The thunderstorm lasted all night.
The weather was getting colder and it was raining heavily. Zhou Chenyu had wanted to sleep all day, but she didn't expect that her biological clock was already set and it would be difficult for her to sleep for even a little longer.
As I opened the door, a cool breeze blew into the room, raindrops dripped from the eaves, and dark clouds covered the sky as if they had been splashed with ink.
Zhou Chenyu searched the entire house but couldn't find Baoyu and Li Xiuju. "It's still raining, where did they go? Even the soybeans are gone."
She walked straight outside. The water in the paddy field had risen to the ground, and the rice seedlings that had been planted just a few days ago all floated to the surface, with some even disappearing without a trace as the water flowed.
The ridges near the stream were much higher, but the rice seedlings in the fields were not doing much better. One ridge was washed away by the floodwaters, and the weeds and seedlings next to the ridge fell in one direction. Dead branches and mud were carried into the fields, filling more than half of the rice seedlings.
The villagers, wearing straw hats, came out and saw their fields flooded, their faces showing worry.
"What a disaster! Why is it raining so heavily?"
"It's like the sky has a hole punched in it, water keeps pouring down, flooding everywhere, and all the rice seedlings are ruined."
"The rice seedlings were only planted a few days ago, and now they've turned out like this. Not only did we waste our efforts, but we also ruined the seeds! It was all for nothing, sigh."
"God is blind!"
The villagers cursed each other for a few minutes, then, without even having breakfast, rolled up their trousers and hurriedly jumped into the field, scooping up whatever they could to save.
The stream beside Zhoujia Village had swelled, its current swift and filled with yellow sand and withered branches. It was impossible to wash clothes there, so Li Xiuju carried the clothes back to the courtyard.
Soaked in the rain, Huangdou followed me into the house and sat on the threshold, licking his fur.
Seeing Zhou Chenyu standing in the wind, Li Xiuju asked worriedly, "Didn't you say you wanted to sleep in a little longer? Why are you up so early?"
"I can't sleep." Zhou Chenyu stretched and yawned, then followed him into the room. "Where's Baoyu? Why isn't he here?"
Li Xiuju took out the bucket, filled it with well water, and carried it under the eaves. "There's a section of the road leading in from the village entrance that's been blocked by a landslide. The village chief told each household to send someone to rest there, and I sent Baoyu. I know you can't get up, so I've put some buns in the pot to steam. Eat them while they're hot."
Qingshui Town is located in the south, and people mainly eat rice and porridge for three meals a day. Li Xiuju only makes steamed buns occasionally.
Zhou Chenyu took a soft, fluffy bun from the pot, broke it in half, and found that the filling was made of pork. It was soft and fluffy, and the filling was full of meaty aroma. Just one bun was enough to make you feel full.
Li Xiuju looked up hurriedly, "Why have you only eaten one?"
Zhou Chenyu knew that if she said she was full after eating only one, Li Xiuju would nag endlessly, so she mumbled, "I'm tired of eating, I'll eat some more later."
She moved a small stool and sat lazily to one side, then called Huangdou over, sandwiching its chubby body between her legs, and stroking its head whenever she had a chance.
After a few days of hectic activity, Zhou Chenyu suddenly stopped and sighed, "Ah, it's so much more comfortable and carefree to stay at home than to stay at the Tang residence, where all those rules and regulations confine you so tightly."
Li Xiuju smiled faintly, "Mother doesn't care whether it's in the village or somewhere else. As long as you and Baoyu are doing well, and the three of us have food to eat and a house to live in, I will be content."
Zhou Chenyu put her hand into the rain, the water seeping through her fingers, and smiled faintly: "That's true, life is short, being content with what you have is not necessarily a bad thing."
It had been raining all day. Li Xiuju had finished hanging up the laundry and had nothing to do. Since she was idling around anyway, she started thinking about dinner. "There are still two pieces of meat hanging in the well. Tomorrow is market day, and we can buy some fresh meat after we finish eating. How about I make some stuffed tofu tonight, and also make a soup with wolfberry leaves and lean pork to cool off and relieve the summer heat?"
Zhou Chenyu recalled the crucian carp and tofu soup from last night; the tofu was as tender as jelly. She frowned, "The tofu was delicious, but it's raining outside. Where can we buy tofu..."
Li Xiuju smiled faintly, "You've been staying at the Tang residence these past few days, so you don't know what's going on in the village. Aunt Zhou's eldest son bought a graphite stone to make tofu and sell at the market. The soft tofu we ate last night was bought from him."
Zhou Chenyu was completely bewildered. "Such a good thing?"
She had only ever bought ready-made tofu and had never seen how it was made. Why not go and see for herself?
The mother and daughter had a simple lunch, and when the rain subsided a bit, they put on their straw hats and headed towards Zhou Huilan's house.
Zhou Huilan's house was in the same area as theirs, but on a much higher elevation. After locking the wooden door, Huang Dou led the way as they walked up the bluestone steps.
The sky was overcast and rain was falling continuously. The moss on the stone steps was slippery. Zhou Chenyu helped Li Xiuju walk slowly. After walking only a short distance, the hem of their skirts was already wet from the rain.
Li Xiuju was worried that the rain would get heavier in the afternoon, so she took advantage of the light rain and turned into a side road to pick some goji berries.
Goji berries grow wildly on barren grasslands, with a dozen or so plants scattered in one field. The tender ones only reach knee height, while the older ones have stems longer than an adult. Because there are few branches branching out from the stems, they can be easily distinguished at a glance.
The stems of wolfberry leaves have thorns, so Zhou Chenyu and Li Xiuju only picked the innermost part of the leaves. This way, they could pick the tenderest leaves without getting pricked.
After picking the wolfberries, they took their baskets and went straight to Zhou Huilan's house. When they arrived, the family was making tofu.
Two young men, shirtless, worked together to push a graphite pole, while a girl of about ten years old stood in front of the graphite, continuously feeding soybeans into it.
Seeing this, Li Xiuju laughed and said, "You're making tofu? Oh dear, it seems I've come at the perfect time. Once you've finished making the tofu, I'll be the first to get the freshest one."
Zhou Huilan's son's business had only been running for a short time, and with the support of the neighbors, Zhou Huilan was overjoyed. Seeing them arrive, she quickly moved two stools over and chatted with them for a while.
"Xiuju, you know how much trouble it takes to make tofu. How can it be done in a short time? Just tell me how many pieces you want, and I'll personally deliver them to your house once they're ready."
Li Xiuju shook her head and smiled, "It's all because of this girl. She wanted to see how tofu is made."
Zhou Chenyu obediently put his hands behind his back and smiled at Zhou Huilan, "Auntie, if you don't mind, please feel free to ask me for anything. I haven't eaten for long and I have plenty of energy."
Zhou Huilan found these words quite agreeable, and her smile became even brighter. "There are several strong young men here. How could it be a chance for a little girl like you? Come on, sit down and have a bowl of tofu pudding before you leave."
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