Chapter 205

Chapter 205: News

Wang Yingen, standing nearby, couldn’t help but salivate.

His mother had also made wild vegetable flatbreads, following Sister A Shu’s instructions step by step. However, she wasn't as skilled as Sister A Shu, and she was reluctant to use too much oil. She only added one egg, and she couldn't manage the heat properly. The result was nothing like Sister A Shu's.

Li Chunmiao secretly pinched his ear and placed the first wild vegetable flatbread she had just finished cooking into his bowl. “Just eat! I made some too, so stop staring at what others have. Your greedy look is so embarrassing!”

Wang Yingen took the wild vegetable flatbread and took a bite. To his surprise, it tasted quite good. “Mom, your cooking has improved!” he praised while devouring it eagerly.

Li Chunmiao ruffled his hair and laughed proudly. “I followed A Shu’s instructions to the letter. How could it taste bad? Let me teach you something: when we’re not clever enough ourselves, we should follow those who are. Don’t mind the villagers who mock me for copying others. By the time they want to learn, I’ll already be miles ahead of them!”

Wang Yingen nodded vigorously. “Mom, I understand!”

Just like how I’m not clever either, but by following the clever Lin Xiaopu, if she gets to eat meat, I get to drink the broth, and even my old buddies get a share. Hehe.”

Zhang Qiaohua didn’t follow Lin Shu’s method to make wild vegetable flatbreads, not because she didn’t want to learn, but because the flour and eggs at home were stored in the cave. The eggs were saved to build up her son's health, and even if they were readily available, she couldn’t bring herself to use them.

Though she didn’t make wild vegetable flatbreads, she prepared a cold dish of wild vegetables. Lin Shu had given her a small handful of dried chilies and dried Green Sichuan pepper. She added some wild garlic shoots to it, making the cold wild vegetable dish exceptionally crisp-tender, with a spicy and invigorating flavor that was perfect with rice.

Among the other families who had picked wild vegetables, those with the means followed suit and made wild vegetable flatbreads, while those without, like Zhang Qiaohua, prepared cold wild vegetable dishes.

As these families ate their meals—some holding a bowl of rice porridge in one hand and a flatbread in the other, their cheeks bulging, or chewing the cold wild vegetable dish with satisfied expressions—the other villagers watched with envy.

Was it really that delicious?

The village head's eldest daughter-in-law, Mrs. Zhang, shook her head. "When people are hungry, they find anything delicious."

The village head, drinking rice porridge that was thicker than that of other families, glanced at her and said, "Eldest daughter-in-law, since no one is doing farm work these two days, go easier on the rice when cooking porridge. Also, next time that Lin Shu girl goes to gather wild vegetables, you should go with her. Although we have plenty of grain, our household is large, and it won’t last long."

Mrs. Zhang’s expression stiffened slightly. "You’re right, Father-in-law. Next time, I’ll go learn from that Lin Shu girl."

She agreed verbally but dismissed it in her heart. Although the flood had destroyed houses and fields, their family had plenty of land. While the broad beans planted in the dry fields were done for, they had already harvested the wheat this year. Even if the rice in the paddy fields was damaged, they could still salvage some of the harvest. Once the road to the town was clear, she would buy more seeds for proper vegetables. Even if other vegetables were scarce, they would have plenty of leafy greens, which would taste better than wild vegetables no matter how they were cooked.

The village head noticed her perfunctory agreement and sighed inwardly.

His eldest daughter-in-law was capable in many ways and handled people better than his eldest son, but she was a bit too proud. He knew that no matter how much he said, it wouldn’t help. People only learn their lesson after experiencing hardship firsthand.

He was getting too old for this. Once he stepped down from his position...

The village head shook his head. Well, the young must find their own way.

"I wonder if my son is suffering in town," Mrs. Zhang said for the umpteenth time, growing increasingly worried.

Zhang Qiaohua was also thinking about her son, though she rarely voiced her concerns aloud.

Worried about Lin Yushu, Zhang Qiaohua had little appetite, even though the food was delicious.

Lin Shu, on the other hand, ate heartily and slept soundly. Even while taking refuge in the mountains, she always found ways to make delicious meals.

She turned various mushrooms from the mountains into delicacies and wild vegetables into wild vegetable dumplings, wild vegetable pancakes, and other treats. The family ate with relish every time, making other villagers envious.

Due to the flood, every household had consciously reduced their food portions, with some cutting their meals in half. Yet, Lin Laoer’s family still ate so heartily every day. What would they eat once their stored grain ran out? Even if they could gather wild vegetables, dig up roots, or pick wild fruits, relying solely on these wouldn’t suffice. People couldn’t go without staple food.

A well-meaning auntie reminded Lin Shu, who replied, "Don’t worry, Auntie. I know what I’m doing. A Ye and I have big appetites, and we’re already cutting back."

The auntie privately shook her head, feeling that He Guixiang and Lin Dashan were too indulgent toward Lin Shu. At this rate, their food wouldn’t last long.

After another night, the floodwaters had gone down a lot, and the river level dropped noticeably. The village head quickly organized the villagers to return to the fields and try to save their crops.

The dry fields were mostly planted with taro and pulses. The pulses were likely beyond saving, but the taro could still be salvaged if drained in time. As for the paddy fields, even if the rice had been submerged, there was still hope if the water hadn’t covered the plants for more than two days.

However, despite their mental preparation, many villagers couldn’t help but burst into tears at the sight of the devastation in the fields.

Most of the rice in the paddy fields had been broken by the storm, and the remaining plants had yellowed leaves and blackened roots due to prolonged flooding. At best, they could salvage three-tenths of the crop; in worse cases, not even one-tenth remained.

Lin Dashan didn’t cry aloud, but tears welled up in his eyes. Months of hard work had gone to waste, a blow no one could easily bear. This was the farmers’ most precious asset.

The ditch connecting the paddy fields to the river was clogged with mud. The village head led the villagers to clear the blockage before returning to their own fields to drain the water.

Every household, men and women, young and old, rolled up their pants and waded into the fields. Lin Shu and Lin Xiaopu were no exception.

With Zhou Ye at home, they made quick work of it. After finishing their own tasks, the family went to help Old Man Liao salvage his fields. Zhao Laosan and Lin Zhaodi were absent, but their two mu of land were not neglected. If they had extra energy, they also helped Wang Yingen’s family, which had few people but many fields and could use the help.

The work was relentless. Only when it was time to cook did the women return to the mountains.

As cooking smoke rose, a heavy silence spread. This meal was a grim affair for every household.

Three days later, most of the floodwaters had receded. Though the village paths were still muddy, they were passable. The villagers had had enough of waiting and hurried back to their homes.

For those whose thatched huts were not severely damaged, the men could remove the collapsed walls and salvage usable items. For those with more severe damage, such as collapsed roof beams, the village head organized help to move and lift the heavy debris.

After the flood, every household took a heavy hit. Some had their tables, chairs, and cabinets smashed by fallen beams; others had pottery bowls and plates shattered on the ground. Some families lost their entire thatched huts to the flood, let alone smaller items like winnowing baskets and sieves, which were swept away.

However, Lin Laoer’s family managed to save most of their belongings.

Zhou Ye first inspected the main pillars of the thatched hut to ensure it wouldn’t collapse further. Then, he led the others in tidying up the house.

The wooden beds and cabinets, damp from the flood, were moved to the yard to dry. Clothes left in the wardrobe were washed and hung out to air.

"A Ye, can we still live in this thatched hut?" Lin Shu asked.

Zhou Ye understood her meaning and shook his head. "The foundation is deep enough to prevent immediate collapse, but the supporting pillars are warped. We need to re-set the foundation and reconstruct the entire hut."

"Expected," Lin Shu said, not hoping for a brick house. "Let’s build a wooden house instead, or even a bamboo one. It’ll be sturdier than a thatched hut."

Zhou Ye looked at her and nodded. "Alright. You decide, and I’ll build it."

Lin Shu smiled. She liked how A Ye trusted her completely, never questioning her decisions even if he had doubts.

The yard was a sea of mud with almost no place to stand. The wooden beds were too wet to sleep on, so they would have to return to the mountain for the night. However, many villagers, having returned home, were reluctant to leave. They moved their beds to the yard, spread dry grass on them, and prepared to sleep there for the night.

Before nightfall, a heart-rending wail suddenly erupted from one of the houses, lasting for a long time.

Lin Shu frowned. The crying didn't sound right.

Just as He Guixiang was about to investigate, Li Chunmiao came rushing over, panting heavily.

"Someone’s dead, someone’s dead!"

This one sentence caused He Guixiang and the others to turn pale instantly.

"Aunt Li, who died?" Lin Shu asked.

After taking a deep breath, Li Chunmiao said, "Not our village—another village! Many people died!"

Several women in Tianshui Village had married in from outside the village, like Li Chunmiao, Lin Zhaodi, and He Guixiang. Naturally, some girls from Tianshui Village had also married into other villages.

Once the village paths were barely passable, some women, worried about their natal families, prepared to return home to check on the situation. But before they could set out, people from their natal villages came to them, bringing bad news from outside.

As the village chief had feared, Tianshui Village was the only one fortunate enough to have no casualties; other villages had suffered losses to varying degrees.

Most villagers hadn’t realized that the heavy rain would turn into a once-in-a-century flood. By the time they grasped how serious it was, they were already trapped in their homes with nowhere to go!

Some villagers climbed onto their roof beams, but the beams collapsed under the torrential rain, washing entire families away. Those lucky enough to grab onto floating wood were carried to higher ground and survived, while the unlucky ones drowned in the floodwaters.

Others managed to escape to the slopes in time but, having made no preparations, suffered from hunger and cold. Some fell ill from drinking contaminated water, while others died from high fevers. The survivors, unable to light fires these past few days, had been forced to eat raw rice and wild vegetables, living in extreme hardship...

Learning about the situation outside, Li Chunmiao felt a wave of fear.

If it hadn’t been for Zhou Ye and Lin Shu’s warning and the village chief’s quick decision-making, Tianshui Village would surely have seen deaths too.

"The one crying is from Zhao Lao’er’s family. Her parents were swept away by the flood—chances are they’re... *sigh*."

Lin Shu was slightly taken aback. Wasn’t Zhao Lao’er Uncle Zhao San’s second brother? So, it was the family of Aunt Lin’s second brother-in-law that met with disaster?

She quite enjoyed seeing people she disliked face misfortune, but that didn’t extend to fatal misfortune.

Life was precious. Unless someone was truly evil, she didn’t believe anyone deserved to die.

As Li Chunmiao recounted the news she’d heard, her own face grew pale. "A Shu, many people died out there. They say some families were completely wiped out. Our village owes a lot to you and A Ye."

"Auntie, don’t dwell on this. Those who died can’t come back to life. We who are still alive must focus on how to survive," Lin Shu said, her tone carrying an almost coldly rational tone that gave Li Chunmiao pause.

She nodded, "Oh, oh, right, that makes sense."

Lin Shu looked at her and added a reminder, "In a couple of days, the village chief will send people with A Ye to retrieve grain from the cave. Your family has stored a lot of grain—make sure to keep it safe."

These words jolted Li Chunmiao.

Wh-what did that mean? Was it what she thought it was!

Author’s Note: Wishing everyone a happy National Day, and an early Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! May you all eat well and enjoy yourselves OVO.

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