I, Sun Shan, and the Imperial Examination

Chapter 1532 The first snow of winter

A few days after the little fat girl was beaten, Yuanlu County finally saw its first long-awaited snowfall.

Sun Shan didn't feel anything, but County Magistrate Wang and the others excitedly shouted, "It's finally snowing! It's finally snowing..."

Yuanlu County is located in western Hunan Province, and it usually snows from late October to early November.

It's already mid-December, and the first snow has just fallen.

It was something I had never seen or heard of before.

Magistrate Wang said with concern, "This snowfall is far too late. I wonder if the weather will be unusual this year?"

He paused, then turned around and said, "Sir, I don't know if next year will be blessed with favorable weather. This year's climate is really too abnormal."

Even a local like Magistrate Wang had never seen the snow arrive so late.

Wu, the registrar, also said with concern, "Yes, sir, this year is very unusual. The snow is coming too late. In previous years, it would have fallen long ago. Why is it so late this year?"

Officer Yang reassured everyone, "Don't panic. I've never encountered late snow, but I have seen early snow, and I've even had snow in September, and nothing happened that year. So whether the snow comes early or late is no big deal. With Lord Sun here, next year's weather will surely be favorable."

After saying that, he looked at Sun Shan with great flattery.

The flattery was so overt and crude that it was almost blatant.

Sun Shan frowned and asked, "County Magistrate Wang, you're from Yuanlu, have you really never seen snow this late before?"

People like Sun Shan, who live in places where it never snows, really don't realize the difference between whether it snows early or late.

Magistrate Wang tried hard to recall, then shook his head and said, "Sir, I've lived for decades, and this is truly the first time I've encountered such a late first snowfall."

As he thought about it, Magistrate Wang couldn't help but feel flustered.

Finally, the weather was favorable and the crops were plentiful. Could it be that God was displeased and brought disaster upon Yuanlu County?

Oh dear, please don't! The common people rely on God for their livelihood, and so do these officials.

Wouldn't it be better to have peace and smooth sailing? Why insist on a life full of disasters and hardships?

Sun Shan instructed, "County Magistrate Wang, check how much grain is left in the granary now. Don't sell it now; wait until next summer's harvest."

Dege'er was still on his way to sell grain when he returned and packed up his stall.

I had planned to sell the grain after the spring, but now it seems I can't. I need to keep more grain for emergencies.

The most scarce resource during a disaster is food supplies; the government must stockpile as much food as possible.

Magistrate Wang immediately accepted the order: "Yes, sir."

Sun Shan then said, "Chief Wu, these past few days we've arranged for people to patrol the villages and reinforce the houses. The snow is falling so late; if it gets heavy and thick later and causes a snow disaster, people could be killed."

Wu, the registrar, immediately accepted the order: "Yes, sir."

Sun Shan continued, "Officer Yang, when you patrol the village with Chief Clerk Wu, tell the people to tighten their belts and not eat extravagantly until next summer's harvest."

Yang, the head constable, understood Sun Shan's meaning: he was afraid that the people would overindulge in food and drink because of the bumper harvest, living beyond their means.

Relying on the expectation of a bumper harvest next year, people who usually eat one bowl of rice are now eating two or even three. But if a disaster strikes and next year's harvest fails, then things will be terrible.

It would be better to take preventative measures in advance and advise people to eat less and save food, so that even if there is a natural disaster next year, they can survive for another year.

After all, the people have twice as much grain this year as in previous years. If they save and hold on, one year's harvest can feed them for two years.

Sun Shan gave a series of instructions, then went to the county school to check the county annals.

Professor Deng also felt that this year's weather was abnormal; the snow came too late, something he had never heard of before.

He said worriedly, "Sir, the snow seems to be getting heavier and heavier."

When Sunshan arrived, it was still snowing lightly, but by the time it reached the county school, it had turned into a heavy snowfall.

The first snow of winter should be called the first blizzard of winter.

Sun Shan frowned and said worriedly, "Given the weather, there's nothing we can do. We can only keep an eye on things and prepare in advance."

Professor Deng is also worried about the spring planting next year.

Yuanlu County finally managed to develop bird droppings fertilizer, and the people finally had a few more bags of grain in their granaries. They were truly terrified if bad weather delayed their planting.

Professor Deng could only comfort himself that everything would be alright, and that next year would bring a bountiful harvest and prosperity to the people.

Sun Shan carefully perused the "Yuanlu County Annals," spending a long time reading it, but he had never seen the first snow so late before.

However, Constable Yang was not lying. Yuanlu County did indeed experience an early snowfall more than ten years ago, with snow falling in late September.

Apart from houses collapsing and people being killed by heavy snow that year, nothing major happened.

The spring and summer planting seasons of the second year were completed successfully, as were the summer and autumn harvests.

Upon seeing this, Sun Shan consoled himself: "Early snow is fine, late snow will be fine too. Aside from snow disasters, Yuanlu County experiences relatively few other natural disasters."

Especially regarding farming, there have been no cases of total crop failure for many years.

Sun Shan prayed to God to protect him from bad weather.

As night fell, Gui Ge called out anxiously, "Shan Ge, it's getting late, let's go back."

Sun Shan then put down the county annals he had edited over the years and went home with Gui Ge'er.

As soon as I stepped into the backyard, I heard a burst of laughter and cheerful chatter.

Walking inside, I saw Little Fatty, Little Blackie, and Tiger Cry playing in the snow in the yard, all bundled up in thick clothes.

Even though their clothes were soaked by the snowflakes and their faces were flushed red, the three children still jumped around in the snow.

The chubby little girl shouted happily, "Brother, Blackie, look, this is snow, it's so much fun!"

Little Black Girl was also delighted and said happily, "Xiaoxiao, this snow is so much fun! It's the first time I've ever seen snow like this. Xiaoxiao, let's build a snowman!"

Tiger Cry was also very excited, happily chasing after Little Fatty and Little Blackie: "Little sister, look! This is snow! The snow described in the book! Hahaha..."

The three children were having so much fun that they didn't feel the cold at all, and they didn't even notice when Sun Shan came back.

Sun Shan understood how the people of Guangnan felt when they saw snow for the first time. It was like when his classmates at Yuelu Academy felt cold, but he still accompanied Qian Yingyang to enjoy the snow.

Stepping into the living room, a wave of warmth emanated from the heating system.

Looking around, I saw that charcoal had already been lit.

Sun Bomin, Su Shi, and Uncle Sun were chatting in the living room when they rushed over when they saw Sun Shan return.

Uncle Sun said excitedly, "Shanzi, it's snowing! Oh my, it's snowing heavily! I finally know what it's like to snow in my life!"

Sun Bomin was also slightly excited: "Shanzi, so this is what snow looks like. Oh my, I've never seen it before since I came to Yuanlu."

Su looked Sun Shan over carefully and asked with concern, "Aren't you cold? I think it's better if it doesn't snow; it's just too cold."

Excitement aside, the cold is unbearable. Especially for older people, the winter cold can be deadly.

Sun Bomin, Su Shi, and Uncle Sun were initially delighted to see the snow.

I just kept looking and looking, and then I felt so cold that I couldn't help but go back inside to make a fire.