Chapter 6: The Coming Storm

By the time Lin Chaoyang returned home from work around noon, the wild vegetable soup was already cooked.

However, there wasn’t much wild vegetable to begin with, and all that came out was a pot of light green broth.

The rice was cooked by Lin Chaoyun, but when she saw the thin, unfulfilling soup, her expression wasn’t great either.

Lin Chaoyang thought for a moment, then took out a handful of rough rice.

If he didn’t add anything at all, he wouldn’t feel at ease about sneaking extra portions for himself.

With so many eyes on him, if anyone found out, it would cause a lot of trouble.

Lin Chaoyang tossed the rough rice into the pot, simmered it for a while, and mixed it with the wild vegetables to make a bowl of wild vegetable porridge.

It was called porridge, but in reality, it was just rice water—barely any grains in a spoonful.

Lin Chaoyang filled a bowl for himself, then gave Lin Chaoxing a little more rice than his own.

“The rest, you two eat it. Don’t worry about Lin Chaoyu, he can go without food for a couple of meals.”

Neither Lin Chaoyun nor Lin Chaoxia had any objections. Lin Chaoyu deserved to be punished for stealing.

The four of them ate, while inside the room, Lin Chaoyu continued to cry and wail. However, his voice was much quieter now.

After the rice soup he drank earlier didn’t fill him up, he was now too weak from hunger to make much of a fuss.

He desperately wanted to eat something, but no one paid him any attention.

Lin Chaoyang acted as if he hadn’t heard him. After finishing his meal, he went to rest.

When the evening shift was over, another pot of wild vegetable porridge awaited them, though it was even more diluted than at noon.

Lin Chaoyang himself didn’t have much appetite. If it hadn’t been for the extra meal in the afternoon, he wouldn’t have had the energy to work.

Just as he was about to begin his meal, Lin Chaoxing cautiously spoke up.

“Big Brother, maybe you should send something to Fourth Brother. He didn’t eat at all for lunch.”

Lin Chaoyang patted his younger brother on the head and sighed.

Seeing that he didn’t object, Lin Chaoyun stood up and went to scoop a bowl of rice soup to bring to Lin Chaoyu.

Lin Chaoyang glanced at her back and felt that something seemed off about her, but he didn’t think much of it. After finishing his meal, he went to bed with his younger brother.

The next morning, Lin Chaoyang was woken up by the sound of rain.

He opened the window to find the rain pouring down heavily—practically a storm.

In weather like this, no one needed to be told—it was clear that no one would be working that day.

Lin Chaoyang turned over and lay back down. Since there was no work, there was no reason to get up early. He wasn’t going to be doing any labor anyway.

The two sisters were thinking the same thing. Since they weren’t going to work, missing a meal wouldn’t kill them.

But Lin Chaoyang didn’t neglect himself. Before his younger brother woke up, he already had a steamed bun.

One steamed bun wasn’t enough to fill Lin Chaoyang, but he wasn’t planning to eat fully at every meal.

In a time when everyone was struggling for food, not a single person in the entire commune was overweight.

His family had always been in such dire straits. If he alone looked healthy and well-fed, it would definitely raise suspicions.

And his younger brother, even though he rarely left the house, still had to be cautious.

There were three more pairs of eyes in the house. If they noticed anything unusual, they wouldn’t let it slide.

With the way those three acted, Lin Chaoyang knew it would cause major trouble for him.

Lin Chaoyang now regretted that he hadn’t been reborn earlier.

If he had been reborn back when their parents were still alive, he would’ve sent those three away—much simpler.

But there was no point in lamenting now. All he could do was be extra cautious.

Since there was nothing else to do at home, Lin Chaoyang started thinking about the supplies in the market.

The supplies at the market were enough to last him a lifetime if he ate alone.

Even if he shared with his younger brother, there would still be plenty left.

He wondered if he could resell some of it and make some money, saving it for future use.

Lin Chaoyang hadn’t studied much in his previous life, but he had been through many things and understood the importance of money.

If he could take advantage of this moment to sell a batch of supplies and make money, he could use that money to make even more in the future.

Since he had been reborn, he didn’t want to remain poor like before. He wanted to be wealthy.

With money, he wouldn’t have to worry about overworking himself and falling ill again. He could have a much better life.

Lost in thought, Lin Chaoyang decided to take a risk. He would find a time to go into the county and try selling some rice or flour.

Unfortunately, the rain was so heavy that day; otherwise, he would’ve gone right away to give it a try.

What he didn’t expect was that the heavy rain didn’t let up even by the afternoon.

Lin Chaoyang looked out the window at the pouring rain, unable to suppress the furrow in his brows.

With such heavy rain, if it continued like this, the crops in the fields would drown.

If the crops were destroyed now, the people in the village would really starve.

Lin Chaoyang’s worry grew as the rain didn’t let up, and his unease deepened.

The next morning, he woke up groggily to the sound of rain. He felt a strange sense of panic in his chest.

He dressed quickly and was about to go outside to check when the loudspeaker in the village blared.

“Comrades of the brigade! Quickly gather in the fields! Drain the water! Protect the crops!”

Lin Chaoyang immediately realized that things were bad. The fields must have flooded severely.

He couldn’t help but remember his past life. It seemed this disaster hadn’t happened before.

But it was too late to think about that now. Lin Chaoyang put on his raincoat and hat, and hurried to the fields.

When he arrived, the situation was even worse than he had imagined.

The crops in the fields were almost completely submerged, and many people were using small basins and gourds to scoop out water.

Some others were digging temporary ditches to try and drain the water away.

Lin Chaoyang quickly rolled up his pants and grabbed a gourd ladle to help scoop the water out.

But the rain kept falling, and not only were the fields flooded, but even some of the low-lying houses had water pouring in.

The village leader’s eyes were red with anxiety. If this kept up, the crops would be completely ruined!

Some people were already wiping tears away. The seedlings had been growing so well, there had been hope, but now it had all been washed away.

Lin Chaoyang looked at all of this, his heart growing cold.

He was sure that this hadn’t happened in his past life. There hadn’t been such a heavy storm at this time of year before.

This unforeseen event shattered the advantage he’d gained from being reborn, and now he didn’t know what to do next.

But there was no time to think about it now. The biggest issue was how to survive in the coming days.

His supply of goods could easily sustain the family, but the risks were too high.

Lin Chaoyang dared not take the risk, nor could he afford to.

In times when everyone was starving, if he appeared healthy and well-fed, the consequences would be terrible.

He had heard the older generations tell stories about famines in the past, and he couldn’t risk his life for something like that.

However, he could take this opportunity to go into the county and sell some grain, accumulating a sum of money.

After thinking for a long time, Lin Chaoyang finally made up his mind.

During these difficult times, the family had to save as much as possible and avoid letting others know they had food.

He wouldn’t need to work in the fields for much longer. Instead, he’d make several trips to the county, selling off some of the grain.