Chapter 65

On the way back, Shuiqing had already thought it over.

Niutou Town, unlike Guangning Prefecture with its towering city walls and guarded soldiers, was just a street where his parents lived. The street was long, and organizing defense forces there, even if they wanted to, would be difficult.

To be honest, it was not as secure as the village.

At least in the village, everyone gathered together. The roads in and out of the village were limited, and once they were blocked and manned, defending it was much easier than on a street.

Moreover, the people in the village were accustomed to farm work. Even the elderly and children had strength and agility; they could assist in various tasks.

“I think if there’s heavy rain, we should bring them over here. Being together will provide mutual support, and they can return once the floodwaters recede.”

“Good, although our family isn’t far from the village, there’s still a distance. With Father-in-law and Wenhua here, I feel more at ease,” Fan Jin agreed without hesitation.

Then, thinking about what his mother and sister-in-law had just said, he lowered his brows and softly added, “Actually, compared to my elder brother and nephew in the nearby village, I trust my in-laws more.”

When disaster victims arrive, he believed his in-laws and younger brother-in-law would protect Shuiqing and the children without hesitation.

His own mother would only protect Jinsun and insist that everything revolved around her grandson. She wouldn’t and couldn’t protect Yanqiu and Xinghui, his two granddaughters.

As for his own elder brother and nephews, he only hoped that the closest relatives wouldn’t harm them.

Not expecting much from his mother-in-law and elder uncle, Shuiqing continued, “I just heard the village chief’s family ringing the gong. Let’s get one too! If refugees come, we can sound the alarm.”

Overall, the people in the village were quite compassionate. Unless there were deep-seated grievances, generally, everyone would pitch in when needed.

Especially since they still had interests in common with most families in the village, they could be considered partners, making their relationship more solid than just being villagers.

“I’ll go buy one in the city tomorrow.”

“If parents come to stay, it won’t be very convenient to shop at the market. We can prepare other things in advance. Fresh vegetables can come from the garden, but we won’t have pork.”

“I’m thinking of raising two or three pigs. By next summer, they should be ready for market. With Father here, we can slaughter them anytime. We can smoke the excess meat slowly, ensuring our large family won’t lack meat during a flood.”

With over ten people, they truly were a large family. Three meals a day meant considerable consumption of meat, eggs, and grain, which added up to a large sum over time. They needed to prepare in advance.

“I’ll inquire in the capital tomorrow to see where I can buy piglets. When we build the house, we’ll construct a pigpen and start raising them.”

“Let’s also get two dogs to guard the house. They’ll be very useful.”

“Okay.”

“And some lime. We can bring a bag back each time we return.”

“Okay.”

Shuiqing orders whatever comes to mind, while Fan Jin stands aside, either supplementing or acknowledging.

As obedient as a well-behaved daughter-in-law.

Shuiqing momentarily hesitates, feeling like their roles might be reversed?

But it must be said that Fan Jin, who is capable, responsive to requests, and replies promptly, is quite reliable.

If she were with a man who wouldn’t even help if an oil bottle spilled, or someone with a bad temper but no abilities, then she might as well live alone with dolls.

Originally thought that the mushroom season would last until late October, but as the weather suddenly turned cold in mid-October, it ended.

Even after the rain, hardly any mushrooms sprouted.

People in the village sighed with pity, but there was nothing to be done. They could only muster their spirits and prepare for the winter and the next year.

Shuiqing counts her savings on the wooden bed in the thatched house, deducting purchases from the market and expenses for various services. Now, her savings amount to 170,000 yuan.

Not a lot, but it’s enough security for her.

The cost of a storage locker is 100,000 yuan per cubic meter. Regardless of her current savings, she couldn’t bear to spend it. While 170,000 yuan seems like a lot, she understands the principle of not living off savings.

No matter when, having savings is a form of security.

She selects the self-defense options again. The activation fee of 30,000 yuan is quite expensive, but when the time comes, she will have to activate it…

“Shuiqing? Are you there, Shuiqing?”

Hearing the familiar voice outside the house, Shuiqing quickly responded, “Yes, I’m inside. I’ll be out in a moment.”

The thatched house is low and small, where sitting on the bed is the only option for a conversation.

It’s better outside, at least it’s open and not stuffy.

Outside the house are Li Dama and Zhang Shenzhi.

“I brought you the finished winter clothes. I ran into Aunt Zhang on the way, so we came together,” Li Dama said with a hearty smile, handing over a bundle of clothes.

“Thank you, Aunt Li. It’s getting cold these days, we’ll be able to wear them in a couple of days,” Shuiqing thanked her, taking the clothes and putting them on the bed in the house.

When she came out again, she heard Aunt Li laughing, “Isn’t it? It’s unusually cold this year. It’s really strange.”

“I was worried that your whole family would be short of clothes, so I hurried to make them and brought them over.”

Previously, Shuiqing asked her to make clothes early, but at that time, the weather was not cold and there were many mushrooms. She only came back at night to buy kerosene.

I didn’t expect this day to change so fast. When it was cold, she quickly put down the mushrooms and made them in a hurry in the past few days.

“Old Village Chief said it was right. This day is unusual. Maybe there will be a flood next year!

Our terrain is good. Over the years, the ponds, lakes, and rivers have been filled with water in the summer, and there has been no erosion. I wonder how serious it would be if there were a flood,” Zhang Shenzhi sighed.

Shuiqing poured two cups of tea from the kitchen and brought them out. The two thanked her and sat down on chairs.

Aunt Li drank a lot of tea, and her tone was no longer as hearty as before. She sighed, “Most of our fields are by the river. In the past, we were fortunate to have convenient irrigation, but now we worry every day.”

Zhang Shenzhi hurriedly comforted her, “Don’t worry too much. Maybe there won’t be a flood next year.”

She didn’t have fields, only land near the foot of the mountain. She didn’t worry about erosion, but if she kept talking about flooding, others would think she was gloating over disaster.

Disaster has always been a heavy topic. Shuiqing didn’t know what to say, so she turned to Zhang Shenzhi and asked, “Auntie, did you come here for something?”

“Oh, it’s all thanks to your family. With several golden and silver cows growing up, I’m thinking of making some adobe bricks and building a few houses,” Zhang Shenzhi’s face lit up with excitement when she mentioned building new houses.

Aunt Li congratulated her repeatedly.

“Building a house is a good thing. Auntie, do you need my help with anything?”