Today's tasks are heavy, I can't dawdle!
"I'm done eating, time to get to work," Wang Lei said, taking his lunchbox to the sink to wash it before putting it in the cafeteria.
Many people went to the fields one after another to start their afternoon work!
He Tiantian walked at the back, moving very slowly, muttering to herself, "Gurgle gurgle meow, Snake King, can you hear me?"
"Yes!" the Snake King said lazily, as if he were taking a nap.
He Tiantian worked tirelessly under the sun alongside those tiny humans, sweating profusely. She saw how hard they were working, and if she didn't say anything, she would feel a little guilty.
He Tiantian was so envious; she also wanted to take a nap. However, during the busy farming season, such treatment was not available. Now, a heavy rain was imminent, so she couldn't sleep.
“Snake King, I knew it was going to rain, but the sky was cloudless. If I told others it was going to rain, they wouldn’t believe me,” He Tiantian said. “Besides, even if I tell them now, they won’t believe me. But after it rains, they’ll ask me how I knew it was going to rain in advance, and I won’t be able to explain it to them!”
The Snake King was speechless. With He Tiantian's intelligence, she really couldn't complete such a task.
Oh well, let it be merciful and let the snake see it through to the end.
"Actually, it's very simple. It's not just the sky and clouds that can predict the weather," said the Snake King. "You can look at your feet. Ants are walking in pairs on a hot day, frogs are croaking in the fields, fish in the lake are breathing on the surface, and there are lots of bubbles in the lotus pond. These are all signs that it's about to rain."
It's not obvious yet, but the Snake King can use his magic to make these signs more apparent.
This place is a bit far from the lotus pond, so He Tiantian can't see it for the time being, but if she looks down, she can see ants walking in pairs.
He Tiantian's memories of her past life unfolded. She suddenly remembered a sudden downpour in her past life that soaked the grains that everyone had worked so hard to harvest. In order to prevent the rice from sprouting, every household used large pots to dry it, which was time-consuming and laborious.
There was indeed a heavy rain, but He Tiantian couldn't remember the exact date or time.
Now that the Snake King has given her a warning, He Tiantian can't just sit idly by.
"Ah!" He Tiantian exclaimed in surprise.
"What's wrong? Hiccuping again?" Sister Wu turned around and asked He Tiantian behind her.
He Tiantian pointed to the ants on the ground and said, "Look at these ants, they're in swarms. In our area, there's a saying that if this happens, it will rain."
"Rain?" Sister Wu was taken aback, looked up at the sky, and laughed, "Impossible! It's going to be a sunny day today! There isn't a cloud in the sky, how could it rain?"
Ye Xiaofan covered her mouth and laughed, "Sweetie, you're overthinking it. How could it rain so heavily on such a beautiful day!"
Wang Lei lowered his head, his brows furrowed, and said, "Don't rush to refute Tian Tian. In my hometown, we have a similar saying: ants swarming together means heavy rain. Especially now, the ants are swarming up that higher slope because the rain has flooded their nests in the lower areas, so they're moving their nests to higher ground before the rain. Let's go check the pond. If there are fish surfacing or foam on the surface, then it will definitely rain. As for when it will rain, we don't know. But it's better to take precautions than not."
Just as they were discussing, Qi Shuli overheard them and scolded, "What nonsense are you spouting? It's such a beautiful day, where did this heavy rain come from? Stop talking nonsense! Get to work in the fields!"
"Yes, Accountant Qi," Wang Lei said with a smile, and led his men away.
Qi Shuli is the accountant of Qijia Village. He is used to bullying others, so Wang Lei and the others will not confront him head-on!
After Wang Lei and the others left, the others also noticed the ants on the ground. Not everyone was as lacking in common sense and blindly confident as Qi Shuli.
Qi Xiaoyan, who was helping with the dishes and chores, noticed the situation after hearing Wang Lei and He Tiantian's conversation. She had heard about it before, during biology class at school.
The grain has just been harvested and hasn't been dried yet. If it gets rained on, all the grain will be ruined.
"Second Grandpa, I have something to do. I'll come back to wash the dishes later." Qi Xiaoyan wiped her hands on her apron and ran to the field before even taking it off.
"Don't worry, just leave it there and I'll wash it," Chef Qi Erye chuckled, not minding Qi Xiaoyan leaving.
On her way to find her father, Qi Xiaoyan encountered He Tiantian and her group.
"Xiao Yan, why are you running so fast?" He Tiantian grabbed Qi Xiao Yan, hoping to be of help.
Qi Xiaoyan smiled shyly and said, "I just saw ants moving in groups from low to high places on the ground. I read about this in my biology textbook before. It's a sign that it's going to rain. I have to tell my father. If it really rains, all the hard work our whole village has done for half a year will be wasted if we're not prepared."
These educated youths rarely saw Qi Xiaoyan; they only knew her as a rather shy and introverted girl. Hearing her words today, they realized she was a responsible and good young woman.
“Yes, we saw it just now too. Accountant Qi even said we were spreading rumors.” Zhang Qingshan said angrily, “Look at the pond in front, there are a lot of bubbles, which is also a sign that it’s going to rain. Although the fish in the water haven’t surfaced yet, it can still prove that it might rain.”
They dared not say much; if it rained, they wouldn't receive the reward. But if it didn't rain, their conversation might make them targets of criticism. No one wanted to do something so thankless and arduous.
When Wang Lei saw Qi Xiaoyan arrive, he had a plan in mind. He said, "Xiaoyan, since you also know about this situation, why don't you talk to Secretary Qi privately? If we go and talk to him, and it doesn't rain, it will be difficult for us, as educated youth, to handle the situation."
Wang Lei was tactful and his advice was indeed a way for the educated youth to protect themselves.
Qi Xiaoyan nodded and said, "I know, you mean well. I'll talk to my father and tell him to be prepared."
"Xiao Yan, I'm going to the threshing ground, I'll go with you." He Tiantian said, and walked towards the threshing ground with Qi Xiaoyan.
Before leaving, Sister Wu gave He Tiantian a wink, reminding her not to say anything out of line and to let Qi Xiaoyan say everything.
Ye Xiaofan, not to mention anything, followed behind He Tiantian and Qi Xiaoyan to the threshing ground.
Secretary Qi was supervising everyone's work, and he wasn't idle either. He was helping to shake the freshly harvested rice and using the natural wind to clean out the impurities from the rice.
He Tiantian and Ye Xiaofan went to the threshing ground to replace Huang Jingli and Lin Xiaoru.
When Lin Xiaoru saw Qi Xiaoyan approaching, she asked with a forced smile, "He Tiantian, why is Qi Xiaoyan here? You two are such good friends, why don't you go and see her?"
The words subtly implied that He Tiantian was just a sycophant!
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