Xie Yan gazed at the curtain of rain in the distance, his eyes gradually becoming hazy, as if his thoughts had quietly drifted into memories of the past.

After a long while, he slowly spoke, his voice carrying a hint of remoteness, "When I was little, I had a very, very good friend. That friend was very good-looking and very smart. Back then, we also loved to run under the big tree and play in the rain, just like you."

Xie Yan's voice carried a hint of sadness. It was an ordinary rainy day, with fine rain weaving a hazy net.

My best friend and I, as usual, hid under a big, leafy tree. We played and frolicked under the tree, and the rustling sound of raindrops hitting the leaves was like background music for our fun.

Midway through, I suddenly felt a rush in my stomach, so I quickly said goodbye to my friend and left that little haven of joy.

But no one could have predicted that in just that brief moment, the gears of fate would begin to turn mercilessly.

A dazzling bolt of lightning, like a sharp blade falling from the sky, carrying destructive power, struck straight at the tree.

In an instant, a blinding light illuminated the world as if it were daytime, followed by a deafening roar that seemed to shake the entire world.

Under this thunderous rage, the tree was instantly shattered into pieces, its thick branches snapped off, and fragments of wood and branches flew in all directions like cannonballs.

And my friend, without any warning, was caught up in this terrible disaster right before my eyes, mercilessly swallowed by lightning, and instantly turned into a pile of charred remains.

At this point, Xie Yan slowly raised one hand and gently covered his eyes, trying to create an atmosphere of utter grief.

Unfortunately, his acting skills were limited, and despite his strong desire to express pain, he couldn't squeeze out a single tear.

Yu Yuehui understood perfectly and took Chaochao from Xie Yan's hands so that he could "perform" to his heart's content.

Xie Yan covered her dry eyes and pretended to cry: "Waaaaah~, my good friend was struck by lightning and turned into charred remains right before my eyes. This scene has always been a nightmare that I couldn't shake off since I was a child."

He sighed deeply and continued, "I've never understood why a perfectly healthy person can just disappear like that. It wasn't until I grew up and went to school that I learned that lightning from the sky is more likely to strike tall objects that are relatively close by."

Trees are generally taller than their surroundings and conduct electricity, making them a natural target for lightning.

"Oh, my good friend, he was ruined by that big tree."

After speaking, Xie Yan raised his eyes, which were red from rubbing them, and looked at Chaochao.

I was about to explain in more detail when I saw that Chaochao was already in tears.

She reached out her little hands and hugged Xie Yan's neck tightly, crying her heart out, "Daddy, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I was wrong, I will never dare to play under the big tree on a rainy day again."

"Waaaaaahhhhhh~"

"I don't want to be chopped into pieces! I don't want to leave my mom and dad! Waaaaaah!"

Looking at the child who wouldn't stop crying, Xie Yan felt a pang of regret, wondering if he had said something too frightening.

But then I thought, if I don't speak more harshly, how will the child learn his lesson?

After a flurry of activity, Xie Yan finally managed to calm the child down, feeling utterly exhausted.

Oh! Raising children is such a tiring job.

Although she successfully frightened the child and made her promise not to run under the tree again, Xie Yan always kept her promises.

The next morning, as soon as the rain stopped, he took Chaochao to the river.

It had just rained, and the road was muddy, wet, and slippery, so you had to be careful with every step you took.

Yu Yue held Chaochao steadily in her arms. Her steps were firm, as if she were rooted to the ground, and no slippery conditions could affect her walking.

Xie Yan followed closely behind the mother and daughter, constantly watching her steps to prevent any accidents from happening.

Before long, they arrived at the riverbank.

The sight before Xie Yan truly surprised him; the river's rise was far more ferocious than he had anticipated.

The large willow tree that once stood quietly by the river is now mostly submerged by the surging waters, with only a small section of its crown stubbornly protruding above the surface, as if it were making a final stand against the raging river, or as if it were silently telling people about the river's fierce onslaught.

Xie Yan pointed to the big willow tree and said to Chaochao, "Take a good look for yourself."

Chaochao only glanced at it before she was so frightened that she clung tightly to Yu Yuehui, saying in a tearful voice, "Come on, Mom, let's go home."

Seeing that the child was already scared, Xie Yan had no intention of letting her off the hook. He walked around to the front and said with a half-smile, "You only took one look. Could you have missed it?"

Chaochao shook her head frantically, her voice filled with fear, "I saw it clearly, Dad, let's go home quickly."

Xie Yan looked at Chaochao, who was clinging tightly to her mother and urging her to go home, and raised an eyebrow slightly, secretly amused.

Hmph! You little brat, I've got you figured out!

As for why this method wasn't used on Mao Dan, it can only be said that every child needs a different approach to education.

That kid Mao Dan gets so engrossed in playing that he forgets everything else. His mind is filled with nothing but playing. Reasoning with him and scaring him doesn't work at all. Only real pain can bring him back to his senses for a short time.

After an afternoon of drying, early the next morning, everyone took on the heavy task of carrying wheat and began a new round of work.

The wheat that could be transported by cart has already been brought back. What remains are areas where carts cannot pass, and where harvesting requires walking along cliff edges.

The place we're going to for today's thank-you banquet is just like this.

There was originally no road here; it was just an extremely narrow path worn out by people coming and going.

This path leads to another mountain behind a small rocky hill. The soil on the rocky hill is barren, and nothing else can be grown except for trees. The shortest route to the opposite mountain is through this rocky hill.

The mountain path is rugged and narrow, allowing only one person to pass at a time. Walking on this path, one must be constantly careful of one's footing, as a slight misstep can lead to a fall. When climbing uphill, one must hold tightly to the trees along the roadside and use their strength to make the difficult ascent.

That wasn't all. Because they were carrying heavy loads of wheat on their backs, they had to lean to one side and move forward carefully in many places to avoid the wheat being scraped and scattered by the branches. Every step was full of hardship.

For Xie Yan, who is not good at walking on such mountain paths, this was undoubtedly even more difficult, and every step he took seemed to require all his strength.