**Why is this happening?**

In his previous life, Ye Chenchuan, who kept away from women, was ruthless, and enjoyed trampling his enemies underfoot…

Why is he helping Song Wanyue now???

Qin Rongrong was so furious that she could spit blood. She struggled even more violently.

In front of the brigade office, there was a waterlogged mud puddle that had accumulated over the years, forming a deep, muddy pit. Whenever it rained, the puddle was filled with sticky mud. If someone fell in, they wouldn’t be able to climb out without help.

Qin Rongrong, who had brought this upon herself, struggled in the mud puddle for a while, rolling around until she was covered head to toe in mud, but she couldn’t get out.

At this unfortunate moment, Ye Chenchuan and the Song siblings were standing at the brigade office entrance.

“Help! I’m about to suffocate!” Qin Rongrong cried out, struggling in the mud.

The kind-hearted little girl couldn’t bear to see the pitiful sight and wanted to run for help, but Song Wenxuan grabbed her arm.

“Big brother, what are you doing? Let me go, I need to get help,” the little girl said with wide, puzzled eyes.

Song Wenxuan responded gently, “Little sister, it’s pouring rain outside. I’ll go get help. You wait here.”

Song Wanyue obediently nodded, “Big brother, hurry back.”

Song Wenxuan smiled, raising his eyebrows slightly as he glanced at Qin Rongrong, who was rolling in the mud. His gentle eyes narrowed slightly. When his little sister had been playing in the water earlier, he had clearly seen Qin Rongrong try to push her into the mud puddle. But before she could, Ye Chenchuan tripped her up discreetly, and she fell in herself.

As a naturally protective and shrewd elder brother, Song Wenxuan had no intention of helping Qin Rongrong. After all, the puddle wasn’t deep enough to drown anyone, and letting Qin Rongrong wash away her dirty soul in the mud might be a good thing. However, it puzzled him that Ye Chenchuan, who was usually so cold and indifferent to others, had helped his little sister this time. He needed to look into this matter.

Song Wenxuan thoughtfully glanced in Ye Chenchuan’s direction before leaving with an umbrella.

Watching her big brother’s tall figure disappear into the heavy rain, Song Wanyue smiled sweetly, “My big brother is so kind and excellent, he’s simply perfect~”

The usually cold and silent Ye Chenchuan: “Hmm?”

Qin Rongrong, still struggling in the mud: “!!!”

—

Song Wenxuan had been gone for a long time without returning, and the little girl became as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. She craned her neck from under the eaves, peering into the rain-soaked night. The darkness was thick, the rain was heavy, and there was no sign of anyone.

Just as Qin Rongrong was becoming hoarse from struggling in the mud, Song Wanyue rolled up her sleeves, ready to dash into the rain, but Ye Chenchuan stopped her.

The aloof man spoke coldly, “Someone is coming from that direction.”

Hearing this, Song Wanyue eagerly looked over. In the dark, a figure emerged, carrying a half-bag of sweet potato flour that had been begged and cried for from the brigade leader, Song Xiangdang. It was Qin’s old wife, Mrs. Qin, cheerfully making her way towards the brigade office.

But in the next moment, Mrs. Qin spotted the blackened, unrecognizable figure rolling in the mud puddle and thought it was a ghost. Startled, she jumped back, screaming, “What… what is this thing? It’s so late at night, how did I run into something like this? Help! Somebody, help!”

The villagers of Dahe Village, hearing Mrs. Qin’s shrill cries, thought something terrible had happened. One by one, they grabbed their tools and rushed outside, only to be stunned by the sight before them.

“Oh my heavens! What is that? It’s so black and terrifying! Could it be a ghost?”

“No, wait, I think it’s a person.”

“Don’t talk nonsense! Who would jump into a mud puddle in the middle of a downpour?”

As the villagers debated, Qin Rongrong, who was like an octopus, grabbed Mrs. Qin’s pant leg and sobbed, “Grandma, it’s me, Rongrong.”

“Wha- what? What did you say?” Mrs. Qin squinted and finally recognized that the mud-covered figure was her granddaughter.

“You foolish girl! What are you doing in a mud puddle in the middle of the night!” Mrs. Qin raised her hand to slap Qin Rongrong but hesitated upon seeing how filthy she was, and lowered her hand in disgust.

“Oh, isn’t that old Qin’s eldest granddaughter? Poor thing, how did she end up in the mud on such a rainy day?”

“Come on, everyone, let’s help pull her out,” one of the villagers women shouted.

The villagers of Dahe Vilage, being kind-hearted, immediately stepped forward. Two strong men, working together, finally managed to pull the sobbing, mud-covered Qin Rongrong out of the puddle.

Mrs. Qin, who always cared about her family’s reputation, was both embarrassed and angry upon seeing her granddaughter make a fool of herself in front of the villagers. Without even looking at Qin Rongrong, she took her half-bag of sweet potato flour and headed home.

Left behind, Qin Rongrong, still sobbing, stumbled after her grandmother through the rain, back to the Qin household.

Thus, this farce ended with Qin Rongrong suffering the consequences of her own actions.

As the noisy night quieted down, the villagers returned to their homes to sleep. In the vast darkness, only the sound of raindrops hitting the ground could be heard.

That night, Song Wanyue, who slept soundly, had another dream about her great-grandmother.

It was a frightening dream.

In the dream, her great-grandmother told her that the Dahe Village area was about to experience a once-in-decades famine, and this strange, prolonged rain was just a precursor. Worse things were yet to come.

Even in her dream, Song Wanyue could sense the seriousness in her great-grandmother’s words.

The little girl, uneasy, couldn’t help but ask, “Great-grandmother, will people really starve to death?”

But her great-grandmother did not answer, only sighed before disappearing.

—

The rain continued to pour throughout the night, not stopping until early the next morning. As usual, Chen Juhua woke up early and stepped outside, frowning at the long strings of raindrops hanging from the eaves. She was worried that if the rain continued, the wheat seedlings in the fields would be ruined.

At that moment, Old Man Song also came out of the house, his face deeply lined with worry as he looked at the waterlogged yard. “This won’t do, I have to go check on the fields. The wheat seedlings have just sprouted, they can’t withstand this rain!”

Without even eating breakfast, Old Man Song put on a straw raincoat and rain boots, ready to head out into the downpour.

Chen Juhua tried to call him back but couldn’t stop him. In the end, she just waved her hand and went back inside.

“Forget it, forget it. The old man has been tending to the fields his whole life. If I stop him from checking on them now, he’ll definitely be angry with me. That old man is as stubborn as a mule; once his mind is set, no one can stop him.”

As Old Man Song left, the rest of the Song family began to wake up. The three daughters-in-law of the Song family quickly started their morning chores, preparing breakfast as usual. Breakfast at the Song household was simple and consistent: cornmeal steamed buns with homemade pickles and a big pot of hot cornmeal porridge.

In no time, breakfast was ready, but Song Xiangdong came in, wearing rain boots and frowning. “Mom, how long has Dad been gone? Why isn’t he back yet?”

Chen Juhua, irritated, replied, “What, do you think I should tie your father up like a child and keep him from leaving?”

Song Xiangdong laughed helplessly, “Mom, I was just asking. Don’t get upset.”

Chen Juhua snorted and said no more.

Song Wanyue sat on a small stool, her face wrinkled in worry, her mind restless as she thought about what her great-grandmother had told her in the dream.

For the little girl, who had lived two lives, this was a very important matter.

In her previous life, although Song Wanyue was an orphan, she was born into a wealthy family, even if only a distant branch. They were still well-off.

Now, in this world, even though her family wasn’t rich, they didn’t lack food or clothing.

Having lived a smooth and comfortable life for two lifetimes, Song Wanyue was like a pampered little girl in a honey jar. She found it hard to grasp the severity of the famine her great-grandmother had warned about in the dream. She couldn’t imagine the kind of disaster it would bring to Daheshan and her family.

Moreover, she was struggling to find a way to bring up this matter with her family.

As the little girl mulled over how to start the conversation, Old Man Song, soaked to the bone, suddenly stumbled into the house, shivering.

“Old man, what happened to you?” Chen Juhua asked in shock.

“It’s all gone! The crops in the fields have been washed away by the rain!” Old Man Song covered his head and wailed.

“Wha- what did you say? The crops are ruined?”

The entire Song family was in disbelief, nearly fainting at the news. How could this happen? How could the crops just be ruined like that?

The Song family couldn’t accept the reality. Without even bothering to eat breakfast or put on raincoats, they all rushed to the fields, with Song Wanyue running alongside them.

Seeing his daughter’s little face drenched in rain, Song Xiangdong’s heart ached. He took off his coat and draped it over her head as they ran to the fields together.

When they finally reached the fields, the Song family’s hearts sank.

“Oh my heavens, how will we live now!” Liu Hongmei wailed, sitting down in the rain.

—

That day, the Song family was shrouded in gloom, everyone dejected.

Liu Hongmei was absent-minded as she worked, half-heartedly stitching clothes while sitting on a small stool. Occasionally, when little Wenhao misbehaved, he would get a scolding from her.

After causing a few scenes at home, Liu Hongmei was scolded by Chen Juhua and quickly quieted down.

Even Chen Juhua, though, was filled with worry. After sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) for a while, she heard a light knock at the door, and a little girl peeked in. Her bright smile lit up the whole room.

“Grandma, I have something to tell you.”

————–