Today’s weather is Cold.

When Chu Xia got up in the morning, she discovered that snow was falling outside again, and it showed no signs of stopping.

She went outside to clear the snow from the corridor in front of her door.

Luckily, the coal stove was placed against the wall, so the snow hadn’t drifted that far.

The coal balls were still burning, and the water in the aluminum kettle on top was still hot.

The coal balls for the stove were bought at the beginning of winter along with Sister Li’s family, enough to last the entire winter.

To prevent the coal from being stolen, Chu Xia kept the coal balls stacked under the window inside the house.

Since only she and An’an lived there, there was space in the outer room to store the coal.

In some households, where there are many people and things, there isn’t enough room to store the coal indoors, so they keep it in the corridor, covering it with a straw mat and marking each coal ball used to prevent theft.

After all, coal is expensive, and not everyone can afford to buy enough for the whole winter, so some people might sneakily take others’ coal.

The previous incident of the stolen sweet potatoes had shown that even in a workers’ residential compound, petty theft still existed.

Chu Xia knew it was pointless to look for the thief of the sweet potatoes, so she decided not to dwell on it.

However, Cen Huai’an had been obsessively thinking about finding out who stole their sweet potatoes.

He hadn’t told Chu Xia about his thoughts and planned to find out secretly.

It was a child’s own idea, wanting to do something significant and make his mom proud.

Cen Huai’an’s method to catch the thief was simple: he used roasted sweet potatoes as bait again.

Sweet potatoes are so delicious and fragrant that anyone who had eaten them once would want more.

He did this while Chu Xia was still working at the factory.

Every afternoon, Cen Huai’an’s school ended earlier than Chu Xia’s workday.

However, he usually returned later because he often helped Bang Zi and others sell things.

On this Cold day, the weather was bad, with snow falling continuously, sometimes heavily, sometimes lightly.

Walking on the road made a “crunching” sound.

Because of the cold, Bang Zi and his friends weren’t selling anything.

Everyone hurried home after school, though some mischievous children played in the snow.

As soon as school was over, Cen Huai’an put on the raincoat Chu Xia had bought him and ran out of the classroom first.

When he returned home, the adults from the compound hadn’t come back yet, but the children had started to return one after another.

Cen Huai’an opened the cover of the coal stove, carefully placed the sweet potatoes on the stove before the fire rose, and then went inside.

He pressed his body against the wall to avoid the coal balls and peered out the window to watch.

As time passed, the sweet aroma of the roasted sweet potatoes gradually filled the corridor, and Cen Huai’an even saw the sweet potato juice oozing out, making him swallow his saliva.

But after a long time, no one came to take the sweet potatoes.

Cen Huai’an frowned, thinking he might not catch anyone today. Just as he was about to go out and take the sweet potatoes for himself, Qi Ming and Chen Xiaowei, Chen Granny’s little grandson, came up the stairs.

Both Qi Ming and Chen Xiaowei’s eyes lit up when they saw the roasted sweet potatoes.

Chen Xiaowei kept pointing at the sweet potatoes and tugging at Qi Ming, very excited.

Seeing Qi Ming lick his lips and look around without seeing anyone, he grabbed Chen Xiaowei and tiptoed over to get the sweet potatoes.

At that moment, Cen Huai’an quickly opened the door, ran out, grabbed both Qi Ming and Chen Xiaowei with one hand each, and glared at them fiercely.

“Two little thieves! Got you! Were you the ones who stole our roasted sweet potatoes last time?”

Chen Xiaowei exclaimed, “Ahh! I’m sorry, let me go!”

Qi Ming protested, “It wasn’t us!”

The two of them struggled, but Cen Huai’an was very strong.

He had fought with others since he was young, and Qi Ming was about his age, while Chen Xiaowei was younger, so they couldn’t match him.

The three of them remained in a standoff until the adults came back.

Chu Xia came up with her bag and saw her son fiercely holding onto Qi Ming and Chen Xiaowei.

She looked puzzled, wondering what was going on.

“An’an, what are you doing?”

Cen Huai’an, very angrily, said, “Mom, these two stole our roasted sweet potatoes!”

At that moment, Chen Granny happened to come upstairs, preparing to go home and cook.

She was humming happily.

Seeing her beloved grandson being held by Cen Huai’an and Chen Xiaowei sniffling, she immediately hurried over, pulled her grandson away from Cen Huai’an, and pushed him a bit.

“What are you doing? Why are you grabbing my grandson? Xiaowei, are you okay? Don’t be afraid, grandma will give you a hug.”

Chen Xiaowei clung to Chen Granny’s neck and cried, “Grandma…”

Chu Xia steadied herself after almost being pushed over by Chen Granny and said sternly, “Chen Granny! Your grandson stole An’an’s roasted sweet potatoes, and An’an was just holding him back to prevent him from running away. Instead of figuring out the situation, you just pushed a child. Are you reasonable?”

“Reasonable? What’s there to reason about? It’s just a roasted sweet potato. Is it really that big of a deal? You’re making such a fuss over it. So petty!”

Knowing Chen Granny’s unreasonable nature, Chu Xia was left speechless by her shamelessness. “Yes, we’re petty. If you have the ability, don’t let your grandson steal our sweet potatoes! If he’s so young and doesn’t learn properly, isn’t it because of the adults spoiling him?”

Chen Granny couldn’t stand anyone speaking ill of her grandson and, hands on her hips, started to argue with Chu Xia, “How can you speak like that? Children…”

At this moment, other residents came home from work and quickly pulled Chen Granny away.

They roughly understood the situation and said, “Auntie, your grandson was at fault. Stop arguing. Even if you keep arguing, you won’t be in the right.”

“Chuxia, you should calm down. We’re all neighbors, and it’s normal for kids to have conflicts. Don’t let this affect our harmony,” someone tried to mediate.

Chuxia responded, “I’m not trying to make a big deal out of it. It was just a small issue, and I wasn’t going to pursue it further. But when she came over, she scolded An’an and almost pushed him down. Tell me, how could I not be upset?”

Some of the bystanders began to speak up against Granny Chen. “Kids argue and fight, but what are you doing getting involved? Aren’t you ashamed?”

“Exactly, and stealing someone’s roasted sweet potato is wrong. Not only did you not admit fault, but you even pushed the kid. Your son and daughter-in-law will definitely scold you again.”

“Auntie, no one in this housing complex behaves as unreasonably as you do. Be careful, or soon no one will want to play with your grandson.”

As they were talking, Qi Ming’s mom, Guan Yan, approached with a tall man beside her, carrying a bulging luggage bag.

“Mingming, why are you here?” Guan Yan frowned and glanced around at the circle of neighbors, feeling uneasy.

“Mom, Dad…” If Qi Ming had seen his dad at any other time, he would have jumped with joy and rushed to hug him.

But now, his face turned pale, and fear flashed in his eyes as he tried to shrink back.

“I… I…”

His voice was so soft that no one could hear him clearly.

Instead, some kind-hearted neighbors filled Guan Yan and Qi’s father in on the situation.

As they explained, they couldn’t help but curiously observe Qi’s father.

Guan Yan usually lived here alone with her son, and it was the first time anyone had seen Qi’s father, so the neighbors were naturally intrigued.

Qi Ming’s father greeted everyone warmly, thanking them for taking care of his wife and son.

He then opened his bag and distributed some snacks. “These are specialties from Yangcheng; please have a taste.”

The neighbors were delighted with his friendly demeanor, happily accepting the snacks and saying, “Oh, you’re too kind,” and “No need to be so courteous.”

When he reached Chuxia, instead of giving her just one snack, he handed her a whole bag. “My son is misbehaved and greedy. Don’t take it to heart. Please take these snacks home for you and your child.”

Chuxia didn’t accept the entire bag; she took just one snack like everyone else and said, “It’s okay. It’s normal for kids to be greedy. An’an, give Qi Ming one of the roasted sweet potatoes.”

Cen Huai’an handed a roasted sweet potato to Qi Ming.

Both boys were wearing gloves, so there was no need to worry about getting burned.

Qi’s father paused for a moment, chuckled twice, and said, “You’re a sensible girl.”

He didn’t insist on giving Chuxia more snacks but instead handed a whole package to Granny Chen. “We’re all neighbors, Auntie. There’s no need to quarrel over kids. Let’s have some snacks and put this matter behind us.”

Granny Chen, holding more snacks than everyone else, immediately broke into a smile. “Oh, you’re right. This is much more generous than some people.”

Chuxia pretended not to hear her snide remarks.

There was no point arguing with someone like her, but if you stood firm, she couldn’t take advantage of you.

She took Cen Huai’an inside, and what almost escalated into a conflict between neighbors dissipated quietly with Qi’s father’s intervention.

“Mom, why didn’t Granny Chen apologize?”

Cen Huai’an couldn’t understand.

After they entered the house, he kept thinking about how it was clearly Chen Xiaowei’s fault.

How could Granny Chen behave like that?

Chuxia patted his head. “Because the world is full of all kinds of people. Not everyone is polite or reasonable. Some people like to take advantage, side with their own, and throw tantrums even when they’re wrong. Don’t worry about her. By spoiling her grandson, she’s actually harming him.”

Cen Huai’an still didn’t get it. “But before, when I asked Granny Chen for help, she was willing to.”

Chuxia hung up her bag, changed into her indoor shoes, and said naturally, “People are complicated. When there’s no conflict of interest, everyone gets along. But once it’s about personal gain, arguments and fights are normal. To Granny Chen, her grandson is her Achilles’ heel. Whoever touches him gets scolded.”

Cen Huai’an nodded, half-understanding, and thought how complex the adult world was.

He much preferred playing Go.

---

Next door, Guan Yan and Qi’s father brought Qi Ming inside.

The smile on Qi’s father’s face vanished instantly, and his previously friendly demeanor was replaced with a cold expression as he stared at Qi Ming.

“Kneel.” The command wasn’t loud, but his tone carried no warmth.

Qi Ming didn’t even dare to cry.

Trembling, he dropped to his knees.

“Xiangdong, Mingming is still young…” Guan Yan looked at her son, then at Qi Xiangdong, frowning as she tried to persuade him.

Qi Xiangdong’s current demeanor was terrifying; it would have been less intimidating if he had just lost his temper and hit the child.

Qi Xiangdong lit a cigarette, took a puff, and glanced at Guan Yan. “Is this how you’ve been raising our son when I’m not home?”

He didn’t mind if the child got into fights or had a bad temper; he might even praise him for being his son.

But stealing, even just a roasted sweet potato, and getting caught—Qi Xiangdong found it disgusting and infuriating.

Guan Yan, hearing this, got angry. “How did I raise our son? Qi Xiangdong, do you even have a conscience when you say that? Who raised him before? Your mother! If I hadn’t brought him out, Mingming’s behavior would be worse than it is now!”

As Guanyan cried, she said, “You’re so fortunate, leaving the whole family and only coming back after half a year. You don’t worry about anything at home. Why are you saying such things to me?”

Qi Xiangdong furrowed his brows even more deeply. “That’s not what I meant. Stop crying!”

He looked at Guanyan’s tears and felt more annoyed than sympathetic.

He had come home wanting to relax, not to listen to his wife and children complain.

“I’m hungry. You go make dinner. I’ll teach Qi Ming,” he said, and then, seeing that Guanyan was still crying, he added, “If you keep crying, the neighbors will hear you.” With that, he grabbed Qi Ming by the collar and went into the room.

Guanyan wiped her tears, feeling upset.

However, she was dependent on Qi Xiangdong.

Despite his long absences, he sent a large sum of money home every month, and the amount on the remittance slip was staggering.

She wasn’t worried about the business Qi Xiangdong was involved in or whether he might be going astray.

It was just that he didn’t like discussing these matters with her, so she could only use the money to look after the children at home.

While cooking, Guan Yan glanced at Chu Xia, who was sitting in the corner of the room with a book in one hand and occasionally checking the pot, and felt a pang of envy.

Chu Xia’s husband wasn’t home either, but she wasn’t worried at all.

Guan Yan had seen how Cen Zhengnian treated his wife and son, and his affection was something she had never seen from other men.

Though Qi Xiangdong was also absent for a long time, his recent attitude had made Guan Yan feel very hurt.

He showed no concern for her and no guilt for being away for so long.

Thinking about it, Guan Yan felt that Qi Xiangdong’s absence was still better than Chu Xia’s situation.

She suddenly felt better.

Chu Xia had no idea of Guan Yan’s complicated emotions.

She was just wondering when the meal would be ready because she was hungry.

The next day, the snow fell even heavier. Chu Xia was worried about Cen Huai’an going to school alone, so she decided to accompany him.

On the way, she met Bang Zi and his friends.

Seeing that they had no umbrellas and were running around in the heavy snow, she invited them to share her umbrella.

“It’s cold and snowy. Bang Zi, you should also bring an umbrella next time, or a raincoat.”

Bang Zi and his friends, laughing and squeezing under Chu Xia’s umbrella, responded in unison, “Got it, Auntie!”

Chu Xia went to the factory and was already shivering from the cold.

She stomped her feet in the corridor to shake off the snow and quickly went into the office.

As soon as she entered, she felt a warm, pleasant air welcoming her.

It wasn’t central heating, but the office was relatively warm.

Although Liangzhou’s winters were cold, it was not as extreme as in the northeast. The temperature was only around minus five degrees, and there was no central heating yet.

The heating systems were still not as advanced as in the later years.

But everyone had their own ways of keeping warm.

A colleague who loved reading and had a good relationship with the boiler operator managed to get some broken coal pieces.

Someone had even brought in a coal stove to the office for heating.

However, this method of heating had its risks. It required regular ventilation to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning, and the coal pieces burned out quickly, so whoever arrived early had to find some scrap paper to relight it.

Though it was a bit troublesome, no one complained about having a way to stay warm.

Chu Xia warmed her hands and face by the coal stove and said, “The weather is getting colder.”

“Indeed,” a senior in the office replied. “It will get even colder later. I don’t even want to go outside.”

Chu Xia could relate deeply. She was especially afraid of the cold, and getting up every morning was a big challenge for her due to her weak constitution.

Moreover, the factory only had a three-day holiday for the New Year, unlike the seven-day holidays of the future.

Just thinking about it made Chu Xia feel even more miserable.

She also thought about Cen Zhengnian in the northwest, where it was even colder. She wondered how he was coping.