Chapter Sixty-Four: Great Calamity, Only Self-Rescue!

ted to see Jiaren had invited a good master and they all came forward to offer their congratulations."Congratulations, Mr. Wen, you have a good disciple.""Yes, Mr. Wen, you don't know that Jiaren is t...There's ten acres of land near my home. We draw water from a well for the fields close by, and for those farther away we bring it from the river. 。People in each village were also impatient and couldn't wait any longer, they all went to the riverbank to fetch water. 。The once shallow river has now exposed vast stretches of its bed, much to the delight of mischievous boys in the village. 。Each person carried a bucket, catching fish and picking up clams. They wished it wouldn't get dark so they could stay out longer. 。Home is peaceful and joyful, Jia'an knows how to behave, always helping out in the field by watering the crops. 。Grandma Li felt sorry for her grandson, so she chased them out to play for a while. 。This really excited Jia Yin, the small courtyard now had dozens of duck and goose eggs, and they hadn't eaten fish in a long time. 。The most important thing is that the two older brothers are supportive, and her fish pond can also have a few more fish fry. 。Li Laotai bent over to water the plants, then stood up to scoop up more water. She was so tired her head swam. 。At this time, the granddaughter insisted on going to see the commotion. She decided to take a day off for herself and leisurely followed behind her grandson. 。The villagers, some busy drawing water and watering the crops, greeted her as she passed by. 。"Auntie, we're so envious of you" 。Our house also has a water truck, which saves effort and our children and grandchildren are numerous. 。This is really where you can see the benefits. 。“Well,

Li Lao looked distressed and waved her hand, “You only see these things, why don’t you look at my thirty acres of land Even if there were ten more mouths, they wouldn’t be able to water it all!”

Everyone thought about it and felt a sense of balance in their hearts. They quickly got to work.

Mrs. Li brought her grandchildren to the riverbank. Jiaxi and Ji'an ran off to catch little fish. 。Jiao Yin secretly directed Grandma to collect duck eggs and goose eggs. 。A bunch of green-shelled duck eggs, a pile of goose eggs the size of fists, who wouldn't love to see them Even Li Laotai, whose heart was full of worries, couldn't help but smile. 。Jiā'ān and Jiāxǐ also cheered, they caught a lot of small fish. 。Jia Yin hurriedly struggled over there, and when she got closer, she took advantage of her brother's inattention 。She then poured the small fish into the pond in her courtyard and exchanged them for two large grass carp. 。

Jiā'ānjiāxǐ huí shēn fāxiàn, jīngyù de mǒu zhāo dào liè kāi le.

Let me break down the translation for you:* **家安家喜 (Jiā'ān jiā xǐ):** This appears to be two names combined, possibly "Jia An" and "Jia Xi".* **回身發現 (huí shēn fāxiàn):** This translates to "turned around and discovered". * **驚訝的 (jīngyù de):** This means "surprised".* **嘴巴 (mǒu zhāo):** This is "mouth".* **都要裂開了 (dào yǒu liè kāi le):** This means "was about to split open".Let me know if you'd like help understanding any other Chinese phrases!。Li Laotai's grandson clapped his hands once, and then put the duck eggs and goose eggs into the bucket, yelling 。"What are you looking at Thanks to your sister, we have fish for dinner tonight." 。"

Jia An Jia Xi kept his mouth tightly shut, as if he was afraid that the fish would run away once he opened it. 。Two people carried the bucket quickly, but there were too many people on the road, so they were still seen. 。Naturally, everyone was eager to get some. So they didn't water the land anymore; young and old flocked to the riverbank, searching for duck eggs and fishing. 。It's a pity, not to mention duck eggs, there aren't many big fish or small fish either. 。That night, the Li family steamed glutinous rice and braised grass carp with tofu. 。Jia Yin held a bowl of egg custard, mixing in a few pieces of white fish meat, and ate with delight. 。Several elderly gentlemen from the Zhao family next door also received a full earthenware pot of stewed fish. 。This is a rare and good dish. A treasured half-bottle of fiery liquor, which Zhao Shu had kept for ages, was also taken out. 。A few old brothers, half a bowl of wine each, enjoying fish and drinks together. 。These few days, they haven't been idle either. 。They can't do the heavy work of carrying water, but they took over feeding and watering the donkeys, irrigating the fields, chopping wood at home, and sweeping the yard. 。But even so, they still felt uneasy in their hearts, always feeling that they had taken advantage of the Li family. 。Last autumn's harvest was taken to Li's house when it was pooled together. 。Even if you put them together, it's only four hundred pounds, not enough for them to eat for a few months. 。That's not enough, eating big fish and meat every few days... 。especially in this weather, if the autumn harvest fails, how can we possibly afford to keep them fed Zhao Shu was the first to speak. 。Otherwise, let's call the village head and go to Li's family again. 。This year, let's get our land back. 。Thus, with the autumn harvest failing, the Li family wouldn't have to keep us around for nothing. 。Otherwise, the Li family would be at a great disadvantage. 。"Yes, Li Jia is really good at playing mind games." 。When the time comes and there is no harvest in the fields, we won't starve because then we can only buy food with silver. 。"How much silver would that take! Even with a thick wallet, it wouldn't make sense to keep all of us old geezers alive!" 。The rest of the old men also chimed in. 。They are also action-oriented. After the meal, fueled by alcohol, they called the village head over. 。Both the village chief and the Li family were confused, not knowing what the old men were up to. 。As a result, when the elders mentioned taking back the land, the Li family immediately understood their intentions. 。This is a drought, I'm afraid there will be no harvest in autumn. 。Li Laotai shook her head at that. 。"No way, several elder brothers, you guys think about..." 。If there is a bountiful harvest in autumn, besides your rations, there will be plenty left over. 。"Our family sold silver. Would you like to come and get some"

"Of course not!" The old men all glared. 。"Is that something humans would do Your family works the land, earns money, of course it's yours" 。As we previously agreed, all we need is food. 。"Only take what you need to survive, the rest is not needed!"

That's it. 。"Li Laotai smiled and wiped the drool from her granddaughter's face." 。"Whether our crops are good or bad, that's our family's business. " 。If you can make money, then I'll take care of your salary. If you can't make money, then forget about it. 。"That's not how it works!" "This is different, this year we might have a complete crop failure!" Several old men panicked, "You guys are probably going to have to buy food yourselves, and still keep supporting us old folks That would be too much of a loss!" 。"Indeed, Uncle Zhao..." 。Li Lao'er quickly consoled. 。"Having an elderly person at home is like having a treasure, something other families would envy." 。Besides, when the fourth brother came back from the south, he said there was a severe drought. Our family had been prepared for it early on. 。Li Laotai also nodded, “Yes, you can rest assured.” 。" Their words weren't too clear, but the village head and the old men all understood. 。Several people let out a long sigh of relief. The Li family had stockpiled grain in advance, prepared for a year with no harvest. 。After thinking for a moment, the village head said: 。"Well, let's leave it at that for now. Autumn is indeed a difficult time. Be sure to tell your family..." 。“Of course, we're all family, eating from the same pot.” 。If we have enough to eat, let's eat together. If we are hungry, we should naturally work together to find a solution. 。"This "family" of three words from Old Lady Li, made the few old gentlemen laugh even wider." 。They looked at each other and stopped insisting on taking back the land. 。After that, they entrusted the rest of their lives, the next ten or so years, to the Li family. 。When things get serious, they're willing to risk their lives to protect the Li family. 。We're all family... The village head remembered each household and as he left, he went around encouraging those with little grain to buy more in the city quickly. He urged those who were lazy and waiting for rain to hurry up and water their crops. 。At this point, besides saving yourself, don't expect anyone else to help. 。The next day, some people still went to the city to sell grain, but they came back empty-handed!The price of grain in the city was double what it was half a month ago. 。Everyone's heart was pounding, and the feeling of dread grew stronger. 。The number of people going up the mountain suddenly increased. 。Anything green that can be put into the mouth and won't kill you, is plucked back. 。Just have a quick bite to tide yourself over and save your rations. That way, you can last a few more days. 。There was an elderly person in the field, continuously bowing their head and praying. 。Pray to the heavens for rain, save the crops. 。Unfortunately, the sun was shining brightly in the sky with not a single cloud. 。On the contrary, those families living in higher elevations in the village ran out of water in their wells. 。One, two, three... Half a month later, most of the wells in the village had run dry. 。From afar, the mountains and forests seemed to wear a touch of autumnal yellow. 。 chili peppers, green chili peppers, and even half-red and half-green ones have been brought into the kitchen in several baskets. The pungent smell makes passersby pinch their noses and run quickly pa...