The Sheng sisters were diligent and couldn't sit still. The day after they returned home, they took out all the bedding and washed it, hanging the sheets and blankets all over the yard.
Once the quilt cover was dry, the two sisters started making new quilts. They worked for three days straight, making all the quilts in the house new.
After that, the two girls started taking apart their cotton-padded jackets and trousers, washing and remaking them while the weather was still warm.
So that when the weather is cold, Zhang Shuzhen won't be too busy to take care of the children and cook all by herself.
Now Zhang Shuzhen can relax. She only needs to cook one meal every morning, and the two girls will take care of lunch and dinner.
She didn't have to lift a finger to do any work in the fields. After Sheng Liancheng and Sheng Xitai finished working in the fields, they would come back to tend to the vegetable garden. The main principle was that no one was idle in the family, and Sheng Xitai wouldn't be able to relax even on his days off.
So every day after breakfast, Zhang Shuzhen would take her grandson out to play, and then come back for lunch.
In the afternoon, I coaxed my grandson to take a nap and did some needlework, making small blankets, quilts, cotton-padded jackets and pants for Zhou Qinglan's unborn child.
On the afternoon of July 21st, the sky was overcast and dark. Zhang Shuzhen, who was doing needlework in the house, had to put down her work.
"Oh dear, as I get older, my eyesight just isn't what it used to be. If it's even a little dark outside, I can't see clearly," Zhang Shuzhen said, rubbing her eyes.
"Fourth brother, have you brought back all the clothes that were drying outside? I think it's going to rain heavily."
Quickly tidy up the yard, gather up anything you're worried about getting wet, open the chicken coop door, and chase the chickens back inside.
Zhang Shuzhen glanced out the window twice, rubbed her lower back, got up, and led her daughter to pack their things.
The mother and her children chased the chickens back to their coop, picked some vegetables from the garden, covered the woodshed, and carried home some fine firewood.
Just as I finished all that, a torrential downpour began.
Everyone thought that such heavy rain would stop after a while, but no one expected that the heavy rain would last for two days.
From the 21st to the 23rd, it rained non-stop.
The torrential rain caused widespread damage, destroying many sections of the forest railway and firewood transport roads, resulting in the shutdown of most timber production across the region and economic losses exceeding 100,000 yuan.
The river in front of Qianchuan Forest Farm also flooded. Fortunately, most residents are some distance from the riverbank, so there was no major loss.
The rain stopped on the 23rd. On the 24th, the forest farm mobilized its able-bodied male employees, along with the forest railway maintenance team, to inspect and repair the roadbed and gravel that had been washed away by the rainstorm.
After several busy days, the small train track was finally reopened, just in time for Sheng Xi'an and Sheng Xikang to go home for the holidays.
Chen Feng and Chen Yue also returned with Sheng Xikang.
Zhou Qinglan was nearly four months pregnant, but her belly was noticeably larger than that of other pregnant women at the same stage of pregnancy. She went to the hospital for a checkup, and the doctor said it was very likely she was carrying twins.
So Zhou Qinglan didn't dare to come back this summer and stayed in the provincial capital instead.
One concern is the long journey and the fatigue involved; if anything goes wrong along the way, both adults and children could be in danger.
Another thing is that Sheng Xiping had spoken to Zheng Xianyong beforehand, and Zheng Xianyong said that it would be best not to let Zhou Qinglan come back.
There's hardly anyone around at the forest farm, so it's just like that. If Zhou Qinglan comes back pregnant, will the forest farm take care of her or not?
Regardless of whether it's considered dereliction of duty, one will have to take responsibility later. But if one were to take action, they're all from the same forest farm, and have known each other for so many years; who would be willing to lay a hand on them?
Since Zhou Qinglan wasn't coming back, Zhou Qingyue naturally wouldn't come back either; he wanted to stay in the provincial capital to take care of his sister.
Ever since Zhou Qinglan started renting a place to live outside, Zhou Qingyue also took leave from school and moved into the rented house to take care of Zhou Qinglan with Aunt Li.
Aunt Li does the laundry and cooks, Zhou Qingyue runs errands and takes orders, and Shao Minzhi goes over to keep Zhou Qinglan company every few days, so Zhou Qinglan doesn't have to worry about anything in the provincial capital.
Sheng Xiping sent her some money every month and told Zhou Qinglan to buy whatever she wanted to eat and not to deprive herself.
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