Jiang Zhi turned to Xu Genqing and Lianhua, who were at a loss, and said, "Just pack some clothes and sleep on the floor over at the warehouse tonight. We'll move them back after we've finished renovating the shack."
Upon hearing that he could stay in the storeroom for a few days, Xu Genqing felt a great weight lifted from his heart and readily agreed, "Okay, I'll do as you say, Auntie!"
Jiang Zhi stopped her foot, glanced at Qin Shi beside her, and said earnestly, "Genqing, I hope you still treat me as the village chief, not as your aunt. Behave yourself while living in the warehouse. Don't think that just because we're family, it's easy to talk to each other and that you can treat yourself like an outsider."
Xu Genqing nodded in agreement.
The thought that had just arisen in Qin's mind vanished instantly.
Watching Jiang Zhi's departing figure disappear into the distance, she couldn't help but gesticulate wildly behind her and silently curse: "You're like a tortoise flipping over a paddy field ridge, what are you pretending to be, some big shot!"
Several families still moved into the drying shed under the warehouse that night, but Jiang Zhi personally inspected and approved all of them.
Seeing several families carrying straw mats and bedding over, Li Laoshi raised his head, put his hands on his hips, and said in a serious tone, "The village chief said you can stay here for a few days. But you have to listen to my rules. This is a warehouse, so you are not allowed to light fires here."
Everyone knew that the warehouse he mentioned was actually empty, containing only a few baskets of herbs.
But the fact that they were allowed to move in was already a favor from Aunt Jiang, and they didn't want to offend Li Laoshi, that scoundrel, so they let him swagger around.
Xiaoman, Errui, and Jiangzhi did not go home that night.
Under Jiang Zhi's supervision, all able-bodied men and women in the village, regardless of gender, took time out of their spare time to work at night after everyone had settled down at home, so as not to delay their daytime work.
Torches were lit, illuminating the village ditches as bright as day.
Dozens of people gathered around the dams that had collapsed due to the torrential rain, and the place became a hubbub of noise.
During the day, Tian Gui and his group had already prepared a repair plan and completed some of the infrastructure work.
This is where the advantage of having many people and strength comes into play.
In batches and groups, baskets of soil were carried or shouldered, flowing over like a stream.
Having worked together before to harvest corn, they have experience in this area. Anyway, with someone giving instructions, everyone else follows orders.
Everyone worked until the moon was high in the sky, repairing the foundations of the three collapsed weirs and one pond to restore their water storage function.
The remaining task is to increase the height of the weir, which can be done later.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and no one complained about working late into the night.
For farmers, water is their lifeline, and fighting is commonplace in the struggle for more water.
The heavy rain has just passed. Although there is water in the fields and the ground is moist, it will only take three or five days of sunshine before the fields need to be irrigated again.
If the dam is not repaired soon, the whole village will soon face a water shortage.
Then, it will be another disaster.
The people repairing the dam were overjoyed and worked with increasing enthusiasm, but the scene inside the warehouse was quite different.
Among those who moved to the storeroom to stay, besides the resentful Qin Shi, there was also Xu Changming, who was faking his death.
He really didn't want to move in, but he had no choice.
Because the shed collapsed during the rainy night yesterday, and Xu Changming stubbornly refused to accept Jiang's favor, he just stayed at the edge of the drying shed and didn't even want to drink the ginger soup that had been prepared.
He was busy building shacks during the day and felt very tired, so he decided to come to the warehouse and pretend to be dead to rest for a while.
At first, Xu Changming only felt heavy-headed and aching all over, and was dizzy and disoriented. But gradually, he felt as if he were being fried on an iron plate, with a splitting headache, and he couldn't even open his eyes.
He wanted to call for help!
But by this time, all those who could work had gone out to work at night, leaving only a few elderly women with their children in the warehouse.
Xu Changming was all alone; he lay on the ground in the drying shed, groaning softly.
Li Laoshi strolled over, his tone laced with sarcasm: "Old Master Xu, are you lying down too comfortably and starting to sing?"
Xu Changming didn't want to speak, but his head was throbbing so badly that he could only whisper, "Bring me a bowl of water!"
Li Laoshi raised his eyebrows, forming an inverted V shape, and grinned, "Old man, are you still half asleep? Who are you ordering around?"
Xu Changming remained silent.
Li Laoshi curled his lip, turned around and left, muttering to himself as he went, "Your Grandpa Li isn't someone anyone can just order around. Don't you know who you are?"
But soon Xu Changming started groaning again, and someone went over to check on him: "Master Changming, are you sick?"
Xu Changming coughed twice.
"Sick? Who's sick? Let me see!"
Li Laoshi, who was idly sitting with his legs crossed to cool off, suddenly jumped up.
He darted over to Xu Changming's side in a few strides, reached out and touched his forehead. Sure enough, it was burning hot. He exclaimed in surprise, "Oh dear, old man Xu, your forehead is hot enough to fry an egg! It's just that there's no oil, it's burning dry."
All the people resting under the shade of the pavilion gathered around. A woman exclaimed in alarm, "Oh dear, Master Changming has a fever. It's dark and the road is slippery. We need to find a doctor quickly, or things will get really bad."
Xu Changming was nearly sixty years old, which was considered advanced age in this era. He usually looked quite healthy, but when he fell ill, it was a serious matter.
Li Laoshi's expression turned serious, and he calmly said, "What are you afraid of? It's just a cold and fever. It's no use calling his family; they're not doctors."
See these herbs? Feel free to eat them!
It's said that studying medicine makes you more timid: "After three years of initial study, you can treat any illness. After another three years, you can treat any illness."
There's another saying from a Taoist practitioner that's very apt, and we can borrow it here:
After three years of cultivation, he uttered wild words.
I will study for another three years and dare not speak recklessly.
He studied for another three years and became taciturn.
Three years from now, nothing more needs to be said.
Three more years passed in silence.
Three years from now, silence will speak.
Jiang Zhi knew the complexity of medicine well, and the more she saw, the more she doubted herself. She never prescribed medicine to people casually.
Now, Li Laoshi, a complete novice who only knows a few kinds of medicine, shamelessly claims he can treat people's illnesses.
Because Li Laoshi was known in the village as a boastful and capable man, he could easily fool everyone with just a few words.
So, whatever medicine was in the warehouse was used: Prunella vulgaris, Lysimachia christinae, Perilla frutescens, Mentha haplocalyx, Schizonepeta tenuifolia, Pueraria lobata, and even Loach stalks, Vitex negundo root, Houttuynia cordata, Acorus calamus...
Various herbs were put into the clay pot, filling it to the brim. The lid could hardly be closed. Anyone who didn't know better would think they were boiling cow medicine.
After boiling, turn the heat to low and simmer for another 15 minutes. Li Laoshi ladled out a large bowl, let it cool slightly, and then poured it down Xu Changming's throat while it was still hot.
When a sudden illness is treated with strong medicine, the effect comes very quickly.
The moment the medicine was swallowed, Xu Changming's skin became like a sieve with holes, and a bowl of water would seep out in the blink of an eye.
Large beads of sweat dripped from Xu Changming's forehead and vest, wetting his hair and clothes, making him radiate heat.
The high fever subsided as the patient sweated profusely, and the symptoms of headache and body stiffness also disappeared.
Xu Changming felt as if he had finally come back to life from a state of utter misery, and he let out a long breath: "That feels so good!"
Li Laoshi clapped his hands and laughed: "Old Xu, I, Li Laoshi, saved your life. How should you thank me!"
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