Chapter 39: Torrential Rain

Chapter 39: Torrential Rain

Feng Chen's arrival to harvest wheat stirred the men of Tangjia Village, making them work with renewed vigor as if injected with a stimulant.

Originally, some families had more laborers and thus more work points, so even without pushing too hard during the wheat harvest, they could still earn a decent number of points. However, now that Feng Chen was far ahead, leaving them behind, they... although conceded his skill, couldn't afford to fall too far behind.

Especially the young men.

So they worked harder than in previous years.

Some felt they were exceeding their 12 work-point quota and went to Tang Bingde to request permission to take on an additional wheat field.

Tang Bingde, though unfamiliar with the principle of introducing a catfish into a school of sardines, could see the intense competition among the men, driving them to work tirelessly.

This year's wheat harvest was clearly faster than in previous years!

Approved!

Tang Bingde led the villagers in the enthusiastic wheat harvest, while Secretary Liu was responsible for hosting Cadre Ji.

He invited Ji Hongyue to have lunch at his home and had his wife prepare a room for him to stay in.

In the past, when cadres from the commune came down for inspections, the brigade would assign meals, with all village members taking turns to provide food and lodging.

There was no need for special meals; the cadres simply ate whatever the family was having, with a payment of two mao and one jin of grain tickets per day.

Now that Ji Hongyue had arrived, Secretary Liu naturally wanted to give him a good reception.

He didn't want Ji Hongyue to stay at Tang Bingde's place, fearing that Tang Bingde might get close to him and say something inappropriate.

Although he believed himself to be fair and incorruptible, not fearing slander, he also didn't want Tang Bingde to distort facts in front of the county cadre.

Though the brigade had planted a few more acres of wheat and cotton, wasn't it for the benefit of the brigade?

Without these extra efforts, how could the brigade enjoy those preferential policies and numerous achievements?

One must give to receive.

Tang Bingde, growing older and more stubborn, had a narrow-minded view and couldn't see the bigger picture.

During meals, he tried to probe Ji Hongyue, thinking this young cadre seemed quite naive, probably inexperienced and lacking depth.

He wondered about his background, how he managed to parachute into Binxian County as an agricultural cadre at such a young age.

His own son, Guangming, was already in his thirties and only a section chief in the agricultural department.

He feared Tang Yuan might say something inappropriate to Ji Hongyue, so he decided to test him.

Despite appearing innocent and clear-eyed, Ji Hongyue was cautious around Secretary Liu and did not let himself be probed.

He showed no suspicion towards Tangjia Village Brigade and did not mention any irregularities with the cotton quotas. Instead, he appeared quite close to Secretary Liu, moved by his stories of revolutionary times, and raised a toast to him.

He greatly admired Secretary Liu.

Cadre Ji: "Our brigade is not easy. With many mountains and little land, and soil that doesn't look fertile, other brigades would have become impoverished long ago, relying on relief rations every year. Yet our brigade is doing well, with the villagers showing a positive spirit and great enthusiasm. This shows that our cadre is both capable and hardworking."

Ji Hongyue, who usually despised empty flattery, had learned from reality and been slightly misled by Tang Yuan, growing very quickly.

Secretary Liu felt gratified and relieved, believing Ji Hongyue had no ulterior motives.

However, he still took the opportunity to make a small complaint about Tang Bingde, "Old Tang is a good cadre, but he's getting old and sometimes relies too much on experience. He's stubborn, which can be embarrassing for Cadre Ji."

He was referring to Tang Bingde's insistence on harvesting wheat early.

"Ah, without saying anything else, this will definitely reduce the yield. We'll have to tighten our belts again to meet the public grain quota."

Ji Hongyue: "The lack of rain in March and April generally reduces wheat yields. The higher-ups understand this and will appropriately reduce the total public grain quota."

Secretary Liu looked at him happily, "Cadre Ji, really? If we could get a reduction, that would be great."

Ji Hongyue smiled, "Definitely."

He refused to rest and told Secretary Liu he wanted to help with the wheat harvest.

Secretary Liu, usually exempt from fieldwork, accompanied him to please Ji Hongyue.

Upon reaching the wheat fields, Ji Hongyue immediately spotted Feng Chen cutting wheat.

He couldn't help but praise, "Secretary Liu, our villagers are full of enthusiasm."

Feng Chen stood out, and even from a distance, Secretary Liu saw him.

Surprised, he squinted his eyes and confirmed, exclaiming, "That rascal is cutting wheat?"

Seeing Ji Hongyue's curious gaze, Secretary Liu joked about Feng Chen, "He used to be undisciplined, but now he's being responsible. That's good."

Ji Hongyue was astonished, his image of Feng Chen crumbling.

Brother Feng was like this?

But he soon understood. Working with the brigade yielded limited returns, whereas farming in the mountains brought personal benefits.

Thinking this way, he realized Feng Chen was smart and resourceful.

He would make a perfect bodyguard.

To build a rapport with Feng Chen, Cadre Ji ignored Secretary Liu's objections and went over to help him tie the wheat.

Secretary Liu: "Cadre Ji, let's go inspect other fields."

His underlying meaning was that harvesting wheat is both hot and tiring, so Cadre Ji shouldn't go through the trouble.

Ji Hongyue had already run over.

He greeted Feng Chen, "Where's Sister Tang?"

Feng Chen glanced at him, "The team leader is in the field next door. Go find him."

In recent days, Ji Hongyue had been pestering Sister Tang Yuan, which had annoyed Feng Chen to no end.

Secretary Liu saw that Ji Hongyue went to help with the wheat harvest and decided not to follow. After a moment of consideration, he turned and left.

He had probed before and found out that Ji Hongyue was just here to supervise the wheat harvest and had no other special intentions.

Still, he felt something was off. After all, Ji Hongyue's arrival itself was unusual, so he rode his bike to the commune.

Tangjia Village was surrounded by mountains, and one had to cross two hills to reach the commune where there was flat land. Fortunately, there was a path trodden by many on the hilltop, allowing him to push his bike over and then ride to the commune.

First, he went to the commune Revolutionary Committee to greet the leaders who were staying behind.

In a few days, the wheat harvest would begin, and the commune cadres would start their fixed assignments.

The dedicated section chiefs had already rushed to their respective brigades, while those unwilling to go either stayed at the commune or went elsewhere to attend to personal matters.

Administrative procedures were lax now, without the formalities of later times.

He found Section Chief Zhao, who was originally responsible for Tangjia Village Brigade, "Section Chief Zhao, have you spoken with the county recently? What about our Guangming? When will he come down to squat?"

Section Chief Zhao was in his early thirties, with a fair complexion. He helped Secretary Liu sit down and personally made tea for him, "Uncle Liu, if you had something, why didn't you send someone else? Why did you come yourself?"

He had a good relationship with Liu Guangming, who was a division chief in the county. Since he usually looked up to Liu Guangming, he naturally treated Secretary Liu warmly as well.

"Uncle Liu, I was planning to visit your place in a couple of days. Guangming said his in-laws had some issues, so he won't be coming down this year. I'll go instead."

Liu Guangming had risen thanks to his father-in-law, and any matter from his in-laws required his immediate attention.

He wasn't as free, especially to return to the countryside.

Secretary Liu nodded, "That's fine. I came to ask why Section Chief Ji from the County Agriculture Group went to our brigade."

Section Chief Zhao was taken aback, "Section Chief Ji? Which... oh, Ji Hongyue, that fool?"

Secretary Liu frowned, displeased, "How can you talk like that, Section Chief Zhao? Although he's younger than you, he's still a county cadre."

Section Chief Zhao placed the white porcelain teacup in front of Secretary Liu and smiled, "What kind of county cadre is he? Just another relation trying to build credentials. He'll probably only stay here for a couple of years."

Secretary Liu: "Then why did he volunteer to come down?"

If it were one of those young masters sent down from above, they would prefer leisure and comfort and wouldn't come down to suffer.

Section Chief Zhao: "Uncle Liu, did he go to your brigade to inquire about something?"

Secretary Liu shook his head, "Not really. I just found it odd that a young section chief suddenly showed up. I wanted to call Guangming and let him know."

Section Chief Zhao thought for a moment and decided to call the county.

The call connected but he couldn't find Liu Guangming; instead, Deputy Section Chief Gao from the Agriculture Group answered.

Deputy Section Chief Gao was surprised to hear that Ji Hongyue had gone to Tangjia Village. He laughed a few times and then asked curiously, "Secretary Liu, how did our Section Chief Ji end up at your brigade?"

It was amusing to think about.

Ji Hongyue was young and shallow. As soon as he arrived, he called a meeting to make a splash, claiming he would lead the entire county out of poverty. The cadres at the county Revolutionary Committee watched him like a monkey performing.

When he said he would lead a team to inspect the villages, Deputy Section Chief Gao laughed, thinking he was acting like an imperial inspector.

Did he really think he was assigned this position because they valued him for his youth and talent?

Bah, what a joke!

This time, Ji Hongyue led a few staff members from the Agriculture Group to visit villages and gather information. On the way, they encountered fighting dogs and were chased by a mad dog. They also stumbled upon a group of village ruffians fighting. The ruffians, blinded by rage, attacked anyone in sight, including Ji Hongyue and his team.

Ji Hongyue and the staff members fled in panic. Ji Hongyue fell into a river, while the others returned with black eyes and bruised faces to report the incident.

Back then, the Public Security Bureau hadn't been restored, and the Revolutionary Committee's People's Protection Group handled public security work.

The People's Protection Group chief registered the case, saying they would send people to look for Section Chief Ji, but they couldn't find him for several days.

Today, Secretary Liu called to say he had gone to their brigade?

Deputy Section Chief Gao was genuinely curious about how Ji Hongyue ended up at Tangjia Village Brigade.

Secretary Liu briefly explained the situation.

Deputy Section Chief Gao: "Secretary Liu, just treat him well. There's nothing to worry about."

Secretary Liu: "Our brigade definitely has nothing to hide. I'm just worried he might be targeting Guangming."

Deputy Section Chief Gao laughed, "No need to worry. Division Chief Liu acts uprightly and has nothing to fear from an investigation."

Secretary Liu felt relieved.

He could guarantee that Tangjia Village Brigade had nothing to hide. Although he had some grievances with Tang Bingde, Old Tang was good at production.

He had even less to worry about. He was an old revolutionary with a solid background, not greedy for money or material goods, living a simple life with a clean record. He recommended brigade cadres and worker-peasant-soldier students fairly, never favoring anyone.

He had nothing to fear.

He was worried that Guangming might occasionally indulge in drinking and eating in the county or that someone might come to him with a request, crying and pleading, which he couldn't refuse and would end up helping.

Since Deputy Team Leader Gao said it's fine, then it must be fine.

Deputy Team Leader Gao has no conflict with Guangming. He always wanted to be the team leader but ended up with an inexperienced young graduate from above taking the position; it's natural for him to feel resentful.

He didn't report to the commune about his brigade starting the harvest early. It was just a couple of days ahead, and only part of the fields were cut, so the reduction in yield would be minimal.

This year's drought has affected the wheat harvest, and the county is aware of it. The leaders should proactively reduce the public grain quota.

He'll talk to Guangming about this after the harvest, asking Guangming to help the brigade with this matter.

It was dark, so he stayed overnight at the commune and returned to the village the next day.

Passing by the neighboring Yuejin Brigade, he heard Tang Bingde talking to Captain Chen here, which made Captain Chen start arguing.

"Old Tang, why do you insist on us harvesting the wheat early? The sun is scorching hot, and the wind is so dry it could ignite a fire. Where's the rain going to come from? This is a critical time for the wheat. Harvesting a day early means losing ten percent of the yield. We can't waste food."

Tang Bingde had a grim face. He was reminding Chen Fada because they had a good relationship.

Yesterday, after riding around his own brigade's wheat fields, he also checked out the wheat in Yuejin Brigade.

Unlike his brigade, Yuejin Brigade hadn't mobilized the villagers to irrigate the fields, so their wheat was shorter, the ears smaller, and ripening faster.

Yesterday morning, he sent someone to tell Captain Chen to start harvesting early, at least the nearly ripe parts, as there might be heavy rain in a few days.

But Chen Fada agreed at the time and did nothing.

Today, Tang Bingde came over himself to persuade Captain Chen.

They were friends since their youth, having ambushed lone Japanese soldiers together and put hoods on traitors. They considered themselves to have a strong bond.

He was certain there would be heavy rain and became anxious seeing Chen Fada unwilling to harvest the wheat. At first, Chen Fada debated calmly, but when Tang Bingde saw him being slick and not starting the harvest, he got angry and told him to be responsible for the brigade and the villagers.

In the end, Chen Fada got angry too, suspecting Tang Bingde's motives.

Tang Bingde was even more furious but, being a serious man who spoke little, compressed all his words into one sentence: "Chen Fada, we've known each other for years. Could I harm you? Suit yourself."

During the Great Leap Forward in 1958, everyone was feverishly enthusiastic and behaved crazily.

The whole nation was smelting steel, vowing to surpass Britain and America.

The crops were actually bountiful, but everyone went to smelt steel, eating communal meals, and no one was left to harvest the autumn crops.

As a result, the abundant harvest rotted in the fields.

In winter, the brigades ran out of food, the canteens closed, and people went home hungry.

The villagers had to dig up rotten sweet potatoes from the fields to eat.

At that time, he was clear-headed, believing that this couldn't continue. He kept the farming tools and half the villagers to work the land while the others went to smelt steel.

He suggested Chen Fada do the same, and Chen Fada listened.

Both brigades thus had food, surviving those years without anyone starving and even secretly helping relatives and friends.

Because of that incident, both he and Chen Fada gained high prestige in their respective brigades, allowing them to remain captains for many years, even when they stepped down temporarily. The brigades still relied on them for farming matters.

Now, hearing Chen Fada say these things, Tang Bingde felt a bit cold-hearted.

After so many years of friendship, this old fellow thought he was meddling.

Forget it.

Tang Bingde turned and rode away.

Chen Fada felt uneasy and hurriedly called out, "Brother Tang, you know what kind of person I am. I didn't mean anything by it. Don't be angry."

Turning, he saw Secretary Liu and greeted him with a smile, "Brother Liu, heading to the commune?"

Secretary Liu hummed, "I see your wheat is ripe, yet you haven't harvested it yet?"

Chen Fada smiled, "This year, due to the spring drought, our brigade has less water for irrigation, so the wheat yield isn't good. We're thinking of waiting a couple more days to let the wheat mature better."

Secretary Liu: "Harvest the wheat when it's nine-tenths ripe. If you wait until it's fully ripe, you'll lose a lot."

Saying this, he rode off.

Chen Fada, deeply influenced by Tang Bingde, often sought his advice whenever faced with issues. Though Tang Bingde had developed a habit of meddling, acting like the actual captain of Yuejin Brigade, which sometimes annoyed Chen Fada, he still felt uneasy ignoring Tang Bingde's advice.

Fine, let's start the harvest, focusing on the nine-tenths ripe parts.

Chen Fada went to make the arrangements.

Tang Bingde rode back to his brigade, first circling around Production Team Three, where he scolded Wang Changshun for slacking off and instructed the squad leaders to divide the fields among the villagers, encouraging them to cut more wheat and earn more work points.

Production Team Two was progressing quickly, as the team leader followed the captain's instructions precisely.

When the captain divided the fields among the villagers, the team leader did the same, so the villagers' enthusiasm for harvesting was high, and their efficiency was excellent.

Returning to Production Team One, he saw the smooth stubble fields, carts loaded with wheat sheaves, and children picking up dropped wheat heads in the fields. Tang Bingde felt quite satisfied.

Arriving at the threshing ground, the elderly men and women were responsible for drying and threshing the wheat.

Blinding the donkeys, they pulled the rollers over the wheat heads to thresh them.

When there weren't enough donkeys, people pulled the rollers to thresh the wheat.

There were also people responsible for threshing the wheat. Once it was dry, they would store it to prevent moisture at night.

Although it was impossible to harvest all the wheat in just a few days, they could still try to gather as much as possible before the rain came.

Tang Bingde felt reassured and wasn't worried.

Tang Yuan wasn't worried either, knowing that they had a skilled hunter to rely on, no matter what time of year.

In the past few days, although she hadn't gone to cut wheat, she hadn't been idle. Besides cooking with Grandma Feng, she had also tended to the yam fields.

The compost pits that she and her parents had dug earlier were now being put to good use.

The humus was directly spread as fertilizer on their plot of land, while the compost pits involved digging holes to bury leaves, grass, branches, soil, and earthworm castings, along with an appropriate amount of lime to decompose and ferment.

Now these compost pits had turned into real fertilizer.

She and Grandma Feng applied green manure to both families' plots and filled up the compost pits, which left them quite exhausted.

Originally, Feng Chen had offered to do it himself, since it was only eight-tenths of an acre, and he could finish it in half a night.

But Tang Yuan wanted him to focus on cutting wheat, as heavy rain was imminent, and every bit counted.

Currently, the entire brigade was in the heat of wheat harvesting.

They went to the fields before dawn to cut and bundle wheat. When the sun rose, they started eating, then continued harvesting.

When the sun became too intense, they ate lunch and took a nap under the shade of trees.

The wheat cutters fell asleep as soon as they lay down.

After a short rest, they got up and continued cutting wheat under the scorching sun.

Even after dinner, they could work under starlight for a while, but only the most skilled old hands could manage without risking injury to their legs or hands.

Under such intense labor, even skilled workers like Dad Tang and Mother Tang were exhausted, their feet feeling light and their hands covered in blisters turning into layers of calluses.

Because the wheat was so low, they had to squat or kneel in the fields, often bruising and scraping their knees.

They knew they couldn't slack off; they had to finish the harvest in one go. If they stopped, they would feel too weak and want to rest for several days.

Tang Bingde kept encouraging them, "Is it hard? Think of the Red Army's Long March, covering twenty-five thousand li. We didn't march, didn't cross snowy mountains or marshes, but we have our own Long March—cutting wheat and harvesting crops. Today, if we grit our teeth and endure, we can rest well once we're done."

"This time it's urgent, and there's no time to slaughter pigs. When it rains, we'll slaughter pigs and celebrate Dragon Boat Festival properly!"

In previous years, Tang Bingde would first motivate everyone, then slaughter pigs to provide extra meals for the commune members before starting the harvest.

This year, with the impending rain, he couldn't afford to waste time slaughtering pigs.

Since it would rain anyway, they would have to rest then, so why not wait until then?

Feimaotui, who was Secretary Liu's nephew, was also disgruntled.

He couldn't help complaining, "It's so hot! Where's the rain? I feel like I'm in Africa or Mauritius, my soul is melting away."

He liked carrying a radio to commune meetings to show off the international and national news he heard, but recently the brigade leader hadn't held any meetings, so he had no chance to show off.

He was quite dissatisfied.

They said it would rain heavily, but they had been harvesting for four or five days, and there was still no sign of rain. Wouldn't it be better to wait until after the harvest to plant and then have the rain?

It should be raining about now, right?

The members of Xiangyang Brigade, which bordered Tangjia Village to the south, found it amusing to see how desperately the Tangjia Village members were working.

"There's always more work to do. Take your time, what's the rush?"

After all, it was communal property, not their own.

Tangjia Village's early wheat harvest also affected Xiangyang Brigade to the south.

While the leader of Xiangyang Brigade mocked Tang Bingde for being paranoid about the rain and preferring stability over production, he was also concerned.

He understood Tang Bingde's mindset: it was better to reduce production slightly but ensure some wheat was safely stored, rather than risk losing a large portion to heavy rain.

With this mindset, he also started the harvest a day earlier than usual.

However, the members of Xiangyang Brigade noticed the leader's relaxation and believed it wouldn't rain. Since it wasn't going to rain, why rush?

They could take their time, avoiding exhaustion.

It was communal wheat, not their own.

These harvested grains would be public grain, not for their personal consumption.

So, why should they work so hard?

These two men couldn't match the output of a single strong laborer from Tangjia Village, known colloquially as "slacking off."

That day, the sunset cast a vast red glow over West Mountain, gradually growing larger and redder, resembling a duck egg yolk hanging in the western sky.

The duck egg yolk trembled a few times before finally sinking into the boundless darkness.

Feimaotui looked up and said to Secretary Liu, who had come to inspect the wheat harvest, "Second Uncle, look at that red glow. It'll be another scorching day tomorrow."

Where's the rain?

Secretary Liu sighed. Although Ji Hongyue claimed he was just casually visiting, he was still worried about his son and couldn't afford to have a conflict with Tang Bingde these days.

He only reported the situation to Ji Hongyue behind the scenes, hoping to give Tang Bingde a hard time, but he didn't really expect Ji Hongyue to suppress Tang Bingde.

Our village's affairs should be handled within our village. We don't need outside help to avoid unexpected situations.

The sky darkened.

It was getting dark rather quickly.

Secretary Liu turned and looked around, "Why is it so dark today?"

It's summer; the sun usually sets around six, and it doesn't get completely dark until after seven-thirty or eight.

The sun just set a little while ago, why is it already dark?

It wasn't naturally getting dark, but a thick cloud, like spilled ink, surged over and covered half the sky in a short time.

The eastern sky was pitch black, while the western sky was ablaze with red from the sunset.

The darkness rapidly advanced westward, gradually swallowing the crimson sunset clouds.

It was dark.

Secretary Liu involuntarily shivered, not out of fear but because a cold wind blew in from the southeast.

Soon, a fierce wind rose, swirling countless stalks of wheat and dead leaves low in the air.

Tang Bingde picked up his large metal megaphone that didn't need batteries and shouted hoarsely, "Attention all teams! Stop cutting wheat and start bundling and loading it onto carts. If there aren't enough carts, use your shoulder poles to carry it to the threshing floor. Hurry up!"

Tang Bingde's back and legs had been hurting severely these days. When the wind blew earlier, he also shivered, and the pain in his bones reached its peak.

He knew a heavy rainstorm was coming!

All the commune members got busy. All the wooden carts were hitched up, and oxen, horses, mules, and donkeys were put to work.

The men stopped cutting wheat and carried it to the threshing floor using shoulder poles. Children also helped by tying sheaves of wheat and carrying them to the threshing floor.

Single-wheeled carts rolled along, pushing wheat swiftly to the threshing floor.

The old men responsible for pressing the wheat at the threshing floor stopped their work and quickly piled the wheat into stacks.

Wheat grains were packed into sacks, large baskets, and large wicker baskets. Unthreshed wheat sheaves were stacked inside, layer upon layer, forming a wheat pile, which was then covered with woven wheat straw mats.

The dense wheat straw ensured that even if heavy rain poured down, it would flow off the straw without seeping inside.

Even if some moisture did seep in, only the top layer would be affected, leaving most of the wheat dry.

Of course, this could only last a few days. Over time, the wheat would naturally breathe and generate heat, causing the grains to spoil, mold, or sprout.

If it rained for only two or three days, they wouldn't be worried,

but if it rained for more than three days, the commune would have the members take the wheat home to dry indoors.

There would be some loss, but it was better than everything rotting.

Tang Bingde urged the members to hurry and transport the wheat to the threshing floor, calculating how much wind and rain the unharvested wheat fields could withstand and for how long.

In the end, he concluded: success depends on heaven; we must leave it to fate!

"Crack!"

Purple lightning flashed through the leaden clouds, as if an invisible force was tearing open cracks in the black sky.

It was as if giant dragons were circling in the air.

"Rush—"

Heavy rain poured down, large raindrops hitting heads and faces, causing stinging pain.

"It's raining! It's raining! Run!"

"Luckily, our captain has experience and told us to harvest the wheat early, reducing the loss and saving most of it."

"You bet! I respect no one more than our captain!"

"Our captain is mighty and can serve another twenty years!"

"Yes, we'll vote for him again next term!"

The members of the Forward Commune rejoiced and praised their captain for saving most of the wheat. The remaining wheat in the fields could still be salvaged once the rain stopped, at least half of it.

With food in hand, they felt reassured and even had the mood to joke.

"The captain said he'd slaughter a pig when it rains. Where's the captain? Should we slaughter a pig?"

"Slaughter it! The captain said to do it when it rains, so everyone can rest and be rewarded!"

"Ooh, let's go slaughter a pig and eat pork!"

The members cheered, and the children jumped and shouted about slaughtering a pig and eating meat.

The excitement seemed unrelated to Secretary Liu.

He stood in the rain, pale-faced and trembling slightly.

He was scared.

He was terrified of what might have happened.

Thankfully, Tang Bingde had ordered the early harvest of the wheat. Otherwise, this heavy rain would have ruined all the wheat!

If half of the wheat were flattened in the fields, there wouldn't be enough left to meet the public grain quota or to distribute among the commune members. Without food for sustenance, the members would go hungry.

Then—the Forward Brigade would become a poverty-stricken village and would have to rely on relief rations!

Once they started relying on relief rations, all their honors and achievements would vanish, and he and Tang Bingde would become the sinners of the Forward Brigade.

Secretary Liu's imagination ran wild, making him shiver with fear.

Tang Bingde rushed into the village through the heavy rain. Although the last cart got a bit wet, it wasn't a major issue; they could dry it out in the brigade's house.

Seeing Secretary Liu standing in the rain, drenched like a drowned rat, he shouted, "Secretary, what are you doing? Come inside to avoid the rain."

Secretary Liu grabbed his rough hand, tears mixing with the rain, and said hoarsely, "Brother Tang—you saved everyone, you saved the Forward Brigade—we are all grateful to you."

He was trembling, as if about to collapse at any moment.

Tang Bingde quickly dragged him inside to get warm by the fire.

Soaked by the heavy rain, his body ached terribly.

At the Leap Forward Brigade, Chen Fada looked at the mountain of wheat stacked outside and the sacks of wheat stored indoors. Thinking about the few plots of wheat yet to ripen and harvest, he knew that half of them would be ruined by the rain.

"Smack!" He slapped himself, filled with regret—

If only he had arranged for the wheat harvesting when Brother Tang sent someone to remind him on the first day, or even when Brother Tang came personally the second day, how much more wheat could they have saved if the entire brigade had worked together!

Although he did arrange for people to harvest the second day, he didn't take it seriously, and the commune members were lackadaisical, so very little was harvested. They only began in earnest on the third day.

He slapped himself repeatedly, cursing the two days lost—two whole days, how much wheat could they have harvested!

The cadres and members of the Xiangyang Brigade were even more panicked, completely stunned by the heavy rain.

They had just begun the harvest!

They wanted to save some effort by waiting until the wheat was fully ripe, then directly threshing and bagging it without needing to dry it much before delivering it as public grain.

Half of the wheat was already golden and ripe, and the other half was nearly ready.

Now the ripe wheat was flattened by the rain in the fields—what could they do, what could they do?

It wasn't just about losing the position of brigade leader; there was also the public grain and food supply to worry about.

Chief Dan cried in the wheat field under the heavy rain, wailing, "What can we do, what can we do? Heaven doesn't give us a way to live—"

Tang Yuan didn't know others' joys and sorrows. She hadn't gone to harvest but stayed home with Grandma Feng to cook delicious meals.

They killed a non-laying wild chicken and sliced a piece of smoked meat.

Yam stewed with wild chicken, chili garlic sprout stir-fried smoked meat, green onion scrambled eggs, leek and egg pancakes, and the main dish was coarse flour pancakes.

Over the past few days, Tang Yuan hadn't gone to the fields but helped Grandma Feng grind starch to make coarse flour pancakes.

In the summer heat, eating cold pancakes with vegetables was convenient and delicious.

Ji Hongyue had originally planned to eat rotationally at Secretary Liu's and Tang Bingde's homes, but after having lunch at Secretary Liu's, he came to Tang Yuan's for dinner.

He stayed at the Feng family's house that night, insisting on sharing a bed with Feng Chen, which annoyed Feng Chen greatly.

Ji Hongyue, young and handsome, with a sweet mouth, had charmed Grandma Feng, Dad Tang, and Mother Tang.

Especially given his status as a high-ranking official from the county who treated them so warmly and without pretense, they held him in high regard.

Outside, the rain poured heavily, accompanied by thunder and lightning bright as daylight, while inside the house was warm and refreshing.

The family gathered around the table, eating and laughing, relaxed and content.

Feng Chen offered wine to Grandma and Dad Tang and Mother Tang.

Dad Tang took a sip of the wine, feeling deeply satisfied. Though exhausted, it was worth it since the wheat hadn't been damaged by the rain.

Looking at the heavy rain outside, Ji Hongyu glanced at Tang Yuan and then at Feng Chen, "Is the Fish Immortal real?"

Tang Yuan replied confidently, "Of course!"

Dad Tang, Mother Tang, and Grandma Feng all agreed that it was real.

Dad Tang now firmly believed in the Fish Immortal, having developed a coherent logic: he thought that his daughter wasn't crazy initially but rather unfamiliar with the Fish Immortal. As she got to know the Fish Immortal better, her behavior became normal.

As for why she went crazy, it must be because the Fish Immortal disliked her aunt and second cousin.

Ji Hongyue didn't believe it. He shared the same thoughts as Tang Bingde and others, thinking that the girl had made up the story to deceive them.

As for how she knew it would rain, that was easy to explain.

After such a long drought, May would inevitably bring rain, though the exact day was uncertain. If not today, then surely tomorrow or the next day?

There was a high probability it would rain during the wheat harvest.

He suspected her support came from Tang Bingde, who suspected that Ji Hongyue was the Fish Immortal.

He didn't suspect that Tang Yuan was planning anything bad; instead, he believed she wanted to help the brigade. He was convinced that she and Feng Chen could assist him.

He had already discussed this with Tang Bingde, though not revealing everything, just mentioning suspicions of issues within the county and that someone wanted to drive him away or cause an accident. He needed a simple excuse to seek protection in Tangjia Village.

Tang Bingde agreed, offering necessary protection and assistance, and promised to send young men from the brigade to protect him when he went to the city after the wheat harvest.

Infected by Tang Yuan's happiness, Ji Hongyue felt good now, not panicking or afraid, and regained confidence in achieving something.

Just then, there was a knock on the door—it was Tang Bingde arriving.

The three production teams of the brigade each slaughtered two pigs, and he personally came to find the "Fish Immortal" to collect the pork.

Feng Chen wanted to answer the door, but Tang Yuan told him to stay seated while she went to check.

Ji Hongyue took the opportunity to raise his glass and said to Feng Chen, "Brother Feng, I wish you both soon realize your mutual affection, have a long and happy marriage, and grow old together..."

He flattered Feng Chen relentlessly to get his help.

Feng Chen: "…"

I won't be your bodyguard, so don't interfere with Yuan Yuan and me farming.