I survived the famine by scavenging and supported my family.

My family had already gone to bed sometime earlier. The only thing left in the room was a brazier placed far away in the corner, and the heated kang bed beneath me was cold!

Zhao Ningning yawned, got out of bed, put on her fur coat, slipped on her cotton shoes and went outside. In the stove hole of the kang (heated brick bed), only a faint spark was still burning.

Zhao Ningning brought over some firewood, thought for a moment, then took out two charcoal sticks from her spatial storage, lit them, and threw them in before putting the firewood into the heated brick bed.

Seeing the kang (heated brick bed) burning, she clapped her hands in satisfaction. Just as she was about to leave, Zhao Ningning's expression changed.

By the dim light of the brazier, she saw that ice flowers were seeping from the edges of the windows in the room!

She didn't dare to delay, so she closed the door tightly, went straight back to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and watched the window warily.

The ice flowers continued to spread, and the next second, a bone-chilling cold swept over us!

Oh no! It's a cold front!

"Mom and Dad! Brother! Get up!" Zhao Ningning patted her family members' shoulders and shook them awake. Then she looked at the window, which was covered in ice. The cold air had made the fire in the brazier next to the window burn weakly.

Zhao Ningning hurried over, dragged the brazier back to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and without delay, threw a handful of coal into it, instantly making the firelight brighter.

Ning's mother and the others had already sensed something was wrong. After wrapping herself in her fur coat, Ning's mother looked out the window with trepidation.

As the temperature plummeted, the icy blue ice flowers spread into the room. Even wrapped in a quilt, Zhao Ningning's hands and face were stiff with cold. Only her legs, which were touching the heated kang (a traditional Chinese bed), could feel a slight warmth.

As the cold wave spread, the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) went out at some point, and the faint feeling disappeared, replaced by a bone-chilling cold.

Zhao Ningning crossed her arms, took the playmat out of her spatial storage, and laid it on the kang (a heated brick bed). Her expression immediately softened a little.

The playmat insulates against the heat! Although it's still cold, it's much better than before.

The fire pit in front of them was swept away by the cold wave, leaving only a faint ember in the center of the coal. Zhao Ningning was worried, so she sprinkled in a handful of fine coal. Relying on this little bit of warmth, Zhao Ningning and the others endured the cold in the house, waiting for the cold wave to pass.

Ning's mother took out the mutton soup she had made earlier from her space, and each person held a bowl. After only a few sips, the soup went cold.

We had no choice but to give up.

After what seemed like an eternity, Zhao Ningning felt as if a year had passed before dawn finally broke.

There was no sun, only daylight, but even so, they felt that it was better and not so cold.

The flames in the brazier leaped high. Zhao Ningning took the hand warmer out of her spatial storage, added charcoal, and her father took it outside to light the kang (heated brick bed).

Fifteen minutes later, the familiar warmth crept up their legs, and Zhao Ningning and the others finally felt alive again.

it's too cold!

This cold wave is no ordinary cold wave; it's definitely a natural disaster!

If Ningning hadn't gotten up in the middle of the night, the whole family might have frozen to death here.

Ning's mother felt a wave of fear.

She didn't think the summer drought was that serious, but when the cold wave almost took her family's lives, Ning's mother realized that her whole family had traveled to a very dangerous ancient world.

After they were able to move around, Ning's mother quickly brought out the hot soup, and Zhao Ningning went to fetch hot water to wipe her family's hands and faces.

Ning's mother scolded, "I told you to go back to your space last night, but you wouldn't. It's so cold outside!"

"I can sense danger. I need to go back. What if something happens and I can't react in time?" Zhao Ningning retorted. "If anything happens to you, I'll be safe hiding in my spatial dimension, but what's the point of leaving me alone in this unfamiliar ancient world?"

Although it was a rebuttal, his words were full of concern.

Ning's mother felt incredibly comforted and hugged Ningning tightly. She said, "In case... you ever encounter danger, you must protect your own life first, understand?"

Zhao Ningning leaned against her mother's chest, hearing her heart pounding, and nodded unconsciously.

I'll agree to it for now, and we'll see how things go later.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

The cold snap had just passed, so who would be knocking on the door at this time? Ning's father got dressed and went to the yard to answer the door.

Zhou Jian's voice came from outside the door.

It turns out that the Zhou family was worried about this place and specially sent him over.

It's freezing cold! Ning's father didn't want him to stay, so he handed him the hand warmer in his hand and told him to take a message to Zhou Shi to say that his family was doing well.

I also inquired about the Zhou family's situation last night.

Zhou Jian said that after eating their New Year's Eve dinner, He and the others went to bed early. He was a light sleeper and woke up in the middle of the night to find something was wrong. She put on her clothes and went to knock on the door. The two of them stayed by the fire pit to safely get through the cold wave.

It was cold outside, so Zhou Jian only said a few words before going home. Ning's father bolted the gate and told Ning's mother about it.

Before long, another villager came knocking on the door; it turned out the village head had sent someone.

In the afternoon, Ning's father learned from others that the cold wave had taken away five people from the village.

One of the families was an elderly couple who, when the cold snap hit, huddled together and fell asleep instantly.

There was another one, a good-for-nothing in the village. He was always up to no good, chasing chickens and dogs all day. In winter, instead of going up the mountain to collect firewood, he would just hang around the village laughing and joking. After the last cold snap, some kind villagers tried to persuade him to stay, but he wouldn't listen and continued to live on just two pieces of firewood.

During this cold wave, he died in the courtyard where he went to get firewood. It is said that when the cold wave came, he was wearing a thin blanket and stood directly in the courtyard, where he was frozen into an ice sculpture.

The other two were a widowed mother from the village and her three-year-old child. The child was wrapped tightly in all the blankets and held close to her arms, but he still couldn't escape the cold wave...

These three families had no relatives in the village. The village head took charge and arranged for each family to have a thin coffin. He then led several able-bodied men from the village to place them in the Wangli Village Ancestral Hall. They would be buried once the permafrost thawed a bit.

……

Old Zhao's family.

Although no one in the Zhao family was killed or injured, several of them fell ill.

Not to mention that Granny Qian already had a pre-existing health condition, the last cold snap had terribly frightened her, and she kept a brazier burning day and night. This cold snap had both chilled and frightened her, causing her to develop a persistent high fever.

Besides her, Zhao Qian was also quite ill. He caught a cold during the last cold snap and took medicine prescribed by the village's barefoot doctor, but he hadn't fully recovered. This time, he caught a cold again, which worsened his condition, and he developed a high fever. His illness was raging.

Even the usually robust Mrs. Sun collapsed this time, and the household chores fell directly on the shoulders of the third son's wife.

Wu slammed the bowl down on Sun's bedside, spilling some water. Sun struggled to open her eyes and saw the watery "porridge" in front of her, which looked like dishwater. She covered her forehead and asked, "Wu, is this today's meal?"

"Eat it or not, it's up to you!" With that, Mrs. Wu swayed away.

Sun wanted to curse, but she couldn't muster the strength. She could only lie on the headboard and drink the bowl of "porridge" that was only slightly warm.

After finishing her drink, she remembered that Zhao Qian hadn't eaten yet. She wanted to get up and check on him, but a wave of dizziness washed over her, and she fell back onto the bed.

Hearing the commotion, Zhao Laoda rushed over. When Sun Shi saw him, she asked, "Where's Qian'er? How is Qian'er?"

"He's fine," said Boss Zhao. "The doctor examined him and prescribed the same medication as before."

Mrs. Sun rubbed her aching forehead. "When did the doctor arrive? I haven't seen him."

"this……"

The doctor was summoned by Granny Qian, and only examined Granny Qian and Zhao Qian.

He wanted the doctor to examine his wife, but Granny Qian told him that she had no money to pay the consultation fee and sent the doctor away.

Before leaving, the doctor shook his head slightly and kindly suggested that he boil the medicine that Zhao Qian had drunk again and give it to Sun Shi.

Zhao Laoda paused for a moment, then chose to keep it from Sun Shi, saying, "You came while you were asleep, and you've already left."

It was good that a doctor had come to see her; Sun lay down in a daze.

She was woken up several times during this period, and Zhao Laoda forced her to drink several bowls of medicine. Whether it was because her sense of taste had diminished due to the cold or because the cold was too severe, Sun felt that the medicine she drank this time was not as bitter as the medicine she drank when she had a cold before.

It took Granny Qian ten days to recover from Zhao Qian's illness, while it took Madam Sun more than half a month to barely recover.

Seeing that she was safe and sound, Zhao Laoda was happy and told her some good news: Wen Yuan's wedding date had been set.

Mrs. Sun was taken aback.

Previously, the eldest son took twenty taels of silver to propose marriage, and the Cao family in the town agreed. However, when it came time to set the date, they repeatedly made excuses. Before it snowed, Zhao Wenyuan went to the town every day and came back saying that the Cao family just wanted to keep Miss Cao for a while longer.

Unexpectedly, at this critical juncture, the Cao family actually set a wedding date?

"When has it been set?" Mrs. Sun asked.

"It was just one day after the Spring Equinox." Old Zhao said thankfully, "Thank goodness you're better... otherwise, I would have been really worried."

"The Spring Equinox?" Madam Sun got out of bed, coughed a few times while clutching her chest, and asked, "Doesn't that mean the wedding is just a few days away?"

"Yes!" Zhao Laoda sighed, "Once Wenyuan gets married, he'll settle down."

He refused to marry her, and spent his days running to town. After the snow, he would stay indoors every day, saying he was writing letters and poems to Miss Cao.

"Getting married is good... but the family doesn't have much money left." Madam Sun knew Granny Qian. She had sold the grain before and was able to give Wen Yuan twenty taels of silver for his betrothal. The betrothal gifts were no longer a concern. However, the wedding banquet would cost money, at least five hundred coins per table. If they wanted to invite the villagers, they would need to set up at least six tables.

We also need to buy some red cloth for the bride to make a veil, which is another expense.

Four taels of silver is no small sum these days.

With the Spring Equinox still half a month away, Madam Sun thought, "I'll keep nagging Qian Pozi. She probably won't let Wen Yuan fall short of the mark."

What Ms. Sun didn't know was that she was making a huge mistake this time.

If Granny Qian could do something like taking advantage of her illness and not letting her see a doctor even once when she was sick, how could she simply take out money?

Zhao Wenyuan pleaded for several days, but Granny Qian remained unmoved, only saying that giving one tael of silver was the limit.

What can one tael of silver do! Zhao Wenyuan was furious. When he went to town to see Miss Cao, he was so ashamed that he couldn't even lift his head.

Cao Rouan had initially tried to soothe Zhao Wenyuan in a gentle voice, but after a few days, Zhao Wenyuan said that his family was still unwilling to budge. Cao Rouan became somewhat annoyed and urged, "Since your family isn't sincere, I think we should call off our marriage!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Wenyuan was taken aback. He grabbed her hand and said urgently, "Wait for me a few more days! I will definitely marry you in a grand and glorious way!"

Cao Rouan gave him an ultimatum: if the wedding banquet could not be held five days before the Spring Equinox, she would not marry him.

After much persuasion, Zhao Wenyuan finally calmed Miss Cao down. Once home, he was extremely anxious.

His family was only willing to contribute one or two taels of silver. Frustrated, Zhao Wenyuan rubbed his head, his neatly tied-up hair coming undone.

As the date drew closer, Cao Rouan grew anxious because he still wouldn't give her a definite answer.

She has to get married before the start of spring, otherwise... it will be too late!

Urged on, Zhao Wenyuan took a tael of silver from Granny Qian, stuffed it into his pocket, and wandered aimlessly around the town.

He thought: The cold wave has passed, and the New Year is almost over. The weather will definitely warm up. If the price of grain drops, he can take the opportunity to buy some and bring it back to hold a feast.

Even if it's just three or four tables...

But the price of grain did not drop. Zhao Wenyuan came out of the grain shop with his head hanging down, looking like a willow in the wind, about to collapse with the slightest breeze.

As they were drifting in the cold wind, the sound of two people talking suddenly came from afar.

Their voices were so loud that they went straight into Zhao Wenyuan's ears, making it impossible for him not to hear them.

"Are you telling the truth?! Liu Dazhuang really won fifty taels of silver?!"

"Would I lie to you? I was standing right next to him when he placed his bets. The first time he won, we all thought it was just luck. The second and third time, he won again. This time, even the owner couldn't sit still and came to take charge himself."

"Liu Dazhuang wasn't afraid at all, so I secretly placed a few bets. Guess what happened?"

"You won?"

"Of course! I won ten taels in one go!"

The last person to speak weighed the money bag in his hand. Zhao Wenyuan stood still, looking at the shape of the silver ingots outlined in the bag.

"Silver...win..." Zhao Wenyuan followed the two men in a daze, lifting the heavy cotton curtain of the gambling den.

A cacophony of voices emanated from within, and Zhao Wenyuan plunged in, like a drop of water falling into boiling water.

After a while.

Zhao Wenyuan stumbled out, clutching five hundred coins.

"Tch! Why gamble if you don't have money!"

"Alright, alright, he's lost several rounds already, let's start again! One more game!"

"Don't let me see him again. He's so stingy, always betting only ten coins a time. Who bets like that..."

"If I see him again, I'll beat him up every time!"

……

It wasn't until he had walked quite a distance that Zhao Wenyuan dared to look at the money bag he was holding in his arms.

The silver is gone. Only five hundred coins remain.

One tael of silver could have barely afforded three tables of food, but now he only has five hundred coins left. How can he possibly marry Miss Cao?

As soon as Zhao Wenyuan got home, he went straight to his room. Even when Sun came to call him for dinner that evening, he still wouldn't get up.

Fearing that the child would go hungry, Mrs. Sun personally brought the food to his room and placed it on the table where he usually wrote and drew.

"What's wrong, Wenyuan? Did you catch a chill? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?" Madam Sun reached out to touch Zhao Wenyuan's forehead.

"No!" Zhao Wenyuan flung Sun Shi away, revealing his tear-streaked face, which startled Sun Shi.

When had her son ever cried like this before? Sun's heart broke. She grabbed her son's sleeve, "Wenyuan—Wenyuan? What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Tell your mother!"