420 Ice Storage

Although her visit might not be of much help, she only needed to know that there were no major upheavals in the capital. By knowing that, there is at least a one-third chance that Jiang Danhe is safe and sound.

Just as Xiaoguo was returning to the house to pack up Zhuang Zhuang’s winter clothes, she saw Xiao Zhu and Yu Ling helping to set up the donkey cart.

When she came out, she saw the donkey cart ready and waiting in place.

Xiaoguo looked at the two of them gratefully. “Thank you.”

!!
“Hehe…” The two girls scratched their heads in embarrassment and said, “Be careful on the way.”

Xiaoguo didn’t say anything. She just nodded and smiled as she got into the car and waved goodbye to them.

When Xiao Zhu and Yu Ling returned to the room to get their things, they happened to see two sets of winter clothes that were neatly placed on the bed. One set was light pink and the other set was light blue.

Xiao Zhu liked pink, while Yu Ling liked blue.

The two girls hugged their clothes happily and rolled around on the bed. It seemed that they would be having a nice and warm winter this year.

Xiaoguo placed the bundle in the carriage and tucked her hands into her sleeves to protect herself from the cold air.

The donkey had traveled the same route many times to get to the county, therefore it could find its way there on its own.

This saved Xiaoguo a lot of trouble. She could tuck her hands into her sleeves to keep warm without having to expose them to the cold.

When she arrived at the county, the first thing Xiaoguo did was to pass the clothes to Zhuang Zhuang.

The little man ran out of the warm cozy house with a flushed face. He looked like he was still emitting heat.

When Zhuang Zhuang saw Xiaoguo, he threw himself into her arms.

He was looking very aggrieved. Those who didn’t know better would think that he had been bullied.

However, those who know the truth would understand that the child was just missing his mother.

“Mother… I miss you so much…”

“Yes, you’ve said that so many times.”

After calming him down, Xiaoguo quickly thought of leaving as she had something weighing down on her mind. She was hoping to get to the bottom of it quickly.

Zhuang Zhuang refused to let go of her. When Mr. Kong called for him to go back, he reluctantly let go of her leg.

The little guy, who looked so aggrieved a moment ago, instantly reverted to his obedient demeanor. He waved at her and said, “Goodbye, Mother…”

With that, he ran back without another word.

Xiaoguo still had the clothes intended for Zhuang Zhuang tucked under her arm, but the latter seemed to have forgotten why he had come out. After crying and clinging to her thigh for a short while, he went back to class.

Madam Kong took the bag from Xiaoguo’s hand and shook her head with a smile. “Come in and warm yourself up.”

“No, I have something on. I’ll come visit again.”

Xiaoguo came back to her senses and quickly explained before taking her leave.

Right after she left, she couldn’t decide on where to go first—the courier station or the two-storey building.

In the end, she decided to visit the two-storey building first. After that, she would make her way to the courier station.

She was actually feeling hopeful. What if Jiang Danhe’s letter was on the way?

When she arrived at the two-story building, the exterior work was almost complete. The building looked rejuvenated. Just by looking at its facade, It was impossible to tell that it was previously in a dilapidated state.

The overall structure of the ancient-looking building was mostly left untouched. She only made some minor modifications to the details.

For example, Xiaoguo had requested for a row of flower baskets to be placed under the windows on every floor. When the season comes, seeds will be planted. It would definitely be a beautiful scene when the flowers bloom.

There was also the backyard where the staff dormitory was located. She had also created a small garden there, leaving a small pathway which leads to the cellar and well.

After the repairs and renovations, the inside of the building had taken shape and was becoming more and more similar to what Xiaoguo had envisioned. It’s a feeling that’s hard to describe, but it gave her a lot of joy and satisfaction.

Everything was progressing as planned.

It was cold, but the enthusiasm of the masters had not diminished. Shu Botong, in particular, was very enthusiastic. He was also unexpectedly good at boosting everyone’s morale.

As soon as the cold air came in, hot tea was immediately served. His actions warmed the craftsmen’s hearts and also earned their praises.

When Xiaoguo arrived at the building, all she could hear were praises for the man.

As Xiaoguo acknowledged the words of the craftsmen, she turned to look at Shu Botong. It seemed that he had been working hard during this period.

With this thought, a look of satisfaction appeared on her face.

Xiaoguo smiled and sat down in front of Shu Botong. She took out a silver ingot from her pocket and said, “It’s cold. Go buy some warm clothes and heating supplies.”

Shu Botong shook his head and said, “It’s okay. I don’t need it.”

As he spoke, he pushed the silver back to her.

Xiaoguo didn’t say anything else and handed the money back to him.

Shu Botong wasn’t the type to drag his feet. Seeing how persistent she was, he reluctantly accepted the money.

Xiaoguo rolled her eyes at him. Before she could speak, Shu Botong spoke.

“The cellar in the backyard is going to be completed soon. We’ve been working on it recently. Do you want to go over and take a look?”

Xiaoguo’s interest was piqued. Her cellar. Just thinking about it made her happy. “Let’s go…”

Shu Botong raised his eyebrows. He knew that she would be pleased, so he followed her to the backyard without another word.

Three to five masters were still working on the cellar, which had already taken shape. They could start laying bricks in the next couple of days.

The neatly stacked green bricks beside the cellar had been left there for quite a while.

“Watch your step.” Shu Botong reminded her of her safety, fearing that she would fall down the stairs if she kept looking down the cellar instead of watching where she was going.

It would be fine if she fell on the spot. However, if she fell into the cellar, she could end up badly injured or even die from her injuries. This was no laughing matter.

Xiaoguo craned her neck and looked inside. Apart from the faint candlelight, she couldn’t see anything. The cellar was pitch-black and a little scary.

After taking a few steps back, she felt more at ease.

Seeing her like this, Shu Botong snickered. He had thought that she was quite bold, but it turned out that he had overestimated her.

“When the cellar is done, what will you store in it?”

Shu Botong suddenly recalled something she had mentioned before, but it had been too long and he couldn’t quite remember it. The only thing he remembered was that it was something that was afraid of heat.

“Ice blocks.”

“Yes, yes, yes, ice blocks!” Shu Botong looked enlightened. He knew it. It was a cold thing.

Xiaoguo had also told him about the type of shop she was going to open. Although his expression changed when he heard her talk about cows’ milk, his reaction was better than most people. He also seemed more receptive towards the idea than those people.

When Zhuang Zhuang, Jiang Danhe, Qin Anming, Ruyi, and Shu Botong heard her idea about using cow’s milk, they thought that it was strange. However, they still supported her.

Xiaoguo could guess the reason. It was because of their trust in her that they supported her unconditionally.

“When the work for the cellar is complete, we’ll start storing the ice. At a later stage, I’ll buy some wooden buckets. You can do the freezing here, and I’ll do it at home. We’ll try to fill up the cellar during the winter.”

“No problem!”

Shu Botong readily assured Xiaoguo that with this unusual weather and low temperature, he would take less than a winter to fill it up the cellar.

“Winter came early this year, and the temperature is lower than usual. Hurry up and buy more thick clothes and bedding. Don’t fall sick from the cold. Buy some charcoal and burn them. Coincidentally, the stove here has just been repaired. Don’t scrimp on these items. The most important thing is to not fall sick. Also…”

Shu Botong nodded repeatedly. He did not deliberately rebut her like he usually did. When he received genuine concern, he always took it very seriously.

As Xiaoguo had something on her mind, she didn’t stay long. After reminding him carefully, she drove off in the carriage.

Since Shu Botong had been categorized as one of her own, she would definitely treat him with sincerity. Therefore, it was inevitable that she would nag at him sometimes. Fortunately, he didn’t show any signs of impatience, so she felt more at ease.

After watching Xiaoguo leave, Shu Botong wrapped his thin clothes tightly around himself and looked up at the sky, deep in thoughts and sniffling hard.

“Maybe I should go buy some clothes. It doesn’t feel right to let down the lady boss’s concern…”

With this thought in mind, he informed the craftsmen inside and then headed straight for the garment shop, carrying the warm silver coins with him.