Chapter 95 God Doesn’t Want Them to Live [VIP]
Shen Family School.
The oil lamp was lit and the three of them sat at the table.
Yang Jizong laid out his brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, then raised his brush and looked at Chen Yao and his sister, "What kind of pattern do you want to draw?"
Yang Wenying hadn't figured out a velvet flower pattern with a good meaning yet, so she shook her head.
"Then let me start by offering some ideas: clusters of orchids in the mountains, hydrangeas, daffodils, pear blossoms, weeping crabapples, bamboo leaves, irises, lotus flowers, magnolias, lily of the valley, and mountain pines."
"Butterflies in spring, dragonflies in summer, ginkgo nuts in autumn, squirrels and birds in the woods in winter."
After Chen Yao finished speaking, she saw Yang Jizong and his sister staring at her. So she coughed lightly and explained, "This is what I observed when I went up the mountain with my father. In fact, if you observe the plants around you more often, you can find many examples to make hairpins."
"Besides making hairpins, we can also make earrings from the same series."
After Chen Yao's explanation, Yang Wenying suddenly understood. "Ayao, according to what you said, the same flower, in different forms, can be considered the same style, regardless of color."
"Yes, peach blossoms can be single or in pairs, and the same goes for weeping crabapples. You can even hang pendants under the flowers."
At this moment, Yang Wenying already had countless velvet flower patterns in her mind, so she didn't need her brother to paint them. She suddenly slammed the table and said, "I'll go back and get the tools to do it."
As soon as Yang Wenying left, Yang Jizong looked at Chen Yao: "Do you still need me to draw this pattern?"
"Let's not draw anymore." Chen Yao sat opposite him, enjoying the cool breeze, and talked to him about the peanuts and vegetable seeds she had planted in the wasteland during the day, and when they could be eaten, especially the peanuts, which she could take to the supply and marketing cooperative to sell.
Soon, Yang Wenying came with a basket on her back. She placed the silk thread tools for making velvet flowers on the table one by one, ready to make velvet flowers with Chen Yao by candlelight.
"Tomorrow morning I plan to go into the mountains to collect plants for dyeing silk thread and bring them back to plant. Do you want to go with me?" Chen Yao handed a bamboo leaf hairpin to Yang Jizong.
"Ayao, is this for me?" Yang Jizong held the hairpin in both hands with a look of surprise in his eyes.
Chen Yao nodded: "I see your hairband is a little faded, do you like it?"
"It's a gift from A Yao, so of course I like it." Yang Jizong played with it lovingly, then inserted it solemnly into his bun, and asked Chen Yao if it was suitable.
Chen Yao looked at the bamboo leaf hairpin inserted in his bun and nodded rapidly, "It fits. I'll make you another one in two days."
Yang Wenying sat aside and watched helplessly: "Tomorrow, let your brother accompany you to the mountain to dig wild plants. I will stay at home to help the aunts with cooking and make velvet flowers in my free time."
"Then follow Wenying's arrangements."
Yang Wenying was separating the silk threads and curled her lips at her brother, asking him to listen to her arrangements. Who could she arrange for in this family?
Seeing that it was getting late, Yang Jizong extinguished the candles in the school and got up to send the two back to rest.
The next day.
After greeting the elders in the family, Chen Yao went into the mountains with Yang Jizong, carrying a backpack and a hoe to dig wild plants.
The two of them bypassed the trench and headed towards Wufeng Mountain. They used wooden sticks to beat the grass and waded through mountains and rivers. Chen Yao took Yang Jizong to find the place they had marked when they and their father picked wild plants together.
Pointing at the wild plants on the ground, he squatted down with Yang Jizong to dig, making sure that every plant had roots. They had to dig dozens of each type to ensure a certain survival rate.
The two of them went into the mountains in the morning and came back at noon. In the afternoon they planted the plants in the wasteland designated in the backyard.
After finishing the work in the fields, Chen Yao started making crispy noodle cakes in the following days. There was no other way, as her cousin was in a hurry to get them and said that customers in the city had pre-ordered a lot of them.
In this way, it took another two full days to grind flour, steam the dough, and then fry the dough. Half of the finished dough was sent to the city, and the other half was stored at home.
Busy days always pass quickly.
As mid-July approached, the outer walls of the house had been completed. While everyone was building the back house next to the gate, Chen Yao put the thirty velvet flowers and earrings she had made into a wooden box and went to Baihe Town with Brother Baolai and Yang Jizong to deliver the goods.
This time, Shopkeeper Lu personally received the delivery and the two signed a contract. Shopkeeper Lu marked the price of each flower in the account book in duplicate, and recorded the amount sold. He paid Chen Yao half of the deposit first to reassure her.
On the way back, there were suddenly several loud thunders and several flashes of lightning in the distant sky.
It was a sunny day, but suddenly a strong wind blew up without any warning, and the grass and trees on both sides of the road were rustling and falling down.
Yang Jizong was originally sitting in a covered carriage. When he heard the noise, he immediately leaned out and patted the carriage, handed out his straw raincoat and hat, and urged Tian Baolai to put them on and drive faster and not to linger.
As soon as he finished speaking, thunder struck.
The sky was dark and his brows were deeply furrowed.
I still have a day’s journey to home, and I don’t know when the rain will stop, and I don’t know if it’s raining as heavily at home.
Everyone was still building the house. It rained, and before leaving, she told Wenying to help her turn over and stir the food every day. She didn't know what was going on.
"Oh no!" Chen Yao stood up suddenly and hit her head directly on the roof of the caravan, causing pain.
"Ayao, let me see if it's broken."
Yang Jizong pulled her hands away and looked at the bun she was covering. He saw a huge swelling in her hair, so he immediately took out some medicated oil from his arms and applied it on her.
This medicated oil is used to treat mosquito bites, but when applied on her head, it feels a bit cold.
"Did you suddenly think of something?" Yang Jizong knew her well and would not be so rash. She must have thought of something. After applying the medicated oil on her, he blew on it gently.
Chen Yao was in so much pain that tears welled up in her eyes: "If there are continuous heavy rains, I'm afraid our autumn harvest will be reduced by half. Fellow villagers——"
What about the taxes? Stone, Dunzi's parents, and the young men in the village would have to do hard labor in the quarry.
Chen Yao was anxious.
"Ayao, we only have one day's journey to get home. When we get back, I'll lead the villagers to dig canals to clear the floodwaters so that the crops in the fields won't be drowned."
Chen Yao was just about to say that even so, a large area of the wheat planted by the villagers would probably fall over, and grain production would be reduced.
Before she could express her thoughts, the mule cart suddenly stopped.
Tian Baolai, wearing a bamboo hat, walked from the front of the car to the back and said to the people inside, "Zi'an, get out and help me push the car out. The wheels are stuck in the mud."
As soon as Yang Jizong got out of the car, Chen Yao wanted to follow suit. Before she could even step out, she was stopped by Yang Jizong: "Ayao, you stay in the car. I don't need your help!"
Tian Baolai also shouted: "Yes, cousin, just listen to Zi'an and sit down."
Chen Yao sat in the covered wagon and watched Yang Jizong, who was soaked by the rain, pick up stones from the roadside and throw them at the wheels stuck in the mud. The two of them took a lot of effort to push the mule cart forward.
The journey was supposed to take a day, but because the car got stuck in the mud several times, it was very difficult to travel. Yang Jizong simply sat in the front with Tian Baolai to drive the car.
Every time they sank into the mud, the two of them had to push.
It was already late at night when the three of them arrived home.
Shen Qingshan and his wife, Huang Mei, and Miao stood in front of the gate waiting for the children to come home, until they saw the shadow of the mule cart in the rain, and everyone immediately went to greet it.
"Mom, I'll park the mule at my uncle's house first and be back soon." Even though Tian Baolai was wearing a hat and a raincoat, he was soaked inside and out.
"Okay, go quickly and come back soon." Huang Mei watched her son walk away before turning around and entering the Shen family.
In the back room next to the Shen family's main gate, Masters Hong and Li and their apprentices breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Chen Yao and the others return safely.
The rain was falling so fast and heavily that they couldn't even open their eyes in the rain, let alone work. The construction of the house had to be put on hold for a day.
Thinking of waiting until the weather clears up before continuing.
As soon as Chen Yao and Yang Jizong entered the room, Yang Wenying pressed them to sit at the table and said, "Drink, two bowls of ginger soup each, drink it while it's hot."
Huang Xing glanced at her daughter. Her skirt was soaked with rain, and her shoes and socks were also wet, but her body was dry. It was obvious that she was well taken care of by Zi'an and Baolai on the way.
Looking at Zi'an again, the child looked like he had just been fished out of the river. He had only sat on the stool for a while when a puddle of water appeared on the ground.
"Zi'an, go to the next room and change your clothes." Seeing that he had finished drinking the ginger soup, Huang Xing immediately urged him to get up.
In the back room next door, Yang Jizong saw that there were not only dry clothes but also a new towel on the bunk bed. Even though he was cold all over, he felt warm in his heart.
When you are away from home, it feels so good to be cared for by your family.
Yang Jizong came out after changing his clothes, and Tian Baolai also went in with his clothes to change. Chen Yao had already changed into dry shoes and socks in the house and waved to Yang Jizong.
"Come here, I'll wipe it for you."
Yang Jizong handed over the towel, sat on the stool, and let Shen Yao spread and rub his hair.
Shen Qingshan came in holding an oil-paper umbrella in one hand and a small stove and casserole in the other: "The weather is really like a baby's face, it changes at any time. You must be hungry, dad will cook you a bowl of noodles."
The dried vegetables were boiled in water, and all five pieces of bread were thrown in. Two eggs were cracked for each child, and a plate of steamed sausages was added.
In just a moment, the whole room was filled with the alluring fragrance.
Chen Yao slurped the noodles mouthful after mouthful, then drank some soup, her body soon warmed up as she listened to her family chattering.
Yang Wenying peeled eggs for the three of them, and while peeling she assured Chen Yao that none of the things she had instructed her to do were forgotten.
She moved the five jars of soybean paste back into the house before it rained.
After finishing her noodles, Chen Yao put down her bowl and chopsticks and said, "Dad, I don't know when this rain will stop. If it continues tomorrow, we will—"
"Oh, it's terrible, it's hailstorm outside!" Carpenter Li's apprentice ran into the house from the toilet along the corridor and shouted.
After hearing this, everyone could no longer sit still. They all looked outside and caught the hailstones with their hands. Sure enough, they were hailstones!
"What a weird weather! Why is it raining hail?"
Shen Qingshan clapped his hands and cursed, "This damned Heaven really doesn't want us to live. The crops in the fields have been damaged, and the yield is bound to decrease."
"Dad, don't scold me, don't scold me. Maybe it will be sunny tomorrow." Huang Xing hugged her husband's arm and rubbed her hands together, praying to God.
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