"Patriot, Feng Ming, Xiaoya, come and eat roasted sweet potatoes!"

Xu Qing said hello and asked all three little ones to come over.

One person was given a freshly roasted sweet potato.

Sweet potatoes must be eaten while they are hot, as the taste is best at this time.

If you let it cool for a while, the taste will be a little different.

There was no sound outside the house, and the cold wind seemed to have been frozen. In the silence, only the crackling of the flames in the stove could be heard.

Xu Qing and his three little ones gathered around the stove and ate hot sweet potatoes in the warm room.

Ten minutes later.

Xu Qing asked them to wipe their mouths and go to bed. Before going to bed, he gave them the candied haws.

The three little ones were all huddled in their respective beds, with only one head exposed, lying on the edge of the bed. You looked at me, I looked at you, pinching the candied haws, and while eating, they seemed to be competing to see who could come last.

Finished eating.

Xu Qing now picked up all three of their cotton shoes from the edge of the kang and placed them next to the stove to bake so that they would be warm when they go to school tomorrow morning.

After the three little ones finished eating the candied haws, they turned around and fell asleep with their pillows made of buckwheat skin.

Xu Qing went outside the house and took two more briquettes and filled them into the stove. Then he walked to the window and opened the window a small crack.

After all, the stove is burning briquettes. If the night goes by and there is gas, it will be troublesome.

Gas poisoning is a common occurrence in these days.

Adults are generally fine, but children suffer.

Children are small, their physique is not as strong as that of adults, and their resistance is also weak. If it is serious, it may cause death.

As the eldest brother, Xu Qing must worry about these things.

So I check it every night before going to bed.

After Xu Qing finished his work, he lay down on the kang, tucked the three little ones into bed, and then turned off the lights.

It was only half past nine in the evening.

However, most of the dozen or so households in the compound have turned off their lights just like in Xu Qing's house.

There are not many entertainment activities these days, and it is also winter, so I usually go to bed early.

In the entire courtyard, only the lamp in Xu Damao's house was still shining alone.

The night sky in the courtyard slowly, quietly, and scattered snowflakes fell.

Lonely, silent, speechless. Like a thief, tiptoeing.

In the second half of the night, the thief seemed to become bolder and became a little unscrupulous.

The rain is fierce, big, and urgent!

Early in the morning.

As soon as Xu Qing opened the door, he saw a thick layer of snow falling in the courtyard.

However, at this time, not a single piece of snow fell from the sky.

It's like being a thief with a guilty conscience and running away when he sees someone.

After exhaling, Xu Qing turned around and entered the house. He walked up to his second brother Xu Aiguo and told him to remember to put on a scarf when he took Feng Ming and the little girl out to school later.

Xu Aiguo's eyes were bleary, he nodded his head and let out a hum, then put his head back on the pillow.

Xu Qing came out of the house again, stepping on the snow that just fell last night.

I shook my body and went out to the front door.

In the middle courtyard, Shazhu was holding a cigarette as usual, huddled up and waiting for Qin Huairu in front of Jia's house.

Xu Qing saw that Silhu was actually wearing a new suit today, from top to bottom, from head to toe. It was new, and the new one was just like the freshly fallen snow on the ground.

Silly Zhu also saw Xu Qing, with a proud look on his face. He took the initiative to walk towards Xu Qing, lowered his voice, and showed off with a grin:

"Boy, let's see how I look today, brother."

"You look good in a new outfit!" Xu Qing praised.

Silly Zhu smiled even more happily and glanced towards Jia's house, as if he was afraid of being heard.

His voice was even lower and he said, "Qin Huairu made it for me, so his craftsmanship is not bad."

Xu Qing was happy when he saw Sha Zhu talking.

Then he nodded and said yes.

Xu Qing knows a little about the two of them, but it's not clear where they are now.

After all, Jia Dongxu is still alive, but he is paralyzed due to a work-related injury and can only stay in the house and cannot get off the kang.

Qin Huairu is not a serious widow at the moment. She usually doesn't get close to Shazhu in the courtyard. She rarely goes to Shazhu's house.

We just go to and from get off work together every day.

Whether it's a pretense or reality, the relationship between Shazhu and Qin Huairu is the same as the snow-covered ground.

Anyway, Xu Qing knew that in the end, the two of them slept in the same bed and on the same kang.

However, Xu Qing thought that with his arrival, this direction might change.

Just like the butterfly effect.

It's just such a cold weather that Xu Qing can't stand in the courtyard and think too much. Seeing that Silly Zhu is very happy now, he also smiles.

At this moment, the door of Jia's house creaked open, and Qin Huairu walked out neatly dressed.

Seeing that Xu Qing was there, Qin Huairu seemed to raise her voice intentionally and said:

"Xu Qing, look at the weather. It snowed again last night. It's almost freezing!"

After Qin Huairu finished speaking, she stamped her feet, deliberately making some noise, and continued:

"Let's go, Shazhu and I will protect you together, and the three of us will go to the factory together!"

Qin Huairu's words haven't even finished yet.

Xu Qing saw that the lights in Jia's house suddenly went out.

In the alley, the snow is spotless, and there is not a single footprint on it.

When Xu Qing stepped on it, it was like stepping on foam, making a creaking sound.

Shazhu and Qin Huairu, whether intentionally or not, walked on the left and right of Xu Qing respectively.

Xu Qing suddenly felt a bit like a light bulb.

Fortunately, Shazhu and Qin Huairu both took the initiative to chat with him, so the atmosphere was not too awkward.

Turn onto the street and there will be more people.

The snow on the street is not as clean as in the alley. It has been trampled into a mess by pedestrians passing by in a hurry.

A few bicycle marks made the snow solid, and when you stepped on it, there was no movement at all.

It's not bright yet and it's still a little dark.

Whether it’s a person walking towards you or a person passing by, you can’t really see their appearance.

Xu Qing, Sha Zhu, and Qin Huairu crowded together and walked side by side towards the factory.

When we walked to the factory gate.

The snow is falling again.

Xu Qing pushed open the big cold iron door, said goodbye to Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu, and walked quickly towards the third workshop.

Shazhu went towards the kitchen in the cafeteria, and Qin Huairu also went to her own workshop.

At noon.

Xu Qing was grabbing a meal and happened to line up at Shazhu’s window.

Silly Zhu held the big iron spoon and gave Xu Qing a spoonful of boiled cabbage.

Someone was unhappy. Silhu immediately tilted his head, stiffened his neck, and glared at that person.

When the man saw this, he didn't dare to complain anymore and could only grumble in a low voice.

Xu Damao, who was standing behind the man, raised his hand and slashed the back of the man's head.

"What are you mumbling about? Can you speak louder?!"

The man turned his head and saw that it was Xu Damao, pointing at Xu Qing with his lips curled up. He looked dissatisfied.
Chapter completed!