"Today is just the beginning. In a few more days, I'm afraid it won't be so quiet," Shen Xiaoyan sighed.
"Not quiet? Why?" Lu Taobao asked curiously. "It's snowing so heavily, and it's so cold outside that the air is almost turning into ice. Who would come out in such weather?"
Everyone ignored Lu Taobao's question.
Shen Xiaoyan found it impossible to describe the person who, moments ago, had claimed to be wise yet foolish, but was now acting so stupid.
After sitting for a while longer, the group dispersed back to their rooms.
Two more days passed quietly.
During these two days, the heavy snow continued without pause.
Although there were occasional lulls, the blizzard persisted overall.
After another two days and nights, the snow depth reached one meter.
One meter high?
If a person were only one meter tall, they might feel quite short.
But if the snow accumulated to a depth of one meter, the thought alone was chilling.
This was truly a situation where every step was a struggle.
Forget about getting fresh winter spinach or cilantro; even just stepping outside for a walk would likely soak your clothes through.
While every household had stored food, preventing starvation, the weather was so cold that without a heated kang, the rooms would feel like ice cellars.
Constantly keeping the kang heated was one thing; for one or two days, three or four days, it might not be noticeable.
But over time, with the need for cooking and heating, and the heavy snow making it impossible to gather firewood, many families began to feel the pinch of their dwindling wood supply. Yet, there was no alternative; one needed to be well to think of other solutions.
In such weather, falling ill with a fever would be truly life-threatening.
Just as everyone thought the blizzard, which had been raging for three days and nights, would finally stop, it continued to fall.
And so, another three days passed.
Shen Xiaoyan sat on the kang, watching the raging wind and swirling snow outside, feeling a sense of unease.
Was it because last year's snow was scarce, and this year was making up for it all at once?
"Mimi, don't worry. It's already the seventh day. I'm sure someone has reported it to the imperial court, and disaster relief will be here soon," Zheng Wei said, sitting opposite Shen Xiaoyan. He felt heartbroken seeing her worried frown.
Shen Xiaoyan was good in every way, except for her excessive compassion.
He sometimes wondered if Shen Xiaoyan had truly lived two lives in that man-eating apocalyptic world, as she claimed.
How could someone who had survived such a world for two lifetimes still possess such a kind heart?
"If Mimi were a man, she would have the heart of an emperor."
"What?"
Shen Xiaoyan was surprised by Zheng Wei's sudden pronouncement, wondering what he meant.
"An emperor, naturally, should have the heart of an emperor, sharing the worries and joys of the world, always putting the interests of the people first," Zheng Wei explained.
"Pfft..."
Seeing Shen Xiaoyan burst into laughter, Zheng Wei looked puzzled. "What are you laughing at, Mimi?"
Shen Xiaoyan laughed even harder, her body rocking back and forth. After a long while, she managed to say, "I don't have the heart of an emperor. I'm just overly compassionate, or perhaps my 'saintly mother syndrome' has flared up again."
Hearing the hint of self-deprecation in Shen Xiaoyan's words, Zheng Wei became even more perplexed.
"What's wrong, Mimi?"
Shen Xiaoyan shook her head and sighed, "I'm just too soft-hearted. While it's not to the point of selfless devotion or putting others before myself, it's still a bit much. This isn't good; I need to change."
Shen Xiaoyan finished by nodding firmly, as if resolving herself to do so in the future.
"Why is it not good? I really like how kind you are, Mimi," Zheng Wei said.
"Being too kind is foolish," Shen Xiaoyan chuckled.
Seeing Shen Xiaoyan say this, Zheng Wei stopped pressing the matter. Regardless of how Shen Xiaoyan was, he loved her.
The continuous blizzard for a week had not only caused inconvenience in people's lives.
More importantly, more and more houses were collapsing under the weight of the thick snow.
Even houses that were not dilapidated were quite old. With one meter of snow constantly pressing down on the roof, they were bound to buckle, eventually leading to their collapse.
A collapsed house meant no shelter from the wind and snow, no place to eat or sleep.
While some people could stay with relatives or friends, not every family had relatives, and not every relative's house was intact.
Although Shen Xiaoyan had not gone out, Luoluo, when she had nothing else to do, would go for a stroll.
According to what Luoluo reported, many houses in Baiyun Manor had collapsed.
Not just the immediate vicinity; Luoluo had visited several nearby villages, and the situation was the same everywhere.
Nearly half the houses in the villages had collapsed, and many people, with nowhere to go, were forced to huddle in their ruined homes. Due to the cold, some had fallen ill.
Even worse, some families could not even cook meals, and having a bowl of steaming hot congee each day was a luxury.
It was only November, and there were still several months until spring arrived.
More importantly, no one knew when this snow would stop.
With the New Year just over a month away, and people's lives becoming increasingly difficult, Shen Xiaoyan was filled with worry.
After another two days or so, one morning, Shen Xiaoyan got up and lifted the curtain to look outside, only to find that the blizzard had finally lessened.
Seeing the sparse snowflakes drifting down from the sky, Shen Xiaoyan finally felt a slight ease in her heart.
Was the blizzard finally stopping?
"Has the blizzard stopped?"
Zheng Wei, who was dressing Ruan Ruan, instinctively asked when he saw Shen Xiaoyan once again lift the curtain.
Shen Xiaoyan lowered the corner of the curtain and shook her head. "No, it's just a lot lighter. I hope it stops soon; if it continues, no house will be able to withstand it."
What Shen Xiaoyan said was true. No matter how sturdy a house was, it wasn't made of steel and concrete slabs.
Roofs made of wood and tiles simply could not bear such a heavy load for extended periods.
"Yes, if we hadn't constantly gone up to clear the snow, our house probably wouldn't have lasted much longer either," Zheng Wei agreed wholeheartedly.
Because the one-meter-high snow on the roof was terrifying, and there was no certainty when it would fall on its own, whenever the snow eased slightly, Yizixie, Zheng Wei, or Sima Han would go up to clear some of it.
They would shovel off a layer of the thick snow from the top to lighten the burden on the house.
After everyone had finished breakfast, the snow finally stopped.
A faint light peeked through the sky, and Shen Xiaoyan almost thought the sun was about to appear.
But this light was fleeting, like an illusion, disappearing after a short while, and the sky remained a hazy gray.
Although the blizzard had stopped, the cold wind continued to howl.
Every time a gust of wind blew, it would stir up the topmost layer of snow, scattering it in flakes, making it seem as if it were snowing again.
Shen Xiaoyan had the nannies take the children to the west side room to play, while she and the others sat in the east side room talking.
"Now that the snow has stopped, shouldn't disaster relief begin next?"
Seeing that everyone was silent, Shen Xiaoyan broke the ice.
"Sister, you've made it sound too simple," Yue Qingxin said, shaking her head.
Shen Xiaoyan looked at Yue Qingxin in confusion. "What do you mean, Sister? Didn't you say it was reported to the imperial court just two days after it started? It's been quite a while now; shouldn't disaster relief have begun?"
Yue Qingxin shook her head. "At this point, the news has probably just reached the Emperor. Next, the Emperor will need to verify it, then select personnel for disaster relief, formulate strategies, and dispatch people. By the time they arrive, it will be at least half a month later."
Shen Xiaoyan was utterly dumbfounded. Half a month?
What was the point of coming then?
Not only would things be too late, but who knew how many people would have frozen or died of illness by then.
Seeing Shen Xiaoyan's disbelieving expression, everyone looked at her with a touch of pity.
Shen Xiaoyan was truly shocked. In her previous life, no matter what disaster occurred, disaster relief teams would usually arrive on the same day, implementing various measures.
Let alone delaying for half a month or longer; if they hadn't arrived by the next day, there would likely be widespread public outcry online.
Therefore, Shen Xiaoyan was beyond shocked by Yue Qingxin's explanation.
"Then, is there anything we can do ourselves right now?" Shen Xiaoyan asked after a moment's thought.
"What do you want to do?" Yue Qingxin was taken aback by Shen Xiaoyan's question. What could they do themselves?
"Can we start our own disaster relief?" Shen Xiaoyan clarified.