Drought is coming
Author: 橙子澄澄
Source: Instadoses
Soon after lunch, the family welcomed some guests.
Headed by the village chief, he took several families in the village, who have been friends with the Liu's family, to visit Grandpa Liu.
Late last night, the news of Grandpa Liu seriously injured when he fell down, spread quickly in the village.
Due to Doctor Hu's previous diagnosis, various rumors abound, and the most talked about was that Father Liu cannot live the night.
In particular, some of the gossip mongers in the village recounted his injuries vividly, that there was a crack on his head the size of a bowl, that his face was dripping with blood. People weren't mad at that time … and were more scared.
If it weren't for the Liu family returning Li's ox cart early this morning and some people who saw the Liu family brothers go to work in the field, they wouldn't have known that Grandpa Liu was brought back home.
And by the looks of it, his injury wasn't as serious as rumors have it? Otherwise, would Liu Dalin and Liu Erlin still be in the mood to go to work?
It should be known, Grandpa Liu and his whole family are famous in the village. They are well-known for being a benevolent father and filial sons, upholding harmony in the family.
So when they got the news, the group found some free time at noon.
One was to visit and the other was to look at the situation.
However, when they saw Grandpa Liu full of beans, the visiting party was shocked.
"Brother Liu, are you … Okay?" Village head, Liu Jinfu, looks like he is in his forties, with a short beard, and a seemingly steady and shrewd voice. Right at this moment, he was too shocked that his words failed him.
Before they came here, he had in mind that Grandpa Liu's injury might not be fatal, but since he fell down so high and had a crack on his head the size of a dipper, shouldn't he by lying in the bed at his last gasp?
Was the news they heard wrong, Grandpa Liu was not seriously injured?
"Hahaha, I'm fine, I'm fine. If it weren't for my family Nannan's prudence, I wouldn't be able to get up and work on the field." Speaking of his precious granddaughter, the old man's brows were stretched and he grinned broadly. "This time, I really was a step away from the gates of the netherworld. If it wasn't for my granddaughter, this old man would have really died… "
Across from him, Grandma Liu hurriedly shushed him, "What nonsense, pei pei pei! Bad luck!"
Although the old man looks in good spirits at the moment, the thrill last night was still lingering in her heart. Just thinking about the time when Doctor Hu sent them home to prepare for the funeral, the unbearable pounding of her heart would seep through her bones!
Liu Jinfu and several villagers exchanged glances, "Was it really that serious? How is it related to Xiao Nannan? What's going on?"
Yo, Grandpa Liu bounced back to life at once and started to splatter away with Nannan in his arms, adding oil and vinegar to the story, with Grandma Liu occasionally inserting some snippets. He then painted his granddaughter as a divine baby who descended from the heavens.
Liu Yusheng's nestled silently in the old man's arms, hiding her face, grandpa, you're such a crook.
The village chief and several others eyed her with disbelief.
She was only about two years old, and couldn't say anything, she could only blink and pretend to understand nothing.
"I didn't expect that there was such a thing. Your granddaughter is truly blessed, okay, okay! She's obedient and clever at a glance, unlike the two children in my house, they're four and five years old, but only know how to catch chickens and chase after dogs."
"The naughty monkey at home is exactly the same, he's already six years old, besides playing crazy, he wouldn't do anything else, three days without a beating, and a child will scale the roof to rip the tiles!"
"Nevertheless, this granddaughter is clever, both sensible and caring."
…
Boasting his sensible granddaughter, Grandpa Liu was in great spirits. His entire face was almost red. He was about to launch another tall talk, when a frantic cry from the outside rattled the courtyard.
"Village chief! Village chief! Something went wrong, you have to go and see! The villagers are fighting with the Downhill Village!"
"That bull." Liu Jinfu's face condensed, and he stood up. "Brother Liu, you should take a good rest. I'll go and take a look."
Grandpa Liu urged, "Go quickly, don't let them make a big fuss!"
The people who came along with him also followed one another and scolded, "The Downhill Village again! Those sons of bitches must have blocked the water upstream again!"
In the blink of an eye, the lively room was empty.
The atmosphere also turned glum.
Grandma Liu couldn't sit still, "This downhill village is too savage! In a few villages nearby, there's only one river that can irrigate crops. If they block the river upstream, how can the crops survive below? They took their village to the upper reaches and committed this kind of wicked deed, may plague descend on them! The crops can be harvested in another month, but they are cutting off the water at this point, this is the lifeline of the farmers! We have to fight!"
"What can we do? Drought has struck Nanling this year. Many places have begun suffering from water scarcity. I also heard that there's already famine in the north." Grandpa Liu sighed. "Although there's still water in the Qinghe river at the edge of our village, in fact, the water level is already very low, so I don't think it will last long before it dries up. I'm afraid it will cause a major problem."
Liu Yusheng listened silently, and a heavy rock weighed heavily on her heart.
Farmers rely on the heavens to eat. If the heavens do them no honor, not to mention harvesting even a single grain from the crops, the question of whether the people will survive was the most crucial.
Now that people in the two villages are in constant dispute over water, if things don't improve, what comes next is practically unpredictable.
She harbors no compassion for the land under the heavens, she only worries about her family.
With her space under such circumstances, can she leave it alone?
"No, I have to take a look. Our home is right next to the Qinghe River. The brothers have just gone to work, and I'm worried that they will get involved, too." Exclaimed Grandma Liu, who departed right away.
"Come back! What can an old woman like you do? Don't get into the bustle, in case they bump into our family, we will be messed up," Grandpa Liu hurriedly stopped her. "The village chief has already gone there, there's no way we could tell how things would end up there. Besides, our sons are old enough, they should have a sense of proportion! If you are really worried, I'll go and see!"
Grandma Liu was in flames.
The old man has just walked through the gates of hell and he's asking her to let him go? That's even less assuring.
Fortunately, it didn't take long for the two brothers who went to work to return.
It's just that their faces were bleak.
"How's it? Those in Downhill Village still refuse to open the river?" As soon as one brother entered the door, Grandma Liu greeted them and was relieved to see that there were no signs of injury on the brothers.
Liu Erlin drank a scoop of water from the pitcher and grunted in satisfaction, before starting to fling curses, "Those sons of bitches, they refused to release the water no matter what. And now, the water supply downstream has completely stopped! The village chief ran over there for nothing. As a matter of fact, the village chief of Xiapo Village didn't even show his face. It was clear that those villagers were allowed to make trouble! Anyway, it wasn't them who would suffer! Those groups of bastards, pei! I'm so angry I would chase them off with a knife!"
"What are you talking about!" Liu Dalin glared at him and comforted his mother. "The village chief has already figured out a way. If it doesn't work, they will raise the matter to the government. The Qinghe river is shared by several villages. If Xiaopo Village continues to be unreasonable and wants to cuff off everyone's way of life, they'll only suffer losses once it reaches the authorities. It will certainly be resolved."
Note this is for Offline reading/purpose only credits to the authors, publishers, editors and translators.