When the pears are green

Chapter 197 Good Rain Knows When to Fall

The rain falling from the sky instantly disappeared on the cracked yellow earth, leaving behind a "rustling" sound that penetrated into people's ears through the closed doors and windows.

Under the dim light, Jiang Qingzhou was holding a copy of "Collected Works of Mr. Changli" and reading it to Song Li who was leaning against his legs.

"I first came to the capital when I was nineteen. Four years later, I returned to see you. Another four years later..."

Song Li suddenly interrupted Jiang Qingzhou. She raised her head and listened carefully to the sound coming from outside the window. Then she asked Jiang Qingzhou excitedly: "Qingzhou, is it raining?"

"I'll go take a look. It's cold, don't move." Jiang Qingzhou said, gently closed the book, and then quickly walked to the window.

Jiang Qingzhou opened the window, and gusts of cold wind blew dense raindrops onto his face and clothes.

"Xiao Li, it's raining heavily." Jiang Qingzhou turned around and shouted to Song Li, whose face was full of expectation.

Song Li cheered excitedly. She didn't even bother to put on her shoes and ran to the window barefoot.

Seeing this, Jiang Qingzhou hurriedly hugged Song Li who was running over. He first carried Song Li to the wooden table by the window, then went to the stool beside the bed to get a piece of clothing for Song Li to put on.

"The rain won't go away. Aren't you afraid of catching a cold by doing this?" Jiang Qingzhou couldn't help but blame Song Li. Song Li had a cold body and might get sick if she caught a little cold.

Song Li hugged Jiang Qingzhou's neck and acted coquettishly. She kept assuring Jiang Qingzhou that she would pay attention in the future.

"Just coax me." Jiang Qingzhou said while lightly scratching Song Li's nose.

Song Li smiled and made a face at Jiang Qingzhou. She told Jiang Qingzhou not to talk anymore. The two of them snuggled together and listened to the sound of rain outside the window.

It is said that every autumn rain brings a chill. The barefoot Song Li couldn't help but shiver her shoulders.

Jiang Qingzhou hurriedly carried Song Li to the bed and let her lie under the quilt to warm herself up.

"Qingzhou, it's a good rain. We don't need to water the plants tomorrow. We can plant the garlic when the weather clears up. Fortunately, we harvested the dried vegetables this afternoon, otherwise we wouldn't be able to report to Mr. Hu." Song Li felt that she was really smart. She had originally wanted to let the dried vegetables dry for another day or two, but a cold wind suddenly blew in the afternoon. Song Li, who was worried, decisively put all the dried vegetables into the kitchen.

Jiang Qingzhou warmed Song Li's feet and praised her for what she did well, and the two of them became entangled in playfulness.

The rain was still continuing, and many villagers knelt in front of their main doors to thank the Dragon King for appearing.

The most dilapidated family on the west side of Jiangjia Village is Jiang Xiaoniu's family. Listening to the sound of rain outside the house, Jiang Xiaoniu also wanted to get up and kneel down to worship the Dragon King.

The woman beside him quickly grabbed Jiang Xiaoniu and whispered to him, "Master, it's not too late to pray tomorrow. There's no light in the house and you can't see the road. Don't let it fall on you again."

Jiang Xiaoniu no longer insisted. He said to the woman softly, "If you don't want to go to that family, then, then..."

"Can I not go?" The woman's eyes lit up and she excitedly pulled Jiang Xiaoniu's hand and asked.

Although the room was pitch dark, Jiang Xiaoniu could still feel the woman's burning gaze. He turned his head to the side and continued, "If you don't want to go, just sell the girl."

The light in the woman's eyes went out instantly. She slowly let go of Jiang Xiaoniu's hand and whispered that he didn't want to sell the girl and that she was willing to go.

"In that case, you just have to suffer a little longer. Three years will pass quickly. I don't despise you, and we will still be a family when you come back." Jiang Xiaoniu whispered to comfort the woman. He didn't want to pawn his wife, but he had to pay the head tax and spend money on his grandmother's medical treatment. He would never earn enough money to spend, so he could only make his wife suffer.

The woman said nothing, and buried her head helplessly in the hard quilt, letting the rain drip on the wooden board at her feet.

"Damn it, it's leaking again." Jiang Xiaoniu cursed in a low voice. He fumbled to roll up the quilt at the end of the bed, thinking that he would put a layer of thatch on the roof when it stopped raining.

Jiang Xiaoniu saw that the woman was still lying there indifferently. He knew that she was unhappy and he didn't bother with her.

"I've agreed with them before that they will come to take you away after the wheat is planted. It's raining now, so they will probably be here in a few days. After you leave, I will take good care of the two children, so you don't have to worry about them. As long as you listen to them, they won't make things difficult for you." Jiang Xiaoniu spoke to himself. He knew that once the woman was taken away by the two brothers, he would become a laughing stock in the area within miles.

The woman poked her head out from under the quilt and asked in a mocking tone, "Boss, how should I listen to them? Three of us together, or one in the first half of the night and one in the second half?"

"You don't have to be so sarcastic with me. You can do whatever you want when the time comes." Jiang Xiaoniu clenched his fists and tried to speak to the woman calmly. He didn't want to anger the woman. If the woman committed suicide or ran away, he would have to sell the land.

The woman was so angry at Jiang Xiaoniu's words that she laughed. She deliberately put her arms around Jiang Xiaoniu's waist and asked him if he wanted it.

Jiang Xiaoniu swallowed his saliva, suppressed his inner anxiety, pushed the woman aside, and whispered that the rules must not be broken.

"You're a coward, a coward!" The woman sat up suddenly and kept tearing off Jiang Xiaoniu's clothes.

Jiang Xiaoniu pushed the woman away and loudly asked her if she was crazy.

The quarrel between the two woke up their two children who were sleeping not far away. The two children kept calling out in the dark: "Mom, Mom..."

The woman wiped the tears from her face, crawled out of bed, and stumbled to the children's cribs according to the direction she remembered. She whispered to the two children, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, Mom is here!"

The two children held the woman's hands and refused to let go, and the three of them squeezed into the small bed together.

The rain didn't stop until the next afternoon. Jiang Qingzhou and Song Li took shovels and dug at the edge of the vegetable field. Almost a foot of soil was soaked by rain water.

"Now we can rest assured, the wheat will definitely sprout." Jiang Qingzhou said to Song Li with a smile.

Song Li nodded happily, and then she and Jiang Qingzhou took Li Yi and Master Li to the riverbank to see the situation of the mulberry fields.

The rain not only alleviated the drought, but also washed away the dust on the mulberry trees. The mulberry leaves that were originally a little yellow now appear more green.

"Sister, the mulberry tree is so tall, taller than everyone else." Li Yi stood on tiptoe to compare her height with the mulberry tree. After five months of growth, the original small tender buds had become nearly two meters tall.

Song Li also stood together with Li Yi, and the two began to compete to see who could jump higher.

"Qingzhou, as far as I know, mulberry leaves have medicinal value after frost. You can go to the town's medical clinic and ask if they accept them." Master Li stroked his goatee and said to Jiang Qingzhou, who was standing aside and acting as a referee for Song Li and Li Yi.

Jiang Qingzhou quickly thanked Master Li and said that he would find time to go to the clinic to inquire about the situation.

"There are also Xanthium sibiricums. We have half a basket of Xanthium sibiricums at home!" Song Li, who had been listening to Jiang Qingzhou and Master Li's conversation, hurriedly added.

Jiang Qingzhou smiled and said that they would ask the doctor in the clinic together when the time comes.

The four of them then went to the river, where the water level had not changed much compared to before the rain.

Due to the continuous drought and the fact that the river is connected to the village's ditches, the water level at this time is almost half lower than in the summer.

The four people stood on the river bank and could clearly see the fish swimming in the river.

"Grandpa, brother, sister, let's go fishing when we have time!" Li Yi excitedly proposed to the three of them.

The three of them nodded, and Jiang Qingzhou went to the reed bush that had begun to turn yellow and found two relatively tender reed stalks. He broke them off and prepared to take them home for fishing.

The wind was very strong by the river, so Song Li and the other three stayed for a while and then left the riverbank.

After returning home, Jiang Qingzhou started to practice Kongming fishing. Jiang Qingzhou's action of sharpening the bamboo tip made Master Li feel particularly familiar. He took the dagger from Jiang Qingzhou's hand and began to try it himself to see if he could sharpen the bamboo tip.

Master Li's movements were very skillful and he quickly sharpened a bamboo stick.

Li Yi happily took the bamboo sticks and looked at them again and again. She said to Master Li happily, "Grandpa, you peel them very well. My sister taught me a while ago. I will go find a few more bamboo branches." After that, she skipped to the bamboo bush to pick out suitable bamboo branches.

Song Li took the opportunity to whisper to Master Li, who was still sharpening bamboo sticks, "Master, what happened will not be forgotten, it's just that you can't remember it for the time being. When the bump on your head goes away, maybe you will be able to remember the past."

"I hope it's just as Madam Jiang said. It doesn't matter whether I think about it or not. As long as Nian Nian and I can live a good life, that's enough." Master Li smiled frankly. Nothing is more important than letting go.

When the fields were a little dry, Song Li, Jiang Qingzhou, Li Yi and Li Fuzi planted garlic. That afternoon, Wu Mingshu and Yang Jing came to Song Li and asked her if she wanted to go to the county town together the day after tomorrow.