The first watch of the night, asking for pink votes.

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This is the second snowfall since the beginning of winter. The first snowfall occurred just as winter began, and Lian Manman was still in the county town at that time.

Lian Manman sat inside the house, looking outside through the glass window. At first, it snowed tiny granules, which the tenant farmers also called snow grains. In no time, these grains turned into fluttering snowflakes, falling down in a vast expanse. Sitting there, Lian Manman could only see the snow outside the window, unable to see farther.

There was no wind, only thick snow falling like goose feathers.

Tenant farmers loved snow because the water content in winter snow meant that when it melted in the next spring, there would be more snowmelt to nourish the soil.

Lian Shouxin, wearing a sheepskin jacket and a straw hat, left the house fully wrapped up. The snowfall was heavier than expected, so he needed to go around with others to check if there was anything to take care of on the farmstead.

After a while, Lian Shouxin returned with snow on his shoulders, his face beaming.

"This snow is great," he said as soon as he entered the door.

"Quick, sweep off the snow so you don’t catch a cold," Lady Zhang, who was sitting on the kang stitching with Lian Zhizhi and Lian Manman, quickly put on her shoes and took a broom to brush the snow off Lian Shouxin in the outer room. Only then did the couple come back inside.

"This snow is great," Lian Shouxin said again, sitting on the kang.

"Dad, why were you out so long? Everything alright?" Lian Manman asked with a smile.

"It’s fine. I took some people to look at the fields," replied Lian Shouxin. "The snow is this thick on the fields now."

Lian Shouxin gestured with his hand.

"Everything is covered tightly. With snow like this, the winter wheat is sure to have a bumper harvest next year."

The saying "a heavy snow promises a good harvest" comes from this. The thick layer of snow acts as insulation and moisture retention, which is just what winter wheat needs.

Lian Shouxin was still a farmer at heart. Nothing pleased him more than seeing the crops he sowed with hard work bringing a bountiful harvest, firewood stacks and granaries full.

Expecting a good harvest for the winter wheat the following year, Lian Manman was also happy.

The snowfall continued all day and night, and it only cleared the next morning. When Lian Manman woke up and sat up on the kang to look outside, she saw an entirely white world.

Having lived the life of a tenant farmer, Lian Manman became more attuned to everything in nature. Like other children of tenant farmers, she was excited.

She got up quickly, dressed, washed, and came out from the west room.

"Don’t hurry outside; it’s cold," Lady Zhang cautioned as she saw her. "If you go out, dress warmly."

The weather is such that it wasn’t too cold when it snowed, but the temperature would drop significantly afterward.

Lian Manman agreed, pushed open the front door, and stepped outside. It was a scene of snow-clad beauty; the trees in the yard had their trunks half-buried in snow. This was the biggest snowfall Lian Manman had ever seen since coming to this world. She stood at the door for a moment before descending the steps. The steps and the path leading to the walkway had already been swept clear by the early-rising Lian Shouxin and others. The snow piled at both sides of the path was as high as Lian Manman’s waist.

Lian Manman grabbed a handful of snow, formed it into a snowball, and threw it hard into the distance, watching it smash against the courtyard wall and burst into a cloud of snow mist. She couldn’t help but laugh out loud twice.

"How old are you, still so playful? Don’t catch a cold," Lady Zhang called out, leaning out from the house. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Okay, I know," Lian Manman replied, not planning to go back inside.

"Second sister," Xiao Qi came running over from the passage, bundled up like a little dumpling, and called joyfully, "Second sister, I don’t have to go to school today."

"Are you being lazy again?" Lian Manman hugged Xiao Qi, who had pounced over, and asked.

"No, the snow is too heavy. The main road is impassable, and neither can cars move. Dad and brother both said there’s definitely no school today. They told me to stay home, and brother would give me lessons later."

Lian Manman glanced at the snow-covered ground. This layer of snow was surely deeper than an adult’s knees. In this era, without special snow removal services, it seemed the village wouldn’t be going far for at least the first day or two.