Gathering
When Xu Ran reached home, he found that there was nothing outside. The horse was led in and the door was closed.
It seemed that Tangtang and Guoguo moved quite quickly. Xu Ran knocked on the door and it was soon opened. The person who opened the door said, "Dad, there you are. Come in quickly. We are packing up."
Xu Ran nodded and walked in. Then he was a little shocked to see the yard was full of people and things.
Tangtang said behind his back, "Dad, we are waiting for you to come back and assign the rooms. Then these things can be moved into the right room."
"Why don't you let your Daddy do that? You don't have to wait for me." said Xu Ran.
"This is what Daddy said. He said that you are more appropriate, so he asked you to come. Godfathers are waiting in the room." said Tangtang.
Xu Ran rubbed his nose and felt a little weird in his heart. Did Tongtong think that the room was not enough to assign? Or was he just being shy?
After thinking about it carefully, Xu Ran felt that it must because he is shy.
It is true that they have to live here for a long time. It is not proper to separate the couple, but if they don't separate, It is estimated that it would be much harder for Liu Tong to arrange.
Thinking about this, Xu Ran understood what was going on here. He went to the middle of the yard and clapped his hands and said, "Every one, listen to me please. There are eight rooms on both sides of my house upstairs. And seven of them were taken. Tangtang, Guoguo, you two can live in one room, then Baozi and Qingshu can also live in a room together, so we will have seven rooms left, so it's done. One room for Godfathers, and another for Big Brother Qin and his husband... "
Nine rooms were completely enough, and the things were started to be placed in the rooms one by one.
Everyone picks up their stuff so the things in the yard were quickly removed .
But it started to rain heavily again soon. And there was the sound of a gong outside. Xu Ran guessed that must be the village chief looking for people from the village.
Even though the rain was getting heavier, Xu Ran still decided to go out and take a look. By the way, he had to explain for the extra members of his family. He was afraid that if the village really got infected with the plague, they would be blamed.
Xu Ran went to grab an umbrella and called Liu Tong, Zhuo Yun and Qin Shuwu to come. He started to remind them, "Tongtong, take your brothers and friends to clean up the house first, then change their clothes and throw them off. Don't be reluctant to part with this. After all, they've all run through teh town, okay?"
Liu Tong nodded. "Got it, I'll go now."
Then, Xu Ransaid to Zhuo Yun, "Zhuo Yun, everyone in the village knows that you often come to my house. I'm not worried about this. You should be responsible for taking care of the children. Don't let them go out recently."
Zhuo Yun nodded. "Mm, I got it. The children are very sensible, and they know what to do at this moment."
After he finished talking to Zhuo Yun, Xu Ran said to Qin Shuwu, "Brother Qin, I don't think anyone saw it when you came here today. They would probably say that we went to the town to buy things even if they saw us. You must tell them that you came here with Zhuo Yun. You came over after the rain stopped a few days ago. You are in-laws and it's normal to come together. Remember to remind the children what and how to say and not let others find an excuse to convict us."
Qin Shuwu also got serious when he saw Xu Ran's face. Of course he knew the seriousness of the situation. Qin Shuwu said, "Okay, I know I will remind them. I'll have to be bothering you these days."
Xu Ran waved his hand and said, "It's not bothering at all and you used to help me a lot before. The village chief is calling, so I'll go out first. You go and tidy up the room first. Be sure to throw away the things you can't use any more."
Xu Ran left with his umbrella and Qin Shuwu said from behind, "I know, don't worry!"
Xu Ran didn't know where the village chief want them to gather. He was about to look for them after he went out when he saw a person in a coat and a bamboo hat walking towards him. Xu Ran couldn't see clearly who it was because the rain was too heavy. He also walked forward and found that it was Xu An.
"Xu An, why are you here? Isn't the village chief calling for a gathering?" asked Xu Ran.
Xu An said, "I'm afraid that you don't know where to gather, so I came over to see you. Why did you come alone?" What is Liu Tong and other people?"
Xu Ran thought that they were really considerate to think about it, and he even came over with such a heavy rain.
Xu Ran answered, "Let's talk as we go along. Liu Tong and the rest of the family were tidying up at home. This plague thing is true. I asked Tongtong to clean up the house and prevent it. Bro Xu An, you should also do that after you got home. Don't be reluctant to throw away the things you don't need. Food must be well cooked before you eat it. You have to wash your hands before you eat, and the house needs ventilation. Then you wouldn't be infected easily even if the plague comes to the village.
They had to talk aloud Because of the heavy rain, even though they were walking next to each other. Fortunately, Xu An heard everything he said, so he didn't have to repeat it.
Xu Ran told Xu An what he knew about infection control, and asked him to tell Wu Mei about that because Wu Mei was quick-witted and she should know how to deal with it.
They might need to say it again when they meet Xu Fa and Xu Zhen later.
After thinking about it for a while, Xu Ran thought that he'd better asked everyone to come to his house. It would be better if everybody knows that. In that case, he did not have to explain why Qin Shuwu and his family were there.
This could be considered as a few witnesses. They saw with they had been at his home before the plague came.
Xu Ran and Xu An chatted as they walked. They soon arrived at the gathering place. It was in the middle of the village where they had previously set up a stage.
The village chief was standing on a stool, with a bamboo hat. He didn't even wear a coat and his clothes were almost wet.
Xu Ran walked in and found that he was the only one who used the umbrella. The others were all wearing straw hats. Some of them were even standing in the rain, but Xu Ran couldn't mind other people's business.
When the village chief saw that almost everyone was here, he struck the gong a few more times to these people to ask them to be silent.
"The reason why I aked you to gather here on such a rainy day was because there is a very important thing to say. The rainstorm hasn't stopped after summer. Everyone has heard before that there were floods in many places. Everyone knows that most of floods will be accompanied by the plague. I don't know how the other places are doing, but the news that someone has been suffering from the plague was spreading in Our town today. The town is probably under lockdown by now. I've gathered all of you here to say two things. One, don't go to town these days, and two, don't ever take in any outsiders, no matter who they are!"
As soon as the village chief finished talking, the people below were in a mess. Some people immediately ran home while others started to ask the village chief about the plague.
Shouting was definitely not enough in such a heavy rain, so the village chief started to strike the gong again.
After controlling the situation, the village chief began to answer these people's questions one by one. The younger generation did not know what the plague was, but the old man in the village, even if they had not experienced it, they must have known or heard about it. The village chief asked a few old man to tell them the seriousness of the plague.
Most of the people were frightened and feared that they would be dead in the next moment.
The village chief also took the opportunity to put forward the matter of not letting outsiders into the village. Xu Ran felt that this was not very appropriate. The village chief couldn't stare at them all the time, so he didn't know even if there were other people coming to the village.
Xu Ran thought about it and turned to told Xu An , asking him to tell the village chief about it. He had someone in his own home so it was inappropriate for him to talk about it.
After hearing what Xu Ran said, Xu An ran over to the village chief. The village chief nodded and turned to the people below, "From now on, we have to select two teams to patrol in the village. One team at night, and one during the day. In order to prevent some people sneaking into the village, we also have to check how many people in your family now one by one.From now on, people in the village can only go out, and those who went out will not be able to return until the plague is over."
people started to make a fuss again after the village chief finished.
The village chief striked the gong and said. "Be quite! If any of you volunteer to patrol, please stand to the left. If there is no one,I'll make the arrangement."
A few people stood out, but it was not enough for a team. So the village chief mentioned some people by name to do that, including Xu An, Xu Fa and Xu Zhen.
However, Xu Ran was not included. After all, as a scholar, it was not suitable for him to do such things.
After that, the village chief said, "All of you go back to your own home first，and we'll check house by house later. The villagers who are leaving now must leave immediately, or the village will be under lockdown later."
People dispersed right away after the village chief finished talking, and Xu Ran also left with the crowd.
_____
After Xu Ran went back, he told the group of people in his house about the incident, after which he comforted them, "You don't have to worry at all. Now people in the village can only go out but not in. Everything should be fine."
People present were relieved to hear what Xu Ran said. Then they went to do their own work.
Now that they all lived together, they needed to work together, too. Since so many people had to eat, it was impossible for only one or two people to work there.
Most of the people were busy doing a thorough cleanup at the moment. Xu Ran also divided the work of the kitchen. Every Ge'er had his division of labor, too. Fortunately, none of them was pregnant at the time being. Otherwise it would be bad, because any pregnant Ge'er was also a susceptible body to the epidemic.
Apart from the kitchen work, there were also problems about fodder for horses. Although Xu Ran had asked Gao Quan to prepare it, it was definitely not enough because so many more horses came to their house suddenly. So as long as it didn't rain, all the Ge'ers took turns to go out and cut the grass. Fortunately, there was little work in the fields now. They didn't have to worry about the lack of labor.
In the orchards, cherries, apricots and plums had long been picked, and now there were only peaches left there. Those fruits that couldn't be sold were picked and kept for themselves. Now that there were so many people in their house, this fruit was definitely in timely supply. In this way, they just didn't have to buy fruit.
The village's epidemic investigation had to be carried out from house to house, and Xu Ran's family was arranged in the last place. That day, when everyone had finished their work and was ready for lunch, the village head came at last with his people.
Xu Ran was open about his family's situation. He called everyone out and introduced them. He told the village head that these guests had come a few days before to celebrate Elder Dad Qin's birthday. However, they couldn't leave after that because of the heavy rain. They wanted to leave today, but Xu Ran heard about the epidemic when he went shopping in the town. Hence, he quickly came back and kept the guests to stay in their house.
Some people who were not fond of Xu Ran doubted about his kindness and someone even doubted that he had been infected with the epidemic.
Xu Ran scoffed at this, "You are really not able to tell good from bad. I'm open and aboveboard, and I don't need to cover anything up. I just tell you all here that it's I who informed the village head about the epidemic. If I wanted to do harm to the people around, would I still have informed the village head about this? I don't mind what you are thinking this time, but next time if something happens again, you don't hope I will offer you any help. I think some people may really have to wait until they die to understand the truth. "
The people present understood what Xu Ran meant, especially when they heard Xu Ran say that he would not provide any information or other help to them in the future, they started to complain about that person who had accused Xu Ran for no reason.
Xu Ran said frankly, "All of you, please go out to discuss and don't quarrel here in my house. You can rest assured that for the sake of my own family, I will not accept people from other places. You just try to take care of yourselves. You are not welcome here. "
At the same time, he drove those people out. Many people present resented Xu Ran for being so rude, but they knew it was their own fault. Thus the man who had mistaken about Xu Ran for no reason was even more despised.
After Xu Ran chased those people away, he clapped his hands. He then turned around but to see everyone there in the house was fixing their eyes on him.
As for Xu Ran's performance just now, his and Zhuo Yun's family didn't feel too surprised. Qin Shuwu's family, however, was different. They had never seen Xu Ran like this before. Xu Ran felt embarrassed being stared at this way. He rubbed his nose and wanted to slip away quietly. Of course, he couldn't.
Qin Shuwu patted him on the shoulder and said, "You were brilliant, man! You were so tough just now! I supposed that a man like you could only be bullied. "
Xu Ran looked up at the sky. He couldn't help asking himself whether he really looked like a little sheep so much that others thought he could only be bullied.
To Xu Ran's surprise, Zhuo Yun would come to get the last word in at this time, "Eldest brother, I also thought he was easy to be bullied at the beginning just like you, because I found he always smiles at people. I didn't know that he would be so fierce until I saw him once quarrel with others."
Xu Ran immediately retorted, "How can I be so fierce? I never talk with arms akimbo."
Upon hearing this, everyone present burst into laughter.
Xu Ran rolled his eyes upwards, pushed his way through the crowd, and left.
However, he wasn't angry. He had other things to attend to actually. He planned to visit the Xu Family. He guessed that because of the epidemic, the Xu Family was even more short of food. Although they usually didn't eat well, they could cope with it. At present, however, in this situation, they must have a hard time. Xu Ran was worried about them.
There was still some brown rice at home, not much, though. Xu Ran took out the whole sack of it. In addition, he got another sack of peeled rice. With these two sacks on his shoulder, he was about to leave home. However, he stopped at the thought that it was raining outside. He thus put the rice down and found some oiled paper to wrap the two sacks up tightly before going out.
There was no one in the yard at the moment. They must have gone back to their rooms. As no one there, Xu Ran directly went out without telling anyone else.
It was still raining hard outside, and because the rain had lasted too long, the ground was covered in mud. Xu Ran stepped on it and his shoes were all wet. Now that this was the case anyway, Xu Ran didn't mind it and strode forward with the rice on his shoulder.
When he reached the Xu Family's house, he found the door was closed as always. Xu Ran tried to reach out a hand to knock on the door. It was unknown whether it was because the heavy rain or some other reason. Anyway, a long time passed and no one came to answer the door. Xu Ran had no choice but to continue knocking even with his feet sometimes.
The rain was getting heavier and Xu Ran waited at the door for a long time. In the end, he was so angry that he shouted, "Don't you want to open the door? If you don't, I'll go back!"
In response, the door suddenly opened, and Xu Ran and Xu Hui, who came to open the door, looked at each other in dismay.
Xu Ran complained, "You're standing at the door. Why don't you open the door? How long have I been calling?"
Xu Hui opened his mouth and wanted to explain, but when he saw the two sacks on Xu Ran's shoulder, he bit back the words. Actually it was his granddaddy who stopped him from opening the door, but he was afraid that if he told the truth, Xu Ran would turn around and leave with the precious food.
This was the experience Xu Hui had got from his previous lesson. As long as Xu Ran heard what his granddaddy said or how he was scolding him, he would leave right away with the things he brought. Later, if his granddaddy stopped uttering, Xu Ran would leave things behind.
In fact, their days were not as bad as before. He and Xu Qiang had grown up and could help with some work in their family. Still the food they ate was not as good as what Xu Ran had given them. Needless to say, they were still looking forward to Xu Ran's coming.
Xu Ran didn't waste time with him talking there. With the rice still on his shoulder, he went straight into the house. Xu Houcai and Elder Daddy Xu were both there. Their backs had been bent over the years and they looked even older, but they were still quite energetic.
Xu Ran called Xu Houcai dad, but he didn't greet Elder Daddy Xu. Xu Ran said to Xu Houcai, "Dad, you know about the epidemic. You can't go to town recently, and you can't go to buy food. Thus I am sending you some rice. There are brown rice and peeled rice. If you don't have vegetables, you can go to my house to pick them directly. You have to take care of yourselves. Remember to keep good ventilation at home and eat the food that has been well cooked, okay?"
Xu Houcai nodded, "Actually, I used to experience an epidemic when I was young. I know about the situation, so you don't worry about me. However, you should remember to take good care of your children. I heard that there are many people living in your house. Are they from the town? Is everything all right there? "
Xu Ran was quite happy to hear what Xu Houcai said with concern. He replied, "It's all right. The guests came before the epidemic. Don't worry, dad. If you have any difficulties, just come to me. It is raining harder now. I'm afraid that I must go back right away."
With that, Xu Ran left without greeting anyone else. To be honest, the only person he cared about there was Xu Houcai.
Xu Houcai didn't keep him to stay. He knew that Xu Ran wouldn't stay either. Elder Daddy Xu had often scolded him before when he came. At that time, Xu Ran often turned around and left. Although this kind of situation no longer appeared, the two of them would never talk to each other. For this, he had no way to ease it, and could only let it be.
After Xu Ran left the Xu Family, he didn't go home directly. He thought that he was all wet anyway, so he decided to make another trip.
He first went to Wu Lan's house and told him everything he wanted to say, then he went to Liu Qing's house. As there was no man at home there, Xu Ran didn't stay long but left right after leaving a message.
When he came home at last, he found that his family were looking for him. Now that they had done all their distributed work, they felt bored with so many people sitting together only! Besides, it was raining outside, so it was impossible for them to go out. Thus, they were now looking for Xu Ran for his suggestion on what they should do further on.
However, after searching for a long time, they couldn't see him. They had no idea when Xu Ran had gone out. They went to ask Liu Tong about the situation. They got no positive answer from there of course, so they could only sit and wait.
As soon as Xu Ran arrived at the living room door, he heard someone say, "I haven't been so idle for many years. I'm not used to this sudden appearance."
The person who spoke this was Qin Shuwu's spouse. He had been busy in his deli ever since its opening, whose business had been good for the past few years. Of course, he had been busy all the time.
Then Xu Ran heard the voices of others who echoed, but there was no Liu Tong's.
Xu Ran guessed that it was not that Liu Tong didn't speak, but that he couldn't say anything about it. He only went to work when he was needed in the past few years. Usually, he would only cook at home, make clothes, and so on. Compared to those years, his life now had become much better.