Chapter 61: Chapter 60: Sweeping the Snow Before One’s Own Door? That Doesn’t Exist.

Grandma knew Li Xiang had a big appetite, so she made an extremely hearty breakfast. Afraid her grandson would go hungry, she had prepared a huge pot of noodles with meatballs, Qing vegetables, and egg. She seasoned it with salt, chili, vinegar, garlic, pork cracklings, and pepper powder, then sprinkled a generous handful of chopped cilantro on top. It was steaming hot, fragrant, and incredibly appetizing.

Li Xiang ate three large bowls, and his grandma had a small one. The rest was for the cats and dogs. But the two dogs had run off to play somewhere and hadn’t come back yet. Li Xiang couldn’t be bothered with them and went to get the cats’ bowl.

The cats were sensitive to the cold. The five little ones were all curled up next to their mother, hiding in their warm cat bed. When they saw Li Xiang approach, they all started meowing nonstop.

"Breakfast is coming, don’t be so anxious."

Among the five kittens, the tuxedo cat was the sturdiest, while Xiaobai was the frailest. Li Xiang didn’t show any favoritism. He petted each kitten and stroked the mother cat’s head, then took the cat bowl to wash it. He filled it to the brim with noodles and tore a few small dried fish into it. The cats all came out, eating with happy mews and purrs.

The small dried fish were an assortment of small, miscellaneous fish he had bought at the market. There were many types: topmouth culter, bitterlings, pufferfish, small bream, and some others Li Xiang didn’t recognize. He had cleaned them, sun-dried them, and then pan-roasted them until they were hard and crisp. They were the kittens’ favorite treat.

It was just that the cat bowl was a bit too small. Xiaobai was often squeezed out and would cry anxiously.

Li Xiang went to get another plate and put some more food on it, again adding some dried fish. Only then were the cats not so crowded.

Xiaobai seemed a bit simple-minded, but was actually very Spiritual. It took a few bites, glanced at Li Xiang, then came over and rubbed against his leg. It looked up at Li Xiang and meowed a few times before going back to eat.

Li Xiang cleared out a large open area in the backyard. He also shoveled some snow off the vegetable patch, exposing the vegetables buried underneath. The mountain spring water channeled from the back mountain was running water, and since this kind of spring water bubbled up from deep underground, it hadn’t frozen. When he touched it, it actually felt warm.

He cleared the "water channel" along the spring’s path. With things at home mostly taken care of, Li Xiang picked up an iron shovel and called out to his grandma, "Grandma, I’m going to take a walk around the village and help everyone shovel snow."

His grandma was instantly pleased. ’This grandson of mine is so hardworking and sensible.’ She quickly reminded him, "Be careful, don’t slip and fall."

Li Xiang laughed. "Even if I fall, I won’t get hurt. The snow is thick enough."

Grandma laughed too. After a moment’s thought, she said, "Go check on your Third Granny first. She’s all alone, I wonder how she’s doing."

Li Xiang nodded and started walking through the thick snow, one deep step after another, leaving behind a long trail of "leg prints."

The snow was actually still falling, though it had lessened. Heavy snow was forecast for the next day or two. The cold air’s energy in the sky had weakened considerably after last night’s "release," but after "accumulating" for another day or two, it would "release" again.

This process would be quite long, with the snow starting and stopping for over half a month. But clearing the snow was still essential.

If the snow wasn’t cleared over such a long period, houses would collapse under the weight, and it would be impossible to even walk outside.

This "Third Granny" was one of Grandma’s sisters-in-law—the wife of his grandfather’s cousin. She and Grandma had been close when they were young. She was a person who had lived a hard life. She once had a son and three daughters, but her son died prematurely when he was about ten. Her daughters had all married and moved away. Her husband passed away a few years ago, leaving her an isolated widow.

When Li Xiang got to Third Granny’s house, he was still several dozen meters away when his heart sank. More than half of Third Granny’s house had collapsed. He didn’t know if she was okay. He quickly broke into a run, sending snow flying up in his wake.

"Third Granny, Third Granny!" Li Xiang shouted as he reached her front door. There were no signs of activity or that the door had been opened, and he couldn’t help but worry.

Fortunately, a voice soon came from inside. "Is that you, Xiang Ya? I’m still alive."

Li Xiang let out a sigh of relief. Third Granny rustled over to open the door. Li Xiang quickly shoveled the snow from the entrance to one side to prevent it from falling inside.

"Third Granny, are you alright?" Li Xiang asked quickly when he saw the old woman, hunched and trembling.

"I’m fine. It’s just that the house collapsed. When I woke up this morning, it was too cold, so I didn’t leave my room..." Third Granny rambled as she led Li Xiang inside.

"Leave it to me. I’ll clean it up." Li Xiang didn’t act immediately. Instead, he first went to the back, found a brazier, and lit a fire in it. He brought it to the front so Third Granny could warm herself by it.

"You’re running low on charcoal and firewood. I’ll bring some over from my place later," Li Xiang said.

"Oh, thank you so much."

"It’s no problem. I prepared a lot this time." Li Xiang told Third Granny to rest and found a rake. He first went to pull the snow off the roof of the part of the house that was still standing. Third Granny’s house was also an old one and hadn’t been reinforced. It would be bad if the other half collapsed too.

Once most of the snow was cleared from the roof, he started cleaning up the collapsed room.

The mess couldn’t be sorted out in a short time. Li Xiang just cleared out the snow and rubble, moved all the belongings out, and then found a striped tarp to seal the opening.

"Third Granny, why don’t you come stay at my place for a few days? We can repair the house when the weather clears up," Li Xiang said after some thought.

The collapsed house was one thing, but the main reason was that after bustling about, Li Xiang had noticed Third Granny didn’t have much food. With the freezing weather, food shortages, and the need to light her own fire with little firewood, he was afraid she wouldn’t make it through the winter.

He had helped Third Granny sell a few things during his previous livestreams, but she didn’t have much to sell and hadn’t earned much money. Moreover, she was old, and it was inconvenient for her to go to the market. She usually had to ask neighbors to bring things back for her. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"How could I impose..."

"It’s no trouble at all. My grandma was just thinking about you this morning. You can go over and keep her company."

Persuaded by Li Xiang, Third Granny finally relented. She went to pack her things, not taking much—just a few changes of clothes, a towel, a toothbrush, and the like. Then, Li Xiang carried her and her luggage on his back and trudged through the snow toward his home.

Third Granny was thin and small, nothing but skin and bones. She probably weighed no more than sixty pounds. Carrying her on his back, Li Xiang felt as if she weighed nothing at all, and he didn’t dare to use too much strength.

When they got home, his grandma was there to welcome her with good food and drink, so Li Xiang didn’t need to worry. He went back to Third Granny’s house, picked up the iron shovel he had left by the door, and went on to help the other villagers.

The village was almost entirely populated by the elderly. How could they possibly shovel such heavy snow?

The children, on the other hand, were playing happily, without a care in the world.

The roads were blocked by the snow, so of course there was no school for the time being. And with this unprecedented snowfall, how could they not be happy?

The adults, however, were full of worry.

This time, it wasn’t just Third Granny’s house that had collapsed; several other homes had as well.

Li Jintang’s kitchen had been completely reduced to a ruin, buried under the snow. Li Jintang was busy working on it, while Aunt Li the Third helped and cursed the damned heavens.

Li Xiang didn’t help their family, because there were others who needed his help more. Li Jintang was younger, after all, and could handle it himself.

"Xiang Ya, if only we had listened to you earlier." Many families regretted not heeding Li Xiang’s advice to reinforce their houses.

Li Xiang just smiled and offered a few words of comfort. He integrated his Breathing Technique and Body Techniques into his labor, feeling an endless supply of strength. He helped one family after another.

This heavy snowfall was rare in the southern regions, so many of the villagers’ children who worked in other cities worried about their families and called home to check on them. When they learned that Li Xiang had helped their families shovel snow, they were all extremely grateful.

Some even made special calls to Li Xiang to chat and express their thanks.