“Chapter 70: Downpour”

"Chapter 70: Downpour"

"Fine, I get it, you haven't been trying hard at all."

Ye Xiaoxiao shook off the other person and walked forward.

Zhang Erni immediately ran after her. "Ye Xiaoxiao, don't go. I promise you, I've been working hard. I guarantee I'll jump rope two hundred times a day and run around the village two laps every day from now on."

Ye Xiaoxiao asked, "How much do you weigh now?"

Zhang Erni hesitated. "I haven't measured in a long time. I should weigh about 150 to 160 pounds."

Zhang Erni was tall, about 1.7 meters in height.

If she lost another twenty pounds, she'd be quite slim.

Ye Xiaoxiao frowned. "Do we have a scale in the village?"

Zhang Erni said, "Even if there's a scale, it won't be able to handle my weight. Unless we use the butcher's scale at the communal team, which takes two or three men to lift."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "…"

Never mind, never mind.

Feeling motivated, Zhang Erni started to work hard that very day.

Villagers saw Zhang Erni running around the village early in the morning and started gossiping.

"Has Zhang Erni lost her mind? What's she doing?"

"Last time she tried to kill herself, and now she's trying to work herself to death?"

"This can't continue. I have to say, Zhang Erni is really a good girl. Just look at her physique; she'd be a great worker."

"Dream on. Have you ever seen Zhang Erni do any work? She's really lazy."

No matter what others said, Zhang Erni started her vigorous exercise routine.

She not only ran and jumped rope but also occasionally worked in the fields with her father and brother.

Wang Meili felt both happy and sad.

She was happy that her daughter no longer mentioned suicide, but sad that she had to eat eggs every morning, along with chicken and beef. Where was all that meat supposed to come from?

Wang Meili could only go find Ye Xiaoxiao.

"Xiaoxiao, has this been your idea? Auntie isn't saying it's bad, but we really don't have that much meat at home for her to eat."

Ye Xiaoxiao, who was sitting in the yard eating a melon, looked up at Wang Meili.

"Aunt Wang, you're mistaken. Although I came up with the weight-loss plan, I didn't tell her to eat meat at every meal. Coarse grains and vegetables can help with weight loss too."

Wang Meili suddenly understood.

"That little rascal lied to me. I'll go back and make her some steamed buns and millet rice."

It was summer, and the garden in the private plot had vegetables, so they weren't rare.

Wang Meili apologized to Ye Xiaoxiao and left.

Ye Changsheng listened from the side, "That's rare to see Aunt Wang apologize to someone."

Ye Xiaoxiao said, "After the marriage with Li Deshu's family was called off, Aunt Wang is even going out to gossip less."

Ye Changsheng replied, "That's because she's scared of being mocked by others."

Ye Chang'an and Ye Changqing came out of the house, both carrying hunting guns.

Ye Changsheng said, "Hey, big brother, second brother, are you going into the mountains? I want to go too."

Ye Xiaoxiao immediately stood up. "I want to go too."

Ye Chang'an missed the fun of going into the mountains, and since his younger siblings wanted to go, he said, "Make sure to change your clothes and shoes, wear thick clothes for the mountains."

The temperature in the mountains is low and the roads are difficult, requiring durable shoes and long-sleeved clothes.

Ye Xiaoxiao said, "I'll go right away, let's ask Yuang to come along, he's been wanting to go for a long time."

No outing's complete without Ye Changyuan.

When he heard they were going into the mountains, Ye Changyuan ran faster than anyone else.

He wanted to carry the family's hunting gun but was scolded by his dad and had to give up.

It was Ye Xiaoxiao's first time in the mountains. Unlike regular scenic spots, this was an untouched forest.

Ye Changsheng had to help her along in many places so she could continue walking.

"Hey, be careful, you might encounter traps set by villagers."

Ye Xiaoxiao said, "That's too dangerous."

Ye Changsheng replied, "Can't be helped, they're doing it for food. Fortunately, no outsiders enter our village's mountains."

At first, it was fun, but soon Ye Xiaoxiao was too tired to move.

Ye Chang'an managed to shoot two wild rabbits.

Ye Changqing also bagged five pheasants.

Ye Chang'an said, "Let's head back, it's getting dark."

Ye Changyuan replied, "Go back already? If we go further, we might see deer."

Ye Changqing said, "Looks like it's going to rain, it wouldn't be good to get stuck in the mountains."

Ye Xiaoxiao immediately nodded in agreement.

Not because of the rain, but because she just couldn't walk anymore.

Luckily, the five of them made it back early, with rain starting just as they descended.

Ye Changqing split the hunted game with Ye Changyuan to take home.

"With this rain, don't run out unnecessarily."

When Ye Xiaoxiao returned, Miao Cuifang had already prepared hot water for her.

"Go inside and freshen up, change your clothes quickly, going into the mountains in this weather is dangerous."

Ye Xiaoxiao said, "Mom, the weather was fine when we went out."

"I'm not worried about them, they're as strong as young bulls, but you and Fourth Brother, don't catch a cold."

Miao Cuifang was drying Ye Xiaoxiao's hair with a towel.

The oldest daughter-in-law, Zhang Xue, entered the kitchen, "I'll boil some ginger tea, everyone should drink some later."

Ye Changan put down what he was holding, "Mom, don't scold us, we didn't come back empty-handed this time, we actually had some gains."

Miao Cuifang wasn't really angry, "Luckily, I'll stew this today, we'll have a good meal at home."

Ye Baocheng ran over and hugged his grandmother, "Yay, we get to eat meat!"

Miao Cuifang picked up her eldest grandson, "Little greedy guts, all you think about is eating."

Ye Baocheng was a little chubby, and although he was young, he was pretty heavy. Miao Cuifang put him down after holding him for a while.

Ye Baocheng then went to find his younger brother to teach him how to speak, even though he couldn't speak clearly.

Dark clouds gathered, and the rain became heavier.

When Ye Xiaoxiao entered the main room from under the eaves, she was slightly wet.

The Ye family's dinner that evening was especially lavish, with Miao Cuifang stewing a chicken and a rabbit.

With all the children home, there was no need to think about selling things for money.

Ye Xiaoxiao received a chicken leg.

Although the Ye family was not considered wealthy, Ye Xiaoxiao had not suffered since coming to this family and was quite satisfied with her current life.

The Ye family sat together, all smiles, but some households in the village were in for some tough times.

The rain had been coming down for two hours straight, and the precipitation was extremely heavy.

The houses weren’t built to be very waterproof, relying only on the tiles and mud on the roofs.

The Ye family was hardworking. If something leaked or broke, they would fix it when the weather was good. The yard was paved with flat stones, and the rainwater quickly flowed out through the drains.

But the villagers who weren’t as diligent or were too old to fix their houses were in for a rough time. When it poured outside, it poured inside too.

As the rain continued, the houses looked like they were about to cave in.

And it wasn’t just one household facing this situation.

Village Chief Zhang Rengui hurried over to ask for help.

"Brother Jianguo, the house of the old Zhang family in the east of the village has collapsed. We have many dilapidated houses in our village. I’m thinking of having people stay in the courtyard of the production team for now, so nothing fatal happens."

Ye Jianguo finished the remaining food in his bowl with two big bites, "Alright, I'll go with you to inform everyone."

Ye Changqing said, "Dad, I'll go too."

Zhang Rengui waved him off, "We don’t need that many people. I’ve already called others. You guys should finish your meal in peace."

Ye Changqing then stayed behind.