Chapter 202: Rain from Heaven
After a day of hard work, the people returned home tiredly under the starry sky.
During the day, they had to carry water from the Jiuqu River ten miles away to Shizi Village. Some families did not have carts, so they could only carry water home on their shoulders. From dawn until the starry sky, they could only carry water twice a day, and their shoulders would be worn out.
But despite this, what can two buckets of water do? They can only irrigate a small area of land, and the next day when the sun is shining brightly, the water will quickly disappear.
The environment in the Northwest is harsh, but generation after generation of Northwest farmers have survived year after year, and they have never known what a year of good weather and good harvests is like.
When the whole village returned to peace again, the starry sky was suddenly covered by the inky clouds. The clouds gathered quickly, turning the sky into a huge, boundless black curtain.
The wind blew gently at first, bringing a little coolness, but gradually, it became wild, whistling, sweeping over the treetops, stirring up dust, and the leaves swayed violently in the wind, with sand and rocks flying everywhere.
There was a damp smell in the air, as if water could be wrung out of it.
Suddenly, a flash of lightning streaked across the sky, instantly illuminating the sky. Immediately afterwards, thunder roared, deafening. Lightning and thunder came one after another, and bean-sized raindrops finally fell sparsely, gradually connecting into lines, and hitting the ground densely.
The sleeping people were awakened by the sudden rain. They had no time to put on clothes and shoes and opened the door barefoot.
When they saw the rain flowing down from the thatched roof like a stream, their anxiety and worry instantly turned into great joy and excitement.
Every household, old people, children, men and women all ran to the yard, raised their heads, and let the rain pour down, wetting their hair, cheeks, and whole bodies.
The old people knelt on the ground and kowtowed to the sky. They kissed the earth excitedly and caught the rain water in their hands to drink.
The children were like birds out of a cage, opening their arms, shouting and running happily in the yard.
From every household, laughter, cheers and singing intertwined in the sky above Shizi Village.
The men picked up shovels and hoes, walked barefoot, rolled up their trouser legs, and went to the fields.
The people in the Wan family were no exception, especially Old Mrs. Wan. She saw the rain outside through the window, accompanied by lightning and emitting silvery light. She thought of what Xiao Fubao had said during the day in disbelief.
She hurried to Wan Laoer's room, but little Fubao was not awakened by the thunder. He was lying on his back on the kang, with his two little fists raised above his head and his two legs curled up like a frog. He was sleeping soundly.
Grandma Wan caressed little Fubao's milky cheek lovingly, and murmured, "My dear, you saved the people at the border this time. The rain came just in time. Now is the ear of grain. With the rain, everyone's food supply is saved. My dear, you are really a lucky star sent by God to save the people. Grandma thanks you on behalf of everyone."
Old Mrs. Wan gave little Fubao a gentle kiss on the face before getting off the kang.
Wan Ersao had no idea what had happened, as Wan Laoer had already gone to the fields carrying his farm tools.
Before leaving, Old Lady Wan patted Second Sister-in-law Wan's hand and said, "Second Sister-in-law, you are a blessed person."
Old Mrs. Wan always said this to Second Sister-in-law Wan before, but Second Sister-in-law Wan felt that the emotion in Old Mrs. Wan's words this time was obviously different.
Mrs. Wan Er stared at Xiao Fubao in a daze, then looked at the rain outside, wondering in her heart, could this rain have something to do with Xiao Fubao?
At this time, the fields were full of busy figures from every household. They were busy repairing the ridges while they were soaked by the rain. Normally, these ridges were as hard as a piece of rigid stone, but now after being soaked by rain, the soil was soft and easy to dig.
Some people's land is low-lying, and rainwater accumulates in large quantities, so they need to dig up the ridges to release the water.
Wan Jinshu and Wan Xingchen also carried farm tools and hurried to the fields. They hadn't seen Wan Xingmo recently. Zhao said that Wan Xingmo had gone to do business with others and had been bringing money home recently. The family was not short of money now, but Zhao's cooking skills were as bad as ever.
When Wan Jinshu arrived at the fields, several brothers of the Wan family were already working. The Wan family had the most land in the village, so they spent the longest time working.
"Brother Jingui, do you need help? I think my land doesn't need much care and is fine. But your land is all sloping. Will the land below be flooded?"
At a distance of several meters, Wan Jinshu's voice was blocked by the sound of rain and could not be heard clearly. Boss Wan had to shout hard to get back to him.
The two communicated for a long time before Boss Wan understood what Wan Jinshu meant. However, it was too dark at night and the two could not see each other. Finally, Boss Wan ran over and found Wan Jinshu, and the communication was completed.
The people in the village worked from midnight until dawn. After a night of rain, it finally stopped slowly. The sky became bright and the sun rose from the east on time. The whole field was shining with golden light under the sun.
The farmers, who had worked hard all night, walked home in groups of three or four, carrying their farm tools, tired but excited.
"God is really merciful. I never dreamed that such a heavy rain would fall on our border at this time. I have never seen such a heavy rain in my life. I will go back and pay my respects to our ancestors. They have finally saved some of our food rations this year."
"Yes, I haven't seen such heavy rain in all these years. It's really refreshing. I can finally give my shoulders a rest."
"Alas, I heard that someone from the next village died of heat on the way to fetch water yesterday. It was such a sin. If he had waited one more day, he wouldn't have died."
The villagers chatted in groups of three or four, and went home to rest in the early morning sunshine.
Thanks to this rain, everyone can finally have a good night's sleep.
The Wan family had already prepared breakfast. The brothers returned home, covered in mud. Wan's wife boiled a pot of hot water, and the three brothers washed themselves directly in the yard, then went back to change into dry clothes.
There was no bluestone paved area in the yard, and small puddles reflected the blue sky.
The big white geese swayed their fat bodies, ran to the puddle with a kick, and rolled around in the puddle. Soon their snow-white feathers were covered with mud and looked dirty. Little Fubao, who was standing under the eaves, pointed at the big white geese with his hands on his waist and scolded them angrily.
"Dabai, Erbai, Xiaobai, you are so dirty. You are not allowed to be my followers anymore. Humph!"
Little Fubao stomped his feet angrily, his chubby little face turned pink with anger, and he pouted his little mouth, then turned around and ran into the house.
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