Although the young men in the village had been taught by their parents not to get involved with the educated youth, whenever they encountered Zhang Yunxi, their faces turned as red as monkey butts, and they stuttered when they spoke.

It wasn’t that they didn’t try to pursue her.

They just felt it was impossible.

So they chose to give up.

Seeing that it was getting late, Zhang Yunxi took the seeds of oilseed rape and went to plant them in her private plot.

Just as she finished sowing the seeds, dark clouds gathered, and the sky rumbled with thunder. Zhang Yunxi quickly gathered the laundry and dried vegetables with He Xiaoxiao, moving everything back into the house.

Deng Damei, who had been working outside, also rushed in.

The rain poured down as if someone were dumping buckets of water from the sky, with no transition at all. If Deng Damei hadn’t returned in time, she would have been drenched.

The tiles on the roof clattered loudly under the rain. Zhang Yunxi tilted her head to check for any leaks, put on a bamboo hat, and went to the kitchen to fetch a small bucket to collect the water.

He Xiaoxiao looked at the situation and said, “The house needs repairs. We should go to the brigade leader another day to buy some tiles to cover the roof. It’s fine now in autumn, but once it gets colder, the cold will seep into your bones.”

“Right,” Zhang Yunxi nodded.

The rain grew heavier, and the three of them took turns emptying the bucket. Since there weren’t enough buckets, none of them slept well that night.

Many households in Zhao Village were in the same situation. The houses were old, and no one had the money to build new ones.

Zhao Rencheng was just glad that the grain had been harvested in time. But the rain was so heavy that he had to put on a raincoat and bamboo hat to check if any of the dilapidated houses were in danger of collapsing.

Brigade Leader Zhao went with him.

The two of them inspected the village, ignoring the houses that looked like they could hold up, and focusing only on those that seemed on the verge of being blown away by the wind and rain.

Their province was coastal, prone to typhoons. Although they couldn’t predict the exact level of the typhoon, they could feel its ferocity.

“Uncle, the wind is too strong. Why don’t you go back?”

“It’s fine,” Brigade Leader Zhao stood behind him, his eyes filled with worry. “I need to see for myself to feel at ease.”

Zhao Rencheng and the brigade leader made their rounds, scolding several families along the way. They told them that even if they had to borrow money from the brigade, they needed to repair their houses. Otherwise, if the houses collapsed, it would be too late for regrets.

As they walked, they arrived at the cowshed.

The roof of the cowshed had been blown off.

Zhao Rencheng looked at the exposed roof and, after discussing with the brigade leader, shouted, “There are empty beds at the female educated youth’s place. Follow the brigade leader. The men will come with me.”

Brigade Leader Zhao wiped the water from his face repeatedly and called out, “Follow me. The children can come to the female educated youth’s side too.”

There were seven people in total.

Three men, two women, and two children.

One of the men was the oldest, already sixty-eight. The other two men, two women, and two children made up two families.

The older child was nine.

The younger one was not yet five.

Both were crying in their mothers’ arms.

They had brought the children with them because they had no one else to entrust them to. If there had been someone trustworthy, the children wouldn’t have come here.

Brigade Leader Zhao led them to the female educated youth’s dormitory.

Zhang Yunxi, who was busy emptying the bucket of water, was startled by the knocking on the door. Outside, thunder rumbled, and the typhoon howled. The sudden knocking was truly frightening. She shouted, “Who is it?”

“It’s me, the brigade leader.”

Brigade Leader Zhao replied.

“Oh, coming!” Zhang Yunxi put on her bamboo hat and opened the door. She saw two women holding children, with nothing to protect them from the rain. The children were shivering. She quickly said, “Come in, quick.”

Brigade Leader Zhao told her, “Let them stay here for the night. I’ll make arrangements tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

Zhang Yunxi quickly agreed and called Deng Damei and He Xiaoxiao to get up. They boiled water and made ginger tea. The rain was too heavy, having started yesterday afternoon and showing no signs of stopping by three in the morning.

He Xiaoxiao went to boil the water.

Deng Damei sliced ginger to make ginger tea.

They were familiar with these people, though their interactions hadn’t been positive in the past.

But seeing them in such a pitiful state, He Xiaoxiao and Deng Damei couldn’t help but feel sorry for them.

Zhang Yunxi found her thick quilt and had the children strip off their wet clothes, wrapping them up tightly.

The women hesitated.

They wanted to say it wasn’t appropriate.

But seeing their children shivering from the cold, they couldn’t bring themselves to refuse.

Zhang Yunxi also pulled out her cotton-padded jacket and put it on the older child. “It’s okay. You’ll feel better after a warm bath.”

The two children, now wrapped in warmth, felt much better. Zhang Yunxi handed them towels. “Dry yourselves off. You can change into my autumn clothes later.”

She only had one cotton-padded jacket.

She couldn’t give it to them.

The two women were endlessly grateful.

“It’s nothing,” Zhang Yunxi waved her hand. Seeing how thin the children were, she also dug out a few pieces of candy and gave them to the kids.

The two boys looked timidly at their mothers, only accepting the candy after their mothers nodded. But they were well-behaved and didn’t eat it right away, as they weren’t starving yet and knew they shouldn’t eat unless absolutely necessary.

Deng Damei brought in the ginger tea for them to drink. “Drink it quickly to warm up and avoid catching a cold.”

“Thank you so much.”

When their house had been blown apart, they thought they were doomed. They never expected to be taken care of by three young girls at the educated youth’s dormitory.

He Xiaoxiao came in and said, “Whoever got the most soaked, go take a bath first. We’ll take turns.”

The four of them didn’t argue.

They took turns bathing.

After their baths, they felt much better. Zhang Yunxi, seeing how emaciated they all were, was worried their weak immune systems would make them sick. So she cracked four eggs and made a pot of egg drop soup for them.

She whisked the eggs and slowly poured the mixture into the boiling soup, where it formed thin, delicate strands. After adding some seasoning, she ladled the soup into four bowls. The broth was clear and translucent, with an enticing color.

The children were drooling.

The two women, who had once lived comfortable lives, had forgotten what it was like after years of hardship. Even the simple egg drop soup seemed like a treasure to them.

Zhou Yijin said, “This is too much trouble for you.”

“It’s fine. Drink up.”

Zhang Yunxi fed the five-year-old child, whose eyes sparkled as he tasted the soup. Her heart felt heavy.

Deng Damei added, “Our Yunxi is very generous. She’s not just being polite. You should drink it without feeling guilty.”

Zhou Yijin and Tang Yi expressed their gratitude. The fragrant egg strands were tender and smooth, with a delicious flavor. On a day like this, a bowl of such soup was incredibly comforting.