Chapter 106 Heavy Rain Zhou Ye decisively took off his clothes...
Old Man Liao, awakened, looked up at the sky and breathed a sigh of relief. "Don't panic, don't panic. In my experience, this rain won't stop before dark. But just in case, let's get going quickly. Everyone get on board. Aye boy, you can get on the oxcart too. Little Pu girl is skinny, so if the four of you squeeze in, we'll definitely fit."
Zhou Ye replied, "No need, Old Man Liao, just take them back."
Old man Liao waved at him and said, "Just come up when I told you to. Why are you talking so much nonsense?"
Lin Shu pursed her lips and smiled. "Aye, come on up. Although you're big and can do the work of two, Old Man Liao didn't buy much today, and we didn't bring much either, so there's plenty of room for you. Or maybe, Aye, you're embarrassed to ride in an oxcart, thinking it's inappropriate for a grown man like you to do so, and you're afraid people will laugh at you?"
Lin Xiaopu covered her mouth and chuckled, "Sister, I think you're right. Brother Ye must be afraid of being laughed at, so he doesn't want to ride in the oxcart with us."
Zhou Ye hadn't read much and didn't know what provoking someone was, but he knew that Ah Shu said that on purpose.
Seeing that Old Man Liao urged him again, Zhou Ye finally did not refuse this time. He took off the backpack on his back and got on the ox cart. He also deliberately pushed the backpack that smelled of pig intestines outward, trying to stay away from Lin Shu and the other two.
Lin Shu noticed his little action and couldn't help but jokingly said, "I don't mind its stench. This thing also smells good when you eat it, but who said it smells bad?"
Lin Xiaopu immediately said: "Sister, I think it stinks, but you don't mind it, so please get closer to Brother Aye."
Lin Shu hit her on the forehead with a melon seed.
Lin Xiaopu pouted, "My sister's temper is getting worse and worse. She hits me on the head with melon seeds at every turn. I wonder if I can handle it in the future... hehe."
When he was laughing, his eyes swept over Zhou Ye, and he was clearly trying to cover up his mistake.
Lin Shu glanced at Old Man Liao who was concentrating on driving the ox cart and pretended not to hear.
Old Man Liao was not a talkative person. They bought so many things this time. Not to mention the fresh pork in the basket, the smell of the pig intestines alone was very pungent, and even people with a dull sense of smell could smell it. Not to mention the four pieces of linen, which were extremely eye-catching. Old Man Liao didn't ask a single question.
If it were any other village woman, she would have come to find out openly or secretly whether there was any big happy event in their family, otherwise why would they buy so many good things.
But not asking doesn't mean that people are not interested.
Lin Shu thought for a moment and then took the initiative to say, "Old Man Liao, you don't seem to have bought much today."
Old Man Liao waved his bullwhip and replied, "Not much, really. Last night, two families asked me to bring something. One family had run out of salt, so they asked me to bring a small jar of salt. The other family had almost used up their needlework, so they asked me to bring back some coarse silk."
The villagers only asked him to bring things back in a few situations. They might have forgotten to buy something at the market, like oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, or needles and thread. It wouldn't be worth the trip to town for these little things, so they asked him to bring them back to the village. Since these things weren't worth much anyway, he didn't charge the villagers for them.
Or, if they had large, pre-ordered items that required a bullock cart to transport, the villagers would ask him to help pick them up. The large items took up space on the cart, leaving him with fewer people to carry, so they had to compensate him. He didn't charge, just any food—a bowl of brown rice, mixed grains, gray flour, taro, or anything else—was fine.
The most common thing he did was to be asked by villagers to bring something to the market. On market days, things were cheaper, so those who didn't plan to go to the market would ask him to bring something. If the items were small, he would bring two or three times and then give him a bowl of rice.
His wife passed away early and his son died young. In the early years, someone tried to propose marriage to this old bachelor, but when they saw that he was not interested, the idea died down.
At first, many people in the village felt sorry for him, but after he used the money he had saved for many years to buy an old ox and rented out his land to villagers to cultivate, no one in the village said he was pitiful anymore. Instead, they said he was living a comfortable life.
Now, let alone the grain in the fields, the rice and grain he collected from helping the villagers was enough for him to eat alone.
Because he himself had been looked down upon and gossiped about in the past, Old Man Liao particularly liked the two girls from Old Man Lin's family.
These two girls are amazing. One is constantly being called a sickly, short-lived ghost, while the other has gone from being the daughter of a wealthy family in the capital to a country girl, being gossiped about by the villagers behind her back. But no matter what others say, these two girls just do what they have to do, and their character is stronger than theirs. Especially this girl Lin Shu, she is so likable and has achieved much more than Lin Laoer and his wife.
"Old Man Liao, why don't you ask us why we are cutting meat and buying cloth? Aren't you curious?" Lin Shu asked.
Old man Liao said with a smile: "Is little Pu girl's health improved?"
Lin Shu clapped her hands immediately, "Old Man Liao really guessed it right. My sister went to the pharmacy today and asked the old doctor to see her. He said that my sister's pulse is strong and she is very healthy. She doesn't need to take medicine anymore! Mother and I are so happy. Such a big event must be celebrated properly. So we bought some pork, bought some new cloth, and our whole family had some Li Ji noodle soup!"
Old man Liao exclaimed, "That's indeed a great joyous occasion, we must celebrate it properly. I've always felt that there's nothing wrong with little Pu. Look at this little girl, she can jump around and run around, she doesn't look like someone who needs to take medicine every day."
Lin Xiaopu laughed and interrupted, "Old Man Liao, you have the same vision as my sister. She also thinks there's nothing wrong with me. That's why she asked my mother to bring me to town in advance. Otherwise, I would have to take medicine for a year."
He Guixiang smiled helplessly and said, "Yes, yes, this is all Mother's fault. It's all because Mother didn't notice that our little Pu had become stronger in time. Otherwise, she would have asked you to drink less medicine."
Lin Xiaopu immediately took her arm and coaxed her, "It's all thanks to you, mother, that I can recover. It doesn't matter if I drink a few more bowls of medicine, but I just want to stop taking the medicine as soon as possible to relieve you of the burden."
He Guixiang rubbed her head and said, "You learned this little mouth from your elder sister. It's getting sweeter and sweeter."
Lin Xiaopu grinned, "Of course not. My elder sister is the best at coaxing people. I must learn from her and make my father and mother happy in the future."
Lin Shu rubbed the goose bumps on her body and leaned towards Zhou Ye. "Aye, don't learn from Xiao Pu. I like your honest side. If you become slick and glib, I don't want you."
Zhou Ye looked at her lively eyes and eyebrows and hummed softly.
Seeing the family talking and laughing in a lively atmosphere, Old Man Liao couldn't help but feel envious. Life alone is free and happy, with no one to control you and you can do whatever you want. But every time he returned home, it was deserted and the stove was empty.
This man still needs a wife at home.
When the ox cart was halfway there, the wind grew stronger and the clouds above began to darken.
He Guixiang became worried, "We're still halfway there."
Old Man Liao: "I miscalculated, I miscalculated. Look at the situation. Why are we waiting until dark? I'm afraid the rain will start soon. I need to drive faster!"
"Dad Liao, it's better to be safe. Be careful not to overturn the car if you go too fast." Lin Shu reminded.
"Don't worry, girl. I'll drive the cart steadily." Old man Liao raised the whip in his hand, and the sound of whipping became increasingly frequent.
We were speeding along the way and were about to reach Tianshui Village when suddenly raindrops as big as beans fell on our heads.
The oxcart was open, so how could it protect us from the wind and rain? Old man Liao, who often drove on the road, had a bamboo hat on his head and continued on his way, but the people on the cart had no way to avoid it.
He Guixiang hugged Lin Xiaopu in her arms, and Lin Shu also raised her arms to cover Lin Xiaopu's head.
"Mother and sister, just take care of yourselves. Don't worry about me. I'm in good health. That's what the old doctor said."
Zhou Ye, who was standing by, decisively took off his clothes and handed them to Lin Shu, who was closest to him. "Ah Shu, you three should protect your heads from the rain. It's important to protect your heads, as a wet head is the most likely to catch a cold."
Lin Shu glanced at his bare arms, hesitated for a moment, and finally took it, covering herself and the heads of He Guixiang and Lin Xiaopu. The youngest, Lin Xiaopu, hid in the middle, so that his shoulders could be covered a little.
Lin Shu looked around again and saw that there were very few miscellaneous items on the ox cart today, just the backpacks and bamboo baskets they brought with them.
"Aye, move the things in the bamboo basket into the backpack and use the bamboo basket to cover it."
"I'm fine, no need." Zhou Ye said.
He went to the river to take cold showers almost every day. If he could catch a cold just by getting wet in the rain, he would have gone to hell long ago.
The bean-sized raindrops soon formed into lines, and the rain was quite heavy.
By the time the ox cart entered the village, even Old Man Liao, who was wearing a straw hat, was soaked except for his head, not to mention Lin Shu and the others. Zhou Ye's bare arms were covered with rain, and strands of water flowed down his strong body.
On the village paths, in addition to the village women rushing home in groups of three or four, the men who were originally working in the fields were also rushing back.
The rain was falling fast and furious. No one expected the sun to be blazing hot at noon. The weather had suddenly changed. Old Man Liao lived near the village entrance, but he still drove Lin Shu and the others to the end of the village in his ox cart.
"Please wait a moment, Old Man Liao." Zhou Ye went to the main hall to get the straw raincoat hanging on the wall and handed it to Old Man Liao.
Old man Liao waved his hand and said, "No, no, it's already wet. It won't hurt to wait a little longer. I'll be home in a little while on my ox cart."
Zhou Ye still insisted on giving him the raincoat.
Old man Liao couldn't refuse, so he took the raincoat and put it on hurriedly. After saying thank you, he drove away in the ox cart.
"Aunt, A'shu, go change into clean clothes quickly. The rain is getting heavier outside. I'll go pick up uncle." Zhou Ye didn't rest for a moment. He put on his hat and took the remaining straw raincoat on the wall and hurried to the field.
The few acres of land at home were far away and scattered, so Lin Dashan should be on his way back. Zhou Ye hurriedly said this and left, leaving He Guixiang no time to say anything more to him.
"Aye, this kid, is still getting wet in the rain, but he's thinking about bringing a raincoat to your father." He Guixiang scolded him, but she was happy in her heart.
The head of the family is strong and it’s no big deal for him to get wet in the rain, but she feels warmed by A Ye’s filial piety.
"Mom, let's listen to Aye and wipe ourselves clean quickly, then change our clothes. By the way, we still have the ginger we bought at the market last time. We can make some ginger soup later and each of us can have a bowl." Lin Shu said.
"Sister, you're stupid. If you want to move now, you'll get wet again after you change your clothes and go out to move the stove and get dry firewood. We only have two straw raincoats. I lent one to Old Man Liao, and Brother Aye took the other away. We don't have any more at home."
Lin Shu was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing. She had forgotten for a moment that this wasn't the time when every household had an umbrella. While oil-paper umbrellas weren't considered a luxury item, even the most common ones cost over a hundred coins. For the common people, women who stayed indoors on rainy days didn't need an oil-paper umbrella, but men who went out on rainy days could use a straw raincoat to provide adequate protection and were more practical than an oil-paper umbrella.
There are many palm trees on the mountain, and the palm bark can be sewn into straw raincoats, so every household has one or two straw raincoats.
Lin Shu and He Guixiang worked together to move the small stove from the courtyard into the main room, while Lin Xiaopu went to the firewood shed and brought in a handful of dry firewood. They also brought in a chopping board and kitchen knife, and brought in a clay pot filled with water.
After all these were prepared, the three of them simply dried their bodies with dry towels, changed their clothes, and wrung out their half-wet hair.
After Lin Shu had finished cleaning up, she quickly lit a fire on a small stove, set up the clay pot, and threw in shredded ginger to make soup.
“Boom—”
A loud thunder startled several people in the room.
Suddenly there were lightning and thunder in the sky, and the rain was heavier than before, it was actually a thunderstorm and rainstorm.
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