My humble days in ancient times

It is extremely cold this year. The cold wind is like sharp ice spikes, penetrating into the bones.

Xu Qinghe was concerned about everyone's well-being, so he bought a lot of clothes and quilts to distribute to them.

This year the snow fell unusually early and in astonishingly heavy torrents, the fluttering snowflakes falling like shredded cotton wool, blanketing the sky and the ground.

On that snowy day, everyone was busy scrambling to get the cabbages and radishes back to the cellar. Everyone was moving through the snow, their breath instantly dissipating in the icy air.

After a busy period, Xu Ruyi was covered with a layer of snow, as if she was wearing a white cloak.

"Great, we can build a snowman tomorrow!" Xu Ruyuan shouted excitedly, his face flushed red from the cold.

"Then I'll pile up with the young lady." Du Xiaoyue also smiled, her eyes full of anticipation.

"Okay." Xu Ruyi responded with a smile, her face filled with joy.

The next morning, Xu Ruyi opened the window and a pure white world appeared before her.

The earth seemed to be covered with a thick silver carpet, and every inch of land was gently covered with snowflakes.

The mountains in the distance turned into a huge, rolling white dragon, majestic and spectacular. The trees on the mountain were also covered in silver, some branches bent by the snow. From time to time, snowballs fell, making a slight sound in the silence.

In the distant village, snowflakes gently fell on the rooftops, piling up into a thick layer like a soft cream cake. Wisps of smoke from the chimneys slowly rose against the white background, adding a touch of warm fireworks to the icy and snowy scene.

The children were laughing and playing in the snow. They were making snowmen and having snowball fights. Little figures were running and jumping in the snow.

Several plum trees in the courtyard bloomed proudly in the snow, their red plum blossoms looking particularly delicate and charming against the backdrop of the white snow. Crystal snowflakes hung on the petals, like inlaid pearls.

The large pond in front of the courtyard was frozen solid, its surface like a giant mirror, smooth and transparent. Snowflakes drifted onto it, melting instantly. Occasionally, a few birds, unafraid of the cold, would alight on the ice, leaving behind a trail of delicate paw prints.

When Xu Ruyuan saw the thick snow on the ground, her eyes lit up with excitement: "Sister, let's go downstairs and make a snowman!" Her voice was full of impatience.

Xu Ruyi smiled and nodded, and the two sisters went downstairs happily.

Du Xiaoyue and Xu Xiaohua heard the noise and hurried over.

Several people were busily building a snowman in the Wutong courtyard. As they worked, they chatted and laughed, their laughter echoing throughout the courtyard. Even with all the noise, Xu Qingyan didn't wake up.

Xu Ruyuan playfully knocked on Xu Qingyan's door and shouted, "Hurry up and get up and play!"

However, Xu Qingyan remained silent and stayed in bed, unwilling to get up.

Xu Qingyan's eyes were actually already open, and he was thinking to himself: "The bed is warm, I won't get up! I don't want to go out in the cold!"

The maids and servants began to work hard, carefully sweeping the snow from the courtyard. They worked together to pile the snow on both sides and carefully clear a clean path in the middle.

"Thank God, the floor of our house is paved with blue bricks, otherwise I would have to wear clogs again." Xu Ruyi said with emotion as he looked at the results of the cleaning.

Grandma Wu also came over to help sweep the snow and said, "That's right. In the past, whenever it rained or snowed, we didn't dare go out for a walk. Our shoes would get wet very quickly if we walked. We could only walk in clogs, but walking in clogs was unstable. If we weren't careful, we would fall down." Grandma Wu gestured as she spoke, her face full of helplessness as she recalled the past.

"The villagers still walk in clogs because the soil is so rotten. Only the eldest lady's family is not afraid of rain or snow." Xu Xiaohua followed with a hint of envy in her tone.

"It would be great if all the roads in this village were paved with blue bricks." Xu Ruyi said expectantly, with beautiful aspirations flashing in his eyes.

"It's really hard to imagine." Xu Xiaohua said in a low voice, her eyes wide open, as if it was difficult to imagine such a scene.

"That day will come." Xu Ruyi said firmly, with great confidence in his eyes.

If you want to be rich, you must first pave the way. Xu Ruyi had forgotten this and could not help but secretly regret his negligence.

At this time, Manager Zhao also encountered many difficulties in entering the village. The muddy road made it very difficult for his carriage to move forward.

On the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month, Meng Xiaotian and his friends returned happily.

The chili shop and the chicken coop were closed for the holiday. Everyone working there received generous benefits, including a can of chili sauce, two pounds of pastries, and twenty eggs.

Aunt Li smiled from ear to ear and said, "This chili sauce is delicious. It will be very delicious if you add some to your New Year dishes."

"Yes, I like it too." The people next to him echoed.

When the villagers found out, they were all envious and sighed that people who work for Xu Ruyi are really blessed.

That day, Xu Dachuan hurried over and found Xu Qinghe. He carefully took out ten taels of silver from his pocket and said, "I'll return ten taels to you first, and we'll talk about the rest next year." His face was filled with a hint of guilt and determination.

Xu Qinghe was stunned for a moment, then quickly said: "I'm not in a hurry, why don't you use it first!"

"No need, just keep it!" Xu Dachuan said in a firm tone, and turned and left without hesitation.

After Xu Dachuan left, Zhuzi hurried to find Xu Ruyi.

Zhuzi took out twenty taels of silver and said gratefully, "Thank you, Sister Ruyi. I should have paid you back long ago, but it has been delayed until now." His eyes were full of sincerity.

"Brother Zhuzi, don't say that. It's too formal." Xu Ruyi said with a smile, her face full of kindness and friendliness.

Zhuzi drank his tea leisurely while smiling and saying, "Sister Ruyi is getting prettier and prettier. She must be fourteen this year! She's a grown-up girl now."

"Yes, I have grown up. But Brother Zhuzi is still the same as before, still likes to joke." Xu Ruyi said coquettishly, with a hint of shyness in her eyes.

"Fortunately, mother is in good health, and Hehua and the child are also doing well." Zhuzi said with a relieved smile on his face.

Xu Ruyi smiled and nodded: "Aunt Zhang is in good health. She even got up last night to catch a thief."

After hearing this, Zhuzi couldn't help but burst into laughter, and his laughter was hearty.

"This Wang Erdan has been harboring evil intentions for so many years." Xu Xiaohua said with a frown.

"I heard that he was caught in a trap again this time. I guess he was seriously injured. He will have to stay in bed for a few months." Xu Ruyi sighed slightly.

Zhuzi smiled and said, "Fortunately it's not the same foot." There was a hint of mockery in his eyes.

Xu Ruyi smiled helplessly: "I hope he will be more careful in the future!"

Zhuzi smiled and said, "I admire Sister Ruyi. The watermelon is indeed delicious, and the canned yellow peaches are really good." His eyes were full of admiration.

"Thank you for the compliment, Brother Zhuzi. I discovered it by accident. The watermelon is Lan Xiaoyu's credit, but she grew it. I just found the seeds and bought them. As for the canned yellow peaches, I bought them because I love to eat them and like to tinker with them." Xu Ruyi said modestly, with a slightly embarrassed blush on her face.

"You, you are just modest. We all know it in our hearts!" Zhuzi shook his head slightly and said with a smile, his tone full of affirmation for Xu Ruyi.