Chapter 33 : People might starve to death

Hearing this, Su Ranran couldn’t help but frown.  

It seemed that this so-called expert was no different from the so-called “experts” she had seen on the internet in her previous life.  

At that moment, Shen He happened to stop beside her.  

Su Ranran looked at him with some concern, afraid that he might believe the words of those “experts.”  

Shen He’s expression was a bit serious, but he still spoke in a reassuring tone, “Don’t worry, let’s hear what they have to say first.”  

Perhaps it was the steadiness in his voice that made her feel more at ease. No matter what the final conclusion of these experts was, at least their Shuiqiao Brigade had already begun harvesting.  

As for the other brigades, she didn’t have the ability to influence them and could only wait for the final verdict from the experts.  

The farmers working in the fields noticed the cadres arguing and were naturally curious.  

However, they didn’t dare to stop working, so they could only listen while continuing their tasks.  

“There will be heavy rain in a few days. There’s still time to inform the other brigades in the county to speed up their harvesting.”  

Xu Chenghua gazed at the sky, which was so deep blue it seemed almost like ink, and firmly stood by his opinion.  

Originally, they were supposed to confirm their conclusions through nighttime observations, but by then, it would be too late. If they didn’t start harvesting soon, the rice crops in other brigades could be destroyed by the heavy rain.  

Xu Chenghua wasn’t afraid of being scolded by Chen Shuangxin and insisted on voicing his opinion.  

However, Chen Shuangxin had just been promoted to deputy director of the Provincial Meteorological Bureau. Looking at this old-timer who had just retired, he felt a natural dislike for him.  

Confident in his own abilities, Chen Shuangxin was convinced that there wouldn’t be rain anytime soon.  

Being contradicted again in front of everyone made his face darken.  

Seeing the tension, Li Fanglan, who was standing nearby, quickly stepped forward.  

“Xu Chenghua, do you still think you’re the director of the Meteorological Bureau? Since when do you have the authority to question the leader’s statement?”  

Xu Chenghua remained calm at the accusation, but Sun Shiheng, standing beside him, couldn’t hold back.  

He immediately defended Xu Chenghua with solid reasoning.  

The group of five experts split into two opposing sides and began arguing fiercely. Each side presented their own reasoning, and neither was willing to back down.  

The eavesdropping farmers were terrified!  

If it turned out to be a drought, it wouldn’t be too bad, the rice would still survive. But if a heavy rain really came, their entire rice crop could be destroyed!  

It’s human nature to avoid risks.  

Regardless of how the experts argued, the farmers had already selectively believed that heavy rain was coming in a few days!  

“Everyone, work faster! We can’t let the rain ruin our rice!”  

They were depending on this crop for survival. If it got flooded, they would starve!  

With that thought, no one cared about recognition or awards anymore, they just wished they had extra hands to finish the harvest as soon as possible.  

Before Xu Chenghua could continue arguing, they heard the farmers shouting that a rainstorm was coming.  

Chen Shuangxin’s face immediately turned black!  

This sudden turn of events caught even Su Ranran by surprise.  

“Once you’re done collecting the snails, head back first. I’m going to the county.”  

Shen He noticed that Xu Chenghua’s expression was turning grim, and he worried that the storm might arrive earlier than expected. He quickly explained to Su Ranran.  

Hearing this, Su Ranran nodded immediately, not trying to be stubborn.  

Even though she knew she’d be fine, she realized that following him now wouldn’t be helpful in fact, it might even distract him.  

Seeing that she agreed, Shen He didn’t waste any more time. He put down the carrying pole and walked toward the group of experts.  

“Comrade Shen He, please find a tractor for me. I need to get to the county and report to the leaders at the Agricultural Bureau!”  

The sudden shift in weather was alarming, and Sun Shiheng couldn’t afford to delay any longer. He hurriedly grabbed Shen He and spoke urgently.

Shen He was already planning to go to the county, so he naturally didn’t refuse the request.  

This made Chen Shuangxin furious!  

Looking up at the cloudless sky, he still didn’t believe that it was going to rain today. However, no matter how much he insisted, the farmers in the fields didn’t believe him at all.  

One by one, they were working so hard that their feet seemed to be on fire, refusing to stop.  

From time to time, someone would shout, “We’ll harvest through the night with lights on!”  

The tractor arrived quickly, and Shen He helped Xu Chenghua up. Just as he was about to turn around and assist Sun Shiheng, the latter had already climbed up by himself.  

As soon as he got on the tractor, Sun Shiheng urged, “Drive quickly, don’t wait for them!”  

He looked as if he was afraid the others would come over and cause trouble.  

By now, he had thought things through clearl, harvesting early wouldn’t result in significant losses. Even if his prediction was wrong, the worst outcome would be losing his position.  

But if a heavy rainstorm did come, it wouldn’t be a joke. That was their food, if it got soaked, people might starve!  

Chen Shuangxin, on the other hand, was afraid of being outshined.  

Almost as soon as Sun Shiheng climbed aboard, he hurriedly squeezed onto the tractor as well.  

Hearing Sun Shiheng’s words, he completely disregarded his dignity and began shouting angrily.  

“This is outrageous! You, a mere county meteorologist, dare talk to your superiors like this? Just wait, I’ll have your station chief fire you when we get back!”  

Before he could continue his tirade, the tractor suddenly roared to life.  

“Hold on tight,” Shen He warned.  

The tractor sped off like a bullet.  

Chen Shuangxin and the others, who had never ridden a tractor before, were instantly terrified!  

Gripping the guardrail tightly with both hands, they couldn’t spare a moment to continue arguing.  

Meanwhile, Sun Shiheng and Xu Chenghua, who were accustomed to traveling to rural areas for inspections, were unfazed by the bumpy ride.  

The tractor rattled along the village road and soon passed by the Shuihe Brigade.  

To Shen He’s surprise, the people of Shuihe Brigade were also harvesting rice.  

However, their rushed movements made it clear that the effort had only been hastily organized that afternoon.  

Thanks to his sharp hearing, even over the loud tractor noise, Shen He caught snippets of conversation mentioning “evaluating model workers.”  

Shen He: …  

He hadn’t expected the rumor to spread so quickly, even reaching the neighboring brigade.  

For a moment, he wasn’t sure whether to marvel at the speed of gossip or worry about the potential trouble his wife might face if the truth were revealed.  

Meanwhile, Su Ranran remained unaware that rumors about her had spread to the next village. At this moment, she had already collected half a bucket of snails.  

Looking at the abundance of snails in the stream, she felt a bit puzzled. Hadn’t she caught snails here before? Why did it seem like there were so many more today?  

Usually, the children would have already gathered most of the snails from the stream. What was different today?  

Could it be because the children were busy working in the fields?  

“Ranran, leave the snails there. I’ll carry them later,” Pan Shuifang called out while taking a break under a tree and drinking water.  

Seeing her cautious expression, Su Ranran didn’t insist and placed the snails by the stream. Just as she was about to take a sip of water, a sudden commotion erupted in the distance.  

“Look, it’s Li Xueqiu!”