Soon everyone in the valley knew about the upcoming holiday, the news that they would have two days off to go skiing starting tomorrow spreading like wildfire. The children were ecstatic and ran around telling each other, while the adults were sharpening their tools and busily preparing.
Brothers Xiang Dong and Xiang Xi, along with brothers Er Hu and Xiao Shuan, also began their preparations with great enthusiasm. Even Uncle De and Uncle Fu, who usually didn't participate in group activities, pitched in to help.
Chen Lan seized a moment of leisure while the children were in the small study having their story lesson and snuck out, curiously joining the bustling scene.
She noticed Xiang Xi intently sawing a piece of wood and, with a curious tone, asked, "Little Watermelon, what are you guys making?"
Xiang Xi replied without looking up, "We're making one-legged donkeys." With that, he paid no further attention to Chen Lan and continued sawing his wood.
Chen Lan looked but found nothing particularly interesting or fun. Worried about the children in their lesson, she returned to the small study.
After the hour-long story lesson concluded, Chen Lan led the children out of the study. She then heard bursts of laughter from outside where Xiang Xi and Xiao Shuan were. Chen Lan quickly brought the children to the large living room window to look. She saw Xiang Dong and Xiang Xi, along with Xiao Shuan and Er Hu, all playing with something she had never seen before. Chen Lan figured this must be the "one-legged donkeys" Xiang Xi had mentioned earlier!
Watching them play with such joy, it seemed incredibly fun. It felt as if she were back in her childhood, and her heart itched to try it herself. She handed the children over to her mother, put on her warm cotton-padded jacket and snow boots, and ran outside.
As soon as she stepped out, she said to Xiang Dong, who was closest to her, "Brother Xiang Dong, let me try it too."
Xiang Dong hopped off the "one-legged donkey," handed Chen Lan the ice pick he was holding, and said, "Little Lan, be careful. This thing isn't easy to control, and you can fall easily."
Chen Lan took the ice pick and replied, "Brother Xiang Dong, I know. I'll be very careful!"
With that, she placed her feet on the "one-legged donkey" but couldn't stand up. After several failed attempts, it was Xiang Dong, guiding her from the side, who helped her practice for a long time. Finally, Chen Lan managed to grasp the basic technique and was able to stand on the "one-legged donkey." It was truly not easy!
Chen Lan attempted to slide, but she fell face-first after less than three meters. Xiang Xi burst into laughter, and he, while still sliding on his "one-legged donkey," showed off.
This contraption was incredibly difficult to ride. It seemed unlikely she could master it without days of practice. Chen Lan watched Xiang Xi and Xiao Shuan glide so effortlessly, feeling a pang of envy.
Everyone was actively preparing, and Chen Lan wondered if she should also start getting ready. The number of people in the valley had increased significantly this year. The few snow sleds purchased last year would likely not be enough. Furthermore, there were families like Teacher Zhou and his students, Dr. Guo and his daughter, Sun Xiaomei and her daughter, Chen Daxing's family from E Province, and many others who probably wouldn't know how to use these things. Tomorrow, someone who knew how should teach them.
So, she opened the system with her mind and ordered ten double sleds, ten single sleds, and two snowmobiles.
In the afternoon, Uncle De and Uncle Fu rallied everyone in the valley to clear the snow from the drying ground. Xiang Xi led Lin Mao, Xiao Shan, and others to clear the snow from the slope. Everyone was preparing for tomorrow's skiing activities.
With thorough preparations made, everyone finally welcomed the arrival of the second day. Before breakfast, Chen Lan had already placed the various sizes of snow sleds she had prepared the day before onto the drying ground.
After Chen Lan finished breakfast and arrived at the drying ground with the twins, her mother, mother-in-law, Mother Liu, Mother Cui, and others, all fully geared up, she discovered that the drying ground had already become a domain of several elderly men from Northeast China and the children.
Grandpa Xu and Grandpa Li from Heilongjiang Province, Grandpa Chen, and Grandpa Zhou from Liaoning Province were all individually riding "one-legged donkeys," their movements graceful and their skills agile, as if they had turned back time by decades!
Their young sons and daughters, along with their grandchildren, each rode a "one-legged donkey" with a seat. They were the most stylish on the scene, the coolest kids around, and the drying ground was filled with laughter.
Ming Zhe, Wen Kai, and Wen Qi were not to be outdone. They led Da Tian, Xiao Tian, Chen Weiguo, Guo Fu, Yan Zi, and more than ten other classmates who had never ridden a snow sled, each pulling a single sled towards the mountainside. Su Dan Novel Network
Ming Zhe was the first to reach the mountainside and demonstrated how to slide down, carving out an icy track. Then came Wen Kai and Wen Qi. Thus, the icy track was quickly formed. Seeing how simple it was, classmates, both boys and girls, clamored to slide down. Ming Zhe, being older and having been a junior teacher for over a year, was very responsible. He immediately organized the classmates into a line and repeatedly emphasized the precautions before arranging for them to slide down one by one. He handled things with considerable competence.
Seeing everyone happily playing, Jia Yao and Jia Hui were already impatient. The siblings squirmed in their mothers' and mother-in-law's arms, clamoring to play. Their mothers and mother-in-law could no longer manage them and placed the siblings onto the double sled. Chen Lan wasted no time, tied the sled firmly to the snowmobile with a rope, had her mother and mother-in-law hold one child each, and then started the motorcycle, driving slowly along the edge of the drying ground. The laughter of the two children immediately echoed through the valley in the biting cold.
On the road, they encountered Ming Wei, who was also riding a snowmobile and pulling Dr. Guo's family on a sled, and Lin Mai, riding a motorcycle and pulling Teacher Zhou and his wife on a sled. The wind was too strong, so everyone just nodded to each other as a greeting.
Now that the valley had separate kitchens, no one was in a hurry to go home for meals. They played until their stomachs growled with hunger, then rushed home for a quick bite before hurrying back to continue playing.
Chen Lan couldn't help but find it amusing. These adults were playing like children! They were exceptionally diligent when working, and their enthusiasm when playing was equally unrestrained.