Fang Ya wanted to give money to her in-laws, but they refused, saying they had enough of their own and told Fang Ya to keep the money for herself.
With a child on the way, future expenses would be high, so they didn't want to take money from the young couple.
Perhaps seeing others on the street with their arms full of purchases, some even pushing small carts, Fang Ya urged her in-laws to buy more of everything.
When Auntie Chen went out, she saw Chen Lin selling sheep on the street.
Nowadays, people's living standards have improved, and there are many more ways to spend money during the holidays.
Even if you don't buy a whole sheep, just a leg would be nice. Auntie Chen said she would reserve one for her family for the holiday.
Actually, Chen Lin hadn't planned to sell too many sheep, but with the consecutive snowfall, the elderly commented that this winter was particularly cold.
So he decided to keep fewer and sell the rest, and as for the cattle, he was negotiating prices with potential buyers.
At this time, Wen Qian was also preparing to buy fish and make preserved fish. She went to the town to have someone make cured sausages for her, using machine-ground meat and ready-made seasonings of various flavors for convenience.
So Wen Qian planned to make a bit more, leaving a small portion out to sun-dry while storing the rest in her space.
The only things she could display in front of others were just enough for her own consumption.
There were too many things at home, and cured meats could be stolen these days.
Auntie Chen's family was debating that the lard-curing month usually didn't start until the first lunar month, and they generally slaughtered pigs in the middle of that month.
But with the unfavorable weather this year, they thought they'd slaughter the pigs early to avoid not being able to hire a butcher later.
They had a refrigerator and a freezer.
They could salt-cure some portions and put the rest in the freezer.
In theory, everyone prefers fresh meat, but they'd have to wait a couple more months for Auntie Chen's son to return home.
Taking advantage of the two clear days, they found someone to slaughter the pigs.
They found that the butcher was very busy. Traditionally, the family hiring a butcher should provide him a meal.
But because he was so busy, he declined the meal, saying he'd leave right after finishing. So they invited one of their neighbors and Wen Qian over for the slaughtering feast.
Wen Qian had witnessed pig slaughtering since childhood, so she wasn't afraid.
However, Fang Ya was a bit scared that day when she joined Wen Qian upstairs, but she got over her fear once the pig was hung from the tree.
She even studied the pig's anatomy carefully from the side since she had mostly eaten pre-prepared meat and never anything so fresh.
With the pig halved and laid on the cutting board, the butcher skillfully began carving the meat with his large knife.
He tore off a strip of fresh, tender meat from the pig's back and handed it to Auntie Chen - part of the fresh loin that is customarily served at the slaughtering feast.
Watching the butcher's deft movements, Wen Qian recalled the half-pork carcasses in her space and thought that even if she dissected all of them, she could not achieve the butcher's level of skill.
But then she realized the butcher had slaughtered pigs for decades, so it was no wonder she couldn't match his expertise so quickly.
Wen Qian told Fang Ya that having elderly family members meant their chickens and pigs were raised on pure grains, which was more reassuring to consume.
Fang Ya agreed because these animals ate the same food as humans with no added additives, which could not be easily obtained elsewhere when purchased.
Nowadays in the city, one had to pay a premium to obtain such healthy foods.
It was unclear when this became the norm.
After the two pigs were slaughtered, their relatives also bought some, and Uncle Chen helped reserve portions for them at the street price.
After observing the slaughtering process, Wen Qian had a meal at the Chen family's home.
The butchers then packed up and drove off to their next job, as they were in a hurry.
A few days after the slaughter, the temperature dropped even lower. Although the sun came out every day, the snow melted very slowly.
The melting snow had caused the water in the ditch in front of the door to rise again.
Wen Qian still maintained her daily routine of exercising, eating, occasionally pondering the content of books, and of course, taking the opportunity to play on her phone while it was still usable.
If this snowfall had happened long ago, this area might not have had any signal, but Wen Qian could see the signal tower in the distance from her home.
Despite being in a rural area, her calls and data usage were currently smooth and uninterrupted.
Due to the extreme cold, Wen Qian rarely went out, and neither did the Chen family. Fang Ya could only move between floors and didn't dare go outside much either.
Some places were still snowing, and television reports about the snow became very frequent, including news of soaring electricity prices abroad.
Fortunately for them, the snow fell for a few days and then stopped for a few days, preventing their homes from being overwhelmed.
Now, even southerners no longer envied the snow, as the brief delight had dissipated, and the prolonged ice and snow had become a nuisance.
After the snowfall, the roads became difficult to traverse, causing many people to slip and injure themselves while walking outside. Many drivers also had accidents due to slippery roads.
Fang Ya worried about her husband's safety, as he had to drive to work every day.
Once the snow stopped in An City, the major transportation routes would be cleared, so conditions in the urban areas were better.
Fortunately, their company was quite considerate, with flexible working hours, so there was no rush.
As for long-haul truckers, many abandoned the idea of continuing long-distance hauling, as it was simply too difficult - either being stuck on the road or trapped at service stations.
Wen Qian's former colleague told her that due to the snow, business at their company had been dismal, and there wasn't much for employees to do even if they went to the office.
But the boss couldn't stand the sight of paying employees to do nothing.
So he had them shoveling snow outside the company, and if there was still nothing to do once the skies cleared, they would disperse the piled-up snow against the walls, in an attempt to accelerate its melting.
Her former colleague's tone was one of resignation, as it would have been better to just work normally instead of performing such silly gestures.
Those working odd jobs outside also returned to their hometowns, causing an increase in pedestrian traffic on the streets, no longer dominated by the elderly.
Auntie Chen's family members had returned from her son's house, but since he didn't farm, they had to buy food, so they just came back for a while before going to her son's house again for the holidays.
Uncle Chen advised them to stock up on rice and flour, as there might be more snow, and it would be more comfortable staying in their hometown.
