Chapter 142: Can't Be Happy Anymore

"I have to tell them right away."

With snow this heavy, I hope it doesn't collapse the roof.

But seeing Zaituan sleeping so soundly, An Luo couldn't bear to wake the child. She could only exit the Live Stream Room and prepare to call Cheng Chengxuan.

Thinking of Cheng Chengxuan, she inevitably recalled the dream from before. In a moment of distraction, her fingertip accidentally tapped on the video call option.

An Luo gasped.

"How did I tap on this?"

Before she could cancel, the call was answered, and a slightly husky voice came through her ear.

"Miss An?"

Perhaps because he had just woken up, his voice was a touch lower than his usual clear, smooth tone, carrying a hint of magnetism that made An Luo's ears flush hot.

This little voice is rather captivating.

But the moment she looked up, she saw that refined Adam's apple, and below it a slightly open collar, and beneath the lapel the faint suggestion of collarbones…

Mmm, indeed far too captivating.

An Luo couldn't help stealing a few more glances.

Cheng Chengxuan sat up, instinctively wanting to straighten his clothes. Just as his hand was about to reach his collar, his peripheral vision caught the gaze coming through the light screen. The corners of his lips curved slightly, his hand didn't pause, and in one smooth motion continued upward to rub his brow.

This action made the collar open even wider.

An Luo's gaze drifted.

In her heart she chanted: Eyes off, eyes off, eyes off…

But in the end she decided to follow her inner thoughts and leaned in a little closer.

However, the next moment, a hand with distinct knuckles pinched the collar and tugged it twice, straightening it neatly.

And covered up tightly.

An Luo regretfully withdrew her gaze.

Meanwhile, the certain someone who had been watching her closely the whole time saw that expression, and the smile at his lips deepened.

So it wasn't just his own wishful thinking…

"Miss An was looking for me—what did you want to say?"

"Oh right!"

An Luo came back to her senses and gave her head a frustrated pat.

She'd almost forgotten the main business.

"It's snowing outside."

Hearing this, Cheng Chengxuan's expression sharpened. He swiftly threw on his clothes and walked to the window.

Outside was a vast expanse of white; the snow was falling heavily, and the legs of the stone table placed outside were already buried a quarter deep.

"Thank you for the reminder, Miss. I have things to attend to…"

An Luo nodded in understanding.

"You go ahead. I'll head over to Yu'an's side to check."

"Alright."

After hanging up the video call, Cheng Chengxuan dressed properly and went out.

He tentatively stepped onto the snow. Sure enough, more than half his boot sank in.

Looking at the goose-feather snow in the sky, his brow was full of worry.

"I wonder when this snow will stop, how things are elsewhere, and how the common people will endure it."

He sighed, walked to the Kufang, took out a broom and a shovel, and began clearing the accumulated snow in the courtyard bit by bit.

Hearing the commotion, Cheng Feng and the others also came out of their rooms.

"Oh my! What heavy snow!"

The moment they opened the door, they were stunned by the scene before them. A cold wind blew, and one after another they sneezed.

Cheng Feng rubbed his nose and walked up to Cheng Chengxuan, ashamed.

"Young General, it was this Subordinate's dereliction of duty."

Last night he'd been so happy that he drank too much, and in the middle of the night not a single person had been left to keep watch. If they hadn't heard the commotion, they would probably have slept until late morning.

Cheng Chengxuan patted his shoulder.

"It's fine. Besides, Grandmother also said last night that there was no need to keep watch, and told you all to drink your fill."

"Go get the tools first. Let's clear the snow off the roof."

The few of them nodded.

"Yes!"

Hearing the commotion, the rest of the Cheng Family also woke up.

"This snow is really coming down too hard."

Wang Shi cupped her hands around her mouth and breathed on them, then rubbed them together.

Meng Shi glanced at the few people busy sweeping snow, then looked at Wang Shi.

"Let's go to the Chu Fang first and boil a pot of ginger soup to have ready."

Wang Shi nodded and followed her into the Chu Fang.

In her room, Cheng Old Madam looked out the window at the heavy snow outside, deep worry in her eyes.

"I only hope this snow stops soon."

……

Beihuang City, inside the City Lord's Manor.

Chen Delin gazed out the window at the heavy snow, sighing deeply.

"Sigh!"

Suddenly, the door creaked open, and Chen Ying walked in, snow covering his body like a snowman, bringing with him a gust of cold wind laced with snowflakes.

Once inside, he first took off his cloak and hung it on the rack, then hurried to the fire and held his hands out to warm them.

Chen Delin poured him a cup of hot tea.

"How's the situation?"

Chen Ying's face was also clouded with worry.

"Over a dozen households in the city had their houses collapse, but I've already ordered the constables to settle those people at the City Protection Office."

"Most households in our Beihuang City have built heated kang beds and stockpiled grain, so the situation here is fairly good. But the surrounding counties are likely to have suffered much more severely."

"Hmph!"

Chen Delin gave a cold snort.

"We warned them back then, but did anyone listen?"

"And now look — their own inaction has dragged the city's common folk into suffering along with them."

At this, father and son shook their heads and sighed together.

……

Yu'an woke up, pressed herself against the window to look at the heavy snow outside, and gaped in astonishment.

"This is the first time Yu'an has ever seen such heavy snow in her whole life!"

This remark made the people in the room burst out laughing, and they all shook their heads with smiles.

Said as if you, a little child, had been through a great many things.

But honestly, hearing such words from a little child's mouth was oddly amusing.

Even though it was snowing, it didn't affect the Cheng Family's determination to work the fields at all.

Moreover, the temperature inside those few Xian Tian plots was just right — far more comfortable than a room with a heated kang.

Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away in the Capital, inside the imperial palace.

The Shunhe Emperor, hugging a hand warmer, warming himself by the fire, sipping hot tea — he was quite comfortable too.

Looking at the heavy snow outside and recalling what the Qintian Jian had said earlier, he felt even more at ease.

"Hahaha, auspicious snow heralds a bountiful year — truly a fine omen! The new year is sure to be a year of harvest!"

Yet a few days later, he could no longer be happy.

Because this heavy snow had fallen for a full seven days. Even within the Capital, no small number of houses had been crushed, and quite a few common folk had been buried alive when their roofs caved in on them in the middle of the night.

Within the Capital alone, this heavy snow had destroyed the homes of over a hundred households, with casualties exceeding three hundred.

Not to mention everywhere else.

At the first Early Court of the new year, the Shunhe Emperor flew into a towering rage.

"Bastards!"

"Idiots!"

"What do I keep you people around for?!"

With every curse the Shunhe Emperor uttered, the bodies of everyone in the hall trembled.

"Where is the Qintian Jian?"

The Qintian Jian Director stepped forward, trembling all over.

"Your Majesty."

The Shunhe Emperor hurled the memorial with the compiled disaster report from the Capital straight at his forehead.

"Not a single sign of this snow disaster detected beforehand by the Qintian Jian?!"

The Qintian Jian Director fell to his knees in a panic. Though it was freezing cold outside, sweat poured from his forehead.

"It is your subject's incompetence. I beg Your Majesty to spare me."

But the Shunhe Emperor couldn't even be bothered to look at him.

"Guards, drag him out and behead him!"

The Qintian Jian Director was so terrified he wet himself, and kowtowed frantically, begging for mercy.

"Spare me, Your Majesty! Spare me, Your Majesty! Mmph…"

But before he could cry out two more times, the Imperial Guard clamped a hand over his mouth and dragged him away.

The Shunhe Emperor took a deep breath and swept his gaze over the Imperial Officials in the hall.

"Regarding disaster relief, do any of my Beloved Ministers have any ideas?"

The Imperial Officials in the hall looked at one another, and none of them dared step forward.

Seeing them like this, the Shunhe Emperor grew even angrier and slammed his hand heavily on the armrest of the Dragon Throne.

"Speak up! Have you all turned into mutes or what?!"

These useless lot — at the critical moment, not a single one of them can be relied upon!