Whether one likes it or not, the heavens were quite cooperative, because just as everyone had finished covering their thermal quilts with plastic sheets, the heavy snow began to flutter down.
In truth, even without the plastic covers, heavy snow doesn't have a huge impact on thermal quilts; as long as the snow is cleared away immediately after it stops, it won't have a chance to melt and soak the quilts.
However, the snowfall in this region has always been incredibly capricious—it falls whenever it wants and for as long as it wants, meaning there is always a chance for the quilts to get wet.
With the plastic wrapping, the thermal quilts were now completely immune to meltwater. As for when it would snow or how long it would last, there was no longer any need to worry.
Despite the heavy snow, the people of Old Wang's family in Kaoshan Village weren't idle at all; they were still busy working.
Actually, in the countryside, from the end of the autumn harvest until the spring planting of the following year, people are very idle except for going into the mountains to chop firewood. This period is known as "mao dong" (hibernating for winter).
Exactly—hibernating. People would stay honestly tucked away at home, or visit neighbors, or go to the small convenience store to chat and play cards.
But ever since Wang An took the lead in building plastic greenhouses, the people of the Wang family had completely lost their downtime; it was nothing but work, work, and more work.
Yet, despite the labor, everyone seemed full of vigor, and every face beamed with a smile full of hope.
Two days later, while Wang An was holding his two little treasures in his arms, debating whether to go hunting in the mountains, two jeeps drove into his courtyard.
These two vehicles belonged to Wu Dong and Zhang Shuya.
As the sound of car doors opening echoed, six people—Wu Dong, Wang Shuai, He Liang, Ma Guoqiang, Zhang Shuya, and Sun Nian—stepped out of the cars.
Hearing the dogs barking outside, Wang An placed the two little treasures on the kang and walked out of the house.
As soon as they met, Wu Dong laughed loudly and said
"Where are my big nephew and big niece? Let me see them, I want to dote on them a bit, hahahaha!"
Wang Shuai glanced at Zhang Shuya and said with a meaningful, beaming smile
"I love kids the most. I don't have any of my own yet, so let me dote on my big nephew and big niece first, hahahaha..."
Zhang Shuya rolled her eyes at Wang Shuai but didn't say anything. However, it was clear that the relationship between the two had progressed significantly; they had likely established themselves as boyfriend and girlfriend.
The only thing that puzzled Wang An was how Zhang Shuya, who was so busy with work every day, found the time to date Wang Shuai.
Of course, Wang An was still very happy for the two of them.
After Wang Shuai finished, He Liang said with a smile
"Your sister finally managed to get away. This time, a few of us are going to hang out at your place for a few days, hehehehe."
Ma Guoqiang also said happily
"Exactly! I've been so bored at the office that I'm practically rotting. I've got to have some real fun for a few days this time, hahahaha."
Whether one likes it or not, although He Liang and Ma Guoqiang didn't hold much actual power, their lives were the definition of easy and cozy.
Once everyone had spoken, Wang An waved his hand with a generous air and laughed
"Hahahaha... Now that you've arrived, my house is suddenly glowing! Arrangements—I'll make the arrangements! I'll make sure everything is perfectly arranged for you all, hahahaha!"
As he spoke, Wang An led the group toward his room.
The moment they entered, Wang An immediately told them quite bluntly
"Take off your coats and put them on the sofa in the outer room. Don't bring that cold air in and freeze my eldest daughter and eldest son, hehehe."
The group was stunned for a moment, but they all took off their army overcoats and draped them over the sofa or chairs.
As they removed their coats, expressions of surprise appeared on their faces one by one. The reason was simple: the temperature inside Wang An's house was remarkably high.
Wu Dong said in bewilderment
"Xiao An, why is your outer room so warm? The moment I stepped in, I felt the heat hitting my face."
He Liang immediately chimed in
"Yeah, this temperature is warmer than the apartment buildings in Ice City. How did you manage this?"
After the two of them spoke, the others echoed similar sentiments.
Wang An waited for them to finish with a smile, then explained cheerfully
"This house uses a 'ground fire dragon' (underfloor heating). It's not any worse than the heating in the city. Plus, these double-pane windows are well-sealed, so of course it's warm, hahahaha!"
Upon hearing this, Wu Dong suddenly understood
"A ground fire dragon! I've heard of those. I must say, that stuff really works. But I heard that setting it up is a huge pain, especially when adding firewood to the combustion pit."
Wang An shook his head
"The pain only lasts for a day, maybe two at most. Once it's done, you don't have to worry about it for the whole winter. Isn't that better than lighting a stove to heat the kang every single day?"
The group was stunned and about to speak when Wang An continued
"The thing is, it consumes a massive amount of wood. Ordinary families can't afford to burn it. You have to burn wood chunks or thick logs. Using twigs or stalks is useless; they'll burn out in eight or ten days. If you only burn stuff that doesn't last, you'd have to refill the pit every few days—then it would definitely be a pain."
Everyone nodded and fell silent.
The reason Wang An could have ground fire dragons in both his houses was that he had borrowed a chainsaw from Wu Dong. Otherwise, the task of chopping that much wood would be impossible for an ordinary family.
One must realize that even a basic ground fire dragon combustion pit requires over 20 cubic meters of wood, and it must be thick logs or chunks. Therefore, while the ground fire dragon is practical, it cannot be promoted on a large scale, whether in this era or in the future.
There was no helping it; back then, it was difficult because chainsaws weren't widespread, and in later years, once chainsaws became common, indiscriminate logging was banned.
As they talked, the group entered the east room.
Upon entering, Wu Dong and Wang Shuai exchanged cheerful greetings with Mu Xueqing. Then, like two bandits, they respectively scooped up the two little treasures, Xingfu and Kuaile, from the kang.
To be honest, their movements gave Wang An a sudden fright. He was mainly worried that these two rough men wouldn't know how to hold babies and might accidentally jerk them.
After all, a baby's neck is very fragile; one wrong move and problems can easily arise.
Fortunately, it was obvious that these two had held children before, as their movements and posture were very standard. Only then did Wang An swallow the words that had reached the tip of his tongue.
*** Thank you "Xiao Sha—eC" for the tip, thank you, thank you!
(End of Chapter)