Chapter 78: Drought

Working in the fields for an entire year barely earned any money.

Liu Yinyin was well aware of how difficult it was for rural people to make a living. However…

She had thought about what the villagers could do to earn extra income, but with a famine approaching, what business could possibly succeed?

She glanced at Jiang Zhiqing. Did he have an idea?

Curious, she asked, “Comrade Jiang, what do you mean by that?”

Jiang Zhiqing cleared his throat and said, “Comrade Liu, what do you think about setting up a livestock farm in the village?”

He chose to discuss this matter with Liu Yinyin because she was one of the few educated people in the village and a teacher. He figured she would be someone who could understand his thoughts.

Liu Yinyin was taken aback. “…Raising pigs?”

“Yes.” Jiang Zhiqing adjusted his glasses and explained, “Pig farming is actually a technical skill. If we set up a pig farm in the village, I know how to raise pigs to be fatter and more profitable.”

Fatter pigs meant higher profits.

Jiang Beichuan had volunteered to move to the countryside with the ambition of helping to develop rural areas.

However, things hadn’t gone as he expected. After arriving in Liu Family Village, he found himself unable to put his knowledge to use.

He had already suggested pig farming to Liu Changquan, but Liu Changquan had outright rejected the idea.

He believed that raising pigs was too risky. Just last year, the village had suffered from an outbreak of swine fever. Although pig farming was profitable, the costs were also high. The village was already poor, and Liu Changquan didn’t dare take such a gamble.

Raising pigs?

Liu Yinyin’s lips twitched. “…Comrade Jiang, why not consider raising rabbits instead?”

It wasn’t that pig farming was a bad idea, but now was definitely not the right time for it. Given the current situation, even people would soon be struggling to find food—how could they afford to feed pigs?

Rabbits, on the other hand, required almost no cost to raise. Even if food supplies ran out, they could be slaughtered for meat or exchanged for grain. In the end, there would be little to no loss.

“Raising rabbits?” Jiang Zhiqing hesitated. “But… I’ve only studied pig farming…”

Liu Yinyin coughed lightly and said, “Comrade Jiang, everything should be done step by step. Think about it—if you successfully raise rabbits, then later propose setting up a pig farm, wouldn’t the villagers be more willing to accept it?

Besides, compared to raising pigs, raising rabbits is much easier.”

Jiang Zhiqing pondered for a moment before nodding. “I’ll go back and do some research.”

Liu Yinyin thought for a moment and added, “I have quite a few rabbits at home. If you need help, feel free to ask me.”

If rabbit farming could take off, it would definitely benefit the villagers. She would do whatever she could to help.

Time flew by, and soon it was early July.

The weather grew increasingly hotter. The scorching sun blazed down on the land, filling the air with unbearable heat. It was so stifling that it felt hard to breathe.

The village atmosphere grew more tense with each passing day.

It was already July, and not a single drop of rain had fallen. The crops in the fields survived solely on the water the villagers carried from wells and rivers.

Even though everyone put in their best effort, the water shortage remained unresolved. By this time of year, the rice paddies should have been sprouting grains.

But now, the crops were yellowed and withering under the relentless sun, and the ground was so dry that it had cracked.

Moreover, with the prolonged drought, the water levels in both the village river and wells had dropped significantly.

If the drought continued much longer, the river might completely dry up.

That afternoon, Liu Yinyin was in the classroom, overseeing the children’s exams.

Outside, the sun blazed mercilessly, and the heat waves were suffocating.

There were no fans in the classroom, so both Liu Yinyin and the students were drenched in sweat.

It was the last class of the school term. Once the exam ended, the school would be on break.

Liu Yinyin sat at the podium, fanning herself back and forth.

The weather was unbearably hot, and outside, the constant chirping of cicadas only added to the irritation, making people feel restless and agitated.

Amidst the sweltering heat, something suddenly crawled in through the doorway.

Liu Yinyin turned her head to look, and her heart nearly leaped out of her chest from fright.

She rushed over and scooped up Gu Yanyan in her arms.

This afternoon, Jiang Cuihua had been helping her take care of the child at home. She had no idea how the little one had managed to crawl all the way here.

Gu Yanyan, suddenly lifted into his mother’s embrace, let out a few whimpers and kicked his little legs, trying to get down. “Ah… ah…”

Liu Yinyin was scared out of her wits. She reached out and gave his bottom two firm pats.

His chubby little behind was well-padded with baby fat, so the spanking didn’t hurt at all.

In fact, he thought his mother was playing with him. He lifted his round little face and tried to nuzzle against her.

Liu Yinyin, expressionless, gently pushed his pudgy face away.

Class was almost over, so she asked Liu Dazhuang to help collect the exam papers.

Then, carrying Gu Yanyan, she headed home first.

At home, Jiang Cuihua had dozed off for a moment. When she woke up and didn’t see her little grandson on the mat, she was startled awake.

She searched the house frantically but couldn’t find him, so she rushed outside.

Just then, she saw Liu Yinyin returning with the child in her arms.

“Mother, Yanyan crawled all the way to the classroom just now,” Liu Yinyin said, still shaken. There might not be human traffickers in the village, but what if he had run into someone with bad intentions?

Jiang Cuihua let out a startled cry and quickly took the child from her daughter’s arms, her heart still racing. “I just fell asleep for a moment. I never thought he would crawl out on his own. We need to block the door with a wooden board from now on.”

Gu Yanyan had learned to crawl, and it wasn’t practical to keep the doors shut all the time.

Liu Yinyin nodded and carefully checked his hands and feet.

She didn’t find any injuries, but there were red marks on his knees and palms, probably from scraping against stones on the way.

She breathed a sigh of relief. This little one was getting more mischievous by the day. He couldn’t stand staying indoors and always wanted to run outside.

But with the heat so intense, how could she dare take him out to play? She could only take him for a short walk in the early morning or late evening.

Gu Yanyan was covered in dirt from head to toe, so Liu Yinyin went to fetch water to give him a bath.

Jiang Cuihua, holding her grandson, muttered, “Why not just wipe him down with a towel?”

With the drought, water had become precious. Villagers were being extra cautious with their water usage, afraid that one day even drinking water might become a problem.

Liu Yinyin hesitated. “…I’ll give him a proper bath now, and then just wipe him down in the evening.”

Jiang Cuihua shot her a sideways glance. “You and your obsession with cleanliness.”

She couldn’t understand where her daughter had inherited this fastidiousness. Just look at how she raised the little one—fair-skinned, chubby, and spotless, just like a city kid.

No one else in the village raised their children like this.

Jiang Cuihua couldn’t help but urge, “Speaking of which, when are you and Gu Cheng planning to have another child? Yanyan is already quite big. You two should hurry up and have another one.”

In the countryside, the belief was that the more children a family had, the more blessings they received. Everyone wished for as many kids as possible.

Having only one child? That was simply unheard of.