Just as everyone was busy watering the crops in the fields, the sky suddenly turned gloomy. Everyone cheered and shouted "Long live Chairman Mao!" They had finally seen hope.
Zhang Hongmei was also very happy. The sorghum in the field was sprouting ears, which meant that God was giving everyone a chance to survive.
But the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. The sky was quite overcast, and there was thunder and lightning, but it only rained for an hour before the sky cleared up again.
The old men dug at the ground with pickaxes and found it was only a finger's width wet. Everyone was disappointed, but Liu Maocai said they should be content with this little bit of rain; it was much better than no rain at all, since carrying water to irrigate certainly wouldn't be enough. In other words, even having any rain at all was good enough.
Although the rain was light, it really relieved the drought, and it was a timely rain for Liujiatun, at least.
However, some villages are anxiously waiting. The corn stalks in the fields are not even a meter tall, so this rain won't help much, and a reduced yield is inevitable.
Everyone squatted in the field and cried loudly, but what good did it do? Some villages weren't even near the river, and the wild ditches in the villages had long since dried up, so there was no water to irrigate their fields.
After the rain, some villages became even more depressed, with no enthusiasm whatsoever. Almost everyone stayed at home, thinking that if they didn't move, they would get hungry more slowly and thus save food.
Zhang Hongmei felt sad after hearing Liu Erya's words. Had she given up on herself? At the same time, she was glad that she had transmigrated to Liujiatun. There were mountains and rivers, so even if there was a disaster, she would not be cut off from her escape route.
Seeing so many people suffering from the disaster makes me feel extremely uncomfortable, but what can I do?
This drought is nationwide, and even if the government wanted to provide relief, it would be powerless to do so.
Zhang Hongmei went up the mountain with Zhang Xingguo. She was in a hurry and brought home anything edible. Zhang Xingguo even told her not to go anymore.
She even made a special trip to the old lady's house. The old lady saw her anxious mood and just said that she was too impatient, which calmed Zhang Hongmei down.
Every day when Zhang Xingguo returned from herding sheep, he would carry back a large basket of hay. Zhang Hongmei knew he had gone deep into the mountains and was very worried.
For dinner, we made sorghum rice porridge and several pancakes. "Uncle Zhang, don't go into the deep mountains. It's too dangerous if we encounter large wild animals, and our sheep might not survive. We have enough fodder at home, don't worry. I've stored a lot of bean stalks and corn stalks. Don't make me worry, or I'll go up the mountain with you."
“Okay, but there’s practically no grass around here now. This rain brought some new weeds, but with the sun shining so brightly these past few days, I doubt they’ll grow very tall.”
“Uncle Zhang, why don’t we go up the mountain together? It’ll be good for the two of us. Besides, I’m not going to fetch water to irrigate the crops, and it’s not comfortable for me to stay at home all the time.”
“Alright, let’s go up the mountain together tomorrow.” Zhang Xingguo knew he couldn’t persuade the girl, so he might as well go along. If there was any danger, he would be safe with a gun.
The next morning, Zhang Xingguo arrived to find Zhang Hongmei had everything prepared. Breakfast consisted of steamed buns with sugar, two old cucumbers, leftover sorghum rice porridge from the previous night, and pickled vegetables.
After they finished eating, the two of them drove the sheep up the mountain. A ram led the way, and the two of them followed behind.
The chicks at home are all half-grown, because Zhang Hongmei always secretly feeds them. So they look quite healthy. They'll probably start laying eggs in the fall. It's just that she only has five chickens.
However, there can't be too many. It's too conspicuous. People can't even get enough to eat, and raising too many chickens because they're too easy to raise is also a sin.
Lost in thought, I followed behind the sheep. Now, if the sheep wanted to eat grass, it would take nearly two hours to get to the edge of the sweet potato field.
The sweet potatoes are growing really well, just like in previous years. The vines are very lush and green, looking robust. Zhang Hongmei ignored the sheep and squatted down to gently part the sweet potato vines with her hands. She saw that some sweet potatoes, as thick as rolling pins, had already sprouted from the soil. Zhang Xingguo, watching from the side, exclaimed in admiration, "These sweet potatoes are growing really well. I estimate that the yield will be very high at the autumn harvest."
"I hope so, that way everyone can get a bigger share."
"Aren't you going to keep it for yourself?"
"What would I do with so much food? I can't possibly eat it all. Besides, the villagers have been very kind to me. I can't just hoard a lot of food and watch everyone go hungry, can I?"
"What a wonderful girl, I knew I hadn't misjudged you."
"Uncle Zhang, I'm not as good as you think. I just want to help people who have been kind to me."
"That's good. I was worried you were just too nice."
"Am I that stupid?" Zhang Hongmei rolled her eyes at Zhang Xingguo, who really underestimated her. She believed in the old saying, "If you repay evil with good, how will you repay good?" So she always repaid evil with evil and kindness with even greater gratitude.
Hopefully, this sweet potato field can produce 20,000 jin (10,000 kg), so that everyone in the village can get 100 jin (50 kg). Don't underestimate these 100 jin of sweet potatoes; if eaten sparingly, they might save lives.
Zhang Hongmei saw a glimmer of hope, so she had the leisure to stroll around the sweet potato field. She actually knew why Zhang Xingguo had come here to graze his sheep; he was probably afraid people or animals would damage the sweet potatoes. She figured if he could stay here tonight, he wouldn't leave.
This man may seem carefree, but he is a kind and thoughtful person; even though he only has one arm, it's still perfectly functional.
"Uncle Zhang, I'll go inside and take a look. It would be great if I could pick some more wild vegetables. I'll blanch them and dry them when I get back, and we can save them for stuffing in the winter."
"Then you'd better be careful, don't play for too long."
"Okay, I'll try my best. This is lunch, let's share it. If I really come back late, you won't go hungry. Tomorrow we'll borrow a fishing net and see if we can catch any fish."
"You know how to use the internet?"
"No. How about I learn it tonight?"
"Even if you learn it, you might not be able to do it well. That's a skill that requires practice."
"Why don't we try and see? I remember Sister Er Ya said that her family has some. I'll go borrow it tonight."
"Sure, I'm happy as long as there's food. Do whatever you want, but be careful."
Zhang Hongmei waved her hand, picked up her basket and machete, and left.
I went to the riverbank and checked; the water level hadn't dropped much. This is where the villagers survive; they're afraid that people from the surrounding areas will also rush here, and then they'll really go hungry. But they can't stop others from seeking a way to live.
Continuing forward, very few people come here; even Er Lengzi and his friends rarely go inside together.
However, there are far more resources inside than outside. First of all, there are wild vegetables growing right next to each other, so you can dig up a whole basketful without even moving an inch.
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