Chapter 38: Natural Disaster and Mother

After the dam broke, the rain gradually subsided. The next afternoon, the sun made a rare appearance.

The flood came quickly and left quickly, leaving only the small stream flowing to Dongwaizi in the south of the village, several times larger than before. The traces of the heavy rain were still visible.

Taking advantage of the good weather, everyone spontaneously went to the fields to check on their crops. It was the harvest season for sorghum, and the heavy rain had made everyone anxious. No one dared to go up the mountain easily. Now that there was finally a sunny day, everyone was eager to bring in the grain.

The mountain paths were slippery after the rain, and for some reason, there were many grasshoppers on the road, especially as autumn arrived. This delighted the children, who all ran to the side of the road to catch grasshoppers. The dogtail grass that grew everywhere along the road was now lying flat on the ground, beaten down by the wind and rain. The children caught grasshoppers and pulled a dogtail grass, using it to string a bunch of grasshoppers.

The adults didn’t bother these mischievous children. They were happy to see them catch some grasshoppers to satisfy their cravings. Occasionally, they would trip and fall in the mud, but the adults wouldn’t get angry. As long as they didn’t run around, they were allowed to do as they pleased. Some adults, tempted by the sight, would also catch a couple of grasshoppers and put them in their pockets, waiting to roast them over the fire at home.

The lighthearted atmosphere didn’t last long. Lin Yue and the others were still halfway up the mountain when they heard a frantic cry.

She looked in the direction of the sound and saw several people in the fields in the distance anxiously checking something. Further away, Zhang Shouchang was running and jumping over the obstacles, heading towards the fields.

Lin Yue noticed something was wrong. This area was all sorghum fields, and she should have been able to see them from far away. But today, she hadn’t even seen a single stalk of sorghum.

The others realized something was amiss too, and they hurried to climb up.

They climbed a steep little mound in a few steps and finally saw the four or five acres of sorghum fields they were responsible for.

Before the heavy rain, everyone could still come to the fields to check and drain the water. But the rain had been so heavy these past few days, and they hadn’t been there for three or four days. The sorghum in the fields had all been broken by the wind and rain, lying flat on the ground.

The water in the fields had collected into small puddles, and the heavy sorghum ears were submerged in the water. The surface was already covered in a layer of green, sprouting new shoots.

This was their most important food source! This year, they had finally had a change in policy, and the farmers’ hard times were finally coming to an end. But then came this natural disaster.

Lin Yue’s heart ached. She stood there, not knowing what to do, while some of her companions were already sitting in the water, crying loudly. She listened to their cries, feeling as if they were coming from her own mouth.

This was the grain they had worked hard to grow for three or four months, all for nothing.

Sorghum had a high yield, almost twice that of wheat. And when paying the public grain, the proportion of wheat was much higher. So in the countryside, they mainly relied on sorghum and sweet potatoes to fill their stomachs.

Now, after being soaked by the rain, they had all sprouted. How could everyone not feel heartbroken?

Lin Yue also thought about the corn. The corn stalks weren’t as sturdy as sorghum stalks. If the sorghum had been blown down, the corn must be in even worse shape.

Zhang Shouchang sent someone back to the village to report the news. Soon, people were organized to salvage the harvest.

In Lin Yue’s later life, no matter what kind of grain it was, if it sprouted, it was no longer edible. They were afraid it was poisonous. But things were different now. This was their lifeline. No one was willing to let it rot in the fields.

The people who went to check on the cornfields also came back. Sure enough, the corn had also fallen over. And the corn hadn’t reached harvest time yet. It looked full, but it was actually full of water. Once it dried out, there wouldn’t be much left.

But they couldn’t just let it rot in the fields. They had to collect it along with the sorghum.

Zhang Yuandong had been taken to the county the previous afternoon and hadn’t come back that night. He had just returned to the village today and heard about the situation. He rushed over with Aunt Su and joined everyone in salvaging the harvest.

There was a lot of water in the fields, and the crops had been blown about by the wind, making it very difficult to salvage. They worked until dark before they barely managed to collect a small patch of land.

As it got dark, they couldn’t work in the fields anymore. Lin Yue was worried about the children at home. All the adults were gone, leaving only the children at home. She was really uneasy and hurried back.

The mountain paths were slippery, especially in areas with a lot of grass. Lin Yue was wearing straw sandals. When she passed a steep slope, she almost slipped. Luckily, someone behind her caught her.

She turned around to thank the person and found it was Zhang Yuandong.

The man’s hands were strong and steady. He half-lifted, half-supported her until they reached the flat road, then let her go, reminding her, “Don’t rush. Take your time. I’m faster, I’ll go back first to check.”

Lin Yue felt like a chick being lifted down. She was a little embarrassed and awkwardly touched her ear. Now that she heard him say he was going first, she was eager to separate from him. She quickly agreed.

Zhang Yuandong looked back at her several times. He felt like she was blushing.

Lin Yue returned home, but Zhang Yuandong wasn’t there. Only the four little monkeys were playing in the water in the courtyard.

At that time,the ground is either paved with cement or tiled, and the yard is full of mud after a rain.

     Aunt Su’s house is better. They paved a small path in the yard with stones and bricks, so it’s not so muddy.

    A few children are jumping around happily in the puddles, splashing mud all over their clothes.

     It’s okay to play like this during the day when the sun is shining, but now the sun has set, and Lin Yue is afraid that the little monkeys will catch a cold, so he quickly takes them inside to change clothes.

     The children are giggling and making a fuss, even changing clothes is not peaceful. They push each other and pull each other’s hair. They know they should be shy, but when they see others undressed, they pretend to close their eyes, poke their faces with their fingers and shout loudly: “Pee-pee-pee, naked is not shy!” Zhang Linghan is a little girl; Lin Yue consciously wants to teach her to pay attention to her privacy and let her wait outside first.

    But she is impatient. Hearing the commotion inside, she pushes the door open and runs in, shouting: “Naked is not shy, naked is not shy!” Children don’t know the worries of adults; they are carefree from the heart.

    Lin Yue is infected by them, and all the fatigue and anxiety of the day are put aside, and he laughs along with them.

     The children changed their clothes and came out of the house, just in time to see Zhang Yuandong standing in the yard. He was holding a handful of string beans and was being pulled out by Zhang Xiaoxi.

     Zhang Yuandong saw Lin Yue and discussed with Zhang Xiaoxi: “I have to tell your sister-in-law, don’t worry.

    ” But Zhang Xiaoxi wouldn’t listen. As soon as she saw Lin Yue, her stubbornness intensified, and she wouldn’t let go of Lin Yue: “Why tell her! Mother called you; she didn’t call her.

    Brother, hurry up, Mother is waiting anxiously!” At this time, Aunt Su’s family also came back.

     Aunt Su happened to hear Zhang Xiaoxi’s last sentence, and she took the string beans from Zhang Yuandong’s hand: “Go ahead, you haven’t been back for a long time, you should go to the old house to see your parents first. There was something yesterday, now everyone is over there to have a reunion dinner.

    ” Zhang Xiaoxi pouted, but didn’t dare to say anything more, she just secretly glared at Lin Yue.

     Zhang Yuandong nodded and pulled Lin Yue into the house.

     He found his package and took out a bunch of food products to show Lin Yue, “Pick a few to take to your parents, you keep the rest.

    ” Zhang Yuandong’s attitude this time back is completely different from last time.

    And he doesn’t know what he’s thinking, his eyes are like a big dog waiting for its owner’s praise.

     Lin Yue shivered and quickly deleted this unrealistic thought.

     She pushed the things back: “You choose, we haven’t finished eating the ones you sent back last month. See what your parents and siblings like to eat, take more over.

    ” Zhang Yuandong scratched his head, a little disappointed.

    He took a few kinds of candy and malt extract, grabbed a handful of dried fruit, put them in a cloth bag in a mess, and went out with Lin Yue.

     Aunt Su’s house is not far from Sun Hongmei’s, and they arrived at the old house with the children soon.

     As soon as they entered the courtyard, Sun Hongmei rushed out of the house. She grabbed Zhang Yuandong’s sleeve and started yelling: “You unfilial son, you came back and didn’t come to see your parents first, you went to other people’s houses to show off! Come in, mother has something to ask you!” She didn’t care about Lin Yue and her children; she dragged her good son into the house.

     Lin Yue didn’t expect to see Zhang Xiaohui here. She was wearing a blue floral dress, still wearing the plastic sandals from yesterday, her black hair was braided into two pigtails hanging down her chest, and she was standing silently at the door.

    If it weren’t for the shocked expression on her face, she would really look like a painting.

     Lin Yue has never liked Liu Jianhua’s lucky little sister-in-law.

    It’s not that there is any grudge between them, they have hardly spoken a few words.

    Mainly, the way this girl looks at her makes Lin Yue always feel like she owes her millions.

    And she also has a kind of superior feeling that is hard to find in the nearby villages, looking at everyone as if she is giving alms, Lin Yue is even less willing to have too much contact with her.

     Entering the main room, before they could stand still, Sun Hongmei couldn’t wait to ask: “I heard you’re discharged from the army and transferred to civilian work? What about the discharge fee? How much did you get?” Zhang Yuandong guessed it was about this, and said lightly: “No discharge fee.

    ” His mother choked, immediately wanting to jump up: “How can there be no discharge fee! Zhang Shouben transferred back before the year, he got 100 yuan in discharge fee, you have been a soldier for so many years, how can you be worse than him who only served for three years? I am your mother, if you dare to hide the money from me, I will go to court and accuse you of being unfilial!” Seeing that Zhang Yuandong didn’t even bother to answer her, she said angrily: “Don’t lie to this old woman, I heard it all, you came back with a first-class merit this time, and you also lost an arm. You made such a great contribution; how can you not get any money! If you really didn’t get any, I will go and make a scene!” Zhang Xiaohui was shocked, her face turned pale.

    This old woman, is she blind? They have been in here for so long, whether he was injured or not, whether his arm was broken or not, she can’t see it? What kind of stupid question is this! “