Chapter 801 - 15: Red Beacon

Chapter 801: Chapter 15: Red Beacon

Chen Zhou and the others all thought that the heavy snow would soon end, but no one anticipated that this was just the beginning.

The continuous snowstorms came one after another, and the snow shed has been buried since it was blocked and never surfaced again.

Standing at the cave entrance every day, the only thing you can hear is the howling wind, and the cold air seeping in from outside grows more piercing.

...

During the day, the inside of the cave remains pitch dark, with only an oil lamp lit on the dining table by the stove.

The furs hanging on the other side of the cave wall and the omnipresent stench throughout the cave make everyone feel as if they’ve returned to ancient times, the most primitive era.

The exhaustion on Chen Zhou hadn’t diminished yet; recently he’s been very sleepy, sitting on the bench watching the cave entrance, dozing off as he stares.

At this moment, he props his face with his arm, close to the oil lamp, his gaze somewhat dazed.

Paul is still occupied with his brew.

Bi Kai sat opposite Chen Zhou, looking very dejected—

With such heavy snow, even humans find it difficult to venture outside, and the fate of the deer is predictable.

He had attempted to go out to check on the deer herds these days, but the snow outside was too thick, and the temperature too cold; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t traverse the boundless snow sea to the woods at the mountain foot.

More than a week has passed since the mountain was sealed by snow, and even in the most optimistic scenario, it’s likely the deer herd has been completely decimated.

When cooped up in a mountain cave, one always needs something to think about.

Paul channels his energy into playing with the Saw-toothed Tiger and brewing, while Chen Zhou battles physical discomfort, spending each day in a sluggish stupor.

Bi Kai, meanwhile, pours all his heart and soul into the deer herd, but now that there’s no herd and he can’t go out, he’s akin to the walking dead.

...

The stored pine nuts in the cave are enough for the three to eat for a year; there’s also enough firewood for warmth.

It turns out the thick mountain structure’s insulating effect is quite good; neither cold wind nor blizzards can penetrate the cave interior. As long as they keep the stove alight, the inside remains warm throughout the day.

Sometimes, when the wind outside is less fierce and the front door is shut tight, the room temperature can even reach 25 degrees, becoming hot enough for them to ditch their fur coats and huddle at the cave entrance to experience "a world of ice and fire."

The only inconvenience comes from fetching meat.

Worried the stored beast meat might spoil, the three freeze all the meat outside, each day extracting only an amount sufficient for human and beast use and hanging it in the snow shed, retrieving it for defrosting inside the cave when needed for cooking.

The "stone safe" for storing meat is not far from the cave entrance, about 20 meters away.

This distance usually takes just a few casual steps, but after the mountain was sealed by snow, getting there is a hard slog.

After the first two major snowfalls, the snow shed was practically buried completely; a few more snowfalls followed, and though winds thinned the snow layer, the entire mountain slope remained enshrouded in thick snow.

By this point, if Chen Zhou and the others wanted to go outside, they’d have to carve a tunnel through the snow.

For this, they selected wood, chopped out rough shapes with an axe, then refined the details with a knife, making several wooden shovels to dig snow, and donned fur coats to work outside together.

Opening a path through snow taller than a person is extraordinarily exhausting, especially as Chen Zhou, the main labor force, was significantly weakened; Paul and Bi Kai didn’t know how much effort it took to open the path from the cave entrance to the meat safe.

After the two finished, they didn’t feel tired—

Inside the cave with no daylight, to save oil, they only light four or five oil lamps most days.

Regardless of whether it’s bear oil, beaver oil, or giant ground sloth oil, as lamp oil they all aren’t considered ideal; they emit a peculiar scent and provide dim light, barely illuminating anything beyond a meter away.

Living long-term in such a low-light environment, naturally one’s mood becomes oppressive.

At such times, some outdoor activities are actually beneficial.

Though it’s cold outside, there’s never a shortage of light, as snow itself is tiny ice crystals that can reflect light.

During those first few days when snow just blanketed the entire mountain range, the wind hadn’t yet tainted the snow layers with sand and stone; stepping out, the whole world was dazzlingly bright, and if not for the howling winds and biting cold, one might think this was Heaven or the mythical Kunlun paradise.

The three stepping out of the cave for the first time are even blinded by the brightness, like vampires long sealed in ancient castles.

All in all, by now, everything outside seems remarkable.

Bi Kai, growing up in Jiangnan, has never seen such northern scenery.

Chen Zhou, being a northerner all his life, has never seen such heavy snow either.

Even Paul, living in Siberia where wind and snow are no rarity and the place is notoriously harsh, is amazed by the view.

Though the spectacle is peculiar and unprecedented, any notion of wanting the snow to continue longer is unanimously rejected—

Because heavy snow prevents outings, and idleness almost drives one to grow horns, Chen Zhou decided to tell Paul and Bi Kai a joke.

The joke goes: It snowed heavily; a landlord drank and admired the snow in his courtyard, accompanied by a friend—an official and a scholar.

The landlord, seeing the delightful snow, exclaimed, "Snowflakes heavily land on the ground."

The official followed, "This is imperial auspiciousness."

The scholar then chimed in, "Let it snow three more years, why not?"

Before anyone could continue, someone outside the courtyard yelled, "What a load of nonsense!"

In their current situation, their lives seem a bit like this verse; the snow scene is nice, but should it persist for long, no one can be blamed for cursing.