He Tiantian nodded and said nothing more.
Cheng Ying is only seventeen years old this year. Making a teenage girl give birth is indeed somewhat inhumane.
He Tiantian thought to herself that with so many girls in her family, she absolutely couldn't let them get married so early.
I'll have to wait until I'm at least thirty, but then I think, by thirty I'll be a grandmother, and I definitely won't be able to get married in this day and age.
Never mind, it's still early, let's talk about it later.
Cheng Ying escorted He Tiantian to the front door, glanced inside the house, and then said shyly, "Auntie, thank you for today."
He Tiantian was taken aback before realizing what Cheng Ying meant by "thank you".
Unfortunately, in this day and age, if a woman doesn't have a child, everyone will assume it's her fault. And men, for the sake of their so-called pride, will never admit it.
He Tiantian was about to leave when she saw Zhao Tingzhang leading a group of people back from afar.
Zhao Tingzhang looked dejected; needless to say, he hadn't found a water source.
Zhao Dahai greeted Zhao Xiaohe and He Tiantian. After handing the hoe to Zhao Dahai, Zhao Tingzhang asked, "Wanzi's mother, is there something you need?"
"Oh, I've come to talk to you about something, Auntie. Headman, is there still no progress on the water-finding matter?"
Zhao, the pavilion chief, sighed and shook his head. "I've searched all the mountains around here with my men, and now it's all drought-stricken. The trees on the mountains are almost dying from the drought."
He Tiantian's heart skipped a beat. She gazed at the distant, rolling mountains. Finally, her gaze settled on the farthest mountain. "Chief, have you been to Wolf Mountain?"
Zhao Tingzhang opened his mouth in surprise, "This... how about I have Zhang the hunter bring his hunting rifle and come with me tomorrow?"
For so many years, no one in their village has dared to go to that Wolf Mountain.
But if there really is water there, I have no choice but to go, even if it means risking my life.
He Tiantian nodded, "Chief, then I'll go with you tomorrow."
"What? Maruko's mom, that mountain is the farthest. It'll probably take half a day to get there." Besides, the mountain is high and the road is long, so you'll need to be good at walking.
"Chief, I think you could go to Director Song at the mine. He has horses. If we take a horse-drawn carriage, it will be much faster, and if we find water, their mine will be saved, right?" He Tiantian suggested.
As far as she knows, the mines are now losing profits due to the drought.
The miners who had been recruited from various villages were almost all facing drought problems in their homes.
If their village finds water, the problems at the mine can be largely resolved.
Zhao Tingzhang slapped his forehead, "That's right, I'll go to the mine right now!" Director Song is such an easy person, he certainly won't refuse.
In the summer nights of Changfeng Village, cicadas still chirp in the early evening, but their chirping completely ceases after nightfall.
However, the chirping of insects gradually began. At this time of year, the croaking of frogs could usually be heard, and villagers would take advantage of the darkness to catch some frogs for a treat.
But this year, due to the drought, there's no water in the river, let alone frogs.
He Tiantian didn't sleep well that night, and Xiao Mingzhu kept whimpering and couldn't fall into a deep sleep. Wu Jin and Coconut were also pacing around the room, occasionally letting out a soft croak.
He Tiantian tossed and turned in bed, but finally got up and put on her clothes, still feeling uneasy.
When Wujin and Yezi saw He Tiantian get down to the ground, they rushed over to her from the left and right.
He Tiantian patted the two little guys' heads and then took out some jerky from her pocket and stuffed it into their mouths.
"What's wrong? Is something going to happen?"
The two little ones can't speak, they can only make whimpering sounds instead.
He Tiantian's heart sank. She wanted to call the four children, but she was worried about leaving Xiao Mingzhu alone on the bed.
So he picked up Little Pearl and wanted to go to Lantern and Dumpling's house first.
The two rooms are connected, and it's only a few steps from the door.
He Tiantian went into the house and woke up Lantern and Wanzi, then gave Xiao Mingzhu to Zhao Lantern to hold.
"You two stay inside and don't come out. I'll go call Sister Xiaolan and Sister Xiaolü," He Tiantian instructed worriedly.
Zhao Denglong and Zhao Wanzi nodded seriously.
Zhao Xiaolan and Zhao Xiaolu's house was across the street. When passing by the yard, He Tiantian made a point of checking whether the yard gate was closed properly.
Although it was a wooden door, the lock on it was one of those old-fashioned iron locks that He Tiantian bought from the mall. It was quite sturdy.
When He Tiantian woke up Xiao Lü and Xiao Lan, they were walking towards the lantern and dumpling room.
Suddenly, a scream shattered the silence of the summer night.
Although it was night, the summer moon shone brightly, making the night quite clear.
"Damn it, a thief has broken into the village! Help! Help!"
He Tiantian recognized the voice; it was Granny Yuan's voice.
Because their two houses were the closest to each other, they could hear it very clearly.
"Quick, let's get inside and hide!" He Tiantian led Xiao Lü and Xiao Lan into the house.
Before they could close the door, the wooden gate to the yard slammed shut with a loud bang, as if it had been struck by something powerful.
The four children jumped in surprise.
Zhao Wanzi hid behind He Tiantian and cried out in fear, "Mother, I'm scared..."
Wujin and Coconut quickly ran out, and the two dogs began barking wildly through the wooden door.
Finally, a man's voice came from outside.
"What the hell did you spread this rumor about? Why didn't you say there was a dog in this house sooner?"
"I...I didn't see anything. But there were no men in this house, only women and children, so it would be easy to make a move."
The two of them chattered away.
"Break it open, ram it hard! Hurry up!" a man urged impatiently.
Then the wooden gate to the yard was slammed a few more times, and Wujin and Coconut cried even louder, almost frantically.
"Brother...we've already alerted the village, we'd better leave quickly. Those two dogs are incredibly fierce, we can't beat them..."
"Fuck your mother, spit on her! Let's get out of here!"
He Tiantian overheard the conversation outside the door. The two people spoke to her in a way that sounded unfamiliar and didn't seem to be from her village.
At this moment, the entire village seemed to be awakened. Everyone grabbed their weapons and braced themselves against the doors of their homes.
Some brave men carried shovels and chased after them, but they didn't see anyone.
With the help of his eldest son, Zhao Dahai, Zhao Tingzhang also hurried over. A dozen or so people met him at the village entrance.
"So, did you see who it was?"
"I didn't see anyone, not even a soul in sight."
"The sound just now came from Granny Yuan's house. Let's go and see."
A group of people arrived at Granny Yuan's house, where Granny Yuan was sitting on the ground in the yard, wailing loudly.
"Damn it, how could a thief break into my house! May he die a horrible death!"
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