Chapter 152: Memories in the Snow
It started snowing.
The southern Hope Lane rarely saw snow; for this warm seaside city, it was quite an unusual event. White snowflakes gently descended from the sky, landing in the courtyard. The air felt colder than usual, and some children, dressed in padded coats, were happily playing in the snow, throwing snowballs and building snowmen. For those who grew up by the sea, this was almost their first experience with snow, making them particularly excited.
Thin frost covered the large glass windows, separating the cold outdoors from the warm indoors. The fireplace burned quietly, and the antique wooden clock against the wall ticked steadily.
Mellu sat quietly on a small sofa next to the fireplace. The armrest on her left had been warmed by the fire, feeling very cozy. She wore a blanket made of knitted wool, which looked somewhat old and had some small balls of fluff here and there.
Logically speaking, as the daughter of the Helis family and the current head of the household, Mellu should not have lacked a good blanket. However, this one held special significance for her.
As a child, though she was well-behaved, she also enjoyed playing. Around the age of eight, Hope Lane had experienced a much larger snowfall than this one. She, along with Feng Nai and several other girls her age, played in the snow, trying to create various things like little figures, cats, and dogs using the snow.
Due to lack of experience, their creations always ended up looking awkward and unattractive. Edli and Wick, among other boys, mocked them. In a fit of anger, Feng Nai picked up a snowball and threw it at them. This led to a snowball fight between the boys and girls, throwing snowballs back and forth.
During the chase, the small animals they had built were trampled on. At that moment, she burst into tears, feeling deeply wronged. Feng Nai tried to comfort her, but she couldn’t stop crying. Later, Feng Nai went to find Fenerton, who was nearly an adult and held great respect among their peers.
Fenerton quickly gathered around nine-year-old Edli and Wick and asked them to apologize. Although Edli was mischievous, he dared not disobey Fenerton. Reluctantly, he apologized, and she finally stopped crying.
Then, Fenerton brought several shovels and helped gather the snow, which was much faster than using their hands. He also got Edli and the other boys to help build the snow structure. Initially, they were reluctant to play house games with the girls, but gradually became interested. Wick suggested they all build a castle, which many children agreed to.
So, about ten children worked together to build a castle. Fenerton watched from the side, sometimes bringing tools to flatten the snow into large blocks and giving them small wooden boards to shape the structures. This greatly increased their enthusiasm.
They spent the entire day, even forgetting to eat lunch, thinking only about how to build a beautiful castle. They ran around in the snow, continuously gathering snow towards the center. First, they roughly piled up a small mountain, then Fenerton helped them outline the basic shapes like walls, the main part of the castle, and the towers. Each child took responsibility for a section and began working.
Edli wanted to build the highest bastion in the castle, while Feng Nai wanted to build a tower, and Wick wanted to build the main part of the castle. Since they came from the wealthiest families and were usually leaders, the other children had no choice but to let them choose first. When she didn’t pick anything, Fenerton curiously asked if she was too shy to speak.
She actually didn’t know what to choose, so she said she would build the walls with the other children, which was simpler. Thus, Feng Nai and five or six other children built the main part of the castle in the center, while the other eight or nine children built the outer walls.
By the afternoon, the castle was finally completed, with Fenerton checking and modifying it several times before it was done.
The white snow castle had uneven walls, irregular heights, and an asymmetrical main structure. The tower was rather crude and not very attractive. But overall, it could still be recognized as a castle.
Although it wasn’t perfect, everyone was very happy and began to allocate parts of the castle for themselves to live in later.
Edli spoke first, saying he wanted to live in the central circular hall of the castle’s bastion, because that’s where the king lived. Then Feng Nai said she wanted to live in the tower, like a princess. Wick looked around and said he would live in the middle of the castle, wanting to be a general. Other children also expressed their desires, choosing where they would live and what roles they would play, such as ministers, heroes, queens, bishops, poets, and more.
Finally, Fenerton asked her where she wanted to live. After some thought, she replied that she wanted to live with her family, just being happy together. Hearing this, Edli laughed, saying her wish was too boring and not worth thinking about. Seeing her about to cry again, Fenerton scolded Edli for disrespectfully judging others’ dreams, which slightly comforted her.
After spending the whole day in the snow, she fell ill due to her weak constitution. She returned home with a headache and fever, curling up in bed all day. Her father specially invited a priest from the church to cast healing spells on her every day, which slightly improved her condition, although she remained listless. Sleeping too much in bed made her feel uncomfortable.
Housekeeper Aunt Lig noticed her poor mood and stayed by her bedside, talking to her while knitting a blanket.
At that time, she lay in bed listening to Aunt Lig tell stories from the past, such as her childhood life in the village, wild boars, demonic beasts, foxes, and her own childhood experiences with her siblings, what games they played, etc. These stories kept Mellu engaged and less bored.
Her cold lasted one or two weeks. During this time, Feng Nai visited several times, but both sets of parents were worried about infection, so they only exchanged gifts. Even Edli and Wick sent gifts through Feng Nai, including a beautiful little dagger.
When her cold finally cleared, Aunt Lig finished knitting the blanket. Mellu was told to wear it when she felt cold, and to be careful not to catch another cold.
Time passed slowly. The blanket that once covered her entire body now only fit over her shoulders. The person who knitted it was gone, and the children she played with were scattered across different paths in life, some never to be seen again.
The fireplace continued to burn quietly, and memories seemed to emerge from the flames. Mellu was lost in thought, sometimes smiling, sometimes feeling sad. Only when the blanket slipped off her shoulder did she wake up, pulling it back up and stirring the firewood to make it burn anew.
Looking at the orange-red flames, Mellu’s eyes no longer held the worries and unease of the past. A calm and serene light reflected in her pupils.
Even though the past was gone and familiar people had moved away, she would continue to move forward, just as she dreamed as a child. She would make the Helis family a warm and loving home once again.
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