The young girl’s beautiful almond-shaped eyes widened in surprise, looking as innocent as a confused kitten. Soft and adorable, she was truly endearing.

The young man lowered his gaze, a slight smile playing on his lips,

“It’s my mistake, I recognized the wrong person.”

Was it really like that?

The young girl, skeptical, narrowed her almond-shaped eyes and glanced at the young man, who was looking at her gently. She couldn’t believe his words.

Ever since that rainy night when she had held the young man’s hand, seeing him made her feel uneasy. She hummed a few times but didn’t speak.

Grandpa Ye, who had awakened yesterday, was still a bit weak but had a rosy complexion and was in good spirits. He spoke to the young girl with affection:

“WanYue, you’ve saved us again.

I don’t know how to repay you.

As the saying goes, saving a life deserves a life-long repayment. However, we’re just poor and living day by day and there’s no way to repay your life-saving grace.

For now, the only thing we can do is bow in gratitude.”

Saying this, the elderly man, with his white hair, actually stood up, trembling, ready to bow with Ye ChenChuan to thank Song Wan Yue.

The young girl, flustered, stammered,

“Grandpa Ye, what are you doing?

Don’t bow to me.

It wasn’t just me who saved you and Brother ChenChuan. There was also the captain, my dad and several big brothers from the village. I was just a small troublemaker.

Please, don’t bow to me.”

She truly couldn’t bear it. Even though she had crossed over from the modern world, her parents had passed away early in her previous life. In the large villa, she had only her beloved butler and a few servants growing up.

To her, Grandpa Ye and the elderly man, who were of a similar age as her butler, were respected elders. Now, seeing them bow to her, she couldn’t accept it.

Moreover, if the villagers knew she had an elderly man with white hair bowing to her, they’d probably gossip about it endlessly.

The young girl’s face was scrunched up in distress as she looked left and right, seeing Grandpa Ye about to bow. She quickly tugged at Ye ChenChuan’s sleeve, her voice soft and pleading.

“Brother ChenChuan, help me quickly.

Okay?”

Ye ChenChuan, caught off guard by the girl pulling on his sleeve, looked up. The sight of her watery almond eyes blinking at him made the heat in his chest surge. His cold eyes softened as he whispered a few words to Grandpa Ye.

Grandpa Ye looked at the young girl in surprise, his face filled with old-age happiness.

“Alright!

Alright!”

Grandpa Ye chuckled heartily, happily returning to his bamboo chair.

Was that it? That was too simple!

The young girl was curious and leaned in with her face to ask,

“Brother ChenChuan, what did you just say to Grandpa Ye?”

Ye Chen Chuan lifted his eyes slightly and seeing her tender face, whispered with a smile,

“It’s a secret~”

The young girl, who was trying to be sweet, was left speechless.

Ah!

~

In the hot afternoon, after several days of rain, the torrential downpour in Dahe Mountain finally stopped. After breakfast, the overcast sky gradually cleared and the scorching summer sun returned to Dahe Mountain.

Although the villagers were staying on the cooler mountain top, it was the hottest part of the summer afternoon. Even in the open-windowed temple, everyone was sweltering.

In front of the small thatched cottage next to the temple, there were two small bamboo stools and a large rattan basket was turned upside down as a makeshift table. On the basket was a coarse ceramic plate filled with juicy red watermelon. The young girl, Song WanYue, pouted and was eating the watermelon quickly, making a mess.

Beside her, Ye ChenChuan ate watermelon slowly, glancing at the girl who looked like a fluffy kitten hugging the watermelon. He couldn’t help but smile wryly,

“If you eat like this, you’ll choke on the watermelon.”

“Mind your own business!”

“I’m happy to choke!”

The young girl took a big bite of the cold, sweet watermelon and showed her teeth like a little squirrel at Ye ChenChuan.

These watermelons were all that was left in the basket Ye ChenChuan carried out during the evacuation last night, apart from some rice bags, clothes and food tickets from his home. The rest were these few watermelons.

Since Song WanYue liked watermelon.

Seeing the young girl’s fierce little expression, Ye ChenChuan’s dark eyes softened with affection.

“What a little spoiled princess.”

“Pah!”

“Who are you calling spoiled?”

“Heartless!”

Song Wan Yue’s temper flared.

Ye ChenChuan chuckled,

“It seems you really don’t remember.”

“Remember what?”

The young girl continued to fume.

Ye ChenChuan looked at her but remained silent.

Song WanYue was so furious she almost exploded:

*Ahhhh!

Ye Chenhuan, you big jerk!*

~

As the evening glow filled the sky, Song JianDang used a loudspeaker to gather the entire village for a meeting.

The topic of the meeting was simple and straightforward, how the more than 500 villagers in Dahe Mountain would survive through this year of natural and man-made disasters.

This year had been full of calamities for Dahe Mountain. First, there was a grain shortage leading to famine, then a rare flood devastated the land, leaving the villagers’ homes and fields washed away.

The floodwaters had not yet receded and the crops were ruined. There was no hope for them.

Fortunately, the village had some emergency relief grain from the commune and the pigs, cows, chickens and ducks survived. The food situation was manageable for now.

But sleeping arrangements were a big problem. Everyone was staying in the abandoned temple on the mountain top.

The temple was small, with only a few rooms. Five hundred villagers were crammed into a few rooms, making sleeping and waking up very inconvenient.

One room had dozens of people, including unmarried young women. If they woke up to see men stretching in the room, what would happen? How would young women find husbands if such things happened?

Also, many of the village men and middle-aged men didn’t practice good hygiene. It was common for them not to wash their feet before bed.

Normally, in their own homes, if they were tired after a day’s work and didn’t wash their feet, it wouldn’t be a big deal.

But now, with dozens of people sleeping in one room and the strong smell of unwashed feet filling the air, it was unbearable.

After just one night, some clean-minded people couldn’t stand it and went to complain to the village leader.

Song JianDang saw that the village conditions were as they were. Although he couldn’t provide better conditions, he had to address the issues raised by the villagers.

He discussed with his good friend Song XiangDong for a long time. Seeing Song JianDang almost pulling his hair out, Song XiangDong finally suggested a solution.

It was actually quite simple. Just divide the few rooms. Men would stay in one room, young women and wives in another, young men in a third and elderly people in a separate room. Children could stay with their mothers.

This temporary arrangement would work for now.

Song JianDang’s eyes lit up at this idea. He quickly called a village meeting with the loudspeaker.

The villagers agreed with the plan, given the current conditions. They had no better options.

Song JianDang was relieved when everyone accepted the plan. The rearrangement was done smoothly.

But before he could catch his breath, a new problem arose.

The Qin family of five had no place to go.

What was happening?

Song JianDang, with red eyes, went to inquire.

The Qin family had already been released, and now Mrs Qin was crying and rolling on the ground in the temple courtyard.

“Oh, the black-hearted people!

All of you are black-hearted!

Why did you have to leave so early, old man?

Now, they bully our family!

Old man!”

Mrs Qin was crying out like a slaughtered pig in the courtyard, while Li Erhua, with her hands on her hips, spat on the ground and scowled, “Spitting on people’s faces, how could they!”

Qin Dahai stood by with a dark face. As the most prideful member of the family, he was seething with anger at the village’s treatment of them.

The Qin family’s grandson, Qin Baozhu, was a clueless child who, seeing the attention from the villagers, felt proud and strutted around.

Qin Rongrong stood with her head down, her bangs hiding her expression. No one saw her smirk as she pinched her own hand, listening to the villagers around her.

Song JianDang, seeing Mrs Qin’s dramatic behavior, was furious and shouted,

“Da Liuzi!

Get out here!”

Da Liuzi came out laughing.

Song JianDang,

“You, go and stuff a pair of smelly socks in Mrs Qin’s mouth.”

Mrs Qin, who was throwing a tantrum: ???