Chapter 96 Hard Times
The rainstorm lasted for two days and three nights, sometimes heavy and sometimes light. When it was severe, the hailstones hit the dogs so hard that they cried out in pain. When it was light, the raindrops were as big as beans. Three days later, some members of the cooperative came out, wearing high rubber boots, straw hats, and plastic raincoats, and tentatively waded through knee-deep water to go to the fields.
Arriving at the fields, I saw the corn leaves ripped to shreds. The wheat, nearly ripe, looked like it had already been harvested. There was no trace of wheat ever growing there! Several decades-old trees had been uprooted and shattered. Several houses were in such disrepair that their roofs had been blown off.
When the old farmer saw this scene, his heart sank completely.
I had guessed it, but I couldn't accept it even after watching it. I squatted down in the mud and cried, holding my head in my hands.
But crying is no solution. We still have to live our lives. When the Japanese invaders came into the village and burned half of it, weren't they still alive and well?
The old people wiped their tears and talked about the past. The young people cheered up and checked their own food. There was still some old grain, cabbage, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. They counted on their fingers to calculate how many days they could endure the suffering. After this calculation, they felt relieved that they could still survive.
At this time, I was so grateful. I was grateful that I didn't sell the old grain and I was grateful that I listened to Chen Youfu.
After thinking about it this way, I was so impressed by Chen Youfu that I wanted to kneel down and shout, "Ancestor, you are my real ancestor!"
Except for a few families who sold their old grain, all the members of the Man Production Brigade were eager to take paper money and hold incense to offer sacrifices to Chen Youfu.
Chen Youfu, who was treated like a living ancestor, couldn't bear this. He was leading his men to repair the roofs of those who had lost their homes. Upon hearing this, he wiped the sweat and mud from his forehead and shouted, "Well, don't thank me. I'm not the one who's advising you. It's actually Teacher Huo. Teacher Huo is well-educated and knows a lot about astronomy and geography. He observed the night sky and saw that this year would not be peaceful, so he asked me to remind you. Otherwise, how could I tell you that the commune grain station is collecting grain and then tell you not to hand it in."
Chen Youfu is a down-to-earth person. As the production team leader, he has never taken advantage of others and has always been thinking about the people. Even now, he does not want to take credit for it, so he repeated to everyone what Huo Jinyun said to him.
Everyone was stunned when they heard it.
He knows everything about astronomy and geography, and can even observe the night sky. Isn't this the Zhuge Liang in storytelling and opera? He is a god, a god-like being!
Teacher Huo, you are truly a god descending to earth!
Chen Youfu was not in a hurry and said, "Don't just stand there, help the Li family embroider this house first."
When he shouted, everyone joined in the effort. Some moved the beams, some put up reed mats, and some mixed the mud. Strength lies in numbers, and soon the roofs of these houses were all installed.
The Li family has had a hard time these days. The whole family ran to their neighbors' house to take shelter from the rain, shivering with cold and worried. Finally, the rain has stopped and the team leader has brought people to help him repair the roof. He is so grateful that he wants to kowtow to Chen Youfu.
Everyone expressed their feelings and said, "Hello, Captain. He always cares about us. It's right to listen to him."
He also felt that Huo Jinyun was a good person, a living god, a reincarnation of Zhuge Liang, who was good at fortune-telling.
This group of people remembered that they still had some old grain at home, and then thought of Gu Weijun, Chen Youhui, Wang Guadufu and other families who were crying and shouting in despair after losing their old grain. They were really relieved. In addition to being relieved, they simply ran to the primary school of the production brigade and expressed their gratitude to Huo Jinyun who had just finished class. Some of the honest old men wanted to kowtow to Huo Jinyun on the spot.
"Teacher Huo, if it weren't for you, we wouldn't be able to keep our old grain. We would have sold it long ago. Now, how are we going to survive after we sell it?"
"Yes, it's not just our production brigade that's been affected by the disaster. Other production brigades are in the same boat. Everyone is frantically trying to buy food, but there's nothing. How can we survive?"
Everyone was frightened when they thought about it, and felt uncomfortable all over when they thought about what it felt like to be hungry. However, this fear and discomfort all turned into looks of reverence and gratitude. For a moment, Huo Jinyun was like a god in their hearts.
Huo Jinyun accepted all these thanks but didn't dare to say a word.
After everyone left, he quietly called Fubao aside and asked, "Fubao, how did you know about this?"
He knew the reason why Fubao came to him in the first place. It was not only because he had some prestige in the production team, but also because his identity made him more suitable to talk about this matter. Looking at those who treated him as a god, he was afraid and didn't even dare to tell them that it was Fubao who told him this.
Just think about it, if a knowledgeable and cultured person like me is afraid of such admiration, let alone a twelve-year-old child. If her reputation really gets out, will she be able to live a normal life in the future?
Fubao pursed his lips and smiled: "Thank you, Brother Jinyun. If it weren't for you this time, we would definitely be in big trouble. Although we only have old food to eat now, if we can hold on and endure the hardship, no one should die."
Huo Jinyun was helpless; "Fubao, what about this matter...?"
Fubao tilted his head and smiled mischievously at Huo Jinyun: "Brother Jinyun, didn't you figure this out while observing the celestial phenomena at night? Take credit for this achievement. The villagers will remember you!"
Huo Jinyun was helpless: "But I——"
Fubao stopped laughing and said seriously, "This is Brother Jinyun's achievement."
She had no way of taking the initiative, and no one would believe her even if she did. Therefore, Huo Jinyun was the most suitable person, and only Huo Jinyun could do it. This was Huo Jinyun's credit.
Huo Jinyun thought about it and decided not to say anything.
He could see that Fubao didn't want to mention this matter, so he had no choice but to not mention it.
But from that day on, the way he looked at Fubao was different from before.
Sometimes he would secretly observe Fubao, watching her read peacefully and seriously with her head down, and watching her smile innocently from time to time, he would suddenly feel a kind of awe-inspiring admiration in his heart.
This... is truly a living god!
——
After such a heavy rainstorm and such a major accident, every family was busy repairing chicken coops and pig pens, building walls and roofs, and counting the food at home. Of course, some people who were smarter than others had already gone into the mountains to pick all kinds of wild vegetables and fruits. They would pick up everything edible.
Why? Because any experienced elder would know that there would be a great famine in the world.
In a year of famine like this, even the bark of the trees would be eaten up, not to mention the weeds and other things. These are all good things, so of course we have to prepare them in advance. After picking them, we should dry them, hang them in the sun and store them, so that they won't be picked up by others later.
Some families were laughing while others were sad. Liu Zhaodi cried as if she was about to hang herself and could not sleep all night. However, Niu Sanni was very happy. She looked at her own food and was so happy that she specially steamed a pot of date cakes and ran to Miao Xiuju to give them to her: "Mom, this is a filial gift to you. This time it is really thanks to you!"
Miao Xiuju enjoyed the pot of date cake calmly.
She has let it go, and once she has let it go, she can eat more and enjoy life more.
Liu Zhaodi moved closer to Miao Xiuju several times, but she was too embarrassed to open her mouth. She wanted Miao Xiuju to take the initiative to ask for some food, but Miao Xiuju played dumb and didn't mention it, which made Liu Zhaodi very angry.
What’s even more infuriating is that every time she went there, Shen Hongying would also run over and make all kinds of teasing remarks, implying that she couldn’t give her any financial support.
Liu Zhaodi stomped her feet in anger and said, "Chen Hongying, oh Shen Hongying, do you really need to do this? What do you mean?"
Shen Hongying thought secretly, what's the point? You did something bad yourself, so don't even think about taking advantage of the old man.
As for herself, she had to dig through the old grain from last year at home, carrying a basket and a bamboo basket up the mountain. She also had to collect some wild food and live frugally!
The busiest among them is naturally Chen Youfu.
Chen Youfu was too busy taking care of his own family affairs. When the wall collapsed and he asked his wife to repair it, his wife burst into tears: "You are so busy with the production team's affairs, and you don't even care about your family? Why don't you count how long the food at home will last? You know everyone else has gone up the mountain to collect wild vegetables, but why don't you move?"
Chen Youfu stamped his feet, sighed, made up his mind, and rode his bicycle to the commune.
After such a great disaster, he had no time to take care of his family.
As soon as he left the village, there was water everywhere. The water in the ditches on the side of the road spread onto the road. Not only was the road muddy, but the water was enough to submerge half of the bicycle tire. Chen Youfu gritted his teeth and rode desperately towards the commune, falling twice along the way.
When he appeared in the commune, covered in mud, he found that the cadres in the commune were all busy.
He grabbed hold of the people and said, "Our production brigade has been hit by a disaster. All the crops have been destroyed. The members of the commune can no longer make ends meet."
A cadre in the commune asked: "Youfu, has anyone died in your commune?"
Chen Youfu was confused and shook his head.
Commune cadres: "Is there a large-scale housing collapse in your commune?"
Chen Youfu nodded, then shook his head.
There was a collapse, but it has been repaired.
Commune cadres: "Do you have waterlogging that has caused children to get lost and livestock to drift away?"
Chen Youfu thought about it and shook his head.
The commune cadre said: "What are you talking about? There's a lot going on here."
After saying that, he went about his own business.
But that way, it's obvious that your production team is fine, you are all doing well, just stay where you want.
Chen Youfu tried to catch someone again, but he failed no matter what and no one paid any attention to him.
Chen Youfu picked the mud off his trouser legs and squatted against the wall to smoke. He puffed away, finishing three eight-cent cigarettes. Finally, he stood up and mustered up the courage to go back to the cadres: "We've been through such a big thing. There must be some relief food, right?"
Cadre: “Should be.”
Chen Youfu's eyes lit up.
Cadre: "But the relief food is limited, and it will definitely be given priority to the hardest-hit areas!"
Chen Youfu wanted to say that our situation was serious, but before he could say anything, he remembered the three questions the cadre had asked him before.
He dropped his head.
At this moment, he understood that he could only rely on himself to get through this.
Public food will definitely be released to save people, but it will only be distributed to those most severely affected.
In terms of the severity of the disaster, they are not even included!
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