Chapter 690 Preparing for a Rainy Day
from starvation.To keep Huo Mingliang alive, doctors would visit him at regular intervals to take his pulse. His back was rubbed raw, and the best gold ointment was applied to the wounds. When he fain..."It's only just winter, why the rush"
Hui Niang said hesitantly.
"Mother, when you think it's time to buy grain, everyone will be buying grain too. At that time, the price of grain will definitely go up."
Ripple immediately explained.
"Ripple is right, fortunately this year's harvest, after paying the taxes, we still have some left. Even so, it's only enough to last until summer. But in previous years, there were wild vegetables to fill our stomachs, and I could also go to town to do odd jobs for some silver to make it through until the autumn harvest. It's just that next year is uncertain."
Song Dachuan's eyebrows were tightly furrowed, his brow forming a large "chuan" character, clearly showing his worry.
Now, even Hui Niang remained silent. She knew her husband was right. After all, it had only been over three years since they split from their family. Their foundation was still too thin. Besides, with Tiger raising his health, they hadn't saved much silver. It was normal to be worried.
As a family, they reached a consensus. The next day, Song Dachuan started acting. He still went to town under the pretense of doing odd jobs, but when he returned, he would always carry one or two kilograms of food in his basket: rice, noodles, brown rice, buckwheat flour - a variety of grains. Like ants moving house, he gradually accumulated little by little at home.
At the same time, Hui Niang also took Lian'er back to her natal home. Luckily, they were in the same village, so it only took two hours to get there.
Hui Niang told her parents about buying grain and storing it, primarily to remind them to prepare for a possible famine.
“Your father has been worried about this for a while too. With no snow this time, we’re anxious. We’re afraid the winter wheat planted in the field won't be harvested. The other day, I saw your father laying straw mats on the ground in the field. Your father even made all four of your brothers copy him, hoping to see some harvest when spring arrives.”
Lao Zhang sat cross-legged on the kang and sighed, "
"Father, mother, sister, it hasn't even been the New Year yet. Maybe it will snow after the New Year."
Zhang Shi scratched his head and said.
His daughter-in-law became pregnant during the autumn harvest. She is now past the first three months and the pregnancy is stable. If next year's weather is really bad, it will have a big impact on their small family.
> Last year at this time, there had already been a heavy snowfall and two light snowfalls. Zhang Shun’s family in the east of the village had their house partially collapsed by the snow. You don't remember that, do you
Zhang Laotou glared at his youngest son and said.
"Father, I think elder sister is right. Just like what Lian'er said, 'prepare for a rainy day,' let's buy some grain and store it. It wouldn't hurt, would it We can eat it ourselves, and if the harvest is good next year, we can sell the grain then and get silver in return."
Zhang Zhong sat on the kang and also expressed his opinion. He was also a skilled farmer, so he was very sensitive to the weather.
My father has recently started bringing food home under the guise of working odd jobs in town. There's no need to make a big deal out of this.
>If next year is a good harvest, that's the best possible outcome. But if next year is a bad harvest and everyone goes hungry, knowing our old Zhang family has grain in reserve, if people come to borrow it, will grandpa and grandma lend it or not
Borrowing money is sure to be a one-way street. Our family needs to eat and drink, and my aunt is currently pregnant, expected to give birth by summer.
But if we don't lend a hand, everyone here is family and relatives. Our grandparents are kind-hearted and definitely won't stand by and watch someone suffer. But our abilities are limited, so choosing who to help and who not to help is another offense. After all, human nature is unpredictable, it's best to do our best.
"Buying grain is the same, it's best to be low-key and just stock enough food to last until next year's disaster. Keep some emergency money at home too."
Although ripples was standing beside Lady Hui, she had experience working for a large household like the Dong family. So, she explained on behalf of Lady Hui, and the old Zhang family members were willing to listen.
"The ripple girl is right, let's do it her way. Hope God has mercy and sends a heavy snowfall soon."
Finally, Lao Zhang's sigh concluded the day's meeting.
After that, the four sons of Zhang’s family would also occasionally go to town with Song Dachuan to do odd jobs. They would then bring bags of food back home. Although their money was decreasing, seeing the granary filled with more food brought them some peace of mind.
After the new year celebrations, it finally snowed. Unfortunately, it was only a light snowfall, not enough to cover the ground. The farmers were disappointed, and the atmosphere in the village wasn't very lively either. The boisterous children had become quiet, and people just exchanged brief greetings when they met each other.
And the ripples had already begun to prepare quietly. From the millstone, she knew that next year would be a disastrous year. The province they were in first suffered from drought, then from locusts. The government relief was not timely, and many people fled their homes, some entire villages even moved away.
The original's younger brother also died that year. He didn't have Lianyi to help him nurture his body, and he wouldn't be able to eat well and stay warm because of the money Lianyi brought back home. The Song Dachuan family was only barely able to survive. When disasters struck, Huzi was the first one who couldn't make it through.
Song Dachuan and his wife were able to survive thanks to the care of the Lao Zhang family. As they fled with the Zhang Jia Village, they wandered outside for a while but eventually returned to Zhang Jia Village.
By then, two-thirds of the people in Zhangjia Village had perished. Those who survived were gaunt and emaciated, barely clinging to life thanks to government relief efforts.
While the Song family was more fortunate. Because Song Dashan found those gold bars at Wankou Mountain, after they discovered something was wrong, they urged Song Dashan to go with them to a state capital that hadn't been affected by the disaster.
The whole family huddled together for warmth. Although they were eating expensive grain, at least no one starved to death. After the disaster passed, their family returned to Songjia Village. Each person received a ration of relief food. They learned that Huzi had died, and then they heard news of the original body's death. They felt a sense of relief.
Now that ingot of gold is lying in the rippling space, Song Dashan's corpse has long turned to bone. So sometimes, completing a mission also requires a bit of luck.
This is also because every time Ripples enters a world, she completes her tasks while doing her best to save as many people as possible within the framework of the world's laws. Therefore, she can earn merit from even ordinary tasks, accumulating little by little, which also improves her fortune.
This time, I'm with Song Dachao and his family. She prepared so much in advance just to ensure a smooth passage through the disaster. Even reminding Lao Zhang's family beforehand was part of her early preparations. No matter what happens during this escape, at least they won't be caught off guard.
The entire winter saw only two small snowfalls, barely covering the ground. But they melted quickly. The winter wheat didn't grow well either. Even after a spring rain, it remained uneven in growth. The resulting wheat stalks lacked plump grains, essentially hollow shells.
"Dad, are we still planting in the spring"
Hui Niang asked, a bit uncertainly. and then said:"You're very capable, you should be able to help me.""You have good vision. Since you've avenged yourself, don't stay in the mortal realm any longer. You might end up as a puppet contro...