Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Chapter 465: Heavy snow becomes a hidden danger, all personnel are dispatched to patrol

"This is different from the beginning of winter, when the ground is warm and the snow melts quickly after it falls."

"It's the twelfth lunar month now, and the weather is very cold. Look at the snow on the ground outside. It doesn't show any sign of melting, and it's getting thicker and thicker."

After Jiang's guidance, Shen Yu also realized that the snow today was indeed falling on the ground and accumulating there without any sign of melting.

In modern times, Shen Yu had neither experienced nor seen a house being crushed by snow.

After arriving here, she found that the restaurants and inns were all made of brick and tile structures. They were either newly renovated or newly built, so she never thought about taking precautions against these.

I guess it's because the governor has been in office for many years, and such things happen every year, so when he saw the snow getting heavier, he thought of taking precautions in advance and being alert.

Here, Shen Yu's family was discussing in a low voice, and the two adults in the dining room next door were also talking about this matter.

Lu Zheng had the innocence of a rich kid on his face: "Yang Laoliu, is it really as serious as you say? Will the snow collapse the house?"

Yang Chi looked at his friend with disdain, and said angrily, "Second Brother Lu, you can't do this again."

"When Xiao Si is here, you can be free and at ease."

"Now that he has returned to Beijing to prepare for the exam, you should pay more attention to the people's livelihood. Otherwise, I will have to tell the truth in next year's performance appraisal."

Lu Zheng got anxious when he heard this, and immediately stood up and said, "It's just an inspection, come on, I'll change into some thick clothes and go there myself."

"The county magistrate braved the snow on New Year's Eve to inspect all the old houses in the city. Isn't that sincere enough?"

"You must give me a good report on my performance evaluation next year. Whether I can finish my term as county magistrate and resign depends entirely on you."

Yang Chi then softened his tone and explained to him: "Don't assume that every house is solid and good."

"The people near your county government office are all rich and powerful, so their houses are all tall and solid."

"But in the suburbs and east of the city, many people have lived in their houses for many years and don't have extra money to repair them."

"If it rains, we're afraid it will leak; if it snows, we're afraid it will collapse; even if it's windy, we'll still be on edge for a while."

Although Lu Zheng didn't see it with his own eyes, he just came from a very wealthy family and had never been exposed to such things in his daily life.

But after Yang Chi said that, he immediately understood and said seriously: "Brother Yang is reminding me that if the snow keeps falling like this, it is indeed a bit dangerous."

"I think we're almost done with the New Year's Eve dinner. How about you take a rest at the county government office and I'll take a few people out for a walk."

Yang Chi nodded and said with satisfaction: "This is what it's like to be a parent official."

"Come on, let's talk to Miss Shen now. Go change your clothes and I'll go out for a walk with you."

As they talked, they went to the kitchen next door together.

Shen Yu and her friends were cleaning up the used utensils in the kitchen. When they saw the two adults coming in, they quickly stopped what they were doing and came over to greet them.

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Miss Shen, Madam Li, we have finished eating too."

"Lord Yang and I are going to take a carriage to go out for inspection now."

"You don't have to wash and clean the dishes in the dining room next door. Just leave them there until the runners come back. I'll tell them to clean them up."

"We are going to East City, and we will send your family back by the way."

Shen Yu quickly agreed, and Lu Zheng said, "Okay, Lord Yang and I will go back to the back office and change our clothes and come back. You go to the guardhouse at the entrance of the county office and wait for a while, we will be here soon."

Having said that, the two adults went back to the back court.

Shen Yu said to Li and the others, "In that case, let's go to the guard room quickly, so that the adults won't have to wait for us."

The whole family took off their aprons, wiped the water off their hands, and put on their thick clothes for going out.

Because the snow on the ground was very thick, Zheng Sanniang wrapped Xiao Zhuzi thickly in a tiger-head cloak and picked him up. Shen Yu stood by with an umbrella and took care of him.

Everyone followed each other out of the kitchen's yard and walked towards the guard room at the gate of the yamen.

Not long after, the two masters came over with their personal servants. The whole family, including the two masters, got on two large carriages and headed towards the east of the city.

When they arrived at the restaurant, the driver put down the sedan chair and let Shen Yu and his family get off.

Lu Zheng stuck his head out of the car window and said, "If nothing happens today, I'll send someone to pick up Miss Shen and bring her to the county government office to cook on the second day of the New Year."

Shen Yu quickly agreed, and the driver put away the sedan chair, sat on the shaft, and continued to drive east.

Shen Yu stood on the steps in front of the restaurant and looked east along with the carriage.

The snow was so heavy that the houses that were usually so clear became blurry, and the carriage soon disappeared.

For a moment, the only sound she could hear was the rustling of falling snow, and she couldn't help but feel a little worried.

When everyone entered the store, Shen Yu said, "Mom, let's check each room, just in case..."

Li interrupted and said, "During such a big festival, you are not allowed to say unlucky things. However, you are right. I also think it would be more reassuring to check every room."

So everyone didn't rush to change clothes, and let Doctor Sun take Yutao and the other children to wait in the big kitchen in the backyard and light the charcoal basin for heating.

Shen Yu and the three ladies held an umbrella, took a long bamboo pole, tied a broom to it, and went to the inn.

If the snow on the roof is too thick, go to the front yard room to get a ladder, stand on it and clear the snow.

When we arrived at the inn, we saw a thick layer of snow on the roof.

Li asked Shen Yu and Zheng Sanniang to wait under the eaves. She and Jiang looked at each room and said, "This house is very solid. There are no cracks and no collapsed tiles. We were really worrying too much."

"Don't bother. Master Zhu's craftsmanship is very good. Nothing will happen. Go back quickly."

Shen Yu finally felt relieved. He put the tied bamboo poles in the room in the front yard, and then followed everyone back to the big kitchen in the backyard.

When Doctor Sun saw the few people coming back, he hurriedly asked Yutao to bring over the cooked ginger and jujube tea so that everyone could drink it to ward off the cold.

Sitting in his own room at this time, without worrying about the accumulated snow, Shen Yu became happy again and started to prepare dinner in the evening.

Li smiled and said, "I know you don't like sweets, so I prepared not only those sweet cakes and fruits tonight."

"We have also specially prepared some small savory and crispy biscuits, as well as auspicious cakes with salted egg yolk fillings, to ensure that you don't have to eat only sweets."

Shen Yu was overjoyed when she heard this, and hurriedly took Li's arm and acted coquettishly: "Mom is the best, you are so thoughtful, and I don't even know when you did it for me."

Li smiled and said angrily, "You are so old, but you still act like a spoiled child in front of Doctor Sun. Don't be shy."