In early December, the first snow fell here.
It was nothing special for An Province to have snow in December; it happened in previous years as well, sometimes even earlier.
The snow fell for two consecutive days, blanketing the entire mountain village in white. At this time, Auntie Chen wouldn't let Fang Ya go out, so she came to ask Wen Qian to visit her home.
Wen Qian also felt it was better to meet in person rather than just chatting on the phone, plus she could take the opportunity to encourage the villagers to store more provisions.
Wen Qian went upstairs and shoveled the snow off the flat roof above her cottage, then used a bamboo pole to knock some of the snow off the roofs of the other two houses and the kitchen.
Before leaving, she added a couple of logs to the stove, closed the stove door, locked the door, and headed out.
When she arrived at Fang Ya's house, they were all sitting around the stove as well.
They were talking about the snowfall, mentioning that many places in the south were also experiencing snow. Areas that typically don't have winters were suddenly experiencing a drop in temperatures.
Apparently, lightweight down jackets were in high demand at the supermarkets.
In some cities where it rarely snows, many people were overjoyed, feeling they could finally build a proper snowman with the substantial snowfall.
However, the snow also brought many inconveniences.
The entrances and exits of many highways were blocked.
On the news, they saw large and small vehicles gathering at various service stations.
With the snow falling and low temperatures, and so many vehicles at the service stations, many people had no choice but to spend the night in their cars.
Some of the larger trucks might have had some supplies, but some smaller cars hadn't planned on stopping and were essentially stranded at the service stations.
People recalled the snowstorm from over a decade ago, saying that the current response measures were much faster compared to back then. Those stranded were quickly provided with proper accommodations and would be able to return home once the snow stopped or the roads became passable.
However, after two days of respite, a new round of snowfall began.
This time, the snow lasted for a week, and Wen Qian's main activity each day was pushing the snow off the roofs, then shoveling the snow off the flat roof, almost an everyday occurrence.
She did this not just out of concern for her own house, but more importantly to maintain a certain level of physical activity, as the snow meant there was nothing else to do outside.
This snowfall also caused another round of snow disasters, with many greenhouses and houses collapsing under the weight of the accumulated snow.
At night while sleeping, Wen Qian heard the sound of trees snapping more than once, likely the nearby pine and cypress trees breaking branches due to the heavy snow.
Behind Wen Qian's house stood a slender cypress tree that looked like a tree trunk topped with an explosion of branches. Now, the top was piled high with white snow, gradually bending lower, as if bowing in a curtsy. Remarkably, despite being bent in this way, the entire tree remained unbroken.
After Wen Qian knocked the snow off, it only straightened up a little bit, with the trunk still bent over. It was unclear when it would recover, if ever – perhaps it would remain bent from then on.
The kitchen roof of the house on the very edge of Xiaochenwa had also partially collapsed. Auntie Chen called the family who owned that house.
For two consecutive years, this family hadn't celebrated the New Year in their hometown, only returning during the summer. Come winter, they would send Auntie Chen money to help put up red couplets on their behalf.
Upon hearing that the kitchen had collapsed, they simply said they wouldn't bother coming back, since the kitchen was a separate structure anyway, so let it be collapsed.
At first, Chen's home didn't pay much attention and didn't shovel the snow after the first snowfall, only clearing the flat roof.
During this heavy snowfall, however, they started propping a ladder against the roof and shoveling the snow every other day.
Winter is a tough season for many elderly people, and sometimes they don't make it through. As Wen Qian listened to the news reports, she wondered what this winter would be like.
Wen Qian built a snowman on the edge of the yard.
Due to the extreme cold, the water pipes at Auntie Chen's house even froze and cracked.
When Uncle Chen went to the street to buy pipe fittings, he found that basically every house with water in the pipes on that entire street had issues. So he decided to revert to using the well.
They used to have a well at their home too, but after switching to an electric water pump, they had filled in the well's reservoir.
So they temporarily bought a roll of piping and a well frame, and started drawing water directly from the well.
Their well was in their field, and the pipes ran from above ground to below, with no areas where water could accumulate.
They planned to properly set up the well again once the snow stopped.
Auntie Chen was also worried that if the snow kept falling, there might be a power outage one day, rendering the water pump useless.
Seeing that Wen Qian could still draw water from the well, they felt it was wise for her family to have always kept their well.
After the municipal water system was installed, most people on the street stopped using well water.
Only one or two households still had wells at their doors, and now neighbors were lining up to fetch water from them.
The fittings Uncle Chen bought, Wen Qian had already purchased many similar ones from the stores on the street, so she could continue using the well even in a different location.
The New Year's Eve was in early February, and traditionally the village would slaughter their own pigs in the twelfth lunar month. The temperatures would be just right for curing fish, making preserved meat and sausages.
Who would have thought there would be such heavy snow as early as December?
Uncle Chen planned to call in professionals to slaughter their two pigs once the snow stopped.
This snowfall had changed many people's plans.
Auntie Chen's son decided to take his vacation earlier and come back home.
Some people working in the cities felt that if they were to return home for New Year's, they would only stay for a few days, so since the snow made travel so inconvenient, they might as well not come back at all.
At the same time, more and more people started stockpiling warm clothing and heating supplies.
Not just clothes and shoes, but even the coal sellers on the street started raising prices.
Uncle Chen began firing up his kiln again to make charcoal from what he had previously made, but this time he planned to sell it instead of keeping it.
Nearby residents also wanted to buy charcoal from Uncle Chen, pre-arranging the quantity and price.
Auntie Chen dug up all the radishes from the field and buried them in a sand pile at their home, while the sweet potatoes had already been stored in the sweet potato cellar long ago.
After learning that Wen Qian grew bean sprouts at home, Fang Ya also started trying to grow them herself. After two failed attempts, the bean sprouts she grew were finally edible.
Mung bean sprouts, soybean sprouts, peanut sprouts, and pea shoots were all added to the routine.
Wen Qian used small jars at home, placing them near the stove if the temperature was too low, as that room was slightly warmer.
Speaking of bean sprouts, every year Auntie Chen would grow a small amount of soybeans.
Before the New Year, she would take the soybeans to the tofu maker's house on the street to have tofu made.
All she needed to provide was the soybeans and firewood, and only pay for the labor.
In her younger years, Auntie Chen would make a whole basket of tofu to bring home, and she would also bring back the soybean dregs to feed the pigs or make soybean residue cakes.
Nowadays, people aren't as keen on eating lots of firm tofu, so her household only makes half a basket each time.
This year she planned to make a bit more, and Fang Ya suggested they could leave some outside to freeze into frozen tofu, which is great for hotpot.
During Wen Qian's procurement trips, she had also collected various kinds of beans and legumes.
Previously, she had made tofu several times at the tofu shop on the street, and the owner said she was almost an apprentice, but she only brought half a basket back home to store there.
The rest she had collected into her space on the way home.
These days, Wen Qian would make a big pot of food in the kitchen and store it in her space.
For meals, she would just heat up a small pot on the stove to warm up the dishes, as they would quickly get cold if left on the table in any other room.
