Chapter 96: Gathering Together Like a Fire [VIP]
There were lightning and thunder outside all night long, and the rain mixed with hailstones never stopped.
Shen Qingshan listened to the crackling sounds coming from the roof, signaled everyone to go into the house quickly, and asked his wife to find some thick clothes for everyone to wear. He closed the doors and windows and sighed.
Thanks to their daughter, the whole family worked together to save money to repair the house. Even though it hasn't been repaired yet, if they still lived in the old house in such bad weather, it would have been raining heavily outside and drizzling inside.
Shen Qingshan thought back to last winter when he took his daughter into the mountains and saw a snake, and he felt something was wrong. He didn't expect that there would be a disaster this year.
If it continues to rain like this and doesn't stop tomorrow, it won't just be the crops in the fields that will be affected. I'm afraid that all the houses in Xiahe Village will be washed down by the rain.
"Whether it's sunny or not, I have to go to Wanhe Township to check on the elderly and the silkworm room tomorrow. We can't let them get damaged." Shen Qingshan took out the charcoal basin from under the bed and used tongs to scoop out the charcoal from the stove to keep everyone warm. He looked at Yang Jizong and said, "I don't know when I can come back. Zi'an, you will take care of the house."
"Don't worry, I'm at home. I will write a letter to Lord Li tomorrow. If the disaster is serious, the court will not ignore it." Yang Jizong began to comfort everyone, but his words did not have any effect.
Everyone here has their own principles in mind. Instead of relying on officials, it is better for them to save themselves.
Huang Xing sat beside him and reminded her husband, "Be careful on the way there, especially when you're walking along the hillside. Watch out for falling rocks and landslides."
"Let Baolai go with you. He'll be there to look after you on the way. We'll take care of the village rabbit hutch. We'll notify everyone that they don't need to go to work for now."
"What about the food in the fields?"
"Dad, leave the crops in the fields to me, I will find a way to save them." Chen Yao rubbed his hands.
"I can help too." Yang Wenying stood up and poured hot water for everyone.
Seeing the Shen family working so united, craftsmen Hong and Li also said, "If any house in the village is damaged, we can help repair it."
"Two masters, don't you need to go back home and take a look?"
"Our house is solid, no doubt about it. The women in the family can handle it. Besides, how can we not do the job after receiving the wages?" After living and eating at the Shen family for half a month, the two craftsmen had already seen clearly how the Shen family behaved.
So they were willing to stay and help.
Shen Qingshan immediately stood up and saluted everyone: "Then let me thank you all on behalf of the villagers."
"Sure, sure."
Everyone stayed in the house until noon.
Shen Qingshan opened the door again. It was clearly morning, but the sky outside was still dark. The heavy rain was still falling, but the hail had stopped falling.
Seeing this situation, I don’t know whether it is good or bad.
"Ayao's father, are you home?" Outside the gate, Luo Lao Da and Zhang Chunya's father came to knock on the door.
Shen Qingshan opened the door holding an umbrella and said, "I was just about to go look for you guys. It's raining so hard, there's no need to go to the silkworm room to work. You can go when the rain stops."
Both of them had guilty expressions on their faces. They came here because of this matter. "I'm so sorry. Once we have cleaned up the house, we will definitely come over to help."
"How are your families? It hailed last night. Are the elderly and children at home okay? If not, please send them to my house for shelter."
"It's okay at home, just a little leak. We are mainly worried about the fields. We are afraid that the crops we worked so hard to grow will not be preserved." Boss Luo wiped the rain off his face, his mouth bitter.
After they finished speaking, they prepared to go to the field to see how much they had lost.
"Uncle, I'll go with you." Chen Yao had already put on her straw raincoat and hat with the help of Yang Jizong.
"Ayao, you and Zi'an go to the field to check the situation first. Come back and have dinner before deciding what to do." Huang Xing shouted at her daughter's back.
Unfortunately, the rain was too loud and I couldn't hear anything clearly.
At this time, by the Yan River.
The river was surging and rushing against the shore, and the water level had risen a lot compared to usual. Even so, there were still fugitives who ignored the danger and took the opportunity to go into the river to fish.
When Guo Changrong was throwing the fish onto the shore, he happened to see Yang Jizong and others going to the field.
"Do you think there's anyone to look after the rabbits in the rabbit hutch now?"
"These tenant farmers are all worried about the crops in the fields. Who would care about the rabbit hutch? Boss Guo, what do you mean..."
The three of them almost had the same idea at the same time. While no one was watching, they went to steal a few rabbits to eat, so as to improve their diet.
When the tenant farmers hurriedly ran to the wheat fields and took a look, they were disappointed. They thought that the villagers had worked hard and tirelessly farming in vain this year.
After the autumn harvest, pack up and go to the quarry to do hard labor.
Many people went down to the wheat fields, waded through the water, and cried loudly as they looked at the large area of wheat that had fallen to the ground.
These are all food, their life-saving food!
In comparison, the wheat fields of Chen Yao and her uncle's family rarely fell over, mainly because of the seeds she selected.
The rhizomes of the plants are thicker than before, and with daily fertilization, weeding and insect control, their resistance to lodging is naturally stronger than other wheat varieties. This shows that her method of selecting seeds from one ear is effective.
"Ayao, it's serious. After breakfast, I took the hoe to dig a canal to drain the water. Chen Yao discussed countermeasures and saw a group of men walking towards them in the rain.
Boss Luo and the others looked towards Chen Yao's wheat field, their eyes filled with pleading: "Ayao, can you think of a way to minimize the damage to our crops?"
"Ayao, please, please save us. Yesterday, the elderly and children in our family had no place to stay. If the crops in the fields are damaged again, our whole family will be in trouble. The big man suddenly rushed out from the crowd,
"Hey, don't do this, get up first." Chen Yao bent down and tried to pull the man up from the mud.
But as soon as she reached out her hand, countless uncles and aunts knelt one after another, "Ayao, we really have no other choice. Please help us. God really doesn't want us to live."
Chen Yao was a little overwhelmed by what she saw. Her outstretched hand was shaking from the rain until Yang Jizong pulled her behind him and blocked everyone's sight for her.
"If you really want to find a way to survive, get up and go home first. After breakfast, each family will send a representative to gather at the school, and we will discuss together how to save food and our homes." Yang Jizong embraced Chen Yao and returned home.
The villagers' faces were covered with tears and rain as they followed the two people until they reached the gate of the Shen family. No one wanted to leave.
"My dear uncles, although my house has not been repaired yet, it can accommodate a few elderly people and children. If you are at ease, you can send them here, or let them stay temporarily in the school." Chen Yao couldn't bear it and wanted to help as much as possible.
"Ayao, what about the food in the fields? What should we do with it?"
"Everyone, please go to the school and wait for a while while I think about this, okay?"
Shen Qingshan came out after hearing the noise at the door. After learning about the damage to the land, he and his daughter persuaded the villagers to go home first. It was not a good idea to gather here now. It would be better to settle the elderly and children at home first to avoid trouble on both ends.
That's how people were willing to leave.
At the dinner table, Miao served porridge to everyone. Her son was still in the city looking after the shop and had not returned yet. She felt a little relieved when she learned from A Yao that the damage to the crops in her fields was not serious.
Chen Yao quickly finished the porridge and swallowed the cake: "Aunt, is your wheat field serious?"
"The situation at my house isn't serious either. Ayao, can you really think of a way to save the crops in the fields? Those people are so old, and they're asking a child like you for help. If there's a disaster in the village, you have to talk to the village head." The crops that fell over in previous years could basically not be saved.
These people are really something. Isn’t this making things difficult for a child like A Yao?
"Aunt, I want to give it a try. Let's give it a try." Chen Yao put down her bowl and chopsticks and pulled Yang Jizong to the school.
Shen Qingshan also quickly threw away his bowl and chopsticks: "Ayao, do you want dad to go with you?"
"Dad, that's not necessary. You still have to go to Wanhe Township. Zi'an and I can go with you."
Before Yang Wenying could open her mouth while cleaning up the dishes, she heard Chen Yao's words and decided not to add to the trouble. She would go to the rabbit house with her aunts later.
Shen Family School.
The tables, chairs and benches in the room were pieced together and piled in the corner, with old people and children lying on them, along with bedding, food and everything else. It was obvious that some houses in the village had really been collapsed.
If you think about it carefully, the houses in the village are all built with adobe bricks, and some are very old. They will collapse if they are soaked by water or hit by hail.
Fortunately, there were no casualties.
"Ayao, there is no one at Village Chief Xue's home. What should we do next?" The villagers came forward and asked in unison.
What should they do? Since Captain Xue doesn’t care about their life or death, they have to find a way out on their own.
My own house has not been completed yet, so it is a good opportunity to requisition the village head's house.
"Everyone, listen to me first. We don't know how long this rain will last, but first we have to ensure everyone's safety. If anyone's house shows signs of collapse, don't take chances. Those who need to move must move. If the school can't accommodate everyone, then everyone will squeeze in. Since Village Chief Xue is not at home, let's go to his house for shelter first."
"Is this okay?"
"Why not? We are from the same village. Can we just watch the old people and children fall down in front of us? As the head of the village, he doesn't help the villagers and instead runs away from the battlefield. It would be reasonable to report him to Lord Li." Yang Jizong stood up to support Shen Yao.
"Okay, let's not live in his house, we'll just pile the food there." That way if something gets lost in the future, he won't be able to explain himself.
Old Zheng, who was squatting in the corner, suddenly spoke up: "My two grandsons are both working as waiters in the city and haven't come back yet. I can take two of them in."
"I can fit one person in my house."
Everyone looks at me, I look at you, even two families that usually have quarrels can be as close as one family at this moment.
After solving the housing problem, the next issue is drinking water.
Everyone draws water from the well in the drying yard. After the rain, the water level has risen and the groundwater will definitely be turbid, so everyone has to fetch water and store it for future use after returning home.
As for how many days of preparation, Chen Yao was not sure, she could only say that she would prepare as much as possible.
After saying this, the next thing is the issue of food in the fields.
"Zi'an and I need to observe the fallen wheat first. We need to think about how to save it. Today, we will dig a canal to drain the water. First, we must ensure that the remaining wheat in the field does not get flooded."
"Okay, Ayao, we will listen to you."
Just when the villagers were gradually calming down, Mrs. Zheng and her daughter-in-law suddenly rushed in from outside, without even having time to put on their straw raincoats.
"Old woman, what are you doing?" Old Zheng pushed through the crowd and caught his wife steadily.
"Dad, it's bad. Thieves broke into the rabbit house in the rain and tried to steal our rabbits. Xiaofu is fighting with them. Everyone, hurry up and help." As soon as the eldest daughter-in-law of the Zheng family finished speaking, everyone in the school disappeared.
The men picked up the benches and ran angrily towards the rabbit house.
Who are these bastards who dare to take advantage of the situation and steal the rabbits from the rabbit house? They are trying to kill the elderly and children in their village.
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