My Husband is a Drama King [Book Transmigration] 23p2

Chapter 23 p2: Downpour

The mountain breeze was very comfortable. Xu Zhici recognized a few medicinal herbs in the mountains. Since there wasn’t much work in the fields, he and Xu Zhizhou went to dig for them. The children in the village had lived on this land with their ancestors and knew a little about the crops on the ground, the goods in the mountains, and the birds in the sky.

After working for a while, they still had some time, so they cut some grass. It was Xu Zhizhou’s turn to cook today. He took a string of sausages from his room, planning to steam them. He would also make a simple stir-fried cabbage and a cold lettuce salad.

With the sausages to add flavor, everything tasted delicious. The sausages had been made by themselves during the New Year. They were savory. Xu Zhizhou thought of the scene of making sausages, and his hands ached.

Their family made sausages every year and hung them up. When someone had a craving, they would cut off a piece to satisfy it.

Outside the courtyard, new red quilts were hanging to dry. Besides the two red ones, Cao Qin had also prepared a new bluish-green one. After the wedding day, they couldn’t always sleep under the wedding quilt. It was good to have a different colored quilt to switch to occasionally.

She used a long pole to beat the quilts, evening out the wrinkles and cotton, and then carried them into the room.

A few new chests had also been made for Xu Zhizhou to take to the Song family. Xu Sunzheng had just come back from checking on the pigs. The family raised three pigs, and Xu Sunzheng would go to check on them every night before he went to sleep. Seeing them eating and sleeping well made him happier than anything else.

This time, he also had a happy look on his face when he came back from checking on the pigs. “The pigs have grown bigger. I estimate they’ll get a few more rounds fatter by the New Year. We’ll be able to sell them for a lot of money then if we find a good butcher.”

Xu Sunzheng had already thought it all out. He would use the money from selling the pigs to buy a few more acres of land. He now regretted not buying a few acres of high-grade fields a few years ago. The price of good land had been rising in recent years.

Although having silver in hand was reassuring, turning it into land was even more so.

If they bought good land and farmed it well, they could earn another sum during the harvest.

Xu Sunzheng saw Xu Zhizhou and Xu Zhici carrying buckets of water to wash their feet and go back to their rooms. Xu Zhizhou didn’t go back to his own room, but went to Xu Zhici’s instead.

Cao Qin prepared the pig feed for the next day, then brought in the bamboo pole and went into the house. She looked up at the sky. There were no stars or moon.

In the evening, it started to rain and the wind blew. Song Changxu liked to sleep with his window open and was woken up by the wind in the middle of the night. He closed the window, but this time he couldn’t fall asleep.

If he couldn’t sleep, he would think about his essays.

After thinking for a while, Song Changxu became more and more awake. The first page of the book his classmate had given him flashed through his mind.

He still fell asleep, but not soundly.

In the morning, the wind was blowing hard. Song Changxu ate two scallion pancakes and pushed open the door, immediately getting his clothes wet.

In the rain, someone was leading a cow back. It was the uncle who drove the ox-cart in the village.

The man also recognized Song Changxu. He waved his hand and said, “Go back. The rain is so heavy, and the river is rising. You won’t be able to cross.”

Seeing this, Song Changxu also knew that the rain wouldn’t stop for a while. He said, “Thank you, uncle.”

Song Changxu went back to his room. Song Ye had fed the chickens, ducks, and pigs. He came in from outside, his feet covered in mud.

Liang Su gave him a pair of shoes. “Change your shoes first.”

Liang Su and Song Mingyan took out their needlework to embroider purses. She saw Song Ye’s slightly worn shoes and went into the room to get a shoe sole to work on.

Song Ye stayed at home. He was a little worried about the crops in the fields, but then he thought that worrying wouldn’t stop the rain. He would just have to wait until the rain subsided to go and have a look.

Song Changxu changed his long robe and studied at home.

The strong wind was mixed with a fine drizzle. He opened the window a little. It was cool and refreshing, with less of the summer heat, which made him feel invigorated.

The cats and dogs in the village were in the main hall. The dog was curled up sleeping, while the cat still had some energy, stretching out its paws to catch the falling rain.

With such a heavy rain, everyone in the village was at home. The women and ge’ers were doing needlework. A man, seeing the rain getting heavier and heavier, felt uneasy. He put on a straw raincoat and straw sandals to go and check on the fields.

A person looked so small in the vast rain. One step on the ground would splash up a small puddle. He waded through the mud to the fields and saw that a few of the ridges had been washed away. He hurried forward to check.

Something had indeed happened.

It either didn’t rain, or it poured.

His family was lucky; only one of their ridges had been washed away. He noted the location of the damaged fields and went home to get his tools.

On a rainy day, people were cooped up at home. Xu Zhizhou and Xu Zhici were making shoe soles, and Cao Qin was embroidering a handkerchief.

Someone shouted from outside the door, “Sunzheng’s family, your field ridges have been washed away!”

This shout startled everyone in the house. Xu Sunzheng quickly put on a straw raincoat and carried a hoe to the fields. Cao Qin couldn’t stop him and followed along.

Xu Zhici and Xu Zhizhou also went to help.

Some of the families in the village, upon hearing that their field ridges had been washed away, also put on their straw raincoats and went out.

A man had notified Auntie Fang’s family, but not the Song family.

Song Ye went out and asked, “Have the field ridges really been washed away?”

“Yes. Not your family’s fields, but a few unlucky families’ have been. Like the Wang family, the Fang family, the Xu family…”

Song Ye nodded, handed the man a pipe, and said a few more words.

Seeing Song Ye come back, Liang Su quickly asked, “What did he say? I think I heard something about the fields.”

“A few families in the village had their field ridges washed away by the heavy rain. He said not ours.”

Liang Su breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good.”

Song Ye was still wearing his straw raincoat. He went to find a hoe.

“Are you still going to the fields?”

“He said the Xu family’s was washed away. The Xu family only has two ge’ers and one man. I’ll go and check on our fields. I’ll only be at ease after I’ve seen them myself. I’ll also help them dig the field ridges.”

Liang Su: “You should go and help.”

Song Changxu came out with an empty teapot, intending to get some hot water. Hearing his father’s words, he said, “I’ll go with you. Two people can help faster.”

Liang Su couldn’t refuse. The Xu family was their in-laws, so it was right for them to go and help.

“Then Changxu, put on a straw raincoat before you go.”

Song Changxu grunted in agreement, gave the teapot to his nephew, put on a straw raincoat, took a hoe, and went out with Song Ye.

“I’ll go to the kitchen and make some ginger soup. It’ll be just right for them to warm up when they get back,” Song Mingyan said, putting down his work.

Xu Cheng took Song Changxu’s teapot and went in with his father. When Song Mingyan had cut the ginger, he pushed the teapot towards him.

Song Mingyan smiled and poured hot water into the teapot. “Just leave it here. It’s very hot.”

Xu Cheng nodded.

Song Ye first checked his own fields and found no problems. Then he took his son to the Xu family’s fields.

The rain hitting the straw raincoat was still chilly. A few families were digging field ridges and drainage ditches. Having more people in the family was an advantage at times like this. With everyone working together, the matter was quickly resolved.

Xu Zhizhou only heard the pattering sound in his ears. His hands were full of rainwater, and his feet were soaked in water and mud, which was extremely uncomfortable.

Xu Sunzheng, the only man in the family, was in the fields, trying to both protect the crops and drain the water. His face was covered in rainwater, and he didn’t have time to wipe it.

This is why I want to live a good life.

Without time to think much, Xu Zhizhou took a wooden bucket to scoop the water from the fields.

A splashing sound was heard. Song Ye said, “In-law, I’m here to help.”

Through the curtain of rain, Song Changxu recognized Xu Zhizhou’s figure from afar. He was bent over, scooping water.

When he got closer, Song Changxu took the water bucket from his hands. He said, “You go and help your mother. I’ll take care of this.”

The rainy weather muffled the sound. Xu Zhizhou felt the wooden bucket being taken from his hands. A man’s strength was naturally greater than a ge’er’s. After so long, Song Changxu was no longer that weak scholar.

With his hands free, Xu Zhizhou saw Song Changxu’s high nose bridge blurred in the rain. His face was also covered in rainwater. He scooped water with the wooden bucket much faster than Xu Zhizhou.

Xu Zhizhou shivered, his ears twitching, and went to help his mother.

He glanced at Song Changxu several times while he was helping.

Seeing that the water on the field ridges was receding, and Xu Sunzheng and Song Ye were working together to fill them up, Cao Qin smiled. “We’re really grateful to the Song family for their help today.”

Being drenched in the rain, they were all cold. The family went back together. Xu Sunzheng pulled Song Ye along to talk.

When it was time to part ways, Song Changxu handed the wooden bucket to Xu Zhizhou. Xu Zhizhou glanced at him, glared, and then handed him back the hoe.

There weren’t many people out in the village; they were all cooped up in their houses. Seeing the two of them come back, Liang Su said, “Hurry and change your clothes, and drink a bowl of ginger soup to warm up.”

Song Changxu stood in the main hall. He was tall and handsome, dripping wet, his dark hair in strands.

He said, “The Xu family all went to dig the field ridges. There’s no one at their house to make ginger soup.”

Song Mingyan said, “I’ll make a trip. Changxu, you go and change your wet clothes first so you don’t get sick.”

Song Mingyan went to the cupboard, took a large bowl, filled it with ginger soup, and went out.

.

Back in their room, they first took off their shoes, which were full of mud. Xu Zhizhou rinsed them clean and then went into the room to get his clothes. He wanted to wash himself before changing. He went to the kitchen, filled a basin with hot water, and carried it to his room to wash.

There was a noise at the door. Cao Qin opened it and saw it was Song Mingyan. She smiled. “It’s raining so heavily. Mingyan, come in and sit.”

“I won’t sit, Auntie. We made some ginger soup at home and brought some over for you.”

Song Mingyan didn’t linger and went back.

They had planned to change their wet clothes before making ginger soup. Now they could drink it right away, which made them quite happy.

Cao Qin scooped four bowls. She called everyone over to drink the ginger soup.

Xu Zhizhou and Xu Zhici were both in their rooms changing. Hearing her, Xu Sunzheng came out of his room.

Song Mingyan had put in a lot of ginger. The soup was full of the strong taste of ginger, which went straight to the nose. After drinking it, their stomachs warmed up, and soon their whole bodies were warm.

Soon, Xu Zhici and Xu Zhizhou also came out to drink the ginger soup. Cao Qin told them that Song Mingyan had brought it.

After drinking, they had to wash their clothes first.

Author’s Note:

Little Song: I’m not who I used to be. [Sunglasses]

Little Xu: I think you’re very… [Pats head]