Chapter 23 : Panic

Since deciding to invite Fan Yanxing to their home for a meal, Ma Xiuzhi asked Huang Shumin to help clean the last piece of cured meat they had, preparing to make a substantial dish.

Originally, they had planned to buy fresh meat, but the heavy rains had disrupted transportation. The supply and marketing cooperative hadn’t received new goods for days and was only selling some stored supplies. Fresh meat was out of the question, and even fresh vegetables were unavailable.

Fortunately, they still had a piece of cured meat from the New Year’s visit to relatives. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have known what to serve the guests.

After blanching the cured meat, they cleaned it and then fried it in oil to render out the fat. Next, they added washed and sliced asparagus and stir-fried until it changed color and was cooked through. They then added green chilies and seasoning, stir-fried everything evenly, and the dish was ready to serve.

In addition, Ma Xiuzhi also prepared a large plate of spicy and sour shredded potatoes, a bowl of tomato scrambled eggs, a bowl of oil-braised eggplant, steamed sweet potatoes, and a pot of wild vegetable soup. This was considered a high-standard farmhouse feast.

“Go call everyone to dinner.” Ma Xiuzhi instructed Liang Qingqing, who was helping in the kitchen by sorting vegetables, to call everyone to the table. She then began serving rice to the guests.

Having been “trapped” at home due to the heavy rain, Liang Qingqing had learned some basic kitchen chores and was now quite adept. Helping out was no trouble for her; she was quick to pick up even the more challenging aspects, like monitoring the cooking.

“Alright.” Liang Qingqing moved the wooden bowl of vegetables to a corner to avoid anyone accidentally kicking it, then got up to head towards the dining room. Along the way, she remembered to call out to Songzi, who was in the room drawing.

A few minutes later, everyone was seated in the kitchen for dinner. The men needed to help around the village soon, so they had to eat quickly and get some rest. Most of the talking had already been done in the living room, so the dinner table was particularly quiet, with only Ma Xiuzhi occasionally speaking.

“We’re poor and don’t have anything fancy, just some home-cooked dishes. Fan Yanxing, please don’t mind.”

“Auntie, your cooking is great. It’s a blessing to enjoy such delicious food. How could I complain?”

Ma Xiuzhi, delighted by the praise, kept serving Fan Yanxing, even neglecting her usual favorite, Liang Qingqing. The latter didn’t mind and found it amusing to see Fan Yanxing somewhat overwhelmed by her mother’s enthusiasm.

Liang Qingqing’s little smirk was spotted by Fan Yanxing, who gave her a lingering glance. Liang Qingqing nearly choked on her soup from the stare and had to avert her eyes. She then chimed in, “Mom, let Fan Yanxing eat quickly. Otherwise, there won’t be time to rest, and if he misses the team meeting, he’ll lose work points.”

“Alright, alright, I won’t say anything more. Everyone, hurry up and eat,” Ma Xiuzhi immediately stopped talking upon hearing this. With the male laborers’ work points being doubled these days, she didn’t want to delay such a good opportunity.

No one said anything further, and mealtime passed quickly. After eating, everyone went back to their rooms to rest. Due to Fan Yanxing’s presence, Liang Qingqing had to share a bed with her second sister-in-law. Although it wasn’t as comfortable as sleeping alone, Huang Shumin was a tidy and orderly person who didn’t move around much, and she occupied only a small space. She was unobtrusive, giving Liang Qingqing ample space.

So Liang Qingqing managed to get a good nap, with only a brief period of difficulty falling asleep, the rest was quite normal.

When she woke up, she found Huang Shumin had already gotten up and was in the kitchen helping to clean the dishes from lunch. Such diligence made her, the little lazy one, feel a bit embarrassed.

At home, it was probably just she and Songzi who were the laziest.

Liang Qingqing sat up from the bed, braided her messy long hair into a side braid, and tidied her clothes before leaving the room. By this time, only the women and a child were at home, as the men had already gone out to earn work points.

Standing at the door, she noticed the rain was even heavier than during lunch, pounding on the ground and causing an inexplicable sense of anxiety.

While Liang Qingqing was lost in thought about the rain, Songzi ran over with paper and pen, interrupting her reverie. She took him by the hand and led him to the living room to check on the homework she had assigned him the previous day.

Soon, Ma Xiuzhi and the others, having finished their work in the kitchen, came over with a bowl of pumpkin seeds for a chat. They only returned to the kitchen to start preparing dinner close to mealtime, but the men still hadn’t come back.

“What’s going on? Could something unexpected have happened again?” Huang Shumin stood at the door, tiptoeing to look outside. Even with the best effort, she couldn’t see her husband’s figure, causing her heart to race, as if a rabbit were inside her chest.

Usually, even if they were busy, the village ensured that everyone could eat on time. They would make sure everyone returned home to eat before resuming work, to reassure the families and avoid unnecessary worry.

Except for the last time when a landslide suddenly buried the house and people, which led the rescue team to work overtime, there hadn’t been any instances of overtime work.

So this time…

“It shouldn’t be anything serious,” Liang Qingqing tried to comfort Huang Shumin, but her words had little effect. Huang Shumin remained anxious, frowning and asking, “Then why haven’t they returned yet?”

“Should we go and check?” Wang Xiaomei, also quite frightened, suggested tentatively while holding Songzi.

“I think we should,” Huang Shumin said, heading towards the umbrella. However, before she could take any action, a tall, thin figure in a raincoat appeared at the gate. It was the team leader’s son, Xie Pingfeng.

“Sanfeng?” Wang Xiaomei, with her sharp eyes, immediately recognized the visitor.

Xie Pingfeng was the third child in the Xie family, so people in the village called him Sanfeng.

“There’s been a landslide in the eastern part of the village. Several people clearing the road have been buried. Everyone has to work overtime to rescue them. They probably won’t be back tonight. You should hurry and deliver the food. After delivering the food, come back right away and don’t linger. The area is still very dangerous; don’t cause more trouble for the village.”

Upon hearing this, Huang Shumin’s legs went weak, and she almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, Liang Qingqing reacted quickly and helped her up.

“Junqiang! Junqiang!” Huang Shumin mumbled, her face turning extremely pale, and tears began to well up in her eyes.

“Why are you crying? Stop crying. Didn’t Sanfeng say it’s the eastern part of the village? Junqiang and the others are in the western part. They’re fine!” Ma Xiuzhi grabbed Huang Shumin’s arm and pulled her up. If it weren’t for Ma Xiuzhi’s strength, Liang Qingqing alone wouldn’t have been able to prevent both of them from falling.

Ma Xiuzhi’s words acted like a stimulant to Huang Shumin’s heart, and she finally began to think clearly. “Yes, yes, Junqiang and the others are in the western part of the village. They’ll definitely be okay!”

Relieved, Huang Shumin let out a deep breath and patted her chest in a mix of fear and relief. But before she could fully recover, a “thud” sound came from beside her. Turning her head, she saw Liang Qingqing had fallen to the ground!

“Little sister!”

“Qingqing!”

After the cries of alarm, Ma Xiuzhi was the first to rush over and picked Liang Qingqing up, holding her tightly. “Daughter, what’s wrong? Don’t scare me!”

Liang Qingqing’s lips were trembling, feeling as if the world was spinning and about to collapse. The eastern part of the village, the eastern part of the village, the eastern part of the village! Fan Yanxing was working on repairs in the eastern part of the village, wasn’t he? Could he be buried under the landslide?

Although she knew from the book that he was likely safe, she couldn’t shake her fear. What if something unexpected happened? What if this created a butterfly effect? If something happened to Fan Yanxing… then, her own prospects might also go up in smoke!

Liang Qingqing couldn’t understand the sudden panic in her heart, attributing it to her fear that there would be no second reliable suitor like Fan Yanxing if he were to die.

The more she thought about it, the more she believed this answer. Taking a deep breath, Liang Qingqing, with Ma Xiuzhi’s help, got up from the ground. “I’m going.”

“Where are you going?” Ma Xiuzhi asked with a look of confusion. “Qingqing, what’s wrong with you?”

“Fan Yanxing is working in the eastern part of the village. I need to see if something has happened to him,” Liang Qingqing said as she grabbed the umbrella from the door and rushed out. Ma Xiuzhi tried to stop her but didn’t manage to in time. After a moment of stunned silence, she realized what was happening.

Fan Yanxing might be in trouble!

“What are you standing around for? People from the first and second families, get the food packed up. We’re going to see what’s happening too,” Ma Xiuzhi said as she chased after Liang Qingqing. “Qingqing, wait for me. I’m coming with you.”

Huang Shumin wiped her face and muttered as she looked at their departing figures, “Little sister’s reaction is even more intense than mine.”

Although Huang Shumin didn’t mean much by her comment, Wang Xiaomei, who was nearby, paused momentarily while putting down Songi. Something flashed through her mind, but she couldn’t think about it now. She urged, “Sister-in-law, let’s pack up the food and send it to them.”

“Alright, otherwise it will get cold,” Huang Shumin said as she quickly packed the food into containers, then joined Wang Xiaomei with an umbrella and rushed into the rain.

Liang Qingqing, who had been caught up by Ma Xiuzhi, continued heading towards the eastern part of the village. They encountered many others on their way who were also delivering food, some of whom were crying and clearly frightened.

“Sanfeng should have been more clear with the notifications. At least give names of those who are buried. It’s making everyone anxious,” Ma Xiuzhi muttered as she glanced at a woman nearby who was crying.

Although Liang Qingqing agreed with Ma Xiuzhi, she was too focused to respond. She pressed on towards the eastern part of the village. The heavy rain quickly soaked her shoes, and her socks clung uncomfortably to her feet, but she didn’t slow down.

The closer they got to the landslide area, the more people there were rescue workers and people delivering food. The noise was overwhelming.

“Has the list of those buried been released?” Liang Qingqing grabbed someone and asked rapidly.

The person shook his head and sighed. “Only a few names are confirmed. The others haven’t been verified yet.”

Not hearing Fan Yanxing’s name or any of her family members’ names among those confirmed, Liang Qingqing felt some relief but wasn’t completely at ease. Her eyes quickly scanned the crowd, and she soon fixed her gaze on a group of people, walking straight towards them. “Where’s Fan Yanxing? Have you seen him?”

“I haven’t seen him.”

The man who had suddenly been grabbed by his sleeve looked confused at Liang Qingqing. After shaking his head, he answered, then Liang Qingqing immediately grab another person’s sleeve and ask the same question.

After asking around and getting the same response everywhere, Liang Qingqing furrowed her delicate brows. “Aren’t you all educated youth? How come none of you know where Fan Yanxing went?”

She knew this conclusion was somewhat forced. After all, even though they were all educated youth, they weren’t Fan Yanxing’s parents and had no obligation to keep track of his whereabouts all the time. Besides, Fan Yanxing was an adult man; who could monitor his movements?

“Qingqing!” A sudden call brought Liang Qingqing’s attention back. She turned around and saw Liang Junqiang and the others, looking disheveled. Their ponchos were crooked and covered in mud, as if they had been rolling around in a mud pit.

Seeing this, Liang Qingqing temporarily set aside her anxiety about finding Fan Yanxing. She quickly ran over, concerned, “Dad, Big Brother, Second Brother, what happened to you?”

Ma Xiuzhi reached out to help Liang Xueyong wipe the dirt off his face. “Is everyone alright? I heard from Sanfeng that there was a landslide and several people were buried.”

Liang Xueyong shook his head and pulled away from Ma Xiuzhi’s touch. “We’re fine, just very dirty. Don’t let it get your clothes dirty.”

Then he glanced at the site of the incident, his face etched with worry. “Who would have thought such a natural disaster would happen? We were called in at the last minute and have been working for nearly two hours, rescuing two people. We’re just taking a break and waiting for food now.”

“The rain has been getting heavier this afternoon. I’ve been so anxious, and I didn’t expect something like this would actually happen,” Ma Xiuzhi sighed as well. “Since you’re all okay, I’ve already sent Xiaomei and the others with the food. They should be arriving soon.”

Wang Xiaomei and Huang Shumin appeared not far away. They started calling out as they approached. Huang Shumin then threw herself into Liang Junqiang’s arms, crying with both snot and tears.

“I thought something had happened to you. You scared me to death.” She didn’t mind Liang Junqiang being dirty and hugged him tightly.

Liang Junqiang smiled foolishly. “I’m fine, just very hungry.”

This made Huang Shumin laugh through her tears, and she quickly reassured him that the food had arrived and they would be eating soon.

In the midst of this public display of affection, no one laughed. In times like these, it was just a relief that everyone was safe.

“It’s good that you’re okay,” Wang Xiaomei, not as bold as Huang Shumin, could only watch Liang Shuqiang with red-rimmed eyes, her voice choked with emotion.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Liang Shuqiang replied. He intended to comfort his wife by patting her on the head, but seeing the mud on his hands, he hesitated and refrained.

The couples comforted each other in their own ways, sharing warmth after the ordeal.

“Dad, did you see Fan Yanxing? He was working in the eastern part of the village. I’ve asked everyone, but no one has seen him. Could something have happened to him?” Liang Qingqing, still worried about Fan Yanxing, asked about her most pressing concern after checking on her family’s safety.

“I haven’t seen him at all.” Liang Xueyong shook his head, and Liang Shuqiang’s two brothers also shook their heads.

Liang Qingqing bit her lip tightly, her heart sinking as she looked at the high mound of dirt ahead. Could it be that Fan Yanxing was really buried underneath?

After hesitating for a few seconds, she opened her umbrella and started walking in that direction, but Liang Junqiang immediately grabbed her arm. “Don’t go over there. It’s too dangerous.”

“I just want to check,” Liang Qingqing said. She wasn’t sure why she felt such an urgent need to confirm Fan Yanxing’s safety or why she wanted so much to see him standing unharmed in front of her…

“Yanxing is a good person. Good people get good rewards. He should be fine. Qingqing, don’t worry,” Liang Junqiang, as a good friend, was also very concerned about Fan Yanxing’s safety. But in this situation, there was nothing more he could say besides these comforting words.

The rescue work was still ongoing. Until the very end, no one could be sure if Fan Yanxing was buried under the debris.

Liang Qingqing knew these facts well, but she was terrified and couldn’t calm down. Looking at the worried expressions of those around her, she could only force herself to stay calm and managed a faint smile. “Dad, you all go ahead and eat.”

Her grip on the umbrella tightened, her knuckles turning white.

Once mealtime passed, anyone not involved in the rescue had to leave immediately to avoid causing unnecessary trouble for the rescue operation. No matter how much Liang Qingqing wanted to stay, it was futile, and she had to leave with Ma Xiuzhi and the others.

By the time night fell, the bad news finally came Fan Yanxing’s name was prominently listed in the provisional list of the buried.