Fortunately, in this rural area, every household had its own stove, so it was not too cold.

They grew vegetables, so we didn't go hungry.

But I didn't expect my sister to cause trouble again. Being pregnant, she demanded fresh fruit.

At a time like that, who would have had fresh fruit at home?

Her boyfriend looked a bit troubled as he said, "Well, there are cherry trees on the hill behind our house, but…"

His meaning was clear. But as it never snowed in this place before, no one had thick clothes on hand.

In this kind of weather, if anyone were to go up the hill to pick cherries, they might freeze to death before they even got there.

But how could my sister, being such a spoiled princess, ever give up? Wrapped in the only thick blanket in the house, she cried, gasping for breath between sobs.

"I want to eat the cherries. I have to eat them! I'm pregnant, and you all have to meet my every demand!" she shouted.

My parents slowly turned their gaze to me and tossed me a slightly thicker coat. Before I could even agree, they pushed me out the door.

"Cassie, as the older sister, you need to pamper your sister. Hurry up and go pick some cherries. Your sister is eager to eat them!"

Once I was outside, they locked the door tightly behind me, turned, and went back inside, as if I were a stranger.

I was still wearing the sweater and coat I had on when I arrived, and with the extra jacket, I couldn't handle the cold after just ten minutes outside.

An hour later, I slowly collapsed in the snow.

...

"Cassie, Cassie! Are you still listening? Why aren't you saying anything?"

My mother's urgent voice pulled me back to reality. As I came to my senses, I couldn't help but feel the chill from my previous life again and instinctively wrapped the blanket around myself.

"Are you even listening to what I'm saying?" my mother snapped.

I thought for a moment and decided to test the waters.

"Mom, I think preparing the gifts is your and Dad's responsibility. I haven't been married, so I wouldn't know what to buy. Besides, I have a business trip in a few days."

My mother must have turned on the speakerphone, because my father, who had been listening on the side, spoke up.

"Cassie, what are you talking about? Preparing gifts is a family affair. Aren't you part of this family?"

My mother immediately added, "Exactly. As the older sister, shouldn't you be more considerate of your younger sister?

"She is pregnant now, and your dad and I have to take care of her. All I'm asking is for you to buy some gifts. Is that really so difficult?

"And about your business trip, you should cancel it right away. We're counting on you to do what's needed when we arrive."

With that, she hung up the phone abruptly. So I was their servant for this trip.

I suppressed my anger and thought, Fine, if you all want to go and die there, go ahead. This time, I won't go with you.

On the day of departure, I packed two large suitcases and headed to the airport.

My parents, my sister, and her boyfriend were already inside waiting for me. When my mother saw me rushing over, her previously cheerful expression instantly turned to one of impatience.

She scolded, "Why can't you ever be on time? The whole family is waiting for you. Your sister is pregnant. Can't you be more considerate?"

My father also looked displeased. Seeing this, my sister immediately clung to them, acting cute.

"Mom, Dad, Cassie is always like this. Don't get upset. I'd feel terrible if you got sick from being angry."

Her words easily made my parents smile. My mother hugged my sister and kept praising her.

"Aww, my baby is so considerate. Let's go."

"Um... I..." My hesitance made my mother even more annoyed.

She barked, "What now? You're always so fussy!"

I explained in a low voice, "The bag Julia likes is arriving tomorrow morning. Why don't you go ahead first? I'll fly there as soon as I get the bag."

Since they wouldn't reach my sister's boyfriend's house until the next morning, this timing worked out perfectly.

Besides, my sister had been obsessing over this bag, so I was sure she'd want me to stay.

She bounced up and down, grabbing my arm and asking, "Is it true, Cassie?"

Suppressing the urge to strangle her, I said, "Of course, I waited in line for a long time and paid extra for this bag, so I absolutely cannot miss the appointment. Otherwise, they might never sell it to me again."

My mother, seeing my sister still bouncing around despite being pregnant, couldn't help but complain.

"Julia, it's just a bag. Don't forget you are pregnant now."

She turned around and rolled her eyes at me, saying, "Come on, it's just a bag. When can't you get it?"

To my surprise, my sister acted completely out of character. She swatted away our mother's hand, pouted, and started to act all cute and clingy again.

"You don't understand, Mom. Let Cassie stay and get it tomorrow, okay? I have to get this bag before my roommate does!"

Since she was little, my sister had always gotten her way due to her stubbornness. My parents could only give me a harsh look before taking them and leaving.

After seeing them off, I felt a sense of relief. I immediately went home to start packing. I vaguely remembered that the severe weather from my previous life lasted about half a month before it gradually returned to normal.

To get through it smoothly, I began a large shopping spree at the supermarket.

Since I couldn't cook, I bought a lot of ready-made food, including canned goods and instant meals, and plenty of vegetables and pre-packaged ingredients.

...

I even got thick carpets because the underfloor heating might not work.

Since there was underfloor heating at home and work, I didn't wear down jackets or use thick blankets. So, I also bought some down jackets and comforters.

After buying everything, I had to think about the power supply. I remembered there had been sunlight in my previous life, so I immediately went to a store and got two large solar panels before dinner. They fit perfectly on the rack on the balcony.

After doing all this, I still feel a little uneasy. Everything I purchased was delivered to my apartment building's gate by the store owner and supermarket staff.

At a time like this, I needed to be cautious. Our neighborhood was new with a low occupancy rate, so buying so many things made me stand out.

I then ordered many power banks and small gas stoves online and bought several propane tanks.

This way, even if the water and electricity went out, I could still use propane.

Clean water was crucial. I remembered that the pipes had frozen and burst on the second day of the catastrophe.

I ordered 200 bottles of water from the water delivery company and bought a lot of snacks.

I also downloaded many TV shows and movies in case the internet went out.

It was late into the night by the time I finished all this, and just as I was about to rest, my sister sent me a message.

[Cassie, make sure not to damage my bag when you come tomorrow. It would be best if you could fly business class. I don't want my bag to smell like those poor people.]

When I didn't respond in two minutes, she started bombarding me with messages again.

[Cassie, did you get my message?]

[Okay,] I replied.

She finally stopped texting me.

The next morning, I got a new SIM card and a new phone, planning to use the old one for the show that was about to start.

Before noon, Julia's messages started flooding in again.

[Cassie Murphy! Why would you buy such things? Are you deliberately trying to embarrass me?!]

Before I could reply, my mother called and scolded, "Cassie Murphy, are you intentionally trying to embarrass us?"

Feigning innocence, I asked, "Mom, what are you talking about? What did I do wrong again?"

My mother said in a hushed but exasperated tone, "I told you to buy high-end gift sets, but you didn't get any! Instead, you bought all this junk!

"You're making us look bad. Your future brother-in-law's family will think our family is so poor that we're eager to get rid of your sister!

"Hurry up and go to a specialty store to buy the most expensive gifts. Then send them along with your sister's bag to us!"

I hurriedly said in a helpless tone, "Sorry, Mom, but I was unexpectedly assigned a business trip this morning. I've already sent the bag to Julia. Please make sure to pick it up. Besides, my future brother-in-law's family is not that materialistic. They won't look down on those gifts."

...

My mother, clearly not caring about her surroundings, snapped, "So you're not coming? What about us and your sister? This place is run-down and shabby. Are we supposed to clean it up ourselves?"

...

Her remarks made my future brother-in-law's family more upset, but she didn't realize at all what was wrong with her words.

She continued, more agitated than ever, "Didn't I tell you to cancel your business trip? Hurry up and come here. Otherwise, we won't even have a place to sleep tonight!"

Without waiting for my response, she hung up the phone again.

I muted my phone, and comfortably settled into a lounge chair on the balcony, enjoying the pleasant warmth.

I gradually dozed off, and when I woke up, it was almost evening.

The terrifying cold front had arrived, making the warmth of my home feel even more comforting.

Just then, my mother called again.