Forced to marry a disabled man in the countryside? I'll repay you tenfold!

Su Wanqing also felt the temperature drop sharply. It was only a little cool when she went out in the afternoon, but now it was bone-chillingly cold. She wrapped her newly bought sweater tighter and took out the scarf and hat she had bought for Zhou Yanshen to put on.

A moment later, a middle-aged woman came running over, wearing only a thin thermal undershirt, shivering from the cold: "Oh dear, it was fine this morning, why is it so cold this afternoon?"

Old Wu looked up at the sky: "It's only six o'clock, how come it's almost dark? It's usually still bright at this time."

Su Wanqing's heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition surged up—this sudden change in weather, could it be that a blizzard is coming? But this is too early, it's only October!

She only hoped that if it were a few days later, she could finish pickling the sauerkraut, stock up on enough cabbage, buy more meat, and find a way to get some of the rabbits and pork out of her spatial storage...

Just as I was thinking this, my face suddenly felt cold.

She looked up, and a snowflake drifted down gently.

Then, a second flake, a third flake… the snow fell like torn cotton wool, so dense that the houses in the distance were almost invisible. In less than a minute, a thin layer had accumulated on the ground.

"It's snowing?!"

"Good heavens, it's only October and it's already snowing?"

"Hurry up, hurry up, don't wait any longer!"

Without a word, Zhou Yanshen pulled out a thick sweater from his newly bought clothes and put it on Su Wanqing, then wrapped her up tightly with a scarf and hat. Su Wanqing also took out the scarf and hat she had bought for Zhou Yanshen from her bundle and stood on tiptoe to put them on him.

The snow fell heavier and heavier, turning the world into a vast expanse of white.

The others looked on with envy when they saw Su Wanqing bundled up tightly in a sweater, scarf, and hat—they really doted on her.

After waiting a few more minutes, Aunt Zhang, stamping her feet from the cold, finally lost her patience: "If you ask me, let's not wait anymore! The weather's gotten weirdly cold, let's go home!"

Li Laowu's wife hesitated: "Should we... wait a little longer? What if Wang, the educated youth, goes to mail something and there's no vehicle to take her back? She doesn't have a letter of introduction, and she has no relatives in the county town. It's dozens of miles back, and it's snowing. What if something happens to her..."

Aunt Zhang curled her lip and started cursing, "She deserves it! Who told her to dawdle? She's not a three-year-old. Whose fault is it if she can't keep track of time? Let me make this clear: we're leaving on time. Anyone who wants to wait can wait. I can't afford to freeze!"

The snow fell heavier and heavier, quickly accumulating a thick layer on the ground. This snow was strangely persistent, falling as if it were pouring down, and the sky was unusually dark, looking like eight or nine o'clock at night even though it was only a little past six.

Finally, Wang, the educated youth, came running up, panting heavily, his face red from the cold. He kept apologizing, "I'm so sorry! I went to the market to buy some things, I'm sorry for taking up everyone's time..."

Aunt Zhang rolled her eyes and snorted irritably, "Alright, alright, hurry up and get on the bus, we're just waiting for you!"

Just as everyone was about to leave, Old Man Wu suddenly spoke up: "Zhao Shupi hasn't arrived yet, should we wait for him?"

Upon hearing the name, Aunt Zhang's anger flared up: "What are we waiting for that bastard for? Who does he think he is! A divorced bachelor, what decent business could he possibly have in the county town? Probably just aimlessly wandering around! I hope he freezes to death!"

Despite the criticism, they were all in the same group and felt bad about it, so they decided to wait a little longer.

Zhou Yanshen glanced at the sky, then at his watch, his brow furrowed. This snowfall was too abnormal; it was falling so heavily, it looked like it would last a long time.

Su Wanqing's heart pounded, a sense of foreboding washing over her—this could very well be the blizzard Gu Zhixing had mentioned! She lowered her voice and said to Zhou Yanshen, "Wait three more minutes. If they don't come, we'll leave. I'm worried the snow is too heavy, the roads aren't safe, and it's getting dark..."

Those nearby overheard this and chimed in, "Dr. Su is right. Zhao Shupi is not punctual, so waiting three minutes is already quite kind to him."

Zhou Yanshen glanced at his watch: "Okay, wait three more minutes."

In just three minutes, it became completely dark.

The snow fell harder and harder, and a wind picked up. The wind howled and swirled snowflakes, pelting people's faces. Everyone was practically covered in snow, their heads, shoulders, and eyelashes all covered in snow, looking like white-haired old men and women.

Su Wanqing was from the south, and this was the first time she had ever seen such heavy snow. She should have been excited, but right now she felt nothing but a tightness in her chest. She only hoped the snow wouldn't last too long, giving everyone some time to prepare.

The locals didn't take it too seriously.

Snow is a common occurrence in winter; I can't just stay away from home every time it snows—there's nowhere to stay in the county town, and without a letter of introduction, I can't even get into a guesthouse. Besides, traveling in winter is normal; who hasn't walked through the streets in heavy snow?

"I'm not waiting any longer, get in the car!" Zhou Yanshen waved his hand. "I'll drive slowly and try to get home in half an hour."

Everyone climbed onto the tractor, piling their bags and suitcases in the middle to block the wind. Several women huddled together, clutching their purchases for warmth. Aunt Zhang held a sack over her head, and Li Laowu's wife wrapped her newly bought cotton-padded coat around her body; they were all shivering from the cold.

Looking at this scene, Su Wanqing inexplicably thought of the prisoners exiled to Ningguta in ancient times—their fate must have been just as tragic.

Everyone looks like they're turning into ice sculptures; their lives seem so miserable.

Old Wu sighed with a worried look on his face: "It's only October and it's snowing so heavily. What are we going to do with the crops in the fields? That batch of alfalfa is probably all doomed..."

Aunt Zhang was also worried: "I haven't pickled any of my dried vegetables for winter yet. I should have pickled more sauerkraut and garlic. Now, I'm afraid I won't even have a single leafy vegetable to eat in winter."

Zhou Yanshen gripped the steering wheel tightly, driving steadily and slowly. The snow was too heavy, the road was slippery, and he had to be careful.

The journey was fairly smooth.

But on a downhill slope, Zhou Yanshen gently tapped the brakes—

Something is wrong!

He slammed on the brake pedal, but it was as if it were dead, completely unresponsive. The tractor let out a piercing, strange noise, and then, like a wild horse, it charged wildly down the slope, its speed increasing rapidly!

Zhou Yanshen's face turned deathly pale, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back. He gripped the steering wheel tightly, desperately trying to dodge, but the tractor was completely out of control, crashing wildly across the snow with terrifying creaking sounds.

"ah--!"

The people on the bus screamed and swayed from side to side.

"What's going on?!"

"Brakes! Where are the brakes?!"

Zhou Yanshen gritted his teeth and squeezed out a sentence: "The brakes failed! But I specifically checked it before setting off today, and it was perfectly fine—someone tampered with this car!"

Zhao Shupi's face flashed through his mind instantly. Was it him? But why would he do this? Was he after him, or after...?

There wasn't time to think about it further.

He had only one thought in his mind: his wife was still in the car, and she was carrying three children! He had to protect her and the babies no matter what!