Yan Xiao took the lead, grabbing a hoe and wading into the water to find a place to clear the blockage.
Everyone quickly grabbed their hoes and went to the fields.
While the men were working in the fields to dredge water and repair irrigation ditches, the elderly, women, and children in the village were also busy.
People spontaneously went to each household in the village to check for leaks or seepage that needed repair.
Yan Xiao left in a hurry in the morning, knowing that he might not have time to come back to cook lunch.
She then told Wen Qinghe that if she was hungry, she could take a boxed lunch from her space to tide her over.
It was already 3 p.m., and Wen Qinghe had almost finished digesting the hamburger and taro pie she had for lunch, but Yan Xiao still hadn't returned.
I'm worried that he'll be too busy to eat properly.
Unable to contain myself, I took two hot potato and beef claypot rice dishes from my storage space and poured them into an aluminum lunchbox.
I poured another large pot of diluted warm water.
I put these things into a basket, covered them with a cotton towel, changed into my rain boots, and prepared to go out to deliver his food.
…
The road at the foot of the mountain is not wide.
Originally a mud road, after Yan Xiao built his house, there weren't many stones left, so he crushed them all and paved them on the path extending from his front door.
While other roads were muddy, this section was actually the easiest to walk on.
Wen Qinghe was wearing a white polyester shirt and black slim-fit trousers for convenience.
Normally, when people rarely see her going out, they would have already curiously gone up to chat with her.
Right now, nobody's in the mood for that.
With the crops gone, people might not even have enough to eat, so who has the time to care about others?
Yang Guihua saw Wen Qinghe carrying a basket and going out alone, and her words showed concern:
"Xiao He, are you feeling better? Where are we going?"
"Aunt Guihua, I'm going to bring my husband his meal."
"Oh dear, you have such thin arms and legs, and you're not in good health. It just rained, and the roads in the fields are slippery right now!"
“Little Zhao, the educated youth, came back limping this morning. What if you accidentally fall and hurt yourself? How about I help you take it?”
Wen Qinghe gently thanked Aunt Guihua for her kindness.
"No need, Auntie. I'm not that fragile. I'll walk slowly, I'll be fine."
Yang Guihua couldn't persuade her otherwise, so she said, "Oh, then wait a moment, Auntie. I'll go with you. I'll also bring a couple of cornbreads for my husband to eat."
With someone to keep her company, and it was Aunt Guihua, whom she knew well, Wen Qinghe readily agreed.
The muddy road that used to be difficult to walk on has become much easier.
The two chatted about everyday things along the way, mostly Yang Guihua talking while Wen Qinghe listened with a smile, occasionally chiming in.
It took us more than half an hour to get to the place.
With the river channel dredged, most of the water in the fields has receded.
There was so much rain that, despite dredging efforts, nearby rivers overflowed the horizon.
The crops were all submerged in water, and most of them collapsed into the mud.
It was both sorrowful and despairing.
We are all native farmers, and as far back as we can remember, we know that crops represent food and clothing.
For them, this is their daily struggle for survival and their hope for living.
Before our eyes is a harvest that is almost entirely barren.
Yang Guihua's heart skipped a beat, and she almost lost her balance.
"Oh God! What a tragedy! They haven't even left us a way out!"
Wen Qinghe pursed her lips.
If she hadn't come here, she might never have truly understood what it means to have every meal hard-earned.
Li Shen's "Sympathy for the Peasants" is a piece that almost every young child in modern society can recite.
However, due to the improvement of living standards, few people really care about the hard work behind each grain of rice.
Short videos feature various health experts who advocate for cleanliness and hygiene, and advise against eating leftovers that have been left overnight.
Food bloggers take photos at their posts, and for the sake of views, they post a whole table full of food in one go. By the time the photos are taken, people are already full before they even eat anything.
Restaurants of all sizes dump large amounts of leftover food into swill buckets every day after customers leave and tables are cleared.
Packing up has become a synonym for vanity and shame.
They say they should remember their benefactors after a good meal, but in reality, wastefulness is ingrained in their bones and is practiced in every aspect of their lives.
All I can say is that they're a bunch of people who've never experienced hardship.
It is often said that the older generation was frugal, and they had a lifelong habit of saving every penny.
But anyone who comes from an era where hunger is ever-present would find it difficult to develop a culture of extravagance.
…
As Yan Xiao plunged into the field and dug a ditch with his bare hands, he faintly heard his wife's voice.
I thought I had misheard.
But when he looked up instinctively, he saw the little girl standing quietly on the edge of the field.
Without even bothering to clean his muddy hands, he quickly walked to the edge of the field.
"Why are you here? It's all slippery mud here. What if you slip and fall?"
Wen Qinghe: "I was worried you were hungry, so I came here to bring you food."
Yan Xiao was both delighted and distressed, as it would take at least half an hour to walk here from home.
When will he ever let his wife walk so far?
Looking down at the spot where she was standing, a little further back was the spot where Zhao Lele had slipped that morning.
He didn't care about the thick mud on his hands at that moment. He immediately reached out his arm, hooked the little girl's soft waist, lifted her up, and carried her away from that spot.
She breathed a sigh of relief only after confirming that her current position was safe.
He had clenched his fist, keeping a certain distance from the girl's white shirt, so the clothes weren't soiled.
The man looked the girl up and down, noticing the mud splattered all over her trousers, reaching her knees, and his thick brows furrowed.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
