The main planners were naturally the young couple.
The location they chose and the small mechanisms they set up were implemented with speed.
A row of arrows was set up above the surrounding wall. These arrows were also made from large pieces of wood. When the mechanism was triggered, a circle of arrows would be shot outwards.
Catching them by surprise.
Enough to knock down a whole circle of people.
There were also several pit traps set up near the temple entrance. Apart from the three convoy members who knew how to identify them, if any villains attacked, they would naturally trigger the mechanism, falling straight into the pits and getting caught in nets.
Due to the sudden heavy snow, only these three mechanisms were hastily set up.
But they were more than enough.
They brought a great sense of security to the people of the three convoys, who all felt reassured!
They also took turns on watch at night.
Even more fortunate.
The two watchtowers were also completed.
They were finished just before the heavy snow, and all the important arrangements were just barely completed.
Everyone working together was very efficient.
Watching the snowflakes drift down like goose feathers, covering the roofs and trees with a layer of white.
Inside the temple, everyone had also wrapped themselves up layer upon layer, looking like plump zongzi, making their movements less convenient.
But it was still cold.
Fortunately, it was a dry cold.
Wrapping up more layers wouldn't freeze them to death, but it was still cold when they went outside.
Everything was already covered in ice shards.
They were fortunate to have a well here.
The well water wouldn't freeze.
But Cheng Hao still had people store some water. The main reason was that with so many people needing water, he was worried there wouldn't be enough. The snow wasn't very clean, so ice blocks were more convenient; they could melt one when needed. Anyway, the fire couldn't go out.
Otherwise, they would freeze to death.
Su Miaomiao, however, was still lively and energetic. After all, she was wearing a warm, close-fitting base layer. Although it was an old-fashioned style, warmth was what mattered. She also had hand warmers attached, and inside the carriage, she had several pocket warmers. At night, she could hug Cheng Hao while sleeping and place the pocket warmers on her lower back and under her feet, sleeping warmly and soundly.
Cheng Hao was also wearing thermal underwear found in the forgotten corners of the space. He also had hand warmers attached to the inside of his outer clothes, so his warmth problem was manageable.
Much better than others.
But everyone was also much better off than other refugees. At least they had plenty of leftover wood from logging, so they had enough firewood for the time being.
The charcoal burned from some of the good wood could be recycled for further use.
As long as they stayed indoors or moved around the temple, the problems weren't too big.
But obviously, that wouldn't do.
Although they had enough firewood for now, it wouldn't last until the end of winter.
Wang Daming, with a solemn expression, said that this winter would likely be exceptionally long!
Li Datou scratched his head with one hand on the other side, a worried look on his face, and said, "What should we do? I've never encountered this before! How long could it last?"
Wang Daming frowned tightly. "I can't say for sure about the weather, but it's a once-in-a-thousand-year event. I'm afraid... I can't tell how long it will last."
But it would continue for a long time.
Because the weather was cold.
Everyone tacitly agreed to eat in the main hall of the temple.
So at this moment, everyone was gathered together.
Hearing this, they all started to panic.
"Oh dear, I've never encountered this before either. Where is there such heavy snow at this time? In previous years, a little frost was considered unusual. How can there be such heavy snow before winter has even officially begun? Although everyone says that auspicious snow heralds a good harvest, this snow right now truly makes people panic!"
An old woman sighed.
"Exactly. The sky outside is always dark and gloomy, and daytime looks like dusk!"
"If this weather continues to get colder, we'll likely freeze to death if we go out!"
"That won't do at all. We still need to go out and find food. If we keep eating like this, we won't have enough to last until the weather warms up. It's a shame about these wild vegetables!"
How frozen was it outside?
Where were there any wild vegetables?
Hearing the words from the Cheng family convoy, the villagers from Shan'ao Village all expressed similar sentiments.
The rooms they were allocated were only for sleeping. Everyone slept crowded together, which was indeed warm in the small space, but staying there for too long felt a bit suffocating. So everyone would gather in the temple hall.
It was more spacious there, so it felt less oppressive and more lively.
The people from the Jin family convoy also looked dejected, glancing at each other, completely at a loss, and not knowing what the future would hold.
The Cheng family convoy was doing a bit better.
But they were also worried.
Their food supplies were indeed the most abundant, but they wouldn't last too long.
Moreover, this early arrival of winter made it difficult for them to even go out.
Because of the cold weather a few days ago.
Even Su Miaomiao's hunting traps could only catch prey two or three times out of ten attempts. Animals were less active in the cold, and prey had greatly decreased. Although it was still decent, it still caused others to worry, as their young madam's hunting was a significant supplement.
Now it had drastically shrunk!
Su Miaomiao saw everyone looking dejected. She, wrapped in a brightly colored thick cotton-padded jacket, sat next to Cheng Hao and said, "What's with all the gloom? Things are actually quite good right now. We have food, enough firewood for now, and water. Shouldn't we be happy?"
She said that it was nothing. When the heavy snow stopped, they would go out to find more supplies.
Could this heavy snow last for the entire winter? It was unlikely.
"But the weather is unpredictable. Everyone needs to be careful when going to the mountains and forests next time. It's all white and easy to get lost, and it's easy to encounter blizzards. So don't go too far. Just stay near home."
Su Miaomiao's crisp words dispelled the increasingly somber atmosphere, allowing everyone to relax and agree.
Cheng Hao also comforted them, saying, "Being anxious is useless. It will only make you restless. It's better to relax and take things as they come. When the cart reaches the mountain, there will be a road. If you're worried sick now, whatever happens outside will happen anyway."
It was impractical to dwell too much on things that couldn't be changed and to get caught up in them.
The words of the young couple were indeed comforting.
Everyone agreed, saying that if they were still on the road at this time, it would truly be a matter of life and death. Fortunately, they had stayed behind and settled down in advance.
This made them admire the abilities of these two young people again; they truly had foresight.
Cheng Kaichun was currently unable to curry favor with the head of the Cheng family. That person was hiding in his bedroom enjoying himself every day. With the cold weather, he didn't even want to leave his room.
So he could only come to flatter Cheng Hao. However, he couldn't get as close as he did to the head of the Cheng family because the young couple was like a wall, exuding an aura of "keep away from strangers." He didn't dare to get too close, so he could only sit not far away, praising them whenever he found an opportunity, flattering them profusely.
Cheng Hao always remained calm about this, unlike the head of the Cheng family, who could be made so happy by a few flattering words that he lost all sense of direction.
Cheng Kaichun also felt that this kid was difficult to handle!
But he couldn't help but feel fortunate that he had stuck closely with the Cheng family convoy. Otherwise, he didn't know what hardships he would still be enduring.