Is the beginning of a catastrophe? The little farm cook is raising a family with a full warehouse.

When Cheng Yuntao brought the steaming pot of stewed goose in an iron pot to the table, the rich aroma instantly filled the whole house.

The goose meat is stewed until it is bright red in color. Each piece is tightly wrapped in thick soup, and intertwined with soft and glutinous potatoes, smooth vermicelli, and sweet cabbage. It makes people salivate just by looking at it.

The family sat around the table, the atmosphere was warm and beautiful.

Grandma Zhou Xiufang saw the doctor promptly last time, and with the careful care she received over the past few days, she is now in much better spirits, and her originally pale cheeks are now slightly flushed.

Cheng Yuntao picked up her chopsticks and carefully picked out a piece of goose meat with fat and lean parts from the pot. She put it into Zhou Xiufang's bowl, and said with a gentle smile on her face, "Grandma, please try this. The goose meat is stewed just right, with distinct fat and lean parts. It tastes smooth and tender, and the broth is incredibly delicious."

"Besides, goose meat has many benefits. It replenishes yin and marrow qi, warms the stomach and stimulates the body's fluids. It also relieves heat from the five internal organs and replenishes yin and qi. There's a folk saying that goes, 'Drink goose soup and eat goose meat, and you won't cough all year round.' You've been coughing lately, so eating more goose meat will be good for your health."

"It's cooked by Yuntao. Grandma should eat more." Zhou Xiufang took the bowl and ate several pieces of goose meat in a row.

But as she ate, her expression gradually darkened, and her tone was filled with self-blame: "It's all Grandma's fault. She suddenly fell ill and dragged you down. If it weren't for this, maybe our family would have been on the way to Nanzhao by now."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Yuntao quickly reached out and took Zhou Xiufang's hand, patting it gently. She said earnestly and firmly, "Grandma, please don't think like that. We should be thankful that we hadn't set out on our journey when the illness struck. If we had suddenly had a seizure halfway through, it would have been a real problem. It would have been incredibly difficult to find a doctor in the middle of nowhere."

"So, maybe this is God blessing us." She leaned closer and nuzzled Zhou Xiufang's shoulder affectionately. "As long as our family can be together, whether we're in Junhua City or Nanzhao, what difference does it make? Everywhere is home."

"Besides, the weather has started to warm up recently, and the shops on the street have gradually opened. Everything is slowly getting better. Maybe life will return to normal in the future."

Zhou Xiufang listened to Cheng Yuntao's words and nodded heavily: "Yuntao, you are right. Being together as a family is better than anything else."

……

But before we could enjoy these peaceful days for a few days, the weather suddenly changed.

Early in the morning, Cheng Yuntao was preparing to go out as usual, but found that the originally clear sky had been covered by thick layers of dark clouds. The sun had completely disappeared, and the biting cold wind was howling with large flakes of snow, instantly dragging the entire Junhua City into a world of ice and snow.

To make matters worse, the road out of the city was also blocked.

The roads used today are still dirt roads, and their fragility is fully exposed under the invasion of the cold disaster.

The sudden onset of the cold snap, coupled with a sharp drop in temperature, caused moisture in the road's soil to freeze rapidly. As water condenses into ice, it expands, exerting immense pressure on the soil, severely damaging its structure and creating numerous tiny cracks on the road surface. These intertwined cracks resembled a shattered spider web.

As the main means of transportation, horse-drawn carriages are required to transport materials and personnel even under harsh road conditions.

During the cold snap, the frequent carriages repeatedly rolled over the cracked road surface. The heavy pressure from the wheels caused the cracks to widen and deepen, while the bumps were gradually smoothed out. The once smooth road became bumpy and difficult to navigate, causing vehicles to jolt violently and cause significant wear and tear on the wheels and axles.

As the temperature rises, the soil begins to thaw, a process that causes even more serious secondary damage to the roads.

When the frozen soil thaws, large amounts of water seep out, turning the road into a muddy mess and dramatically reducing its carrying capacity. Vehicles can easily become stuck in the mud, making it difficult for them to escape. Pedestrians also find it extremely difficult to walk, with each step requiring a struggle.

At the same time, soil particles loosened by freezing due to the cold disaster continued to settle under the combined action of gravity and moisture, resulting in numerous large potholes on the road surface. Some sections of the road were severely damaged and could no longer meet basic traffic needs.

The road surface had not yet recovered after the previous cold snap, and now the snowstorm had returned, overwhelmed the already fragile roads. The road surface deteriorated drastically, making it impossible for wheels to move properly and pedestrians to slip at the slightest mistake. The roads, which had previously been barely passable, were completely paralyzed.

The blockage of the roads out of the city completely cut off the material exchange between Junhua City and the outside world. Food, fuel and other daily necessities were difficult to transport into the city, and people were trapped in the city. The entire city fell into a predicament of isolation and helplessness.

Not to mention going to Nanzhao, even leaving the city was difficult. After hearing this despairing news, the people in Junhua City fell into a new round of panic.

The doors of the shops that had been open were once again closed, the copper rings on the door panels swaying gently in the cold wind, making a lonely sound. The streets that were once full of life were once again dead and silent. Only the cold wind wrapped in scraps of paper swirled in the empty alleys, sobbing and complaining, further highlighting the boundless desolation of this world.

Wherever Cheng Yuntao looked, he saw only the shops selling grain, crowded with people.

A large number of people came like a tide. At this critical moment of life and death, anyone who was not a fool knew the importance of food. If they did not stock up on food, they and their families might face the fate of starvation.

"Boss, please, give me a cheaper price!" A woman, holding on to the shop door with both hands, her eyes full of pleading, her voice filled with tears, trembling in the cold wind. A thin child snuggled up to her, his little face red from the cold.

"Boss, please be kind and take a smaller cut of the profit! The price increase is ridiculous!" A young man frowned, his face filled with anxiety. He clutched the pitiful savings in his pocket tightly, his knuckles turning white from the strain. "My family depends on this little bit of food to survive. Please consider it a good deed!"

The grain store owner stood inside the store, surrounded by the shouts of the crowd, but remained unmoved.

"I have no choice. Food is so precious now that it can't even be transported in. The cost is frighteningly high. If you want to buy it, you have to pay the price. If you don't, you can only wait to starve." As he spoke, he casually rummaged through the food bag beside him with his hands, with a hint of impatience on his face.

Seeing that the crowd was still restless, he paused, then raised his voice and continued, "To be honest, I don't have much left in stock. I'm already being kind enough to open the door and sell it today. Even if you want to buy tomorrow, I won't sell it to you!"