Chapter 10: Major Storms

Anyway, Ye Xin had successfully begun to socialize with the village women.

This group was powerful—whether it was gathering news, borrowing some seeds, or learning life skills, it was all very convenient. This kind of networking was absolutely necessary.

While feeling pleased with herself, Ye Xin couldn’t help but think—actually, improving one’s image wasn’t that difficult after all.

Farmers were indeed the most simple and lovable people!

After the break, when she got up to continue working, Shen Zhuo glanced at her again. Forget the things she had said earlier, but it was still surprising how quickly she had made friends with two of the most formidable women in the village.

The few young intellectuals in the neighboring cornfield had witnessed the scene and found it even more surprising.

Jiang Jingyu, puzzled, asked, “Didn’t Ye Xin used to look down on these village women? Since when has she gotten so close to them?”

Liu Hongxia was equally confused, “Who knows with her? She changes every minute, it’s terrifying! Looks like she’s trying to get in with the villagers and completely cut ties with us.”

Zheng Wenwen said, “It’s good—at least we won’t have to deal with her anymore. Once the women see her true face, no one will talk to her.”

Sun Weiqiang spoke up again, “I think she’s decided to stay in the countryside forever and has given up on the idea of returning to the city.”

Liu Hongxia asked, “Is she really going to marry that Shen Zhuo? How ridiculous. He’s just a scrawny kid who can’t even feed himself—how could he possibly take care of her?”

Zheng Wenwen asked, “Then what kind of man do you think is a good match?”

Liu Hongxia glanced at one of the male intellectuals and teasingly said to Jiang Jingyu, “A man should be like Brother Kangming—tall, strong, hardworking, and full of manly charm! Jingyu, don’t you agree?”

Jiang Jingyu blushed but said nothing.

Meanwhile, the male intellectual turned his gaze toward her, making everyone burst into laughter.

Right now, all nine young intellectuals from Fengshui Brigade were grouped in Liangshuitang. The female intellectuals were Zheng Wenwen, Wang Xiaowei, Jiang Jingyu, Liu Hongxia, and Ye Xin, while the male intellectuals were Zhang Kangming, Wang Youwei, Sun Weiqiang, and Zhao Zhonghua. Last year, the Party had increased its efforts to send young intellectuals to the countryside, so this March, Jiang Jingyu, Liu Hongxia, Ye Xin, and Zhao Zhonghua arrived all at once. The other five had come gradually during the 1960s.

Except for Ye Xin, who had moved out, the remaining four men and four women all lived together in the dorm, eating together and working together.

Among them, Zhang Kangming, Wang Youwei, and Wang Xiaowei spoke less, with Zhang Kangming being the most composed. Not only was his personality steady, but he was also tall, broad-shouldered, strong, and good-looking. He was always assigned the heaviest work and earned the most credits every day. He was well-regarded as the most capable worker, and now, while planting corn, he was also hauling water to irrigate the fields.

Zhang Kangming had feelings for Jiang Jingyu, and she, too, had developed some affection for him. This was common knowledge among the intellectual team.

Zheng Wenwen chuckled, “That’s true. Kangming is an intellectual, and Jingyu is also an intellectual. If they return to the city, they can go back together without having to be separated!”

Zhao Zhonghua sighed, “Going back to the city seems difficult now. They’ve been shouting the slogans about sending young intellectuals to the countryside for so many years, but the policies haven’t changed. The city’s a mess now, with students skipping classes. Who knows if we’ll ever be able to go back to the city? The countryside is hard, and the work is tough.”

At the mention of this, everyone’s mood soured, and they lowered their heads to work in silence.

Ye Xin, though, secretly glanced over at the calm and capable Zhang Kangming, then at the beautiful and hardworking Jiang Jingyu. She thought these two were quite a match.

The original owner had known that the two of them had feelings for each other and had been a bit jealous of Jiang Jingyu. Now, Ye Xin wasn’t jealous at all—on the contrary, she was happy for them. However, they were still only in the early stages of mutual affection, and it wasn’t like they were officially together yet. After all, it had only been a little over three months since they had arrived to work, so their relationship was still in its early stages.

In the afternoon, the heat became even more oppressive, with not a single breeze to be found, causing sweat to pour down their backs.

The land was dry, and as they turned the soil, a cloud of dust would rush into their noses. Ye Xin had suffered through this in the morning, so by lunchtime, she had found a cloth to cover her face, which helped a lot.

The elders were holding their straw hats and fanning themselves, anxiously talking to each other. “It’s so stifling. Do you think it’s going to rain soon?”

“It’s been a while since it last rained.”

“The water level in the pond is so low, it’s hard to irrigate the fields. The soil dries out too quickly.”

“The paddies are the same. If it doesn’t rain soon, we’ll have a drought.”

“Let’s hope it rains soon. It would be so nice to cool off.”

Ye Xin felt the heat too. It was probably around 35°C. Even without working, she would sweat profusely, let alone laboring under the sun.

She had seen a woman collapse from heatstroke earlier that day and had to be carried away.

Recalling how she had arrived in the body of the original owner after she had suffered from heatstroke, Ye Xin couldn’t help but feel uneasy. She always carried water and wore a straw hat, fearing that she might fall victim to heatstroke as well. She wasn’t sure if anyone else had come through like that.

However, whether it was because of her awareness of the heat or not, she felt she could endure it. The hardest part of the day was just the fatigue, and the soreness she felt in her body had only lasted for the first day. After that, her body seemed to adjust quickly.

She felt her physical condition was already much better than the original owner’s—at least, she didn’t suffer from heatstroke easily.

On the way back from work that evening, Ye Xin glanced at the paddy fields. The water’s surface was covered by a dense layer of light green duckweed, and it looked completely green from a distance. She wondered if this was because of the intense sun and stagnant water.

The color of the rice seedlings was slightly darker than the duckweed. It had only been two or three days since they were planted, and the seedlings were still sparse, barely standing upright.

They were growing far slower than those she had planted in her space.

Ye Xin thought to herself, the few seedlings she had planted in her space had already entered the tillering stage—the moment when they became lush and spread out. What started as a few had already grown into a large clump.

It was a coincidence, really. Just as the elders had been lamenting how long it had been since it rained, the weather suddenly changed while they were heading home from work. The sky, which should have been painted with the colors of sunset, now turned overcast, with dark clouds gathering ominously.

“It’s going to rain!”

“Rain would be nice, it would cool things off!”

“Ah, I’ve still got dried veggies out in the sun! I’d better hurry and bring them in!”

Everyone quickened their pace, heading home.

Ye Xin glanced up at the sky and then turned to Shen Zhuo. “Let’s hurry, the medicinal herbs are still drying in the yard!”

As for the laundry, since it was so hot in the summer, it dried quickly. Most clothes were washed in the evening and dry by morning. Ye Xin didn’t want her limited clothes to be damaged by prolonged exposure to the sun, so she always collected them in the early hours.

Shen Zhuo looked exhausted but said nothing as he quickened his pace in silence.

Ye Xin couldn’t help but say, “You should bring water tomorrow. It’s so hot, you need to stay hydrated, it’ll make you feel better.”

Shen Zhuo replied, “Too lazy to bring it.”

Ye Xin frowned. “Look at you, your throat’s already hoarse. It’s not hard to bring water, almost everyone does it. Doesn’t it bother you that you’re so thirsty?”

Shen Zhuo answered, “Just endure it.”

Ye Xin was speechless.

At that moment, they reached the slope leading up to the hill. She didn’t feel like talking anymore and focused on climbing the hill, but despite looking so tired, Shen Zhuo didn’t slow down. In fact, he pulled ahead, leaving her behind.

Ye Xin couldn’t help but shout, “Wait for me!”

Shen Zhuo stopped and waited until she caught up before continuing.

Finally, they reached the small courtyard. The sky had darkened even more, and it was clear that a rainstorm was inevitable. Shen Zhuo didn’t bother with drinking water. He quickly gathered the medicinal herbs and carried the basket inside to the dining table. Then, he rushed to grab a few bundles of firewood and took them to the kitchen, so they wouldn’t get soaked, as they wouldn’t be needed for a few days.

Ye Xin had already taken the initiative to start a fire in the stove.

Shen Zhuo drank some water, washed his face and hands, then went back to the kitchen to fill a bucket with water. He filled the pot and carried another bucket in before starting to cook the rice.

Ye Xin said, “Let’s just have plain congee tonight, no sweet potatoes.”

Shen Zhuo hesitated for a moment but still listened to her and added more rice, no sweet potatoes.

By now, it had grown much darker than usual. The kitchen was dim, with only the fire in the stove casting any light. Shen Zhuo went into the hall to retrieve an old oil lamp, using it to provide some illumination.

Just as they were preparing the meal, the rain began.

Raindrops pelted down, making a crisp sound as they hit the roof tiles. The rain came quickly and violently, as if it were determined to pour down in buckets. The heat of the day was gradually dispelled, replaced by a much cooler atmosphere.

“Boom—”

Suddenly, a flash of lightning split the sky, followed by the sound of thunder crashing in the distance.

Perhaps it was because they were near the mountains, but the thunder sounded particularly loud, almost as if it were right next to them, startling them both. Ye Xin couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy.

Shen Zhuo furrowed his brows and said, “The rain is too heavy.”

She replied, “It’s a bit heavy, but it’s good for watering the fields. At least we won’t have to water them ourselves.”

The kitchen was simply built with wooden walls, and it was already getting wet from the rain, which had started to seep inside. Shen Zhuo moved the sweet potatoes that were stacked in the corner under the table and said, “The rain is too heavy, it might wash away the soil and the seedlings we just planted.”

Ye Xin realized he was right. Light rain nourished, moderate rain soaked, but heavy rain could wash everything away. And judging by the way things were going, it seemed like a storm was fast approaching!

She could only be thankful that the small vegetable plot behind the house hadn’t been planted yet; otherwise, all that work would have been for nothing.

She could only hope the rain would stop soon.

But the rain came down harder and lasted longer than anyone had expected. That night, it was a storm of wind and rain, accompanied by thunder that made everyone’s hearts race.

Ye Xin didn’t sleep well the entire night. One moment, she feared the roof would leak; the next, she worried the mountain floods would wash away the entire courtyard. She thought about going into her space for safety, but once inside, she felt no better.

The next morning, the storm showed no signs of weakening.

There would be no work today.

When Ye Xin entered the kitchen, she saw that Shen Zhuo had already started adding sweet potatoes to the pot again.

His brow was furrowed, his expression filled with concern. “Sweet potatoes and corn need to be replanted. If the rain doesn’t stop today, the rice seedlings will be flooded, and we’ll have a reduced harvest. If the crops fail, we won’t have enough food to go around.”

It was at that moment that Ye Xin truly understood the hardships of farming. Working the fields was hard enough, but the real pain came from natural disasters, which could ruin all the hard work and leave people hungry.

Farming, after all, meant living at the mercy of the weather.

With bleak expectations for the harvest ahead, it was no wonder Shen Zhuo was so worried. He resumed cooking sweet potato porridge with a heavy heart.