"Do whatever you want, as long as you're happy!" Hu Lanfang agreed.
Gu Chaobei, as a highly educated doctor, knew that a person's health was not just physical, but more importantly, psychological.
If his daughter couldn't come to terms with things, got stuck in her own head, and took the blame for the natural disaster that froze the common people to death, she would go to extremes.
It seemed his wife had some tricks up her sleeve, and being a community cadre wasn't for nothing. Gu Chaobei was almost tempted to applaud Hu Lanfang.
Mi Guo was still young. The mature way he usually behaved was a forced maturity to survive.
Now, in the Gu family, he was slowly revealing his childlike side. At this moment, he felt there was profound meaning in his parents' words, but he didn't understand it.
However, he comforted himself, it's okay, he'd understand when he grew up.
How could he possibly grasp the words of such a perfect couple and a fairy-like sister anytime soon?
Gu Qingcheng casually took out a can of purple-skinned cashews for Mi Guo to eat.
Mi Guo had never tasted such fragrant nuts before. He munched on them with relish.
The family gathered together, and besides eating and drinking, they chatted to pass the long, frigid nights.
Sunflower seeds, spicy peanuts, and potato chips were all high-calorie snacks.
Gu Qingcheng then served everyone another cup of Xiang Piao Piao milk tea.
Although the energy content was off the charts, the sweet aroma of the milk tea mixed with the scent of snacks brought immense satisfaction.
They weren't afraid of eating sugar or meat now; in such cold weather, more energy was needed to combat the chill.
Gu Qingcheng then chatted with her father about how to get to Jinsha Mountain.
They didn't need to worry about getting lost, as the system's map function had directly planned three routes to Jinsha Mountain for them.
The first route was to take the official road directly to Jinsha Mountain. This was the route most people took normally, but it was the longest and might involve encountering officials.
The second route was to take a mountain path to the southern foot of Jinsha Mountain, and then climb a small path up the mountain from there. This route was longer but seemed safer, with a shorter stretch of mountain road.
The third route was to skate across Jinsha River. This was the most convenient route but required certain skating skills. This path would lead them directly to Jinsha Mountain, and then they could cross the mountain from the gold mine to the coal mine.
Although the third route seemed to be a detour, skating consumed less energy than walking.
Gu Qingcheng preferred the third route, as she felt skating would save a lot of effort.
If they took the first or second route, just walking would likely take an entire day, and they would have to camp outside at the foot of Jinsha Mountain. But if they skated, they could be back before evening.
Camping outdoors in this weather was extremely dangerous.
But the reality was, they couldn't wait for the weather to warm up, because no one knew when that would happen.
It might be ten days, three months, or half a year, but they definitely wouldn't be able to wait that long.
In Jinsha City now, Prince Xia was still cleaning up the mess. In a few days, once he had his manpower available, someone would surely go to Jinsha Mountain to start taking over matters there.
After all, Jinsha Mountain was Prince Xia's biggest cash cow and couldn't be lost.
Gu Chaobei praised his daughter's idea. He also felt that going to Jinsha Mountain via the river was the fastest, as they could all skate.
As for ice skates, they could just buy them from the sporting goods store.
With the decision made, Hu Lanfang didn't say anything.
At this point, she wouldn't nag her daughter like an ordinary mother, telling her to watch out for this and that.
Gu Qingcheng, as a national-level athlete, had also received professional training in safety. For a child to grow, they had to experience things themselves. Hu Lanfang only reminded her:
"Wear your helmet!"
With the route confirmed, Gu Qingcheng had a goal in mind, which in turn ignited her fighting spirit.
This was indeed a great time to harvest coal resources.
Otherwise, in normal times, apart from buying from Boss Zhang, there was no other better way.
Moreover, she didn't dare to buy too much from Boss Zhang, for fear of arousing his suspicion.
Now that there was a zero-cost opportunity, why not seize it?
Gu Qingcheng felt no guilt about harvesting resources.
Wangcai finally regained its spirit in the room. Although it didn't dare to go outside, it could still wander around the room, sniffing everything. It was probably a way to pass the boredom of its dog life.
After all, a dog's life never expected to endure temperatures of minus 80 degrees Celsius.
That night, the temperature did not drop further, remaining at minus 50 degrees Celsius.
The family was beginning to adapt to life in extreme cold.
The next morning, father and daughter dressed up and prepared to set off.
They got up early, ate hot fried dough sticks and soy milk, and also had McDonald's Big Macs.
Going out like this required energy consumption, so naturally, they had to eat meat, and burgers were the best choice.
The weather was extremely cold. Even though father and daughter were bundled up tightly, as soon as they stepped out of the side room, they still felt like they were encased in a layer of ice, unable to get warm.
They were wearing down jackets that were said to withstand minus 30 degrees Celsius, a windproof coat over them, and a thermal hood that covered their faces and ears. With ski goggles on, they were invincible.
The two of them went out, skied down the mountain to the city, put away their skis, and started walking towards Jinsha River.
The father and daughter were already quite accustomed to walking in the snow, and their speed of walking through the snow today was much faster than yesterday.
Jinsha City, like yesterday, was still lifeless. There wasn't a single living person on the streets.
This was understandable. The common people's living conditions for cold protection were too poor. Even if there were people, they would only dare to huddle indoors by the fire, not dare to wander around the streets.
At minus 30 degrees Celsius, water would turn into ice in the air when sprinkled. Let alone minus 50 degrees Celsius.
Gu Qingcheng exhaled, watching the steam rise from her mouth. As they walked through the deserted streets, they reached the city gate.
This was the city gate they had entered when they were fleeing famine. Originally, there were guards at the gate, who would check what people carried in and out, much like modern-day subway or airplane security checks.
But now the city gates were wide open. There were soldiers, but they were frozen into ice sculptures.
Gu Qingcheng did not look at them as she passed by.
There was nothing to see. The "frozen human sculptures" were all the same, clearly recording the last moment before death, either in fear or eerily relaxed under the comfort of dopamine, like wearing a clown's mask.
The two walked to the Jinsha River, about a mile away, and put on their ice skates and protective helmets, preparing to skate along the Jinsha River to Jinsha Mountain.
The Jinsha River was no longer flowing like it used to. It had become an ice river, like a long jade belt, encircling the outskirts of Jinsha City.
At minus 50 degrees Celsius, it could be imagined that the ice surface must have been frozen very solidly.
Gu Qingcheng's entire body was protected by cold-weather gear. Through her ski goggles, she could see her father stomping on the ice surface with force, testing its thickness.