Chapter 169: Winter Arrives Early

All members of the Qiao Family put on cotton‑padded jackets, even the ones from last year were still quite warm; she hurriedly sent people to the cloth shop to buy cotton and fabric to make cotton jackets, but the town's cotton had already been sold out.

She thought it over and simply drove a carriage herself to the County Town.

She didn't expect the County Town's cotton to be depleted as well; she furrowed her brows and, with a thought, gathered several mu of cotton cultivated in a spatial plot and loaded it onto the cart.

She studied mechanics, and back home she immediately used timber to build a cotton‑flinging machine.

She called two elderly women, had them wear masks, taught them, and then let them be responsible for flinging cotton.

After the cotton was flung and distributed, everyone worked through the night to produce cotton jackets, each person receiving two thick cotton jackets.

Some cotton and cloth remained; she had them all made into adult‑size cotton jackets and sent them to the Qian Family, not for Mayor Qian to wear but for the town's beggars.

Fortunately everyone responded promptly; Shopkeeper Lu let the beggars occupy the small courtyard that Qiao Mai had lived in before, and no longer used Qiao Mai's shop.

That also counted as her supporting Mayor Qian; Qiao Mai, besides donating cotton jackets, bought winter provisions for them.

She also had Mayor Qian post notices directing households in difficulty from each village to come to the mayor's house to receive food; the lonely, shirtless elders would have food and firewood delivered to their homes.

If the roads aren't cleared, nothing works; without traveling merchants the shop has no business, without locals moving about there's no income, so the road must be cleared.

The road didn't reopen until the end of Eleven, and Yuan Jiaqi, because the weather suddenly turned bitterly cold, found the school suspended due to insufficient firewood and charcoal reserves; those who wish to attend class must wait for notice.

Qiao Mai intended to move the snow into space, but realized it wouldn't work; snow is also water, and she altered the fundamentals here, unsure if it would cause other disasters.

The snow fell continuously for a full day and night, then turned into moderate snow for another day and night, before finally becoming light snow.

"Hmm, you go on busy, I can take good care of myself."

Mayor Qian comes out every day to inspect; the household's Servants and guards have all started working.

Food prices and charcoal prices spiked instantly, and many places experienced grain shortages and charcoal shortages.

"Dad, could you tell me about what happened in Jingcheng?"

"Dad, dad, tonight I can sleep with you."

"Alright."

Some places have deep snow, some landowners have thin snow; it seems the snow falls regionally.

"Hmm, mother is in the back yard reinforcing the warm shed with the elderly women."

"Hehe, eating well every day."

Home is still best; having a woman who cares at home is even better.

The old gentleman and old lady dare not go out; they are extremely afraid of the cold, and venturing out in such weather is surely courting illness.

Qiao Mai is neither a deity nor a charlatan, cannot divine fate; to be safe, she began stockpiling grain.

Compared with previous years, Tianshui Town entered winter half a month early; the common folk's wheat seed had just been sown, and it's uncertain whether it can survive this hurdle.

At the Qiao Family's main gate and the stretch of Guan Dao in front of the shop, Qiao Mai led her family in clearing it in this manner.

After compacting all the accumulated snow and piling it together, one‑person‑high became two‑person‑high, then three‑person‑high; this is how she and her people clear a portion each day.

On the sixth day of Eleven, heavy snow fell all over, and not a single pedestrian was on the road; the weather was terribly cold.

Qiao Mai worries not about food, but whether Heaven will bring a snow disaster, fearing they'll be trapped, so she distributes food and firewood.

Even when Qiao Mai is busy, she never ignores him.

Upon returning, besides working, she goes to Old Man Wang's place, and the two discuss learning over tea.

Coincidentally, the rubber trees that Qiao Mai had just harvested in space last time found a use; at midnight, while everyone was asleep, she nearly filled the Lianwuchang with them.

The townsfolk imitate her, also mobilizing to clear snow as she does.

Not only her, many households think it abnormal and also start stockpiling grain and firewood; even ordinary commoners, to avoid freezing or starving in winter, begin buying with the little money they have.

He placed the good items from his bag on the table, introducing them one by one to Yuan Jiaqi, and after that shoved them into his mouth for him to eat.

Yuan Jiaqi returned at month's end; when he left he only wore a thin cotton jacket, and when he came back he was terribly frozen.

He sometimes laughs, sometimes is moved, sometimes feels proud.

Qiao Mai ordered the Small Food Puzi to close, letting the Shopkeeper and his assistants rest; with nothing else to do, they swept the snow off the roof and no longer needed to sell goods.

Some people came to collect themselves, a two‑way operation; within a few days everything was fully supplied.

"These past few days I've been too busy, might not be able to look after you; if you feel unwell, go see the Daifu quickly. These two bottles of medicine are for you to take to the Academy, and there's also a set of new cotton clothing."

Each household could only clear a single round‑trip path; there was simply no place to store the piled snow.

Mayor Qian, with Qiao Mai's support, had his household's guards drive a carriage to deliver grain and firewood to the needy households of the villages under his jurisdiction.

After the snow stopped, Mayor Qian quickly ordered people to start clearing the snow, but how to clear it? Snow is everywhere; where to put one‑person‑high snow?

At the start of November, the outside froze; Yuan Jiaqi was reluctant to leave the Academy, and the howling north wind cut his face like a knife.

Although it's a new house, it still requires attention.

Chuan'er, dressed in a thick cotton jacket like a ball, ran in carrying a small Cloth bag on his back.

Many townsfolk worry about next year's harvest, even fearing a total loss of grain; they wear worried faces, but despite their worries they must take care of the present.

On the Drill Ground, a small half of the area was piled with firewood and charcoal.

They are cut into 30‑centimeter sections, making them especially convenient to cut and use.

With many people, they cleared about a dozen li northward, and twenty li southward.

The children hardly go out; they practice calligraphy and play games inside the house.

Qiao Mai quickly sent him a newly made thick cotton jacket, as well as the cold‑relieving and fever‑reducing medicines she bought from the Platform, each bottle labeled with its name and effect.

In the warm house, the father and Dizi cuddled together; Yuan Jiaqi listened as his Dizi vividly recounted stories about Qiao Mai.

Once his body warmed up, he ran to the back to help.

This was just after paying the grain tax; not only stockpiling grain, firewood procurement also continued.

Not only they are clearing; many places are also clearing; the court has ordered that when it rains or snows, the Guan Dao must remain passable.

After Qiao Mai left, Yuan Jiaqi quickly changed into a thick cotton jacket and pants, took off his shoes, and slipped onto the warm kang.

If it weren't for officials taking action, the common folk wouldn't enjoy blessings.

Every two hours, someone from the Qiao Family climbs a ladder and scrapes the snow off the house, to keep the heavy snow from crushing it.

When people step out of their homes, the snow is already a person's height; if it turns into rain, Tianshui Town will be flooded.

Town Mayor Qian hasn't been idle during this period; since the road opened, he has been taking his guards to inspect each village, and any houses that have collapsed and are uninhabitable he records in the register.

Yo, you've gotten a bit rounder, haven't you been eating well in the capital?

She doesn't dare to try; she can't bear the consequences.

She leads people, first compacting the snow in the open parts of the house, then moving snow from elsewhere to pile it here like a small hill; only then does she clear the greenhouse, poultry house, and the road.

No need to go to Fucheng anymore; he can finally rest at home.

"Father, are you hungry? Shall I go to the kitchen and get you something tasty?"

"Not hungry, let's eat together at noon."

This year, thanks to early prevention, only a few households are uninhabitable; he paid out of his own pocket to resolve it, and didn't bother Qiao Mai or those merchants again.

Qiao Mai has already done enough; the grain and firewood were all donated by her voluntarily. Without her, many families across the ten‑mile‑wide area covering eight villages of the town couldn't hold out.

Liu Ye and Liu Hai, even before the snow fell, had already delivered a cartload of grain and firewood to the household.

The two were trapped in the Small Town for a month; with nothing to do each day, they joined the townsfolk in clearing the accumulated snow.

(End of chapter)