My 1995 Small Farm.

Chapter 115 Building a House
Not only did the sky clear up, but as the rainfall decreased over the past few days, the floodwaters also gradually receded.

So on June 28th, after breakfast, Chen Ling and Wang Susu began packing their things to return to the village.

But when I started packing, I realized that there were just too many chicken and duck eggs. It would be extremely inconvenient to carry them on the road, as they would easily break from bumps and knocks.

Having no other choice, Chen Ling had to carry a shoulder pole, hang two baskets of chicken and duck eggs on it, and go out to sell them. He said he was selling them, but in reality, he just put them away in his cave.

Prices will skyrocket after the floods.

He plans to sell eggs, duck eggs, vegetables, and watermelons together next time he comes to the city; the price will definitely be higher than it is now.

The sky had just cleared up, but the roads outside were still flooded.

While out, Chen Ling deposited the money from selling fish into his savings account. He also went to the small courtyard in the south of the city for a short visit, tidied up a bit, and then called Wang Susu and said goodbye to Liang Hongyu. He then led the cow and dog, loaded with his belongings, and headed home.

Along the way, there were many people like them returning to their villages from the county town; people from various villages and towns were there.

There's no place like home.

I've been hiding in the county town for half a month during the disaster, and I'm already homesick.

Not to mention, I don't even know what the situation is like at home right now. How can I feel at ease if I don't go back and take a look?

"Uncle Fugui, Aunt Susu, we're here."

As they walked out of the city and started up the mountain path, they saw Liu Nier standing on a large rock, shouting and waving at the two of them.

Beside her was Da Ni'er, carrying a bundle and a basket, but Wang Lixian and his wife were nowhere to be seen.

"Where are your father and mother?"

After Chen Ling and Wang Susu walked over, they asked.

"They went to call my fifth sister."

"My fifth sister had an exam, but it rained heavily and she couldn't come back from the city. My father and mother were very worried and called her for several days."

Liu Nier said, sniffling, but he was still young and couldn't express himself very clearly.

It was Da Ni'er who gestured and added her own explanation.

It means that the rain was too heavy this year, and we don't know if Wu Ni'er took the college entrance examination, but she is definitely stuck in the city now and can't go home. We don't know how she is doing.

Worried, Wang Lixian and Liu Yuzhi tried calling Wu Ni'er's school several times but couldn't get through. They finally got through yesterday, but the signal was bad, so they couldn't speak to Wu Ni'er. They have to call again today to check on her.

If that still doesn't work, Wang Lixian will probably have to make a trip to the city.

"Don't worry, you can definitely take the exam in the city."

"Due to the floods, trains are unavailable and passenger transport has been suspended, so you'll have to wait a while to get back. This is normal, so there's no need to worry too much."

Chen Ling comforted her.

2000年之前的高考，时间一般都在农历的六月，阳历则固定为7月7日、7月8日、7月9日这三天，后来因为这个季节降雨比较多，很多地方下起雨来都是奔着十天半月去下，非常影响考试，就在2003年把高考日期提前了一个月，改成了6月7日、6月8日、6月9日这三天。

This year's college entrance examination was originally scheduled for the 10th, 11th, and 12th days of the sixth lunar month, but it was hit by torrential rains and floods. The rain only started to subside after the 10th day. Based on this, it seems that this year's college entrance examination in this area will have to be postponed.

Da Ni'er had never traveled far from home and didn't understand whether Chen Ling was telling the truth or not. She was just as worried about her younger sister as Wang Lixian and his wife, and her face was still full of concern.

About twenty minutes later, Wang Lixian and Liu Yuzhi called back and said that Wu Nier was fine, her exam had been postponed, and she was staying in her school dormitory. Only then did Da Nier feel relieved.

The group then continued their journey together, accompanied by fellow villagers and people from nearby villages. The journey was lively and bustling, and after more than half a month, a sunny day finally arrived, putting everyone in a good mood.

But after crossing two mountain ridges and seeing the familiar yet unfamiliar reservoir and village, everyone fell silent.

After the floodwaters breached the dikes, farmland was destroyed, houses collapsed, crops were lost, and poultry and livestock either died or were lost...

Although no one lost their life in this flood, the extent of the damage was so great that for many villagers, it was no different from losing their lives.

The villagers were all in a state of grief, even the women stopped shouting and yelling, and just kept sighing as they returned home to clean up the mess left by the flood.

There's no way around it, life goes on, and people always have to look forward.

Around noon, people from the county and township arrived to assess the damage and to reinforce the reservoir dam, as the high water levels over the past few days had caused severe erosion of the dam.

The dam reinforcement work could not be completed in a day or two. In contrast, the extent of the disaster was quickly assessed: more than 200 houses collapsed and more than 1000 mu of farmland were flooded, almost resulting in total destruction. The total property loss was roughly estimated to exceed 30 yuan.

Nearly half of the households have only meager savings left, barely enough to make ends meet.

Many people's farmland was flooded, their houses were washed away, and the chickens, ducks, and pigs in their pens either died or ran away. The wheat they had just harvested was soaked in the flood for half a month and was now unusable.

In response, the county said there would be relief and various subsidies, help with house construction, and distribution of seeds. In addition, this year's levies and public grain would not need to be paid. The leaders gave a lot of assurances and then left. Some villagers helped clean up the dead fish and shrimp in the village, and then sprinkled lime everywhere.

After spreading lime, they went to help the elderly build thatched huts, otherwise it would be troublesome if the elderly had nowhere to stay at night.

These people worked in the village for most of the day before leaving one after another, leaving the villagers to continue their work. Compared to the villagers' losses, Chen Ling's family was relatively fortunate. Apart from the few old houses in the backyard being unusable and in dire need of repair due to flooding, the front yard was still habitable.

First, it's far from the reservoir and wasn't affected by the flood; it was just submerged. Second, the house in the front yard was a new house built before the wedding, and it's much better than the old house.

Because he had prepared in advance, the other losses to his family were not significant. In the countryside, the money from selling grain is the main source of income each year, and since he didn't plant any grain this year, he also took everything he could, such as chickens and ducks, with him.

Even when he was about to leave, if there were things he didn't have time to pack, he would use bricks to raise the mattress, put flour and other things on it, and then cover it with urea bags and plastic sheets. In this way, the flour was not soaked by the flood, except that it was a little damp, and it could still be eaten after drying.

The bedding, clothes, and other items were all packed up and placed on top of the wardrobe, where they wouldn't get wet and were basically unaffected.

So while other families had to build thatched huts outside the village to live in, Chen Ling and his wife didn't. Their house was still habitable, but on their first night back home, neither he nor Wang Susu slept well, nor did the family's dog and cow.

After the floodwaters receded, a large number of mosquitoes bred, disturbing people's sleep at night, causing them to toss and turn and become covered in itchy welts.

Enraged, Chen Ling swatted nearly a hundred mosquitoes to death, but to no avail.

The mosquito net is broken and unusable, and the few fire ropes left over from last year have long been soaked and ruined. The weather is hot and humid, and it's impossible to cover myself with a blanket, which is extremely annoying.

So Chen Ling, who had been bothered by mosquitoes all night, got up early and went up the mountain to cut grass without even cooking, in order to make some fire rope.

Fire ropes are common in mountain villages; they can repel mosquitoes and start fires, but they are mostly used to repel mosquitoes in the summer.

The best fire rope is made from mugwort, because it has a special fragrance. After being woven into a rope and dried, the smoke from the fire will release the mugwort's unique aroma, which will repel mosquitoes and other insects.

In addition, mugwort is more durable than other wormwoods; a single fire rope can burn for two nights, saving money and being harmless to the human body. It is much better than mosquito coils. This stuff has been used since the Song Dynasty, so it has a history of over a thousand years. If it were not good, it would have been eliminated long ago.

All morning, after Chen Ling finished cutting the mugwort, he sat in the yard making fire ropes, while Wang Susu sewed mosquito nets next to him. The mosquito nets were hung on the bed to be used when sleeping, so that mosquitoes could not get in. The fire ropes were lit when eating dinner or relaxing in the cool air after dinner, and then placed in the house to repel other insects.

In addition, it's also for the family's dogs and cows, otherwise they'll suffer from mosquito bites at night, and Chen Ling and Wang Susu won't be able to sleep well either.

After twisting about ten fire ropes, Chen Ling used a stick to lift them up and put them on the roof. In this weather, the sun is very strong, so they can be dried in an afternoon and used by evening, which is very convenient.

After finishing all that and thoroughly cleaning up the front yard, Chen Ling planned to clear out the debris from the back yard in the afternoon. He planned to tear down the old house in the next couple of days, as most families in the village were rebuilding their houses. He also wanted to take this opportunity to connect his front and back yards and rebuild the house.

However, when Wang Susu mentioned Wang Jusheng's family during lunch, Chen Ling temporarily put aside his thoughts.

Wang Jusheng, the eldest son, is not well-liked. He and his second son, Wang Juxiang, both live relatively close to the reservoir. However, while the second son's house collapsed, his parents took care of it, but the eldest son was neglected. The couple had to raise two children and rebuild their house, which was a real problem.

"No, Jusheng is too embarrassed to ask us, but we can't not go. We have to go and lend a hand no matter what."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling lost his appetite, put down his chopsticks, and got up to leave.

Now everyone in the village knows that Chen Ling is on good terms with both Wang Lixian and Wang Jusheng's families. If this guy doesn't even show his face, then they shouldn't associate with him anymore.

"Helping is one thing, but you should finish your meal first."

Wang Susu stopped him and said, "Don't rush, I'll go with you after we finish eating."

Chen Ling thought about it and agreed. Putting everything else aside, Wang Jusheng's family now has two children at home, and Zhang Qiaoling can't manage on her own. Wang Susu would also be able to help out.

So they quickly finished their meal, locked the door, and the two of them took the ox and went to Wang Jusheng's house.

When they arrived, they found that most of Wang Jusheng's houses had collapsed. The couple were wearing straw hats and had towels covering their faces, cleaning out tiles and bricks. These things would be useful when rebuilding the house, so they were picking them out to save materials.

As for the exposed rafters and the crooked earthen wall, the two of them didn't care about them at all.

Chen Ling glanced over and saw Wang Jusheng's eldest daughter, Dandan, squatting nearby with Datou, playing in the mud. When Datou saw him coming, his eyes lit up, and he stretched out his arms and toddled towards him, calling out indistinctly.

Chen Ling picked up Da Tou, walked over and punched Wang Jusheng in the chest, annoyed that he was being too polite and not asking anyone else for help, not even him.

Wang Jusheng took a punch, but just looked up and grinned at him. Zhang Qiaoling couldn't help but feel her eyes welling up with tears. She quickly wiped her eyes and laughed along. Then she waved her hand to stop Wang Susu from coming over, telling her to stay outside and watch over the two children.

"Sister-in-law, come out too. Jusheng and I can handle this little bit of work."

As Chen Ling spoke, he called the little white calf to his side: "Look, I even brought the calf with me. This house will be demolished quickly."

Since he had come over, the two of them stopped being polite to him. Zhang Qiaoling gave him the straw hat and found a clean towel for him to wrap around his neck. Then she led Da Tou and Wang Susu to hide to the side.

Demolishing a house is easy, building a house is difficult.

However, demolishing a house is also quite dangerous, especially a house that has collapsed halfway. If a beam falls down, it could kill someone. In particular, the roofs of houses in mountain villages are built with multiple beams arranged in a triangle, and then purlins are placed on top to lay the tiles. If the demolition is not done properly, it will not be just one beam, but multiple beams falling down together, which is extremely dangerous.

So Chen Ling led the ox over, found a thick, long rope, chiseled a hole in the wall, threaded the rope through, tied a thick wooden stick around it several times, and tripped the wall. He then drove the ox to pull it, and the wall collapsed immediately.

If the house is intact, you can't demolish the load-bearing parts first, but now that it's mostly collapsed, we didn't care about that anymore. The two men and the ox demolished the house in less than an hour, making a constant rumbling noise and filling the air with dust that was very choking.

Many people who heard the commotion came to watch the spectacle. They thought the demolition was quite exciting and fast, and they also had the idea of ​​asking Chen Ling to lead the ox to help. However, Chen Ling had no intention of paying attention to them. Just then, Wang Lixian came over with his family, so they went to talk to Wang Lixian and his family. Wang Lixian was also a little annoyed that Wang Jusheng hadn't called him.

But he wasn't too late, because the real hard work was yet to come. He had to clear out all the usable beams, rafters, and other materials for later use, discard the waste, and then compact the foundation several times. Only after the foundation was solid could the house be rebuilt.

(End of this chapter)