Their frozen poses were lifelike, like ice sculptures, truly terrifying for anyone without strong mental fortitude.
Fortunately, Gu Qingcheng had become more philosophical after surviving the near-death ordeal of the previous night.
After all, disaster was inevitable. If her family hadn't made thorough preparations, they would likely have ended up as frozen statues like these unfortunate souls.
Thinking of it as a battle for survival, these frozen figures didn't seem so frightening anymore.
They searched several restaurants and found them to be the most amply stocked with food and drink. There was a dazzling array of poultry, fish, and meat, especially oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, all stored in large vats as daily necessities.
Later, having gained experience, they avoided the front entrances, which were usually crowded with frozen figures of the living. Instead, they went directly to the kitchens from the backyards.
When they passed by Defeng Restaurant, it seemed the establishment had been preparing for a wedding banquet for guests. Hot dishes were laid out in the kitchen, now all frozen.
Under the extreme cold, the food wouldn't spoil. As long as it was thawed, it would still be fresh. Gu Qingcheng packed away these prepared dishes as well.
It was evident that the family holding the banquet must have been wealthy, judging by the variety of dishes.
Cold dishes included: beef, nuts, jellyfish, drunken dates, duck tongues, crispy fried smelt, seaweed, and marinated mud snails.
Hot dishes included: a platter of assorted shellfish like conches, king prawns, dried bamboo shoot stewed with old duck, mud crabs, pork belly, braised pork, sea cucumber soup, abalone, tea mushrooms, stir-fried soft-shelled turtles, celery with pine nuts, snow lotus seed soup, preserved meat with stir-fried beans, and stir-fried fish noodles.
There were also dishes ordered by restaurant patrons: braised pig trotters with soybeans, braised beef with bamboo shoots, braised goose with green peas, braised chicken with potatoes, braised eel with garlic, braised pork belly strips, braised fish chunks, braised tendon with chili, braised duck with konjac, and braised chicken with taro.
The restaurant also offered essential cold dishes: cold dressed wood ear mushrooms, ma-jiang chicken, green pepper with preserved egg, cold dressed tripe strips, braised duck, pickled chili chicken feet, garlic paste pork belly, cold dressed pig ears, and Fuqi Feipian.
All these foods were fresh, and Gu Qingcheng took them without hesitation.
After all, they were free. She could exchange for supplies with the Supermarket System, but weren't free things more enjoyable?
Of course, as Gu Qingcheng collected supplies, the golden finger intermittently awarded her "satisfaction points" based on her enjoyment.
After one excursion, Gu Qingcheng had accumulated over a thousand satisfaction points.
At the teahouses, the father and daughter were pleasantly surprised to find a large quantity of excellent tea.
There was oolong, black tea, green tea, white tea – everything imaginable. This made Gu Chaobei, who loved tea, overjoyed.
After collecting from about ten teahouses in the city, they had accumulated over 5,000 jin of tea. Gu Chaobei could bathe in tea every day and still not run out, making him beam with joy.
He was especially ecstatic to find such rare teas, weighing no more than a jin or half a liang each.
Given the severity of this cold snap, the tea trees were likely all frozen to death. If they didn't collect more tea now, they might not be able to drink tea again in their lifetime.
After a tour of the city, they hadn't encountered a single living soul. Gu Qingcheng couldn't help but ask, "Dad, I wonder how Prince Xia's manor is doing."
"Let's not go see. We should head back. He's a prince, and I believe he'll have his own way to protect himself," Gu Chaobei thought more pragmatically.
They were dressed so warmly and showed no signs of being affected by the cold. It was inevitable that the experienced Prince Xia would notice them.
It was best to live separately and keep their distance.
Besides, the entire Great Zhou Dynasty was on the brink of collapse. They should focus on the long term rather than worrying about immediate matters.
But then, something unexpected happened. Just as the father and daughter thought they wouldn't see anyone alive that day, they suddenly heard the crunching sound of footsteps on the snow in the distance.
The footsteps were loud, and there seemed to be quite a few people.
"Don't approach them actively yet. Let's observe first," Gu Chaobei whispered.
Gu Qingcheng nodded.
Seeing an inn before them, the two ran into the courtyard and hid in a woodshed.
The "crunch crunch" of footsteps grew closer, indicating a significant number of people, at least twenty or more.
"Is anyone there? If there are any survivors, speak up! You can receive hot porridge at Prince Xia's manor!" a voice boomed from outside.
So it turned out that Prince Xia had sent guards out to rescue disaster victims.
It made sense. Prince Xia was the administrator of Jinsha City. It was his duty to help his citizens suffering from a natural disaster.
Furthermore, if Jinsha City was deserted, whom would he rule?
As the guards' words indicated, they were offering hot porridge, not inviting them for a feast.
Father and daughter exchanged glances and nodded, understanding it was best to remain hidden.
The guards searched the area but naturally wouldn't look in the woodshed. Seeing no one, they withdrew.
Only when the crunching sound of footsteps faded did the father and daughter emerge from the woodshed.
"It seems some people have survived. At least Prince Xia is definitely alive," Gu Chaobei remarked.
"Perhaps we should stop for today. I expect more and more guards will appear soon, and we've already collected quite a bit. Prince Xia will also react soon and likely send people to gather supplies," Gu Qingcheng said intelligently.
"You're right. Let's head back," Gu Chaobei agreed, having had the same thought.
Passing by Mr. Zhang's and Mr. Sun's shops, they found the doors tightly shut.
Gu Chaobei had Gu Qingcheng stand on his shoulders to peer over the wall. There was no activity inside, so they didn't force their way in.
Mr. Sun's real estate agency also had its door shut, showing no signs of activity. Gu Chaobei merely glanced at it and continued walking.
Gu Qingcheng felt her father's strong survival instinct.
Walking on the soft snow was quite strenuous.
But as they looked back from halfway up the steps, they sensed a bit of renewed vitality in Jinsha City.
Presumably, the frozen individuals were discovered by the guards and were being treated. Moreover, fires were being lit in various parts of the city for warmth, emitting wisps of smoke.
The pair continued to climb. A journey that would normally take an hour now took at least twice as long.
By the time they reached the front of their courtyard, Wangcai, hearing their voices, began barking inside.
Mi Guo opened the door. His face was still a little pale.
"Mi Guo, why aren't you resting in bed?" Gu Chaobei asked, concerned, as he touched his forehead. His temperature was normal, so he withdrew his hand.
Mi Guo said emotionally, "I've been lying down. I'm feeling much better now. Don't worry."
Gu Qingcheng brushed the snow off herself and entered the restaurant.
It was so warm. She squinted comfortably.
"Let's all sleep on the floor here tonight. We've concentrated the heating equipment here, so it's warm enough," Gu Qingcheng suggested.
The small servant, which had stopped operating due to the extreme cold yesterday, resumed its work naturally as the indoor temperature rose.
"Okay. I'll go to the backyard and check the solar panel's power," Gu Chaobei, a man who couldn't stay idle, busied himself as soon as he got home. Even Hu Lanfang's urging for him to rest didn't deter him.