Chapter 343 Rain
Just after the third watch gong sounded, a tiny hole suddenly appeared in the sky outside the window, and raindrops as big as beans fell sparsely along with the wind.
At first, there were only a few scattered drops of rain falling on the sycamore leaves in the corner of the yard, making a soft "click, click" sound.
But after a while, the rain became heavier and the leaves were trembling. The sound was like countless fine needles, piercing people's hearts.
Gu Jiayue lay in bed, her quilt crumpled from tossing and turning. The sweet smell of rain mixed with earth lingered in her nose, a scent that should have been soothing, but now it inexplicably disturbed her.
She simply sat up and looked at the windowsill in the moonlight coming through the window lattice.
She remembered that she had also come to Taohua Village at this time last year.
She clearly remembered that it rained that night, and the next morning, a torrential downpour of hail followed. Ice particles as big as eggs pelted the fields, instantly crushing the newly emerged rice seedlings. If the system hadn't promptly exchanged the seedlings, Taohua Village would have been left with nothing, and the entire village would have been left destitute.
It won’t be like this again this year, right?
Once this idea took root, it grew wildly in my heart.
She put on a coat, stood up, walked barefoot on the slightly cool floor, walked to the window and pushed it open.
The evening breeze blew in with raindrops, bringing with it the unique coolness of spring nights, making her shiver.
In fact, the rain was not that heavy, but there was a bunch of gardenias and a few banana trees planted in front of her house. The leaves were broad, and when the rain fell on them, the sound was magnified several times, making it sound particularly noisy.
"Please don't let anything go wrong this year." She murmured softly to the dark night sky, her fingertips unconsciously scratching the wood grain of the window frame. "If only there was a weather forecast, I wouldn't have to worry so much..."
As soon as the words fell, the system jumped out from the farthest corner of the room, its voice full of a bit of joy, "Host, I can provide weather forecast services! But it requires 500 points. Are you willing?"
Gu Jiayue raised an eyebrow, a playful smile playing on her lips: "Oh, are you thinking about doing business again? A while ago, you were talking about the end of the world every day. Why, you are not worried now?"
[Hey, I think the host is right!] The system spun around, its light brightening a little. [As long as the world survives, I have to complete my mission well.]
It stole a glance at the always dim communication channel in the corner, and its voice suddenly dropped, with a hint of self-consolation and timidity. "Maybe... maybe this is a test from the team leader?"
Gu Jiayue looked at its self-deceiving appearance and sighed helplessly: "Poor child, he still doesn't recognize the reality."
"Okay, I bought it." She waved her hand, her tone unquestionable and decisive. "You can deduct the points yourself. Remember to keep an eye on it every day. If there is any extreme weather, notify me immediately. Don't delay anything."
[Great!] The system cheered instantly, the joy in its voice almost overflowing.
Five hundred points in hand, finally enough to buy that limited edition tuna-flavored cat food in the mall! It spun around happily and swooshed back into the corner, leaving Gu Jiayue chuckling at the rain outside the window.
The stone in my heart fell to the ground, and sleepiness came like a tide.
She lay back on the bed, listening to the sound of rain hitting the banana leaves, which she found much more pleasant than before. Soon she fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, Gu Jiayue was awakened by the increasingly loud sound of rain hitting the window frame.
As soon as she opened her eyes, she grabbed the clothes beside the pillow and rushed to the window to check without even putting on her shoes.
The rain was indeed heavy. The fine rain threads formed a gray net that enveloped the entire village. The moss on the courtyard wall was washed to a shiny finish. The ridges of the fields in the distance were hidden in the white mist, with no sign of stopping.
At breakfast, the atmosphere at the table was as gloomy as the weather.
Li was holding a bowl of corn porridge, her brows furrowed like a lump, and she kept sighing, as if someone had put a stone in her heart.
"Why are you sighing?" Grandma put down her chopsticks and tapped the edge of the bowl with them, making a crisp "clang" sound. "You're living a good life, but you sigh all day long. Are you trying to sigh away all the blessings in our family?"
Li was so frightened that her hands trembled and the bowl almost slipped out of her hands.
She quickly lowered her head, staring at the porridge in the bowl and dared not say another word.
This year had been smooth sailing for her, and she had almost forgotten her mother-in-law's hot temper and unforgiving mouth. But now, after being scolded like this, her neck shrank back like a frightened quail.
The second aunt sitting opposite kept her head down, unconsciously fiddling with the pickles in the bowl with her chopsticks, but Gu Jiayue was sharp-eyed and caught a glimpse of a barely perceptible flash of joy beneath her drooping eyelids.
Seeing this, the eldest aunt put down her chopsticks and tried to smooth things over: "Mom, please don't blame my third sister-in-law. It's been raining for three days now, and it hasn't stopped. Who wouldn't be worried?"
She looked at her grandmother, her tone filled with worry. "Don't you think it's going to turn into hail again like last year? How about... we pull the seedlings back home first?"
Grandma glanced at her sideways, but didn't get angry like usual. She just said unhappily, "Why are you bringing it home? Cooking it for you to eat? You've been farming all your life, and you don't even have this common sense? This kind of weather is perfect for transplanting rice seedlings. Plenty of rain means the seedlings will grow fast!"
She slammed her chopsticks on the table and her voice suddenly rose. "Even eating can't stop you from eating! Hurry up and eat. After you're done, put on your straw raincoats and follow me to the fields to plant rice!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the dinner table suddenly fell silent, with only the soft sound of dishes and chopsticks colliding.
No one dared to say another word. They just buried their heads in eating, even the chewing sounds became much quieter.
After breakfast, the adults in the family carried their farm tools and went to the fields.
Gu Jiayue put on a straw raincoat and walked towards the school with her sisters.
Although the roads in Taohua Village have been repaired, financial resources are limited after all, and not every section can be paved with smooth bluestone. Some sections are still yellow dirt roads, which are now soaked by rain and are extremely muddy. It is difficult to walk without making some steps deep and some shallow, and you will slip if you are not careful.
The children were all wearing straw raincoats, like a group of clumsy little ducks, lowering their heads and moving cautiously.
The local children in Taohua Village were fine, most of them just had mud on their trouser legs, but the few children who came from neighboring villages were not so lucky.
Their simple straw raincoats could not keep out the slanting rain. Their hair stuck to their faces, their clothes were soaked from inside to outside, their lips turned blue from the cold, and their teeth could not help but chatter.
Seeing this, Gu Jiayue's heart tightened, and she quickly ordered the kitchen: "Quick, boil a big pot of ginger soup for the children to drink to warm themselves up."
Then he turned to Hu Zi and said, "Go and light the fire in the woodshed. Have them take off their wet clothes and dry them so they don't get sick from the cold."
After making all the arrangements, she walked over to the group of shivering children, squatted down, helped a little girl take off her raincoat and hung it up, and said softly, "If it rains again tomorrow, don't come over. Stay home."
She thought the children would be happy, after all, no one wanted to travel in the heavy rain. But unexpectedly, several children shook their heads vigorously, their little faces full of stubbornness.
One of them raised his little face, red from the cold, and said in a soft but firm voice, "Master, we want to study."
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