Chapter 51: Rice Seedlings Destroyed
Gu Jiayue also wanted to help.
She had been in the village for a while now. Although the uncles and aunts there were not very well-behaved, spoke loudly, and liked to gossip about family matters, they were always friendly and smiling. If they met her on the street, they would warmly invite her to their homes to play. If they saw her at mealtime, they would invite her to their homes for dinner. If there was anything, everyone would rush to help as soon as they were called.
They may have their own little thoughts and may fuss over trivial matters, but there is nothing wrong with them.
"Uncle Village Chief, I remember that we always grow more seedlings when we grow them, right?" Gu Jiayue asked thoughtfully.
The village chief nodded. "Yes, we can grow more and replant. But this hailstorm was so severe that it even damaged the seedlings we hadn't transplanted yet. There aren't many left to use."
"No, what I mean is that we can send people to the surrounding areas that have not been affected to see if they have any extra seedlings. If they do, we can buy them from them." Gu Jiayue expressed her thoughts.
Her first reaction was actually to replant, as she remembered that in some places two rice crops could be grown in a year.
Annan County is located in the southwest. In terms of climatic conditions, it has a subtropical humid monsoon climate, and the average annual temperature in most areas is between 14-16℃.
In low-altitude river valley areas with relatively sufficient heat, the frost-free period is long, which can meet the basic temperature requirements for the growth of double-season rice.
But she wasn't an expert in this area, so she didn't dare to give any advice rashly. If it wasn't suitable, and they missed the season, leaving so many people without food, that would be a sin.
Therefore, the safest way now is to buy seedlings from other places to plant. As for the two-season planting method, you can try it again next year.
"This... We have bought it in previous years when there was hail, but the price would be raised in this case. Moreover, some farmers are poor and simply cannot afford the money." The village chief looked embarrassed and stated the difficulties.
Having no money is indeed a big problem. Gu Jiayue thought for a moment and said, "Uncle Village Chief, I need to renovate my house soon. I can pay for the rice seedlings first, and then ask you uncles to help me repair the house and pay me back. Is that feasible?"
After hearing this, the village chief's eyes suddenly lit up with hope, and he asked anxiously, "Are you serious?"
"Of course, if it hadn't been for the sudden hailstorm, I would have gone to talk to the village chief about this today." Gu Jiayue said seriously.
"Okay, okay." The village chief was so excited that he paced back and forth a few times. Then he shouted towards the fields not far away: "Genzi, Zhuzi. Call everyone to the ancestral hall for a meeting."
Then he said to Gu Jiayue, "Jiayue girl, go back first. I will come back to you after I discuss with the villagers and come up with the rules."
"Okay, Uncle Village Chief, you are busy." Gu Jiayue responded. Looking at the village chief's hurried back, she did not stay any longer.
The rain was getting heavier and heavier, as if there was no end in sight, leaving no sign of hope.
Gu Jiayue was worried. Even if she could buy enough seedlings, would she be able to plant them successfully in such weather?
Seeing Gu Jiayue coming back, everyone's eyes turned to her.
"Where is your grandpa?" grandma asked anxiously.
"Oh, the village chief called a lot of people to the ancestral hall to discuss something. Grandpa should have gone too, right?" Gu Jiayue replied.
Grandma nodded. "They should be discussing the rice seedlings," she said with a sigh.
It’s all because of this damn hail. The seedlings that had already been planted had already started to turn green, but now because of the hail, everything has to start all over again.
How much would this cost? Grandma Gu felt her purse was about to be emptied again, and she felt increasingly unhappy.
The rain continued until noon, when it gradually subsided.
My eldest cousin couldn't hold back any longer and climbed onto the roof first.
The women in the family were downstairs, working together to hand thatch to my cousin so that he could repair the hole that was made by hail last night.
"Master!" Goudan saw Gu Jiayue from afar, his eyes full of joy, and he quickly ran over.
Gu Jiayue raised her hand and rubbed his head, and said softly: "Why are you here? Didn't I tell you that you don't have to come if the weather is bad?"
Goudan scratched his head a little embarrassedly, pointed at the roof and said, "My father said that the master's house must be leaking too, so he brought me and my mother over to help."
Following the direction of Goudan's finger, Gu Jiayue saw a dark-skinned man walking in, followed by a woman.
"Aunt, how can I trouble you? The hail was so big last night, your family must have been affected as well. Go back and take care of your own business." Gu Jiayue said hurriedly, her heart full of gratitude and embarrassment.
"No hurry, no hurry. My son's father has already cleaned up the two dilapidated houses. You teach my son Goudan to read without charging us any money. I feel bad about it. So I thought of coming to help." Goudan's mother said with a smile, her tone full of sincerity.
Gu Jiayue was about to say something when her grandmother came over. "Alright, alright, that's how we help each other in our village. Once we've fixed our roof, we can go to Shuigen's house and help out. Go get some water for your aunt."
"Oh, okay." Gu Jiayue responded.
She was indeed being distant.
I remember it was the same when I was a kid in my hometown. If someone had a problem, everyone would come over to help.
As the saying goes, a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative. We have all supported each other along the way.
"Miss, don't bother. I've already boiled the water. I'll bring it over when it cools down a bit." As soon as she entered the kitchen, she was pushed out by Aunt Cai who was busy in the kitchen.
When Matron Cai was in the Marquis' Mansion, she was a capable nanny beside the Marquis's wife.
Later, when Gu Jiayue opened a courtyard at the age of six, she was sent by the Marquis's wife to serve in her courtyard as a close-knit housekeeper.
She had her own room in the Marquis's mansion and was served by a little maid.
But now that he had followed Gu Jiayue back to the village, he not only had to live in a leaky house, but also had to work in the kitchen.
Gu Jiayue felt a little uncomfortable for a moment, thinking that she was not working hard enough to give the people around her a better life.
"Thank you for your hard work, Ma." Gu Jiayue said softly, her eyes full of guilt.
"Why is it so hard? It's what I should do." Aunt Cai said with a smile, her face full of kindness.
"By the way, Ma'am, I saw that Aunt Wang's chickens were killed by hail. She must be reluctant to eat them. You can use the money to buy them and stew them in the evening." Gu Jiayue suddenly remembered and said to Ma'am Cai.
Madam Cai thought for a moment, looking embarrassed. "Miss, the chicken has been dead all night, I'm afraid it's not fresh. If you want to eat it, wait for Huzi to come back and ask him to buy a fresh one."
"It's okay, the chicken was killed by being hit, not because it was sick. Mainly because I want to help her family. It's too tragic for an orphan and a widow to live like this." Gu Jiayue explained.
My grandmother told me that those two chickens were the family’s few sources of income. They could lay two eggs every day, and the whole family depended on the chickens.
Now that the chickens have died, it will take several months to raise them again. The adults might be able to endure it, but how can that child endure it?
After hearing this, Aunt Cai looked at Gu Jiayue with eyes full of love and praise: "Young lady is kind-hearted. I will go right away."
After saying that, he turned and walked out, heading towards Aunt Wang's house.
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