Chapter 97 Heavy Rain
Before leaving, they took the big iron pot from home. The Jiang family originally only had one big iron pot and a clay pot, and later they bought a small iron pot.
The big iron pot was used to cook rice, and a small bowl of egg custard was steamed on it to mix with Huahua's rice.
The loofah is cooked in the pottery. When it is cooked, pour in the beaten egg liquid and sprinkle with chopped green onions before taking it out of the pot.
The small iron pan is used for cooking.
Fortunately, the Guan family also had a large iron pot to boil hot water for bathing.
The weather was hot and the river water was a little warm after being exposed to the sun all day. In the evening, the men who had built the house jumped into the water and paddled twice. When they stood up, they were considered washed from head to toe.
Shen Qing, Huo Bing and the other four washed in batches, while the others stood on the shore to keep watch.
It is no problem for adults to bathe in the river, but it is not possible for Xiaoshan and the two little kids, so hot water is essential.
In addition to hot water for bathing, Shen Qing also stipulated that drinking water must be boiled, and raw water such as river water and stream water cannot be drunk directly.
After the bath water is boiled, the big iron pot is not idle either. It continues to boil water in batches and scoops it into the small water tank to cool. When you are thirsty, you can scoop it directly from the tank. It is very convenient.
After eating and drinking their fill, the group lay down on the straw mats, completely relaxing as they thought they wouldn't have to travel any further tomorrow.
Life is so good these days, if only it could always be this good...
*
As soon as Shen Qing woke up the next day, he heard Carpenter Guan sigh.
And Guan Li's concerned voice asked: "What's wrong, Dad?"
"Morning glow doesn't go out, but evening glow travels thousands of miles. Look at the sky, I'm afraid it's going to change." Carpenter Guan looked at the beautiful color of the sky, but his mood was not good.
Shen Qing was mentally prepared.
But even if you are mentally prepared, you will still worry when it really comes.
She also looked up at the sky, the brilliant colors were particularly beautiful.
But now is not the time to appreciate the beautiful scenery, she commanded: "After breakfast, the eldest and second brothers, you guys should hurry up and build a shed for the animals;
Ah Bing and Ah Li, please give us lots of flour pancakes;
When it rains a little, gather your things and move everything you need into the shed;
Xiangzhong, you are responsible for fetching water."
Breakfast was the mutton soup that was stewed last night, which was eaten quickly with pancakes.
After a while, everyone started to take action.
At the same time in Qili Village, not only the Zhao and Hong families were anxious, but other families were also anxious.
Looking at the gorgeous morning glow in the sky, borrowing carts everywhere!
The three families of Jiangyang, Jiangtian and Jiangxing not only lent out their carts, but also their animals to help carry wheat into the city for sale.
Jiang Yang reminded the person who borrowed the car: "The weather won't change anytime soon. I'm afraid the rain won't fall until after noon. If you speed up, maybe you can make a second trip.
If you have the money, it would be best to buy some oilcloth raincoats, as they might be useful when the rain comes."
The three families had sold their grain early, and had stockpiled enough oilcloth and straw raincoats. They had even started slaughtering, pickling, and drying their chickens and ducks, so it didn't matter if the animal carts weren't used today.
The villagers who borrowed the car expressed their gratitude profusely and then hurriedly transported the grain into the city.
Outside the yard, Wang Fugui and Sun Xiaomai looked at the villagers running around with disapproval on their faces.
"Let the weather change, let it change. It's always rainy. Besides, the floods happened dozens or even hundreds of years ago. We've been living well for two or three generations. Why do we have to suffer so much when we can enjoy the good life?"
"This isn't a life of luxury! We're all being ordered around by the village chief, and when nothing happens, it'll be a joke.
By the way, have you spoken to Captain Sun? What did Captain Sun say?
"What else can I say? Captain Sun said that once the rain is over and everything is fine, he will report to the county magistrate and take Jiang Yang's position as village chief! But even if he doesn't take it then, Jiang Yang will be embarrassed to accept it."
How could he still have the nerve to continue doing this after having harmed so many fellow villagers? If it were him, he would probably die of shame.
Sun Xiaomai was very excited and asked anxiously, "Did Captain Sun tell you if you can do this?"
Speaking of this, Wang Fugui's face was full of dissatisfaction. He had sent several chickens and ducks to Captain Sun. He was very happy when he received them, but when it came to the reply, it was all the same old words, and there was no definite answer.
"Captain Sun said that we still need to see our sincerity. How do you think we can judge our sincerity? We gave them the chickens and ducks that we were reluctant to eat. Isn't that sincere enough?"
Sun Xiaomai gritted his teeth and said, "I guess I'll have to give him some silver!"
Wang Fugui felt a little distressed and cursed, "How greedy!"
But thinking of the position of village chief that was just around the corner, he said cruelly, "How about I go to the city and send some silver over?"
"That's fine. The villagers are busy selling grain. We can take advantage of this period to hook up with Captain Sun. When they finish selling the grain and find that the village chief has been replaced by you, the head of the family, haha, I feel happy just thinking about their shocked and regretful expressions!" Sun Xiaomai's eyes were full of pride.
Jiang Yang will probably be regretting his decision so much by then and will hate Shen Qing to death. Let's see how this group of people ends up.
On the other side, Zhang Heshun was also discussing with his wife Zhou Chuncao.
He said worriedly, "The situation is about to change. Other families are selling food. Are we really not going to sell it?"
"What should I sell? We've had a good harvest this year, so I can sell it for a good price. If I keep it and wait until food becomes scarce, the price will definitely go up, and I can make more money selling it then."
"But..."
"Don't say but! I asked you to give Captain Sun a gift. Did you do that? What did he say?"
"You always give it to me, but you always use the same excuse. I think you're trying to trick us. I don't want to be the village chief, and I can't handle the effort. Let's not waste the money."
"You're so short-sighted! You can be my son if you don't want to. Go away, stop talking. The more you talk, the angrier I get. I'm going to tell the second brother's family!"
"Hey, if we really don't want to sell the grain, why don't we buy some oilcloth..."
"No! Why buy anything? It's a waste of money!"
......
The shed was covered with tarpaulin on three sides and fixed with wooden stakes. Just as it was done, raindrops as big as beans began to fall.
Shen Qing seized the opportunity, secretly added beans and grains to the troughs of the cows and donkeys, and ran towards the shed with his hands covering his head.
Even though the distance was short, a lot of rain fell on my clothes.
Jiang Yu quickly stepped forward and gently wiped the rain off Shen Qing with a handkerchief. Huo Bing, who was cooking in the middle of the shed, called out, "Mom, come over and warm up to get rid of the moisture."
Shen Qing didn't care. June in the lunar calendar was the hottest month of the year. Let alone getting a little wet, even getting soaked wouldn't be a big deal.
Seeing that his sister-in-law didn't take it seriously, Jiang Yu gently advised: "Sister-in-law, go over and get some warm water. It's no joke if you catch a cold outside."
What could Shen Qing do? Of course, he just obeyed everyone's good intentions and sat down beside the stove.
The stove outside cannot be used when it rains, so when the weather changed, a stove hole was dug in the middle of the shed to boil water and cook some simple meals.
Huo Bing tore the water spinach leaves into small pieces and threw them into the pot to cook. Then he scooped in a ladle of flour, added salt and two spoons of lard and mixed them evenly to make water spinach paste.
After making it, put it aside to cool down, and use the residual heat from the stove to slightly heat up the dough cakes made in the morning.
We don’t know how long the rain will last, so we should try to use the firewood stored in the shed sparingly.
After having a hot lunch and washing the pots and pans with the help of rainwater, a group of people crowded into the shed to watch the heavy rain.
There was mist in the distance, making it difficult to see clearly. It was only noon, but the sky was already as dark as evening.
By evening, the rain gradually subsided. Jiang Xiangdong and Jiang Xiangxi put on their straw raincoats and seized the opportunity to go cut grass again.
The amount was enough to last for two or three days, so the two of them returned.
Shen Qing waited until the two of them entered the shed, then put on his straw raincoat and went out to add two days' worth of corn and beans to the cattle trough - grass would be fine, but corn and beans would be more nutritious.
This rain will continue for many days. The riverbank will not be able to withstand it in the second half of the night. I don’t know which second half of the night it will be... And even if it rains later, we have to move forward in the rain...
*
Zhou Chuncao felt very proud as he watched the rain and fog subside.
She glanced at Zhang Heshun and asked loudly, "Look! Isn't it too small? I told you not to waste money, didn't I?"
Zhang Heshun hunched his shoulders and smiled as he agreed, "Yes, yes, yes, my wife, you have the foresight."
"You're right to listen to me. Don't always stare at other people's families. What's the point?" Zhou Chuncao took the opportunity to scold everyone in the family again to consolidate his position.
The sons, daughters-in-law and grandchildren were too weak to say a word.
Mr. Jiang stood under the eaves and looked at the rain and fog in the yard, the worry in his eyes did not diminish at all.
Shen Qing said that the dam broke in the second half of the night, but he didn't know which night it was when it rained.
And precisely because everyone was sleeping soundly in the second half of the night, the losses were even more severe!
Jiang Ying knew what her father was worried about. She whispered, "Don't worry, Dad. I won't sleep at night. If a flood comes, I'll ring the gong to wake everyone up."
Every bit of property that can be salvaged is a bit better.
Master Jiang looked at his daughter and said after a moment, "Let's take turns guarding."
Jiang Ying disagreed and advised, "Dad, you're old... We'll still need you to make decisions after the flood. You won't be able to rest well then. I'll be the only one watching over you and I can catch up on some sleep during the day."
Mr. Jiang insisted: "I will guard it tonight."
Heavy rain fell all night and showed a tendency to intensify in the second half of the night, causing panic among the people.
The rain continued to fall the next day, and many people complained that the river was probably 80% full.
The Wang and Zhang families looked at the piles of grain and paced back and forth.
After finally making it to night, the rain still didn't stop. The villagers had a quick dinner and went to bed early, hoping that the rain would stop when they woke up the next morning.
In the second half of the night, a loud rumbling noise accompanied by the sound of gongs rang out!
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