ning Xiyue gave her a big thumbs up without hesitation.
The sweet potato really did taste amazing — perfectly roasted without any charring, fragrant, soft, and sweet. And more importantly, eating sweet potatoes on a snowy day was especially comforting and heartwarming.
“Xiyue, Xiuxiu, are you roasting sweet potatoes?” came Aunt Yangliu’s hearty laugh from the courtyard.
Ning Xiyue walked to the door to greet her. “Auntie, come in and warm up.”
She took a clean feather duster and gently brushed the snow off Aunt Yangliu’s shoulders.
Li Xiuxiu quickly grabbed the tongs and pulled another roasted sweet potato from the stove, wrapping it in some old newspaper and handing it over. “Auntie, have a sweet potato.”
“You young people really know how to enjoy yourselves — it smells delicious.” Aunt Yangliu accepted the sweet potato without taking a bite and instead said, “I came to tell you to head over to the team office. They’re going to distribute grain and do the settlement soon. The barefoot doctors are also part of it, so don’t forget to go.”
“Got it. Thanks, Auntie. We’ll head over now.”
Ning Xiyue answered with a big smile. The idea of grain distribution excited her — it meant more income. She had been getting a welfare payment of three yuan a month, and after more than two months, there would be some money coming in. She was curious about how much grain they would receive.
“Auntie, why is it so early this year?” Li Xiuxiu asked in confusion.
Normally, the grain wasn’t distributed until right before the New Year, but this year it was happening much earlier.
“Everyone’s been complaining there’s no grain left to cook, so the team leaders decided to distribute it earlier,” Aunt Yangliu explained. Then she looked at the snow falling in the courtyard, a hint of concern in her eyes. “The snow came a bit late this year, but judging by how it’s falling now, it’s not going to stop anytime soon. The elders say this storm will be heavy and the weather will get colder. So they figured it’s best to hand out the grain now so everyone can stay home and ‘cat winter’ in peace.”
“Got it.” Li Xiuxiu nodded.
Ning Xiyue understood too. That meant they could essentially start their winter break — free to stay inside and do their own things.
Aunt Yangliu lifted the sweet potato in her hand and headed off. “I’ve got my sweet potato now. You two tidy up and come over. I’ve got some other things to do.”
“Alright, Auntie. Take care!”
After seeing Aunt Yangliu off, Ning Xiyue tidied up, moved the stove under the eaves, locked the door, put on her hat, and headed with Li Xiuxiu to the team headquarters not far away.
By the time they arrived, the open square outside the team office was already full of people. Everyone wore cheerful smiles, neatly lining up and waiting for their share of grain.
The other educated youths had already gathered there too.
Liu Yao spotted Ning Xiyue and waved, running over to link arms with her. “Xiyue, come on, let’s get in line.”
Chen Yechu and the other educated youths followed along as well.
“Alright, let’s hurry and line up. The sooner we get it, the sooner we can go back — it’s freezing out here.”
Ning Xiyue shoved her hands into her pockets and jogged over to the back of the line.
Li Xiuxiu saw her family in the crowd and didn’t line up. She told Ning Xiyue and then went over to join her parents.
While they waited, Liu Yao shared some news she’d heard.
“Xiyue, did you hear? After they distribute the grain today, we won’t have to go to work anymore. Most of the fieldwork is done. We’ll just wait for the New Year, and nothing else will happen until the snow melts in the spring. That’s when work will start again.”
“Well, I have now,” Ning Xiyue teased. “Where’d you hear that?”
“Heh, Yechu asked the team leader earlier, and that’s what he said. Right, Yechu?” Liu Yao grinned sheepishly, scratching her head and glancing back at Chen Yechu, who was standing behind them.
Chen Yechu nodded. “Yeah, Liu Yao’s right. The team leader might even announce it later. You guys at the clinic will probably stop working too.”
This, Chen Yechu was sure of — she had lived through this once before in her past life.
And there was one other major event from that time she would never forget.
She looked up at the falling snow and said seriously, “Judging by how heavy the snow is getting, we really need to inspect the educated youth dormitory when we get back. If it snows too much, the building might not be able to handle the weight.”
Ning Xiyue’s expression grew serious too. She studied Chen Yechu’s face, trying to gauge how severe the situation would be if what she said came true.
As the only person who knew Chen Yechu’s secret, she understood this wasn’t just idle talk — it was almost certainly something that had happened in her previous life.
“You’re right, Yechu. We should prepare ahead of time. We’ll fix it as soon as we get back. If the snow really piles up and buries us under the house, what are we going to do? Oh no, the more I think about it, the more scared I get.”
Ning Xiyue exaggerated her anxiety, playing up her fear of the future and the potential danger — all while closely observing Chen Yechu’s reaction.
“Now that you mention it, I’m worried too,” Liu Yao admitted, starting to feel uneasy. “The snow’s getting heavier. It really might collapse.”
A team member in front of them overheard and turned around to reassure them. “Don’t worry, it won’t collapse. Even in heavy snow years, we’ve never seen a house cave in.”
Chen Yechu smiled faintly. “You don’t need to worry too much. It’s just a thought. Still, it’s worth having someone check the building — that way we can sleep easier.”
Ning Xiyue understood — in Chen Yechu’s previous life, the educated youth dormitory must have collapsed under the snow.
