From the balcony, Huang Jinghe asked, "Why not just be careful from the start? If we don't let the ice touch our skin, then there's no problem, right?"
Ling Jiang shook her head. "Impossible. Even if it doesn't touch skin, our clothes could still get stuck. Unless we never fall, and that's not realistic. That's why I think hot water is essential." She paused, then asked, "Do any of you know how to skate?"
Lan Jin looked puzzled. "You mean ice skating with blades? I don't."
In fact, she couldn't skate at all.
But she did have certain gear tucked away in her storage space. After all, the supermarket she'd looted for free back then had a bit of everything.
She had anti-slip crampons that fit over shoes, perfect for steady walking on ice.
She had balance poles for keeping upright if the ice got too slippery.
And she even had ice sleds, both single-seaters and parent-child versions. Of course, no household in the south normally kept things like that, and with four people, showing up with more than one sled would be suspicious.
Ling Jiang's question clearly had a reason behind it. She and Lao Gao both had ice skates with blades, and they were skilled at using them.
Lan Jin couldn't help admiring their versatility. "How do you even know how to do that?"
"We already knew," Ling Jiang replied. Then she suggested, "When we go out, the two of us can go ahead on skates, pulling you and Huang Jinghe behind in basins. On the way back, we could fill the basins with supplies."
It was a workable idea, but the mental image was so ridiculous that Lan Jin decided not to keep her sled hidden any longer. "No need for basins. I've got an ice sled at home. You two pull us, and Huang Jinghe and I can ride. I just didn't mention it before because without someone pulling, it's useless. But since you both have skates, it's perfect."
Ling Jiang was surprised. "You have one of those too?"
"For my kid," Lan Jin replied easily. "I wouldn't let her play alone, so I bought the parent-child kind with two seats. Huang Jinghe and I can sit together, and it's a good model with a handbrake."
In times like these, using a child as an excuse was very convenient.
No one doubted her. From little things she'd said before, it was obvious she came from a well-off family. Rich people's purchases didn't always make sense to others, so it wasn't strange for her to have things most families wouldn't own.
With everyone equipped, there was no problem with tomorrow's trip.
Still, with the others so prepared, Huang Jinghe felt like dead weight. "I feel like I'm just holding you all back. I don't have anything. Guess I was too honest. I traded away everything useful when we were bartering for supplies."
Lan Jin reassured him. "I traded a lot too, but only the things I didn't want — leftovers from before I got married. I didn't want to leave the furniture for my ex-husband, so I hauled it all to the spare room. Later, when we could trade for contribution points, I gave it all away. It was better than selling it for scrap. But the most valuable things I traded were the gold I bought before marriage."
Lao Gao nodded. "Those are definitely the most valuable items."
He had traded before as well, so he knew their worth.
Not wanting Huang Jinghe to feel useless, they comforted him. "You're learning to make charcoal, right? If things go the way they usually do, we'll need it for months. That's important. Forget about the little gadgets we all happen to have."
They weren't exaggerating. Each disaster in the past had only lasted a few months, at most.
Even so, a few months in this freezing cold would be hard to endure. At home, they could use heaters, but outside, no matter how many layers they wore, the chill would bite deep. Survival depended on sheer will, and eventually, anyone would break.
That was why charcoal was so important now.
Huang Jinghe nodded. "I get it. I need to learn properly and stock up. At the rate we're using it, we can't afford waste."
In truth, they could all live together, saving both food and fuel. But life was already hard enough. Everyone wanted their own private space, so no matter how difficult things got, no one brought up the idea of sharing a home.
For Lan Jin, that was just as well. If someone did suggest it, with their good relationship, she wouldn't know how to refuse.
…
With Grandma Ling's hands-on teaching, Huang Jinghe learned charcoal-making quickly. To reduce smoke in their apartments, the four of them headed back to the rooftop.
Before going up, with Ling Jiang and Lao Gao already ahead, Huang Jinghe asked, "Sister Lan, I guess we can't leave yet, can we?"
"Of course not. We have no idea what it's like elsewhere. Better to stay put for now." Lan Jin glanced at him. "Are you worried about your parents? Don't be. Their place must be better protected than ours. If anything, they're probably worried about you."
Huang Jinghe understood, but it still took time to come to terms with it. "I know the road's dangerous. If the ice stays solid the whole way, fine. But if it cracks halfway, or melts in places, we're done for. Best option is to wait — at least until it all melts before we even think about leaving."
"Exactly." Lan Jin tried to comfort him. "Survival comes first. Honestly, your parents probably have a much better chance of making it through than you do."
It was only the early days of the cold, and people's spirits hadn't yet recovered. But once they did, and if they couldn't find supplies, who knew what they might resort to?
Before, the floodwaters had kept people confined, so nothing bad had happened within their building. But once the ice connected land and water, she doubted no one would come after them.
And there was still Qian Jun. He was alive, and she was certain he wouldn't forget the grudges he held against them.
…
They weren't speaking loudly, but the rooftop was quiet, and their voices carried to Lao Gao and Ling Jiang.
Seeing how young Huang Jinghe looked, Lao Gao asked, "Missing your parents? Makes sense. You're just a teenager."
"I'm twenty," Huang Jinghe corrected. "Birthday's in January."