Chapter 4: Going Out to Buy Groceries

The rooftops were already covered in white snow, and the ground had a layer of accumulation. Thick snowflakes fluttered down endlessly, showing no sign of stopping. Meng Ran opened her phone; nearly all the news pushed to her feed was about this heavy snowfall.

The phrase "Nationwide Snowstorm" firmly held the top spot on trending searches. Meng Ran clicked in to see that it wasn’t just their region—it was snowing all across the country.

Temperatures had dropped to between -7° and -2°. Suddenly, it had plunged by dozens of degrees. Meng Ran turned on the heater and sat on the bed, scrolling through comments under the trending topic.

“Snow in July, is there some kind of grievance behind this?”

“This weather is so strange this year—one moment it’s scorching hot, the next freezing cold. It’s all because people don’t care about the environment.”

“The last time we saw snow like this was decades ago.”

Online, people exchanged their words; only a few expressed concern over the sudden change in weather and wondered if they should prepare. But most seemed indifferent, talking about other matters.

A message popped up in the WeChat work group: due to the heavy snow, they didn’t need to go to work today. The weather forecast predicted temperatures would continue dropping over the next few days, urging residents to keep warm and minimize travel.

Meng Ran got up and went to the window. Outside, someone was fitting snow chains on their car—perhaps preparing to stockpile supplies.

“Mom,” Nian Nian yawned and sat up in bed. Meng Ran turned off her phone and took a thick robe from nearby to dress her.

“It’s below zero today. Don’t go outside these days; stay home with Mom.”

Nian Nian then noticed the heavy snow outside the window, her eyes wide with wonder.

“My dream has come true!”

Meng Ran smiled softly, but worry was hidden deep in her eyes. It was still early and orderly now, but things might not remain so later.

After they finished washing up, Meng Ran went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast and switched on the living room air conditioner. As soon as she entered, a chill made her shiver; the temperature had dropped from the dozens of degrees last night to below zero now. She wasn’t sure if her body could adapt so quickly.

She turned on the tap; the water flowed normally, unaffected. She scooped two spoonfuls of flour and cooked red bean porridge in the rice cooker. The flour was for making egg pancakes, which she filled with stir-fried shredded potatoes.

She prioritized using ingredients that required cooking now, leaving instant foods untouched.

During breakfast, a call came from Xiang Yajing.

“Meng Ran, is it snowing over there too?”

Meng Ran responded with a hum. “Take care of yourself. Since the roads aren’t closed yet, buy as much as you can.”

They were separated by a province, and Meng Ran couldn’t help with anything else.

Xiang Yajing replied repeatedly before hanging up hurriedly. Meng Ran wondered what was going on there.

Nian Nian sipped her porridge, furrowing her small brow. “Will it really stay this cold forever?”

She still remembered the feeling from her dream, so she was a bit scared.

“Don’t be afraid. Mom will keep you safe.”

Meng Ran comforted her, knowing how easily a child could panic in such circumstances.

Just then, someone knocked on the door. Meng Ran went over, lifted the two-layered curtains, and peeked outside.

“Meng Ran! Meng Ran!”

Grandma Liu stood outside, wrapped in a thick padded coat.

“Meng Ran, are you up?”

She called again, but Meng Ran didn’t open the door, only asking through the iron gate, “What is it?”

Everyone knew she was home. Grandma Liu was persistent, but it wasn’t chaotic yet.

When Meng Ran responded, Grandma Liu smiled brightly. “Meng Ran, do you want to go buy some things? Or you could drive me—I’m old, and it’s hard for my arms and legs to walk out.”

So she wanted to hitch a ride to stock up.

Grandma Liu lived alone with her grandson; her son and daughter-in-law worked in another city and only came home during the New Year. Her usual flaws were being a bit of a picky eater and a bit stingy.

Meng Ran opened the door and stood by the security door. “Wait a moment; I’ll get ready.”

“All right, all right.”

Grandma Liu went back inside, told her grandson something, then locked the door, leaving him alone.

Meng Ran told Nian Nian to watch cartoons by herself at home, then changed into a down jacket and snow boots. She locked the door from outside and took Grandma Liu downstairs.

Grandma Liu put on a thick hat and tucked her hands into her sleeves.

“Ah, this miserable weather is really tormenting!” she spat.

The elevator arrived at the first floor.

Meng Ran started the car in the garage, fitted the snow chains, then drove out.

The cold wind howled outside; it was even colder than Meng Ran had imagined. She glanced at her phone’s temperature reading—it had dropped further to minus ten degrees.

Their region was in the south, where the coldest winter temperatures rarely went below minus ten.

Grandma Liu stamped her feet and climbed into the car as soon as Meng Ran finished.

“Let’s go, let’s go! Let’s check out the market first!”

Grandma Liu took charge, and Meng Ran didn’t refuse.

She turned on the car’s heater and windshield wipers, and once outside, she saw the scene clearly.

The accumulated snow had been cleared early, but the snowfall was so heavy that a thin layer quickly covered the ground again.

Cars moved slowly on the road; no one dared to speed.

By the time they reached the market, half an hour had passed.

Compared to the biting cold outside, the market was quite warm due to the crowd.

“Oh my goodness, so many people.”

Grandma Liu’s eyes went wide—they were late.

“Let’s go in and take a look first.”

Meng Ran planned to buy some things too. They squeezed in with difficulty, unable to hear each other speak amid the loud bargaining voices all around.

The sudden winter snow had driven prices up at the market.

Grandma Liu winced at the prices but, with little left at home, had no choice but to grit her teeth and buy.

They arrived late, so the items left were mostly of poor quality.

Before Meng Ran could pick anything up, Grandma Liu was quick to grab and stuff some into a bag, bargaining with the vendor.

“Look at these leftovers—almost rotten. Can you give me a few cents off?”

Meng Ran moved to a nearby fruit stall and selected some fruit to take home. With the market this crowded, the mall would be even worse.

Though many online acted indifferent, no one was slower to stockpile.

By the time Meng Ran finished buying fruit, Grandma Liu was already carrying two large bags of vegetables.

“Why did you only buy so little?” Grandma Liu looked at her, full of disapproval.

“This snow looks strange—you should buy more to keep at home.”

Meng Ran smiled. “We still have some left at home; it should last two or three days. I’ll see how things are after that.”

“You’re just hopeless at managing your household.”

Grandma Liu grumbled, and Meng Ran changed the subject.

“All done shopping?”

Grandma Liu nodded; she was too lazy to go to the supermarket. This was enough.

Carrying rice, flour, oil, and some vegetables and meat, they returned to their community, where they saw many others who had also stocked up.

Grandma Liu greeted a few neighbors, then peeked into their bags to see what they had bought.