My Manor

Boston is located in the northern hemisphere and is an absolute cold zone. Due to the influence of the Atlantic monsoon, the city experiences relatively heavy rain and snow. The average annual rainfall is 42 inches (108 centimeters), and snowfall also reaches 42 inches. In other words, snow here is as common as rain, and there's no guarantee it won't occur.

Especially in Winthrop, which is close to the Atlantic Ocean, foggy days are frequent in spring and early summer, despite the presence of the Gulf Stream. In early autumn, hurricanes and tropical storms are more likely. This year was no different, but fortunately, Jiang Hai hadn't arrived yet. In winter, the area is also frequently affected by northeast winds.

Sometimes after a blizzard, snowfall can reach 20 inches, which is about 50 centimeters thick.

When people go outside, the snow is almost knee-deep. In general, the weather in Boston is not very satisfactory.

Jiang Hai used to see this place only as a treasure trove for growing more scales, completely forgetting about the weather. This day started like any other. After finishing his work, Jiang Hai went to bed for the night. But in the middle of the night, he was woken up by the cold. With Jiang Hai's current physical condition, being woken by the cold showed just how low the temperature was. He got up from bed, drowsily walked to the ventilation window in his room, and opened the curtains. Outside, thumbnail-sized snowflakes were falling from the sky like cotton wool.

The cold wind made the snowflakes swirl around Jiang Hai's manor. He leaned out to take a look, shivering at the sight.

At that moment, his entire field of vision was white. The lawn, the parking lot in front of the villa, the woods in the distance, and even the coastline far off were all covered in snow.

"Who said it wasn't snowing much?" Jiang Hai muttered, looking at the scene before him. He shivered again as the cold wind blew. The wind poured in through the window, and he felt like his pajamas were about to freeze his body.

Cursing inwardly, he quickly closed the window. He wasn't someone who had never seen snow. It snowed every year in Bingcheng, and sometimes the snow was much heavier. He had seen the heaviest snowfalls before, so there was no need for curiosity.

After closing all the windows, Jiang Hai returned to bed and continued to sleep, clutching his quilt.

The night passed without a word. When Jiang Hai woke up the next morning, the heavy snow had finally stopped. However, although the snow had ceased, the cold wind had not. Everyone knew that winds were strong near the seaside.

Jiang Hai's manor was by the sea, so the wind was naturally intense. The strong gusts rolled up the snowflakes, like a snow machine, constantly picking up the snow that had settled on the ground. When the sun came up, the snow melted beneath, and the remaining flakes turned into ice. Jiang Hai figured that if he wanted to go outside, he'd have to jump out of the window.

By the morning, countless small ice cubes had already accumulated under the eaves of Jiang Hai's second floor. These were the snowflakes melted by the sun and refrozen into icicles before they could turn to water and fall. This situation was very common for Jiang Hai.

When he was a child, he used to eat those icicles, but now he dared not, as they were dirty.

"Hey, boss, you're up!" A rough voice came from downstairs.

Jiang Hai stood in front of the second-floor windowsill and looked down. He saw Robbins, Harriman, and Edward in the distance, driving a small car out of the warehouse. This car resembled a forklift but was much smaller. Jiang Hai had seen it before in the warehouse. According to Robbins, it was called a small snowplow, which had been left by the previous owner. Normally, the front shovel could be removed and used as a tractor for plowing land.

When needed, the shovel could be reattached to clear snow. Jiang Hai hadn't known much about it before, but now he saw that the machine had likely been bought specifically for situations like this.

"Wait for me, I'll go down to help," Jiang Hai called from upstairs. He then went to the first floor, washed his face, brushed his teeth, and changed his clothes. While he was in good physical condition, it didn't mean he wasn't afraid of the cold. In fact, people from the north are generally more sensitive to the cold, despite the fact that the north is colder. If Jiang Hai were in China, he'd be a leader in the north, but in the south, he'd freeze like anyone else. He couldn't fathom living in a place without heating.

But for now, his room was warm and comfortable. However, if he wanted to go out, he would have to gear up.

When he opened the closet, he clicked his tongue in frustration. Before it snowed, Jiang Hai hadn't felt too cold. He would feel a slight chill when he woke up in the morning to run, but he would warm up as he went. So, before the snow fell, Jiang Hai had stayed indoors without feeling anything.

But now, as he had to go out to work, he found that he didn't have any winter clothes.

When Jiang Hai left China, he hadn't packed much. He had money at the time, so he only brought a few clothes, leaving most behind. The sportswear, tracksuits, and jackets he owned now were bought after he arrived in the U.S. These clothes were not particularly thick—mostly windproof and comfortable for exercise. But now, as he needed to go out, he realized his outfit was lacking.

After thinking about it, he dressed in a sweatshirt underneath, a hoodie over that, and a thick jacket on top, thinking he was well-protected. He didn't have many pants, just a pair of sports pants and outdoor pants. He wasn't sure how cold it would be, but he figured this outfit was the best he had.

After getting dressed, he slipped into his thickest hiking shoes before heading outside. But as soon as he opened the door, Jiang Hai couldn't help but shiver. It was freezing.

Meanwhile, the two dogs who had been curious about the outdoors had calmed down. They simply went outside to do their business, then returned to lie on the carpet, enjoying the warmth from the floor beneath it.

But unlike the dogs, Jiang Hai and his employees didn't have such luxuries.

"Hey, boss, you're really rocking those cool clothes," Robbins and the others laughed when they saw Jiang Hai's outfit.

Robbins was wearing a khaki wool coat, a thick one. Harriman had a heavy down jacket on, as few people in the area wore cotton-padded jackets. Cotton-padded jackets could absorb moisture and become heavy, making them impractical in this seaside climate. Down jackets were preferred. As for Edward, the "wealthy" one, he wore a leather jacket—specifically one made from bear skin. Once, animals like bears and wolves were a nuisance in North America, and their pelts were made into coats. Nowadays, with stricter animal protection laws, such coats were rare, but Edward's was well-preserved and still looked new.

"Ugh, there's nothing else to wear. Let's just work for now. It'll warm up soon. I'll buy some thicker clothes after we finish here," Jiang Hai shrugged and replied.

Robbins chuckled, and they got to work. First, they used a bulldozer to create a snow path, then used shovels and brooms to clear the snow from either side, revealing a central path.

You can't expect to clear all the snow from the ranch. With limited manpower, the snow that had stuck to the grass was tough to remove. Snow removal is more about clearing paths in front of houses and on roads. At that moment, Jiang Hai couldn't help but envy the people living in the suburbs. They didn't need to do this; the snow in front of their houses was handled by cleaners, unlike his manor, where he had to take care of it himself.

Fortunately, the snow had just fallen and hadn't been trampled on. Plus, it wasn't as thick as expected—only about ten centimeters—so clearing it didn't take long. In less than an hour, the main road near Jiang Hai's manor had been cleared, and the team began working on the residential area.