Chapter 16: The Heavy Rain

Li Chunfang was feeling quite nervous. She had originally planned to ask Liu Yinyin about Immortal Tofu, thinking that since Liu Yinyin was young and shy, she would be easier to approach.

Who would’ve thought… Jiang Cuihua was also here. But since she was already here, she had no choice but to muster up the courage to speak.

As expected…

Jiang Cuihua thought to herself that this was exactly the reason Li Chunfang had come, and since she had already discussed it with her daughter earlier, she had come to terms with it. She said directly, “Yes, Yinyin figured it out on her own.”

Li Chunfang didn’t hear the answer she was hoping for, so she decided to get straight to the point and asked bluntly, “Sigh, it hasn’t rained for a while, and I’m not sure if this year’s harvest will be affected. Recently, many people have been worried about next year’s food shortage, and so… they’ve all come to my house asking if we could find out how to make Immortal Tofu.

I thought since everyone’s struggling, I’d just embarrass myself and ask.”

She was indeed entrusted by others, and her husband, Liu Changquan, had also been thinking about it.

“Look at you.” Jiang Cuihua sighed and said, “You don’t know, I’ve also been thinking about how to tell everyone about this.”

“Really?” Li Chunfang was taken aback and said with surprise, “You… you’re willing to tell everyone?”

Jiang Cuihua said seriously, “Of course. We’re all from the same village; we should help each other out. And Yinyin having her own house to live in is all thanks to the village head and everyone’s support. Now that something good has happened, how could we not think of everyone?”

So, if there’s a food shortage in the future, no one should blame her!

Li Chunfang was genuinely surprised. She hadn’t expected Jiang Cuihua to be so understanding, and she had just spent time worrying for nothing.

Liu Yinyin, listening from the side, almost burst out laughing. Her mother really knew how to talk. If it hadn’t been for their earlier conversation, she might have believed her mother’s words too.

At this point, the mung bean soup had cooled down. Liu Yinyin brought it over and said, “Mom, Aunt, drink some mung bean soup to moisten your throat before continuing.”

After all the talking, Jiang Cuihua was indeed thirsty. She took a few gulps of the mung bean soup and then continued discussing Immortal Tofu with Li Chunfang.

“Alright, I’ve said everything I need to say. Making Immortal Tofu is that simple.”

Li Chunfang secretly took note of the method for making Immortal Tofu and nodded, saying, “Okay, when people ask me, I’ll tell them just like this. By the way, Yinyin has really done a good deed for the village. I’ll talk to my husband about it, and we’ll definitely do something to thank you properly.”

Liu Yinyin politely declined, saying, “Aunt, I really can’t accept that. I’m already very grateful to everyone for letting me return to the village and have a house to live in.”

Jiang Cuihua interjected, “That’s right, we shouldn’t cause trouble for everyone.”

Since Liu Yinyin’s belly was growing, she secretly hoped that the village head would arrange for her to do a lighter job.

But she didn’t dare to bring it up.

Li Chunfang finished her task, drank a bowl of mung bean soup, and left happily.

Jiang Cuihua felt a bit disappointed. Although it was a good deed, it seemed like they might have lost out in the end?

When she came, Jiang Cuihua had brought a basket of vegetables, including lettuce, leeks, loofah, garlic shoots, and celery.

Liu Yinyin emptied the basket and filled it with lotus pods and tomatoes, also adding a small bowl of mung bean soup.

The vegetables she grew in her own plot, except for the pumpkins, were almost all ready to eat. The Liu family didn’t grow tomatoes, so Liu Yinyin picked a few for Jiang Cuihua to take home.

“These are sour and sweet, and they taste really good. I’ll grow some next year,” Jiang Cuihua’s attention was quickly diverted.

Tomatoes could be used in cooking or eaten as a snack—they were good for all sorts of things.

Liu Yinyin agreed, “I’ll buy some other seeds next year to try.”

Jiang Cuihua said teasingly, “You’re always coming up with new ideas.”

As long as her daughter was living well, she was happy, but she still worried about her spending too much and not having enough money later.

But her daughter was growing up and had her own thoughts. It wasn’t right to say too much.

Jiang Cuihua didn’t stay for long and soon left. It was getting later, and the heat made people feel dizzy.

Liu Yinyin, holding her waist, stood at the kitchen door and glanced at the scorching sun.

She couldn’t help but feel a little worried. The land was already cracking from the dryness, and if it didn’t rain soon, this year’s crops would really have no hope.

Sometimes, worrying didn’t help, but Liu Yinyin was still troubled.

That evening, the sky turned gloomy, with dark clouds gathering, a sign that rain was on the way.

The whole village breathed a sigh of relief. Oh heavens, after waiting for so long, it was finally going to rain.

That night, Liu Yinyin was sleeping soundly when suddenly a cool breeze swept over her.

She abruptly opened her eyes, lit the oil lamp, and heard the sound of raindrops tapping against the window…

It was raining!

The heavy rain eased the heat, and the air was filled with a damp smell. The temperature dropped several degrees almost immediately.

Liu Yinyin usually slept in a tank top, with her arms and legs exposed.

Now feeling a bit cold, she found a thin quilt and covered herself, listening to the sound of the rain and peacefully falling back to sleep.

The next morning, it was still raining.

After a long period of drought, the rain was a timely blessing, bringing hope for a bountiful harvest.

On rainy days, it was impossible to go out, so Liu Yinyin was stuck at home.

Luckily, the house wasn’t lacking in food, and she had plenty to eat and drink, so she wasn’t bored staying indoors.

The weather was cool, just perfect to take the opportunity to make a few clothes for the baby.

Liu Yinyin had bought a lot of cotton fabric to make clothes, swaddling blankets, hats, socks, bibs, and diapers for the baby.

In these times, clothes were all made at home. The original owner also had memories of making clothes. When several of the younger Liu family members were born, the original owner had taken care of them a lot.

So, although she had never been a mother, she did have some experience taking care of children.

The rain came down heavily, with large raindrops pattering non-stop, and it didn’t stop until the afternoon.

It was supposed to be the long-awaited timely rain, but…

The heavy rain continued for two days, and the villagers’ joy turned into concern again.

Why was this rain endless? If it kept going like this, the crops in the fields would be ruined!

Liu Mingyuan came through the rain to check on Liu Yinyin’s house. Seeing that there was no major issue, he felt relieved.

The rain kept pouring, and many families in the village had leaks in their homes.

Liu Yinyin’s house had been repaired not long ago, so there were no leaks.

But there was water accumulating in her yard!

The sweet potato vines were submerged in water. Leaving them in the water for too long wasn’t good.

Liu Yinyin put on a raincoat and rain boots, grabbed a hoe, and dug a ditch along the edge of the yard to drain the water. The situation improved significantly.

Her land was relatively high, but other places were certainly in worse condition.

Sigh!

Liu Yinyin shook her head helplessly. Farming was really not easy these days; everything depended on the heavens.