Chapter 212

Han Cheng, along with many other villagers, personally escorted the soldiers who came to help to the village entrance, expressing gratitude with military salutes before turning back towards home.

It was well past nine o’clock at night when Han Cheng finally dragged his weary body home. Except for the three little ones who were still too young to work, everyone else in the Su family was so exhausted they could barely stand up straight.

Xiao Doubao spends the whole day being his mother’s little tail, sometimes handing her firewood and a fan, and sometimes pouring water and massaging her back. He is always busy and afraid that his mother will be tired, but in the end, his mother still becomes tired.

It’s impossible not to take a shower on such a hot day. Han Cheng used his last bit of strength to carry the water into the shower room. After washing a few little ones in a hurried bath, he emerged to find Su Xiaoxiao already asleep on the sofa.

Han Cheng didn’t have the heart to wake her. Quietly, he carried her into the room and washed her face and body with a basin of warm water, trying to make her sleep more comfortably.

Su Xiaoxiao was half asleep and half awake when she muttered something incomprehensible: “Faster, faster, the typhoon, the typhoon is coming.”

Han Cheng sighed, leaning down to kiss her forehead. “The rice has been saved. Sleep peacefully.”

-o-o-o-o-o-

At midnight, the chorus of frogs and insects grew louder and louder. No one noticed the willow tree in front of the Lao Su family’s house, which hadn’t moved for several days, swaying gently in the wind, continuing until the next morning.

At four or five o’clock in the morning, without needing Su Weimin’s call, all the members, including Xiao Doubao, arose and headed to the grain drying field to assist. They naturally formed several small teams to work together: one team transported the rice, complete with its branches and leaves, to the drying field; another team handled the threshing process; and a third team took charge of drying the rice. By the time the sun rose, all the rice had been separated from the ears and dried.

Su Weimin glanced at the sky and said solemnly: “Thanks to the help of these soldiers, this is the fastest harvest in the history of our Sujia Village. We used less than three days in total. Everyone, be vigilant. I estimate the typhoon will arrive today. The ground of the granary is already full, and there is no extra space for drying. Everyone, go back and bring over the winnowing baskets that can be used as backups. Once the wind starts, regardless of how dry the grains are, immediately put them into the baskets, register them, and carry them back home for drying. Remember to spread them out for continuous turning, and if necessary, dry them with fire. In short, take care of the grains, and don’t let them sprout.”

Su Weimin sensed that the storm was indeed heading their way, but he knew that the rice grains required several hours of dehydration. Even just two or three hours of drying could significantly reduce the germination rate.

The captain of the second production brigade was momentarily stunned and asked, “Secretary Su, we haven’t handed over the public grain (to the county) yet. Would it be inappropriate to take the grain back to our own homes without authorization?”

Su Weimin waved his hand. “Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. With a typhoon coming in one day and three days of rain forecasted, who knows how many days it will last? If the rice isn’t thoroughly dried in this weather, storing it in the granary would only invite sprouting. It’s better to have each household take it back for safekeeping.

Let’s consider this as an early distribution of the new grain, and then we’ll assess how much grain we can distribute this year. We’ll aim to minimize the shortfall and make up for it later. Hopefully, the typhoon will arrive a day later, allowing at least 80–90% of the rice we’ve sun-dried for a day to be sufficiently dry for storage in the granary.”

The captain of the second production team said nothing more.

Su Weimin instructed Su Zhenhua, “Go find some bricklayers to repair the tiles of each granary and seal the windows tightly. This typhoon won’t be small. Although we have mountains on three sides, any loophole, even a small one, won’t stop the wind and rain.”

Su Zhenhua nodded and said, “I know, Dad. I’ll take someone to handle it now.”

The production team leaders followed Su Weimin’s instructions and relayed them to each household, and soon, the grain drying fields of each production team were filled with bamboo baskets.

Everyone keeps flipping over the rice while the sun is still hanging, hoping that it will dry even faster.

‘Heaven’s will’ was not on their side. As Su Weimin predicted, it wasn’t even noon yet when Su Zhenhua had just finished repairing the roof of the granary with his men, and the sun had already quietly disappeared behind the clouds, shrouding the sky in darkness. The howling winds tore through the mountains, felling countless trees without mercy and assaulting the small mountain village.

The villagers quickly gathered the rice into winnowing baskets and carried them back home, one load at a time.

When the dust settled, regardless of whether this year would be a bountiful harvest or a loss, every household finally had a bit of grain stored away. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to ease some of the panic.

The typhoon came with great force. Han Cheng braved the fierce winds to lock the last door of the granary, as the outside world was already a tumult of wind and rain.

Several big men from the Su family put on the raincoat that Li Yufeng had prepared for them early in the morning. They struggled to move inch by inch toward their homes in the raging storm.

The elderly and children in the village had already been informed early in the morning not to go out. Su Xiaoxiao and the children at home were anxious as the wind howled outside, seemingly ready to uproot the willow trees by the river. It was already past two o’clock, and there was no sign of the men returning. If it weren’t for Li Yufeng holding them back, the four children would have gone out to find them.

Just when the children wanted to rush out for the Nth time, the door of the house opened and quickly closed.

Only when the men returned safely did the whole family breathe a sigh of relief.

Without any delay, Li Yufeng asked each of them to carry a bucket of hot water to bathe and change clothes to prevent catching a cold.

After they finished cleaning up, the hot meal was served. The three men wolfed down their food, offering a sacrifice to their internal organs, before finally feeling at ease.

The children spread out the rice they had brought back not long ago on the floor to dry. Li Yufeng picked up a grain, took a bite, savored the fragrance of the new rice, spat out the husk, chewed the grain, and swallowed before saying, “It’s about fifty percent dry. A few days of drying will do, and it won’t sprout.”

The children also followed the example of their grandmother, each taking a grain of rice, but after a long time, they couldn’t discern anything.

Su Weimin felt a lingering fear in his heart and said, “I’ve never seen such a strong wind in my life. This time, it’s really thanks to Han Cheng and those soldiers.”

Han Cheng said, “It was just a small effort on my part; indeed, we owe it to the soldier. But it’s also because of Dad’s experience and decisiveness. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been able to keep up. Such strong winds are rare even by the seaside. Logically, with mountains on three sides, we shouldn’t have such strong winds here.”

Su Weimin said, “Nature’s wrath is unpredictable. Who could have predicted the earthquake two years ago? The power of a draught is not to be underestimated. Even with mountains on three sides, it won’t stop the wind. But draughts won’t last long. I’m more worried about tornadoes. They’re too destructive; they can even lift roofs.”

The entire family fell silent; even the usually lively Xiao Roubao dared not to make any noise, and the timid Xiao Tangyuan clung to her grandmother, unwilling to let go.

Su Xiaoxiao sighed as she listened to the howling wind outside. No matter how much one tries to block it, when rain falls or disasters strike, there’s no stopping them. She didn’t know how many people would suffer because of this natural disaster. She hoped it would just be a passing draft. What worried her more was the reservoir on the mountain. If there were several days of heavy rain causing the reservoir to collapse or flash floods, it would affect even more people.

“Dad, is the reservoir on the mountain safe?” Su Xiaoxiao still asked.

Su Weimin obviously thought of this problem and nodded: “Daughter, don’t worry. Your brother took people to repair the reservoir himself. It gets reinforced every year, and just two months ago, when it was dry, water was released once. As long as we don’t have uninterrupted heavy rain for one or two months, the reservoir won’t overflow.”

Su Xiaoxiao feels a little relieved now.

During their afternoon rest, Su Xiaoxiao hugged Han Cheng and said, “Han Cheng, looking back this time, I really need to think about how to make more money.”

Han Cheng kissed her hair and asked, “Are you planning to build bridges and roads or the reservoir?”

Su Xiaoxiao lifted his head and looked at him in surprise. “How do you know?”

Han Cheng hooked his lips, running his fingers through her smooth hair. “My love, you’ve never been very interested in money. You’d be content with just opening a small shop that could provide enough food for Xiao Roubao. You thought about earning more money before to give your family a better life. Now, wanting to earn more money naturally means preparing to repair bridges, roads, and the reservoir to give back to our hometown.”

Su Xiaoxiao kissed his chin with stubble and asked, “Do you agree?”

Han Cheng lightly tapped her face with his stubble. “Sweetheart, back in Qingfeng Town, I felt guilty about confining such a talented person like you to housework and raising our children. But at that time, you told me that doing these things made you happy and gave you a sense of achievement, and you were content with it.

I thought you were just comforting me, but later I found out that you truly enjoy spending time with the children, managing both family and work in an orderly, and finding joy in it without overexerting yourself. Since then, I have decided to respect every decision you make in the future, just like when you first chose to marry me. I believe that in any situation, you can make the best and most suitable arrangement. So, with a smile, I respect you, love you and trust you more. Now, do you think I agree? ”

Outside the window, the wind howled, and unidentified objects occasionally flew in, hitting the not-so-sturdy wooden windows. It felt as though an emotionally unstable person was trying to break in at any moment.

In theory, Su Xiaoxiao should have been afraid, but listening to Han Cheng’s warm and deep voice in such a harsh environment was like a calming injection that made Su Xiaoxiao feel relaxed and peaceful.

Su Xiaoxiao grabbed Han Cheng’s hand and played with it, then rubbed her face against his. “Han Cheng, you’re really great. Sometimes, you’re not like a man of this era.” 

The degree of care and respect he showed towards his loved one was something that most husbands of the twenty-first century couldn’t achieve.

Su Xiaoxiao felt that even if she told Han Cheng now that her decision to marry him back then was actually based on something as shallow as his looks, he probably wouldn’t be angry.

This typhoon came with ferocity, knocking down countless greenhouse gardens, unstable houses, and trees. It also toppled the rice that other communes hadn’t had time to harvest. It ravaged for two days and two nights before finally relenting. Even as the wind subsided, it left in its wake a persistent downpour. The river water visibly rose to the level of the road surface, and the drooping willows along the banks were submerged to the point where their roots seemed to be growing in the river itself.

With wind accompanied by heavy rain persisting for several days, some communes managed to harvest only one-third, while others even less, with some unable to hold back. Hearing that Su Weimin instructed everyone to take their grain home for air drying, they considered following suit. They braved the storm to harvest the remaining rice. However, even if they managed to harvest it, they couldn’t dry it in such weather, and storing it indoors would lead to sprouting. The Sujia Village had dried their grains halfway before bringing them indoors, which was a completely different scenario.

Using fire to dry the grain is even more impractical. Even one-and-a-half loads can lead to issues. When so much grain is exposed to intense heat on an earthen stove, it can easily sprout or even start to cook.

In the hectic days that followed, Su Xiaoxiao drafted a plan for allocating fields to households and handed it to Su Weimin. “Dad, I think allocating fields to households is imperative. The sooner it’s implemented, the better. Pushing forward with new policies always requires some people to take the lead, and I think you can be that vanguard.”