Two burly men nodded in agreement and went out with smiles to build the shed.
Father and mother went inside to pack, and Fu Xin Ci sat beside her grandfather, very much wanting to ask if she could go along to broaden her horizons.
But she thought that if she insisted on going, Yu'er would also say the same, and then she wouldn't be at ease with only her grandfather left at home.
Alas, forget it. There would be plenty of opportunities to go out in the future. In this cold winter weather, it was better for her to stay at home honestly.
The two men worked quickly. By the time the Fu and Yu couple had finished packing, the shed on the donkey cart was already built.
Fu Xin Ci followed her grandfather out to take a look. Indeed, these two were surprisingly meticulous despite their rough appearance, and their craftsmanship was quite good. The shed was tied very securely, and it should be fine against ordinary level two or three northerly winds.
Yu'er tearfully bid farewell to his parents as they got onto the donkey cart. As soon as the cart left the gate, he began to cry, tears streaming down his face.
Grandpa Meng felt heartbroken, but in such cold weather, he couldn't let his grandson go with them.
Besides, if the daughters of a fourth-rank garrison commander could be abducted so easily, he feared those people hadn't given up. Seeing that their family had rescued the Nuan Xin sisters, they might set their sights on his family again. He couldn't afford such trouble.
Fu Xin Ci felt distressed seeing her brother cry, so she quietly discussed with him, "Yu'er, don't cry anymore. Sister will take you skiing later."
Upon hearing his sister mention skiing, Yu'er immediately stopped crying. He wiped the tears from his face with his small hands and then revealed a smiling face.
Fu Xin Ci thought: A three-year-old child has better acting skills than her. This ability to switch emotions so effortlessly was something she couldn't achieve.
"Sister," Yu'er said, since his sister had brought it up first, he wasn't going to let it go.
"Alright, you go wash your face first, and wash away those tears, then we can go out and play."
"Yes, your sister is right. Otherwise, your face will chap."
"Mhm, I'll go wash my face right away." Usually, in the morning, the little guy might drag his feet when it came to washing his face. But now that his sister said she would take him skiing, he moved with lightning speed. Pushing his two short legs with all his might, he trotted into the house.
Fu Xin Ci, afraid he would wet his clothes, followed him in to help. After helping Yu'er wash his hands and face, she even took the opportunity to secretly rub a little face cream on him.
Children's skin was delicate, and she was very afraid of the little one chapping his face.
The little guy sniffled and murmured, "Sister, it smells so good."
"Mhm, our Yu'er smells nice too." Fu Xin Ci finished speaking, then helped Yu'er put on his down jacket, and put on his hat and scarf, leaving only his eyes exposed, before taking his sleeve and leading him out of the house.
Qi He stood beside Grandpa Meng, staring at the siblings with a conflicted expression. He also wanted to go along, what should he do!
"You wait here for me. I'll go get the skis."
Mentioning skis, Fu Xin Ci proudly straightened her small back.
Hehe, these were made by herself. Although she had used her wood element ability, it couldn't be denied that she had made them.
Hehe, she thought her craftsmanship was excellent.
When she came out carrying two wooden boards, almost as tall as herself.
Both Grandpa Meng and Qi He's eyes widened, and they wondered inwardly if this thing could really be used for skiing.
Fu Xin Ci handed one of the boards to Qi He, then carried the other and beckoned Yu'er to follow.
Yu'er trusted his sister the most. Whatever his sister said, he would do. His sister said she would take him skiing, so he happily followed behind her.
Qi He also reacted. How could he doubt Sister Fu? If Sister Fu said it could be done, then it could be done.
Seeing Qi He also carrying a wooden board and trotting along obediently. Grandpa Meng thought for a moment, then went back into the house to get a thick coat, and found another one of his own coats for Han Zhi to wear.
The old man and the child also quickly followed out.
On the wilderness outside the Meng family courtyard, Fu Xin Ci held Yu'er as they stood together on her self-made skis.
Then, she gently activated her wood element ability, and the skis, as if pushed from behind, slowly slid forward on the snow.
Yu'er's eyes widened as he looked curiously at the snow moving backward beneath his feet. He especially found the sound of the skis crunching on the snow to be very pleasant.
"Hehe, Sister, this is so much fun." Yu'er looked at the vast expanse of white under their feet, then looked at Qi He, who was falling behind them, and laughed even louder.
"Brother Qi, Brother Qi, hurry up!"
Qi He: He wanted to, but this was truly his first time playing with this thing, and he didn't know how to.
He was more curious about how Sister Fu had made this wooden board, which had no wheels, move so fast on the snow.
Fu Xin Ci looked back and saw Qi He holding the wooden board with a puzzled look, unsure what to do.
So she turned and skied back, then demonstrated for Qi He in front of him.
Qi He was not slow-witted. Watching Sister Fu's demonstration, he pondered it to himself for a while and figured out the trick.
Stumbling and wobbling, he could indeed slide.
Seeing that he had grasped the knack, Fu Xin Ci took Yu'er and rushed ahead again.
"Hehe~" Yu'er's laughter grew even more joyous, and he occasionally looked back, calling for Qi He to catch up.
Grandpa Meng, along with Han Zhi, stood at the main entrance of their house, watching his granddaughter and grandson glide freely on the snow on those wooden boards, and nodded in approval.
These wooden boards were indeed good. Perhaps he should make one too. It would be useful for traveling after the snow.
If Fu Xin Ci knew her grandfather's thoughts, she would very earnestly warn him.
"Old man, you'd better not scare me. This thing is not something you can play with at your age. Just watch from a distance. You can share in our joy, but your legs and feet are out of the question."
However, Grandpa Meng was determined to take a good look at what was different about these two wooden boards after the three children had had their fill of fun.
But the clamor of the three children drew out quite a few men and women from Mengjia Village.
Especially those of similar age to Meng Yu Tang. Seeing them sliding on the snow on the wooden boards they were wearing, their spirits immediately lifted. They all rushed home to find similar boards.
Some families didn't have similar boards, so they simply brought out large wooden tubs from their homes. Some even brought out washboards from their homes.
And it must be said, placing a large wooden tub on the snow with a child sitting inside, and then pushing it forward, was quite exhilarating.
With one leading the way, many followed suit.
Before long, many adults in the snow were dragging their wooden tubs with a rope in front of them. One or two children sat inside the tubs, shouting loudly, "Daddy, run fast, run quickly!"