When the pears are green

Song Li lay there for a while and then felt very bored. She got up and looked through the books left by the old man in the wooden box, and picked up a copy of "The Story of Li Wa" and prepared to read it while lying on the bed.

Song Li felt pain in her eyes as she walked and flipped through the pages. She threw "The Story of Li Wa" on the stool beside the bed and turned to look at the newly born rabbits in the yard.

The mother rabbit gave birth to five baby rabbits a few days ago, but since it is difficult to find green grass now, Song Li decided not to let the rabbits reproduce again until the beginning of next spring.

Thinking of this, Song Li looked up at the still high sun, wondering when this autumn drought would end. People originally thought it was just an ordinary drought. It had not rained for a month, and many rumors had spread in the village. Some even said that it was because the village head Jiang An had done something bad that it did not rain. Jiang An and his wife were so angry that they walked around the village and cursed for several days.

Song Li heard from Jiang Cailian yesterday that the head of the village had no choice but to ask Jiang Qian to write him a document praying for rain, saying that as long as the Dragon King sent rain within half a month, he would invite a troupe to perform for three consecutive days at the Dragon King Temple in the town.

"Alas, instead of praying to the Dragon King, it would be better to pray for the cold air to move south soon. Maybe it will even bring some frontal rain." Song Li said to herself. She didn't want to have to experience another famine or banditry caused by drought.

Song Li patted her face. She decided to go to the village entrance to check the cabbages in the field and wait for Jiang Qingzhou and Jiang Qingye to come back. Sitting at home alone, she would only have wild thoughts.

The cabbages in the field were still quite juicy. Song Li stood at the edge of the field and looked around. At this time last year, people had already started plowing the fields, but this year due to the drought, people only cut the corn stalks and left the fields untouched.

A few villagers on the roadside were discussing what to do if it didn't rain.

"If it doesn't rain, just water it. There's water in the river." said a man in his thirties.

Another young man in his twenties added worriedly: "If it doesn't rain, the water in the river will dry up."

The man in his thirties pushed the young man and told him, "Let's focus on the present. If God really forces us to flee, there is nothing we can do."

The young man then asked: "Where to escape to?"

Another thinner young man angrily scolded: "Why are you talking so much? How did you know that he would run away? What if he doesn't have to run away?"

"That's right, he only says bad things. If he really runs away, we won't take him with us." The man in his thirties said this and spat at the young man's feet.

The three of them became more and more excited as they talked, and they almost got into a fight on the side of the road. In the end, they were scolded by the village head who was passing by, and the three of them went back home in shame.

Song Li shifted her gaze to the intersection leading to the town. She saw Jiang Qingzhou and Jiang Qingye pulling a whole cart of bricks from afar, and hurried over to help.

"Xiao Li, you don't have to push, the two of us can do it." Jiang Qingzhou turned and said to Song Li.

Song Li smiled and shook her head. She told Jiang Qingzhou: "I am completely well now. I came here specially to wait for you. Let's go back quickly."

Jiang Qingzhou saw that Song Li looked much better than when he left home, so he didn't say anything else. The three of them arrived home quickly. They unloaded the bricks directly at the gate of the new house, preparing to build the wall directly after dinner.

Song Li asked Jiang Qingye to sit here and watch the bricks. She and Jiang Qingzhou went to the riverbank to dig a cart of soil to use for mud making.

The three of them worked until the stars twinkled in the night sky, and finally they completed the wall.

In the next few days, Song Li and the other two first pulled out the weeds in the new house, and then reclaimed the entire yard.

Song Li originally wanted to plant garlic sprouts on all the land, but the wooden boards at home plus the ones Jiang Qingzhou bought in Jiangjia Village and Zhanggou Village could only cover two-thirds of the land.

The other one-third was planted with cabbage. Although it was a little late in the season, Song Li did not expect the cabbage to grow, and only wanted to eat it as a small vegetable.

After ten busy days, the three members of the Jiang family finally had some free time.

In two days, the school would start again, so Wu Mingde sent Song Xing over from Wuzhuang Village.

"Sister and brother-in-law, Dad was going to come too, but Mom was not feeling well, so he troubled Brother Wu to bring me here. These two bags of food were also asked by Mom and Dad to be brought here." Song Xing explained to Song Li and Jiang Qingzhou while taking his clothes from the ox cart.

Song Li hurriedly asked Zhang what was wrong.

Song Xing quickly explained that Zhang just had a cold and was almost recovered.

Song Li finally felt relieved. She and Jiang Qingzhou hurriedly thanked Wu Mingde. Wu Mingde smiled and said that they were all family and there was no need to be so polite.

Jiang Qingzhou asked about the opening date of the county school.

Wu Mingde answered while helping Jiang Qingzhou move food to the west room: "School starts in five days. I came here to discuss the time to go to the county school with Yun An. We two want to go together to see if we can be assigned to the same public dormitory."

Wu Mingde drank a glass of water at Jiang's house, then said goodbye and went directly to Li's house.

The two agreed to go to the county school from the town together on September 2nd. Wu Mingde then wanted Li Yunan to go with him to Yang's house to pick up Wu Mingshu.

"Mingde, go by yourself. I don't want to go." Li Yun'an casually opened a book to cover up his uncomfortable expression.

Wu Mingde was used to traveling with Li Yun'an, and he couldn't help but ask Li Yun'an why.

"I want to read a few more pages of books at home." Li Yun'an made up an excuse. After the incident of "Dale Fu", Li Yun'an had been staying at home. He was afraid of meeting Yang Jing if he went out.

Wu Mingde took the book from Li Yun'an's hand and told him with a smile: "Uncle Li said that you have been staying at home for ten days, so he asked me to take you out to relax."

Li Yun'an wanted to snatch the book from Wu Mingde's hand. The two of them pulled each other, and finally Li Yun'an was dragged to Yang's house by Wu Mingde.

When the two men saw Yang Jing lying furtively at the gate of his house and looking into the yard, they came over.

"Miss Yang, what are you looking at? My elder sister came to see you today. Did you just come back from outside?" Wu Mingde asked curiously.

Yang Jing looked at Wu Mingde hesitantly, and after some ideological struggle, she finally whispered that she had just come out of home.

Li Yun'an smiled as he looked at Yang Jing who was lying seriously. He reached out and pulled Yang Jing aside, leaving a gap in the door for Wu Mingde.

Wu Mingde had a bad feeling in his heart, and he quickly leaned over the crack of the door to look into the Yang family yard, just in time to see Yang Yu hugging Wu Mingshu. With his eyes blazing, he pushed open the door, walked up to the stunned Yang Yu and Wu Mingshu, and swung his fist directly at Yang Yu.

Yang Yu's nose was bleeding. He reached out to wipe the blood. He protected Wu Mingshu, who had come to her senses, behind him, and let the angry Wu Mingde vent all his anger on him.

Just as Wu Mingde was about to attack again, Li Yun'an, who had run over from outside, hugged him around the waist. Li Yun'an asked Wu Mingde to calm down first.

"Yun'an, you didn't see what he did to my elder sister. If someone did this to Lingling, would you remain calm?" After Wu Mingde finished speaking, Li Yun'an let go of his hand, and Wu Mingde swung another punch at Yang Yu's chin.

Yang Jing quickly protected Yang Yu. She said to Wu Mingde with a guilty look on her face, "My third brother is weak and can't stand your beating. If you want to hit him, hit me. I'll take the beating for him and I won't fight back."

"Jing'er, this is my business. You don't need to stand up for me. Get up." Yang Yu wanted to pull Yang Jing aside, but Yang Jing, who was always strong, grabbed his arm and he couldn't move.

Wu Mingde felt like he was about to laugh out of anger, and he scolded Yang Jing for being a cheat.

"I'm not being naughty. Even though my brother was wrong, he is my brother after all. I can't just watch him suffer." Yang Jing defended herself in a low voice.

Li Yun'an was afraid that Wu Mingde would really hit Yang Jing in a fit of impulse, so he quickly grabbed Wu Mingde and asked him to ask clearly before making any plans.