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墨書 Inktalez
After the wheat is harvested, it needs to be dried and then threshed. These days, we hope that Heaven will be kind and give us a few good days so we can finish processing the wheat before any trouble arises.
The weather this year has been quite favorable. Walking under the sun makes one feel dizzy, and the heat feels like it’s going to dry out the skin. The wheat has only been dried for a day, yet it has already lost all its green hue, turning into a dry golden color. After another day, it will be ready to be gathered, and after one more day of thorough drying, it can be bagged.
The villagers have been very busy these past few days, but their faces are all smiles. This year is another bountiful harvest; after paying taxes, there will still be enough food left to eat. If they want to save some money, they can exchange fine grains for coarse ones, making life even more hopeful. They also think about the lush rice fields and the fish in them, as well as the well-fed pigs. Everyone believes this year will be a transformative one.
However, there are some unhappy families, particularly those who do not raise fish. Among them, the Zhu Family is the most distressed. Their paddy field has been entirely rented out to others, and now the rice is growing lush and green, attracting envy. The lively fish swimming beneath that green surface only adds to their frustration because those fish should have belonged to them.
“I’m so angry! Big Tiger, you little rascal, stop playing around and bring me a bowl of water! If I die of thirst, your father will find you a stepmother, and you’ll be worse off than that Dog Egg!” Sister Zhu stormed into the house like a fighting chicken, sat down on a stool, grabbed a nearby water jug to pour herself some water, only to find it completely empty. Furious, she yelled into the house upon hearing movement inside; she knew her son was home.
Although there was a man nearby, Sister Zhu did not order him around because she had just had a big fight with Zhang Shuitao. She had exposed Zhang Shuitao's secrets, but her own secrets were also revealed by him. Zhu Da felt embarrassed and had been giving her the cold shoulder these days. She could act tough at home, but if Zhu Da got angry, she didn’t want to confront him; he was skilled with a knife and an expert at slaughtering pigs—she certainly didn’t want to end up like one.
Big Tiger quickly ran out. It was hot outside, and he didn’t want to work; he pretended to be suffering from heatstroke and stayed home to rest. Now that his mother was calling him so fiercely, he knew he couldn’t keep pretending anymore. He hurriedly ran out and grabbed the water jug to fetch some water. Before he could pour it out, Sister Zhu snatched the jug from him and drank directly from it until she had gulped down half of it. Wiping her mouth with her sleeve, she continued complaining about being furious.
Big Tiger immediately took a fan and started fanning her while asking, “Mom, who made you angry? I’ll take revenge for you.”
“Don’t go! You all need to behave yourselves! Our family’s reputation has been ruined by you! It was fine when you were just causing small troubles before; now it’s escalated—how embarrassing!” Zhu Da scolded sharply but then softened his tone since they were family: “We’re not a wealthy household in this village. In the past, you stirred things up because you were close with Li Long's Family. Now that you’ve torn your face with them, let’s just keep things steady from now on.”
Sister Zhu felt her husband was right and shot Big Tiger a glare to send him back inside.
Big Tiger obediently returned indoors; he was dying of heat and wanted to fan himself.
“What did you hear outside that made you so upset?” Zhu Da asked his wife curiously.
“Isn’t it those families that raise fish? Our paddy fields have all been rented out cheaply to others who are now using our fields to raise fish! That’s like them getting an extra harvest compared to us! I bet they’re making more money from those fish than from rice! It’s infuriating! It’s all that damned Xiao Lihua’s fault; she knew this would happen and schemed for us to rent out our fields! Now everyone in the village is laughing at us for being fools!” Sister Zhu said as her frustration grew again; after all, it was about money. She often took advantage of others but felt like she was being robbed when someone else took advantage of her.
Sister Zhu slammed her hand on the table and said, “That piglet incident was caused by Xiao Lihua too! Now she’s screwing me over again with this fish business! I know half of our rice field is being used by her family for fish!”
Zhu Da felt frustrated as well; how many pigs would he have to slaughter just to make up for that loss? However, he was calmer than Sister Zhu and told her: “Stop making a fuss. Can’t you see? Those who are doing well are cleverer now; they’re more cunning than before. Don’t give them any leverage against us. If she finds another way to get rich in the future without letting us in on it, you won’t even have a place to cry.”
Sister Zhu replied: “I just came back here! She better not try to harm me again; even if I scheme against her in secret later on, I won’t provoke her openly.”
Zhu Da shook his head and ignored his wife; he knew he couldn’t persuade her otherwise. Besides, he felt frustrated himself—if only his wife could quietly scheme against Xie Youshun's family; he wouldn’t stop her from doing so.
In the afternoon, the sky suddenly darkened, causing panic among those drying Wheat. The Wheat was not yet fully dried, and an experienced old Farmer predicted that rain was coming, and it would be significant. Upon hearing this, everyone quickly began to gather the Wheat, covering it up before retreating back home.
The wind was strong, kicking up a lot of dust and making it hard for people to see. They all hid inside their houses. In this weather, a figure quietly appeared in the Drying Yard.
Xie Youshun went to help Xie Qingfeng tidy up the Wheat before returning home. As soon as he entered the house, he washed his face and hands, took a sip of water, then spat it out, saying, "The wind outside is really strong; I got dirt in my mouth. I thought Heaven would be in a good mood this year, but it seems that's not the case; it's throwing a tantrum!"
Xiao Lihua said, "After the rain clears up, the weather will definitely be better. The Wheat has all been gathered; it just needs a few more days of drying. It's not a big deal. I'm just worried about the Rice; I wonder if it will get blown down by the wind."
"Don't worry; even if it does get blown down, we still have fish. It's much better than previous years," Xie Youshun reassured her, not wanting Xiao Lihua to worry too much.
"I hope it doesn't fall over," Xiao Lihua replied. She knew that for a Farmer, even a single rice plant was precious; if it were to fall, many would feel heartbroken.
Outside, the wind grew stronger, and the sky looked like it had been covered with a pot lid; it seemed dark as night. Xiao Lihua quickly lit a lamp. Stone and Wood had been a bit scared earlier but now felt happy again. They sat on the kang and took out their toys to play as if it were always dark after dinner.
Xie Youshun and Xiao Lihua sat on the kang talking when Stone jumped down to go urinate.
Xiao Lihua immediately said, "Just urinate inside the house."
Stone quickly shook his head and said, "I'll see if it's not raining; then I'll go outside." After saying that, he ran out, making Xiao Lihua laugh as she let him go.
"Mom! There's a fire in front of our house!" Stone suddenly shouted.
Xie Youshun and Xiao Lihua quickly jumped off the kang and ran outside to see that indeed there was a fire in front of their house. The wind was blowing strongly, causing smoke to spread in all directions and blending with the dim sky outside; flames shot up high.
Xie Youshun told Xiao Lihua to watch the children while he rushed out to put out the fire. Among three stacks of Wheat, two were burning; they looked like they had just caught fire. Xie Youshun grabbed a broom and started beating one of them that had just ignited, easily putting it out. However, the other one was already beyond saving due to the wind's assistance.
Xiao Lihua instructed the two children not to come outside and then ran out herself to help extinguish the sparks to prevent them from spreading further.
"This is arson! Who is the wicked person behind this?" Xiao Lihua's willow-like brows furrowed in anger. She could not tolerate anyone burning her family's grain; if they burned grain this time, next time they might burn down their house! This had already threatened her and her family; she trembled with rage—this was the first time she had felt such anger since arriving in this world.
Xie Youshun held her close; he was also furious. Watching the burning Wheat stacks and feeling his wife's trembling in his arms made him vow to find whoever set the fire.
"Youshun! Look over there at the Drying Yard!" Xiao Lihua suddenly broke free from Xie Youshun's embrace, pointing towards the other end of the village, her eyes wide with terror.
Xie Youshun quickly turned his head and said to Xiao Lihua, "You keep an eye on the child; I'm going to put out the fire! Whatever you do, don't go near it!"
Xie Youshun ran like the wind. The flames at the Drying Yard were soaring into the sky, and it was clear that it had caught fire as well. Not only the Drying Yard, but several other places in the village were also billowing thick smoke. Xie Youshun thought to himself that this must be arson; otherwise, it wouldn't be so coincidental for multiple places to catch fire at once! He initially thought it was just targeting his own home, but now it seemed to be aimed at the entire village!
Xiaqiao Village was a poor village, but its atmosphere had always been good. Although there were occasional rumors about someone stealing eggs or pilfering from fields, or disputes and fights among neighbors—various small conflicts—nothing major had ever happened. At least there had never been an incident of arson destroying crops, and this was not just burning one household's food but rather threatening the food supply of the entire village. Although not all of the village's crops were burned, the intent was already very clear!
The Drying Yard in Xiaqiao Village was large, and many families had their wheat drying there. This time, more than half of the wheat from these households was burned. The wheat was already dry and with the wind blowing, it ignited quickly. Because it was about to rain and the sky darkened ominously, everyone stayed indoors with their windows and doors shut tight, so no one could notice the fire in its early stages. By the time they realized what was happening, it was already too late to save much.
Fortunately, some families' wheat stacks were not ignited. Even better, much of this wheat had already lost a significant portion of its grains due to drying, so even if it burned, not all of their harvest was lost. However, this still left those who lost their wheat crying and cursing.
Before the fire could be extinguished, the long-awaited rain began to fall. Regardless of how uncomfortable it was, everyone retreated back into their homes.
The village chief's house was crowded with people demanding that he find the arsonist. They were convinced that someone had set the fires; otherwise, so many wheat stacks wouldn't have caught fire simultaneously. Such an enemy of the entire village was intolerable to the people of Xiaqiao Village; they needed to identify this person!
The village chief was also furious; such an incident happening in his village was a disgrace to him. Reluctantly agreeing to everyone's demands, he decided to report the case to the county town.
The rain fell heavily as if Heaven itself were angry, pouring all night long while the people of Xiaqiao Village remained awake; some families cried throughout the night.
At dawn, the village chief's house was once again surrounded by people. The chief's face was ashen, his eyes darkened and red-rimmed as he repeatedly assured the villagers before taking a few influential members of the village with him to the county town.
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