In mid-December, it snowed.
The temperature dropped to minus 30 degrees Celsius, and at night, it plunged even further to over 40 degrees.
Snow at minus 30 degrees Celsius was absolutely crystal clear and absolutely chilling; every breath taken outdoors carried the taste of winter.
The biting wind and water freezing instantly indicated the coldest temperatures.
Most southerners had never experienced such severe cold, chilling them to the bone.
It's worth noting that in an environment below normal body temperature, a fierce wind at minus 40 degrees Celsius or wet clothing could quickly strip away body heat. Usually, the temperature in a refrigerator's freezer compartment is not even below minus twenty degrees!
The wind outdoors cut like a knife; when a person spat outside, the saliva would begin to freeze midway and become a block of ice upon hitting the ground.
What does minus 30 degrees Celsius mean? You can splash water and it will instantly freeze. If you lick metal at minus 30 degrees Celsius, your tongue will be in trouble.
At minus 30 degrees Celsius, apples and pears exposed to the air would quickly turn into ice balls.
Such low outdoor temperatures prevented many people from daring to go out.
For southerners, the current temperature was simply a disaster.
In previous years, at this time, during a warm winter, many people were still running around outside in short sleeves.
Snowflakes drifted outside the house, and in less than half an hour, everything was a vast expanse of white.
Li Yu stood by the window, watching the snow; the double-layered glass blocked out all the wind and snow from outside.
The indoor heating was still radiating warmth.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~
Even with the window's barrier, the sound of the wind from outside still faintly reached inside.
Yet, the people indoors could not feel the outdoor cold; the indoor temperature was maintained at over 20 degrees Celsius. Li Yu slowly sat down on the sofa.
Inside the room, four people were sitting at a table, playing poker: Yu Tong, Yang Xiaozhu, Lai Xiyue, and Li Yuan.
Li Yu had a headache; three women were a drama, and now with four women sitting together, he simply left and went to the balcony to watch the wind and snow.
"Brother, do you want to play?" Li Yuan asked as she walked over.
Li Yu waved his hand, indicating he didn't want to play, then rubbed his temples. This sister was too much trouble; she always called these people over for whatever reason, even though she clearly knew Yang Xiaozhu had designs on him, and the way Lai Xiyue looked at him—even a fool could see what was going on.
"Wow! It's snowing! Brother, why didn't you tell me!" Li Yuan exclaimed.
Hearing Li Yuan's voice, the other girls also quickly ran over.
"Wow! This snow is so beautiful!"
"I don't think I've ever seen such heavy snow."
"I've never even seen snow," said Li Yuan.
The group stood on the large balcony, watching the snow.
"Let's go up to the rooftop to see it," Li Yu suggested, seeing that everyone was somewhat mesmerized by the snow.
Seeing Li Yuan excitedly about to run upstairs, he quickly added, "But everyone needs to put on their coats. It's tens of degrees below zero outside right now; that's no joke."
On the rooftop, everyone watched the swirling snowflakes; the entire base had turned into a vast expanse of white, as if transformed into a white world.
The snow fell and landed on their hands. Li Yuan took off her gloves and reached out to touch the snow; it was icy cold.
"Xiao Yuan, quickly put your gloves back on. At tens of degrees below zero, exposing your hands to the air can easily cause frostbite," Yu Tong, who was beside her, quickly said.
"Hiss~" Li Yuan gasped, it was indeed a bit cold.
She quickly put on her gloves and then tucked her hands into her pockets.
Under the blizzard, everything was covered in silver, exceptionally enchanting.
Everyone couldn't bear to stay outside for more than ten minutes and quickly returned indoors.
New-brewed green wine, a small red clay stove,
The sky threatens snow in the evening, can I drink a cup with you?
Snowy days were best for a little drink.
Li Yu took out a bottle of osmanthus wine from his private small storage, along with some small snacks like peanuts.
The five of them had a small drink in the room.
Because it was snowing, and everyone was seeing such heavy snow for the first time, the novelty from earlier had not yet subsided.
The osmanthus wine had a low alcohol content, only a little over ten percent. They moved the small table to the balcony and sat cross-legged on the carpet.
Each found the most comfortable sitting posture, occasionally chatting and toasting.
It was very peaceful, yet there was an unspeakable sense of emotion and comfort.
The ancients said: In spring, admire a hundred flowers; in autumn, gaze at the moon; in summer, enjoy cool breezes; in winter, listen to the snow.
Winter lacked the birdsong and fragrant flowers of spring, the abundant fruits of autumn, and the cool breezes of summer for escaping the heat, but it had snow and plum blossoms.
The atmosphere was unexpectedly harmonious.
Li Yu was not a very emotionally intelligent person; some things he could see clearly, but many things he couldn't, and he found thinking about some things very tiring.
So, often, he just went with the flow, following his inner feelings.
"Yu Ge, do you have any dreams?" asked Yang Xiaozhu, her cheeks a little red from drinking.
Upon hearing this question, Li Yu's heart suddenly trembled. Dreams, huh.
He really didn't know; the passionate youth was no longer there. The years he experienced in the apocalypse, he went through the most desolate life, and all his actions and thoughts were focused on how to survive.
Every day was like an ox hammered by a hammer, struggling between dreams and reality.
Dreams, huh?
Perhaps for him before his rebirth, this very moment was his dream back then.
Isn't his current life what he once dreamed of?
"My dream, well, that's to protect the base well and for everyone to live peacefully," Li Yu said with a smile.
"That's wonderful," Yang Xiaozhu said, her face flushed from drinking. Then she looked at Li Yu, then at Yu Tong, and said, "Do you know what my dream is?"
Li Yu looked at the calm Yu Tong, raised an eyebrow, and said, "To protect the Earth?"
"..." Yang Xiaozhu's emotions suddenly became disjointed; the words she wanted to say were forcefully held back.
But soon, an inner grievance welled up, and she looked at Li Yu with red eyes. She still couldn't understand why, since she had met Li Yu first, since she was first, why?
Yu Tong, beside her, sighed, but she couldn't show any reaction, so she picked up her cup and took a sip.
Li Yuan saw this scene, her eyes darted, and she said, "Let's go down and watch a movie. I haven't finished watching 'I Am Legend' from last time!"
Li Yu heard this, as if grasping a life raft, and enthusiastically raised both hands in agreement, saying, "Alright, let's go, we'll watch a movie. Let's go, let's go."
Lai Xiyue, sitting next to Yang Xiaozhu, saw Yang Xiaozhu's expression. She was the one who could best understand Yang Xiaozhu's feelings, but she wasn't as bold as Yang Xiaozhu; at least Yang Xiaozhu dared to express herself.
As for her, she didn't even dare to express her own thoughts.
She sighed softly. Actually, it was quite good like this now; at least she could see him every day, and she was already very satisfied.
The wind and snow still raged, white outside the window, warm and cozy indoors.
It made one feel lazy lying on the sofa, the comfortable feeling making one joyous.
