As adults, Shui Qing and Fan Jin wouldn't pry too much into Bai Ziqian's time at Sun Jinhua's house.
But the five children Yan Qiuxing returned to Jianghehu were different. As allies who had suffered under the same mother, Fan, and Sun Jinhua, they felt particularly empathetic when they talked about it.
As if he had found kindred spirits, Bai Ziqian and the five others had endless topics to discuss.
When I ate potatoes again, I felt they were a rare delicacy!
It's soft and chewy, and doesn't irritate the throat. It's so delicious!
Moreover, he discovered that whether it's stir-fried, stewed, or steamed, even if it's roasted blackened by the stove, once you peel off the outermost black shell, the inside is orange-yellow and powdery, steaming hot, and it tastes even better when it's hot!
I wish we could grow it ourselves.
Perhaps we could buy seeds from Aunt Shuiqing's family?
Do you have potato seeds? I also don't know the yield or how to plant them...
Just as the villagers had hoped, it rained every now and then.
With an abundance of mushrooms, most of the villagers in Shanshui Village were overjoyed.
Shuiqing also thought it was good, but felt that the weather would get much colder after a rain, and gradually felt that wearing only a single layer of clothing was not enough.
She brought cloth and cotton to the old village chief's house.
"It's gotten cold way too early this year," came the old village chief's worried voice from the courtyard.
Shui Qing's heart skipped a beat.
She thought it was just a case of autumn rain bringing a chill, but it turned out that the cold in Shanshui Village was abnormal.
Wang Guifen was chopping vegetables to feed the chickens when she heard this and she was also worried: "In previous years, the mushrooms would last until the end of October, but with this year's cold weather, they may be gone by the beginning of October."
The courtyard gate was not closed. Shui Qing knocked on the gate to remind him, and the old village chief, who was chopping vegetables with his head down and lying on a recliner, looked up at the same time.
"Shuiqing's here! Come in quickly!" Wang Guifen hurriedly stood up, vigorously wiping her hands on the hem of her dress, and said with a smile, "I'll get you a chair and pour you some tea."
The old village chief also sat up straight from his recliner.
Shuiqing quickly said, "I need your help, sister-in-law. I'll leave after I'm done talking. Don't waste the tea."
"It's alright, there's plenty of wild tea on the mountain, why waste it when it's just for our own consumption?" Wang Guifen hurriedly brought out a chair and then rushed into the kitchen to pour tea.
Having no other choice, Shui Qing sat down on the chair and asked the old village chief, "Village chief, you said this year's cold weather is abnormal?"
The old village chief gave a heavy "hmm" and slowly recalled, "The old folks used to say that the winter before a major flood is always the coldest."
After pouring the tea, Wang Guifen handed it to Shui Qing. She didn't continue chopping vegetables but sat down to the side and sighed, "I've heard my parents say that the year before a major flood is always exceptionally cold."
Flood? Shui Qing's expression was grave. "Then, what should we do?"
"Reinforce the houses, stockpile grain, store firewood, and if you have extra money, you can also buy some lime," the old village chief said one by one.
“Shuiqing, I’m afraid your thatched hut won’t do. Summer is rainy, and leaks are common. If there’s a major flood, it will be torrential rain for days on end. Even if your thatched hut doesn’t collapse, it will leak everywhere.”
"Sister-in-law knows that building a house costs money. If you don't have enough money, you can make adobe bricks and buy tiles on top. That way, it won't cost much, but it will be enough to keep out the rain," Wang Guifen sincerely suggested.
Although their village is remote, it is not low in elevation. In addition, the places where houses are built in the village are chosen and passed down from generation to generation, so they are basically not flooded.
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