Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2683 Still Vigorous in Old Age 67.0
The snow had been falling lightly for most of the day and finally stopped before dinner, but the sky remained overcast, suggesting that the snow would likely continue and even fall more heavily.

After the snow stopped, Shen Haolin and Shen Cha took Meilin and Ying Shisan for a stroll around the city, looking here and there. Although Shen Jiu and Xia Jiu had already inspected the area several times with their brothers and everything was arranged properly, they were still a little uneasy if they didn't see it for themselves given today's blizzard.

Fortunately, Shen Jiu and Xia Jiu are both meticulous children, and they arranged everything properly. Any problems have been corrected in time. There is not much that Shen Haolin and Shen Cha can do, except to remind everyone to cover themselves with more blankets at night to keep warm and avoid catching a cold. They also need to tell them to pay attention to ventilation when burning charcoal braziers and not to close all the doors and windows tightly.

"Tonight is another sleepless night. Who knows how heavy the snow will be? It seems alright now, but nobody knows where things might go wrong." Shadow Thirteen put his hands in his pockets, looked up at the sky, and whispered to Merlin beside him, "I have a bad feeling. It's not a good thing that it's snowing so heavily at this time of year."

"Indeed, it's been many years since I've seen snow at this time of year."

Merlin nodded, looking around as he walked. The street vendors seemed to have just set up their stalls, and there weren't many customers at any of them. With such heavy snow, many people were unwilling to go out for a stroll.

"We need to arrange for someone to clear the snow off the ground," Shen Cha said, turning to Merlin and Shadow Thirteen. "The snow on the ground is now compacted, and when the snow falls tonight, it will be very slippery, and people could easily slip and fall. Also, tell all the pharmacies to prepare medicine for sprains and bruises, so they can be available at any time tonight."

"What the boss said is true. It has already been arranged. We will start cleaning up after the curfew. Sister Miao Miao has already spoken to the pharmacy staff, so there is no need to worry."

"That's good!" Shen Cha nodded, tugging at Shen Haolin's sleeve as they continued walking. "After looking around, I can finally relax." She glanced at Shen Haolin's worried face and asked softly, "What's wrong?"

"Such heavy snow at this time is not a good sign. This summer is very likely to be a severe drought," Shen Haolin sighed. "We need to prepare in advance."

“Yes!” Shen Cha sighed as well. “Hopefully it won’t be like that, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.”

Shadow Thirteen and Merlin, who were following behind them, were also discussing this issue. Although they had grown up on the border, many members of the Shen family army owned land. If there was a severe drought this year, it would be a great test for the harvest.

"Next year's grain production may be lower."

"Yes!" Merlin also looked worried. "Who says otherwise? I'm afraid we should start preparing for disaster relief in advance."

"I hope everyone can get through this!" Shadow Thirteen glanced at the entrance of a restaurant nearby, where a few people were lined up. He tugged at Merlin's sleeve and asked curiously, "What's that?"

"It's delicious!" Merlin followed Ying Shisan's finger and saw the stall where the shopkeeper was selling drinks. She thought for a moment, greeted Shen Haolin and Shen Cha, and then pulled Ying Shisan over there. "You just got back and don't know, but while you were away, a lot of new shops opened on the street, and they're all very nice. I'll treat you to something good to drink today!"

Even if Merlin hadn't said anything, Shadow Thirteen had already noticed that along the way, he had seen many new things—food, drinks, and games—and also several familiar faces, including Old Tang. He never expected that this guy would actually be selling braised food, and that it tasted pretty good.

Shen Haolin and Shen Cha didn't follow them. They just stood aside and waited for them. While waiting, they chatted with the small vendors next to them, telling them to sell their goods and hurry home before it got completely dark and the road was still relatively easy to walk on.

The vendors thanked them first, and then tried to give Shen Haolin and Shen Cha something, but the two refused. Running a small business was already difficult enough, and they wouldn't accept money; the two couldn't do such a thing. "Manager He!" Merlin's shout drew everyone's attention. She dragged Ying Shisan to the beverage stall and called out, "Business is coming to our door!"

I don’t know if it was because it had just snowed and the weather was too cold, but there weren’t many people in front of the drink stall. Even those few people were all wrapped up tightly, looking like cute little bears.

When they saw Merlin dragging Shadow Thirteen over, they all greeted them cheerfully.

"Miss Luo, stop hiding, I've seen you!" Merlin, hands on her hips, walked up to a little girl wearing a cloak, fuming. "Do you remember what Sister Miao Miao told you?"

"Greetings, Sister Mei!" Little Luo bowed to Mei Lin, her face looking aggrieved. "I remember, that's me."

"You're craving something sweet, aren't you?" Merlin reached out and tapped Little Luo on the head. "Go home. It's so cold. If you drink this, you'll be even colder. If you get sick, I won't allow Sister Miaomiao to treat you!"

"General Mei, I heard your voice from inside. What, you've been trying to sabotage my business for days?" The shopkeeper came out of the stall, greeted Mei Lin, and then turned to see Shadow Thirteen. "Oh, General Thirteen, it's been a long time!"

"Manager He, I didn't expect your general merchandise to sell so well. This drink looks good too!"

"It's all thanks to Lord Jin." The shopkeeper, having inadvertently spotted Shen Haolin and Shen Cha, quickly straightened his clothes, intending to go and pay his respects, but was stopped by Ying Shisan. "General Shisan?"

“You should take care of your guests first. The two of them didn’t plan to come because they didn’t want to cause you any trouble.” Shadow Thirteen patted him. “Make these drinks first, and we’ll cover the rest. And…” He pointed to the little girl in front of Merlin, “make this girl’s drinks hot.”

"General Thirteen, General Mei, and ladies, don't worry, all the drinks today will be hot."

"That's good, thank you for your thoughtfulness, shopkeeper."

Hearing what the shopkeeper said, Merlin stopped trying to send Miss Luo home. Instead, he stood aside and waited until all the customers had bought their drinks and left before the two of them went up to her.

"All inclusive?"

"Okay!" Ying Shisan nodded. "Close the shop early. The weather is bad, and it's likely to rain again tonight."

"I think so too." The shopkeeper sighed as he served them drinks. "This year's harvest is worrying. If it snows at this time, there will be much less rain in the spring and summer, which will be tough on the crops. We have to guard against a severe drought!"

Shadow Thirteen and Merlin exchanged a glance and sighed softly. It seemed that everyone felt the same way; the rest of the year was not going to be easy.