Volume 1, Chapter 44: The Piercing Cold Wind

Some people had already begun looking for prospective spouses for their daughters to reduce household expenses and secure another path of survival.

However, compared to Yi 中海's household, Yan Fugui's home still retained a touch of warmth and laughter.

"I've always said that eating and wearing a bit less won't lead to poverty, but poor planning will truly ruin a family!" Yan Fugui adjusted his glasses and looked proudly at his children.

"Fortunately, our home is already well-stocked today. If we had to buy supplies tomorrow, who knows how high prices would soar!" With that, a satisfied smile spread across Yan Fugui's face.

Thinking of the considerable expenses he had saved this time, he felt immensely pleased. Today, he had even broken his usual routine by lighting a basin of charcoal, though the coal was slightly scarce.

"Dad, why don't we add some more coal? The fire is about to go out, and it's freezing!" Liu Guangtian shivered, trying desperately to get closer to the tiny fire, but how much warmth could such a faint flame possibly provide?

"Nonsense, I lit two basins of coal at once, how could you be cold? Didn't your teacher teach you that 'a calm mind naturally brings coolness'?" Yan Fugui retorted, "By the same logic, a restless mind naturally makes you feel cold!"

Liu Guangtian stamped his feet in the freezing cold and sneezed repeatedly, secretly swearing that when he grew up, he would never live with this stingy Yan Fugui.

Meanwhile, at the Su household, Chu Yan was dressed in thin clothing, looking helplessly at Brother Jiansheng, who was sitting on the sofa fanning himself. The temperature on the climate control panel had been set to thirty degrees Celsius.

"Brother Jiansheng, could you turn the temperature down a bit? It's too hot! It must be freezing outside, and with our house being this warm, won't it invite jealousy?" Chu Yan worriedly asked.

In every corner of the house, the only place untouched by the biting chill was where Su Jiansheng sat lightly waving his fan, yet the breeze generated by the fan was surprisingly warm and cozy!

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Inside the courtyard, the cold wind howled fiercely, and temperatures plummeted abruptly. The world outside the window was entirely dominated by winter. Only inside the Su household did the warmth endure.

Chu Yan was preparing breakfast and looked curiously at Su Jiansheng, who was gazing out at the howling wind: "Brother Jiansheng, what are you thinking about?"

"Xiao Yan, do you know when Deaf Old Lady in our courtyard became a revolutionary martyr's family member?" Su Jiansheng asked.

Chu Yan stirred the porridge in the pot, her thoughts drifting far away, before hesitatingly replying: "This... I'm not entirely sure. She always claims to be a martyr's family member, but the neighborhood committee has never issued any related certificates. She once claimed that her entire family went to the battlefield and all heroically gave their lives."

As she spoke, Chu Yan's tone was filled with doubt. After all, she had never heard of any martyr's family member bullying women.

"How could that old hag possibly be a martyr's family member? In my eyes, she must have been a traitor back then!" Su Jiansheng recalled a certain photograph and wore a look of utter contempt.

"Why do you say that, Brother Jiansheng? Do you have proof?" Chu Yan asked curiously.

Su Jiansheng had no intention of showing the photo right at that moment: "Of course I have proof, and you'll understand very soon."

Chu Yan nodded thoughtfully, then asked: "Then how should we get the photo album?"

Su Jiansheng fell into deep thought, pondering how to get his hands on that old hag's photographs. In the courtyard, it seemed only Silly Zhu had free access to Deaf Old Lady's room.

The First Elder's couple and Deaf Old Lady were all on high alert.

Suddenly, inspiration struck Su Jiansheng: "Silly Zhu, this time we'll have to rely on you!"

At the same time, inside Silly Zhu's home.

Silly Zhu gripped four yuan and fifty cents tightly in his hand, his brows locked in a deep frown.

The rolling mill had issued a notice that, to help families get through the cold wave, wage subsidies were being distributed in full. Silly Zhu had also received his rightful pay.

"Su Jiansheng, it's all your fault! If it weren't for you, my monthly salary would still be over thirty yuan, how could I have fallen to such a state of destitution!" "If not for you, Qin Huairu would have sought me out long ago!"

Silly Zhu recalled Qin Huairu's graceful figure, his eyes burning with desire. "If I could just get a hug from Sister Qin, or even a gentle caress, how wonderful that would be!"

Silly Zhu, who had been on the verge of a breakdown recently, sat roasting by the fire while pondering how to catch Qin Huairu's attention.

"Sister Qin's family must be running out of money by now. A family of five relies entirely on her single salary to survive. Whether they can survive this cold wave remains a question!"

Yet the moment money crossed his mind, Silly Zhu found himself in a difficult spot.

"Apart from this pitiful wage, I don't have a single cent left!"

The money Ma Hua had borrowed previously had long since been spent on coal and food. Coupled with the impending cold wave, commodity prices were skyrocketing, and food costs were climbing straight up.

"Where can I find money?"

As Silly Zhu warmed himself by the fire, his stomach rumbled with hunger, and his gaze inadvertently drifted toward the back courtyard.

"Perhaps I could borrow a little from the old lady?"

Silly Zhu knew well that in the courtyard, aside from the First Elder's family, the wealthiest person was undoubtedly the old lady. But he felt too proud to voice the request.

Just as Silly Zhu's mind was in turmoil and entirely consumed with thoughts of borrowing money, a rich fragrance drifted over.

"Braised pork!"

As a veteran chef, Silly Zhu could tell with a single sniff.

In the courtyard, every family was busy dealing with the cold wave, and only Su Jiansheng's household enjoyed such fine conditions.

"Su Jiansheng, everyone else is eating cornmeal mush, yet you lot have to be special!"

"I'm about to starve to death, and your family won't even spare a crumb of meat. With this cold wave hitting, I might genuinely starve to death!"

Thinking of how he hadn't eaten yet, Silly Zhu's anger flared up. If not for Su Jiansheng, how could he, the chief chef of the courtyard, have been reduced to having no food to eat?

"I'll just see where your family gets your food!"

Inhaling the fragrance, Silly Zhu subconsciously swallowed hard before sneaking out quietly.

"Meat, that's the smell of meat!"

"Mom, I want to eat meat, I want some too!"

Bonggen caught the scent of meat, jumped up in excitement, and shouted. He hadn't tasted meat in days.

Qin Huairu had previously rejoiced that her son was becoming more sensible, but now it seemed he was simply starving.

"Bonggen, be a good boy! Our family is in this condition, and even the cornmeal mush was begged for; who knows, we might have to pay it back in a couple of days!"

Qin Huairu reproached him helplessly. In truth, she wanted to eat meat too—who wouldn't?

"Qin Huairu, my grandson wants to eat meat, so you have to go get it! He's still young and doesn't understand anything. If you can't even get meat, what kind of mother are you?"

"If you curse my grandson again, you can get lost back to the countryside!"

Hearing this, Qin Huairu bit her lip tightly, tears shimmering in her eyes. Where did she even have a home in the countryside? With the cold wave striking, could she survive going back there?

"You can't even get meat, what use are you? Look at Su Jiansheng's family, eating meat every day. And us? We eat these pickles. Are you deliberately trying to starve me to death?"

Jia Dongxu flew into a rage, picked up his pillow, and hurled it straight at Qin Huairu.

"Go get meat right now!!!"

The cold wave was fast approaching.

The weather grew increasingly bitter.

Though the Jia household had a stove burning, the temperature refused to rise. Cold drafts still seeped through parts of the window corners; despite Qin Huairu's best efforts to seal them, she still felt the biting chill.

Jia Dongxu lay in bed, feeling his head grow cold beneath the covers, worrying whether he would safely make it through this winter.

Dangdang stood nearby, longing for meat, but she only swallowed hard and dared not make a move. She knew all too well that the slightest remark would bring a scolding from her grandmother, and any thought of delicious food was out of the question.

"If only there were meat to eat..."

...

Silly Zhu pressed tightly against the window frame, peering into Su Jiansheng's home with lingering confusion: Why was there something so bizarre about Su Jiansheng's house—there wasn't a trace of frost on the windows? His own windows were already covered in thick ice, yet Su Jiansheng's house showed no signs of moisture. But when he caught sight of the multiple stoves inside Su Jiansheng's home, it all clicked instantly.

"This bastard, his family is actually this wealthy... No wait, this money should have been mine in the first place!!!"

Recalling the money he had paid out previously, Silly Zhu's anger boiled over, and he longed to charge straight into the Su residence to demand it back. But the moment he thought of Su Jiansheng's physical prowess, he shivered involuntarily, worried that getting injured would make it impossible for him to survive this harsh winter.

Because of this, Silly Zhu felt all the more urgent need to send money to Qin Huairu.

"If this good-for-nothing Jia Dongxu can't hold out against the cold wave, I can smoothly move into the Jia household!"

Silly Zhu daydreamed about Qin Huairu keeping house for him and chuckled foolishly. Afterward, he pressed back against the window and continued his surveillance.

"Brother Jiansheng, are you serious? Is there really money in Deaf Old Lady's photo album?"

Su Jiansheng sat on the new sofa, his back to the window, unable to completely hide his smile.

"Silly Zhu, have you read too many storybooks that you've run right onto someone else's territory? Can't you even hide your shadow properly?"

The biting wind howled outside, dark clouds weighed low, and the cold air cut like a knife.

Yet the courtyard still held a glimmer of light.

Acting according to his plan, Su Jiansheng said to his younger sister:

"That's right, didn't Yi Zhonghai pay our family a hefty sum of compensation before? I heard half of it actually came from that old lady!"

"Yi Zhonghai just casually mentioned it; maybe he was trying to lure me into stealing money from the old lady's place so he could catch me red-handed and avoid paying up!"

Chu Yan widened her eyes and asked curiously:

"Brother Jiansheng, do you think there's really money hidden in that photo album? The richest person in our courtyard has to be that old lady, since she eats so little and uses even less on her own!"

"Indeed, how much can an old lady spend on her minimum living allowance? She's probably saving it all up for Silly Zhu!"

"Huh, that's strange, why is there a shadow next to our house?"

Just then, Su Jiansheng seemed to notice a figure lingering by his house and hurriedly stepped outside to check.

This scared Silly Zhu, who was currently plastered against the corner of the wall, nearly out of his wits.

If he were caught red-handed here, wouldn't he take a terrible beating?

At the thought of Su Jiansheng's kicking power, Silly Zhu scrambled and scurried away in a panic.

Whether he was running too fast or his foot slipped, he caught his foot on a stone and took a sprawling tumble, landing flat on his back.

"Ouch!"

Silly Zhu clutched his bruised lower back and fled in a panic toward the main courtyard, terrified of being discovered by Su Jiansheng.

Meanwhile, Chu Yan beside him could no longer hold back and covered her mouth with a giggle.

Earlier, when Silly Zhu approached the vicinity, Su Jiansheng had already informed her and taught her how to respond.

Though she didn't fully understand the reasoning, she obeyed Brother Jiansheng's arrangements completely!

"Heehee~"

Seeing Brother Jiansheng burst into laughter, Chu Yan completely lost her restraint, covering her small face as she laughed along.

"Brother Jiansheng, that Silly Zhu is truly an idiot!"

Su Jiansheng smiled and gently patted Chu Yan's head, saying nothing more as he quietly awaited the unfolding events.

Qin Huairu wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and stepped outside, running right into a staggering Silly Zhu.

"Zhuzi, what happened to you?" she asked.

Silly Zhu hurriedly forced a smile: "I'm fine, Sister Qin, I just took a tumble while running an errand outside."

Running an errand? Qin Huairu's eyes lit up, thinking that if she could borrow money from Silly Zhu, she wouldn't have to humiliate herself by seeking help from Su Jiansheng. After all, Su Jiansheng was notoriously stingy, and her several visits to his door had never yielded a shred of sympathy.

"Zhuzi, could you lend me some money? You know how things are at home; the children caught the smell of meat and started crying to eat it." Qin Huairu's eye sockets welled up with tears once more, "Dongxu is still bedridden with no end in sight, and if he passes away, leaving us orphans and widows behind, how are we supposed to survive?"

As she spoke, her tears nearly broke free, as if she might hurl herself into Silly Zhu's arms to weep bitterly at any second.

Silly Zhu hurriedly comforted her: "Sister Qin, don't cry, don't cry!" Recalling the conversation he had overheard against the wall moments before, he gritted his teeth and patted his chest in a pledge: "Sister Qin, don't you worry, I'll bring the money over in a few days. Just tell the kids to hold on a bit longer, there'll be meat to eat soon enough!"

A surge of joy washed over Qin Huairu, yet she maintained a distressed expression: "Zhuzi, sister is truly grateful to you. Without you, sister really wouldn't know what to do. With so many people at home, it all rests on sister's shoulders alone."

Silly Zhu patted his chest and offered repeated assurances: "Sister Qin, rest easy. From now on, as long as I have a bite to eat, your family will have a share!"

After offering her thanks, Qin Huairu scurried back home, well aware of the biting wind that stung her skin. Silly Zhu walked home beaming with joy, paying no mind to the scrape on his lower back. He thought to himself: "Old lady, you might as well hand that money over to me. You treat me like a grandson, and it was going to be mine eventually anyway—this is just getting it a little early."

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"If I'd known things would turn out like this, our family should have stocked up on grain earlier. Look at these food prices, they're shooting straight up to the clouds, and the price of coal is downright terrifying!" Second Aunt muttered as she carried the cornmeal mush, failing to notice Liu Haizhong's darkening expression.

"You women are too narrow-minded! Policies haven't crystallized yet; we must stay in lockstep with the situation and not follow the crowd blindly!" Liu Haizhong shook his heavy overcoat, the blend of warmth and chilling draft giving him the self-important illusion that he was some high-ranking cadre.

"The factories haven't shut down, and the notice was merely a warning—no need to panic. Those rushing out to hoard supplies are the true fools. The supply cooperative is right there, do you think the food can grow legs and run away? Short-sighted to the extreme!"

After delivering this lecture, Liu Haizhong finished his meal and sauntered off to work. Second Aunt was left to clean up alone, unable to hold back a heavy sigh: "With the weather this freezing, how are we going to manage the days ahead?"

On the other side, Yan Fugui's household was buzzing with activity.

"Dad, your foresight is truly astonishing! Look at these prices—a single catty of rice and flour costs as much as two catties used to!" Yan Jiecheng looked at his father with undisguised admiration.