The Lucky Heiress

The servants of the Military Prefecture had climbed on the roof several times already, all to sweep the accumulated snow off the eaves, fearing that too much snow would crush the roof, or that a large chunk of frozen snow would suddenly fall and hit passers-by.

The main houses were relatively okay, always kept warm with charcoal fires, so the rooftops were warm and the snow accumulation was comparatively less extensive. The roofs of other rooms, however, accumulated a thick layer of snow, highly dangerous if not dealt promptly.

They couldn’t take care of the snow accumulated in the courtyard anymore, and the servants only managed to sweep a narrow path on the vital routes to facilitate people to get by.

On the main roads outside, some households, too, had cleared a path by sweeping the snow nearby, whereas those uninhabited lanes were still covered in a blanket of white snow.

In Cangyun Garden, Lady Yun was distressed; the heavy snowfall had interrupted everything and it became difficult to purchase many items.

The prefecture still had enough grain, so at least there was food to eat even if they were devoid of fresh vegetables.

However, the charcoal was almost all used up. This year, winter came early, hence the charcoal had been used early too. The high-quality charcoal which Lady Yun had ordered was limited in quantity and another batch was supposed to be delivered these days.

Because of the sudden heavy snow, the charcoal that was supposed to be delivered didn’t make it, and the charcoal at home was consumed faster than anticipated.

So, first thing in the morning, Lady Yun sent some servants to the shops in the street to inquire, to see if any shop was selling charcoal.

However, despite being in the usually bustling Government City, there were hardly any shops open, let alone any that sold charcoal.

This made Lady Yun extremely anxious. Without charcoal, the indoors would be as cold as an ice cellar in such chilly weather.

Wei Qingwan was in Lady Yun’s room accompanying her in managing the affairs. Seeing her such anxious, she didn’t have a better solution and could only comfort her with a few words.

Then more bad news came. A lot of civilian houses had collapsed under the weight of the heavy snow. It was reported that many bamboo groves within Taizhou Prefecture had also been afflicted. A large area of bamboo had fallen.

The specific casualties were not yet known, but the situation might not be too optimistic.

As a result of this, the Government Office was in a state of chaos and panic. It was unclear whether Wei Mingting would be implicated or caught up in the aftermath.

Lady Yun exclaimed with a headache, “What a troublesome season this is!”

The issue with the seventh Prince was yet to be resolved, and another snow disaster had hit. The year-end was challenging indeed.

“Mother, don’t worry. Once the snow melts, the charcoal will be able to be delivered,” Wei Qingwan comforted.

“Hmm.” Lady Yun responded verbally but her worrying mood did not improve, because charcoal was just a small part of the problem.

###

Wei Ruo also heard about the snow disaster from the servants.

She was preparing to go out, to have a look at the situation outside. She didn’t necessarily need to do anything, but at least she wanted to see what the situation was like with her own eyes.

Before going out, Wei Ruo and Xiumei put on their full gear. Particularly the boots – Wei Ruo and Xiumei, both, put on the boots that their wet nurse had specifically made for them.

The process of making the boots was explained by Wei Ruo to the wet nurse. They were wrapped in a layer of cowhide on the outside, filled with a thick layer of cotton on the inside. This way the boots could be both warm and waterproof.

The soles were also made with patterns as per Wei Ruo’s instructions to increase friction and prevent slipping.

However, Wei Ruo’s sewing skills were too poor, so the wet nurse had to do it

for them.

To make them look better, the wet nurse added a layer of cloth with embroidery on the outside of the cowhide. With the skirt covering the boots, no one could see what kind of shoes Wei Ruo was wearing.

In addition to their usual outfits, Wei Ruo prepared a cloak for herself and Xiumei.

“Miss, I think I should not wear the cloak. It’s only the daughters of the wealthy who wear hoods. It wouldn’t be good for me, a maidservant, to wear such an expensive cloak,” Xiumei voiced her concern.

“I don’t care what other servants wear. You’re not just some servant; you’re my Meimei, and you’ll wear a cloak like mine,” Wei Ruo said.

“That’s not okay, Miss. If people see it, they’ll gossip,” Xiumei murmured. “We won’t be meeting anyone while we’re out today. If you don’t say anything and I don’t say anything, nobody else will know your relation to me,” Wei Ruo explained.

“But…”

“There are no ‘buts’. The weather is freezing and the cloak is warm. The wet nurse put a lot of effort into making it for us; we mustn’t waste her goodwill, Wei Ruo argued.

Wei Ruo’s reasoning didn’t give Xiumei a chance to refuse, “Alright then.” Xiumei put on the cloak passed to her by Wei Ruo. Wei Ruo’s was light blue and Xiumei’s was a shade of grass green.

As soon as Wei Ruo and Xiumei stepped out of the Tingsong Garden, they saw Wei Jinyi and Xiaobei.

Seeing Wei Jinyi, Wei Ruo instinctively recalled the events of the night two days ago.

If it were any other man, that incident would have been a major embarrassment, let alone the charges of seducing men.

“Big brother, are you going out too?” Wei Ruo asked.

“Waiting for you,” Wei Jinyi responded.

“Did you know that I was going out?” Wei Ruo asked.

“Given your nature, you’d probably want to check things out if there is a disaster caused by the snowfall,” Wei Jinyi responded.

Even if Wei Ruo knew she couldn’t do much, she wouldn’t just hide in the house.

Wei Ruo was a little surprised. After the surprise came warmth – her big brother really knew her thoughts.

Wei Jinyi continued, “The roads are not clear right now; carriages can’t travel them, only people can. To avoid any danger, I’ll accompany you.”

Wei Ruo smiled, “Perfect. I won’t go far, just nearby to look around. Now that I’m idling around at home and don’t know exactly what’s happening outside.” Wei Ruo planned to go to the store. The plantation was too far away, it would be night by the time they made a round trip on foot.

Wei Jinyi came over to help Wei Ruo put on the hood of her cloak. “The weather is cold; we can’t have your ears freeze,” Wei Jinyi said. Then Xiao Bei handed Wei Ruo a hand warmer, “Miss, it’s quite cold out. Hold the hand warmer; it’ll help you stay warm.”

Xiumei muttered by the side, “Before going out, I suggested that we should prepare a hand warmer for you, but you said it wasn’t necessary. Now that the second young master has prepared one for you, you can’t escape from it. Can you?”

Wei Ruo answered irritably, “Meimei, you didn’t use one too, are you just keeping criticisms to me?”

“Miss, I am a practitioner of martial arts. I’m strong and robust, so I don’t fear the cold. If you don’t believe me, you can touch my hand and see if it is warmer than yours,” Xiumei retorted.

“Fine, 1 won’t touch it. I admit defeat,” Wei Ruo knew, even without touching, that her Meimei’s hand would be warmer.

Then Wei Ruo looked up at Wei Jinyi, and in one second she dismissed the idea in her mind.

Let aside that no young master would carry a warmer when going out; with Wei Jinyi’s martial ability, his hand might be warmer than the hand warmer itself.

“Let’s go,” Wei Ruo hurriedly urged.

Wei Jinyi grinned, and then followed closely behind Wei Ruo.

A street outside the Military Prefecture was the main street of the Government City, and the pathway cleared out there was relatively wider, which allowed three to five people to walk side by side without problem.

After walking for a while, Wei Ruo and the others saw a group of people gathered in front of an alley, seemingly because something had happened..