Dressed as a farmer's widow, she brought her daughter to stock up on food and reached the top

After the hailstorm, Futian Village gradually settled down from the chaos.

Only Zhao Cunliang and Zhou Dazhui were worried and lived a tight life.

The other people in the village followed Xiuying in planting drought-resistant and high-yield rice, and now every household's granary was full.

Walking on the small paths in the village, you can hear laughter coming from every household.

"This year's harvest is really thanks to Xiuying!" someone sighed.

"Yes, if she hadn't led us to grow rice, we wouldn't know how hungry we would be!"

When Zhao Cunliang passed by and heard these words, he felt even more uncomfortable and secretly blamed himself for thinking of stealing the seedlings and making such a solemn oath.

Zhou Dazhu squatted at the door of his house, smoking a pipe, looking at the full granaries of other people's houses, and sighed.

Xiuying's home was also bustling with activity. People came to thank her one after another, but she just smiled and said, "This is all the result of everyone's hard work."

After experiencing hardships, the entire Futian Village presents two completely different scenes.

Zhao Cunliang looked at his three brick and tile houses, which were once magnificent but now looked desolate, and felt bitter. His family was once the enviable wealthy family in the village, with no worries about food and clothing, and lived a comfortable life.

But now, everything has changed. He stood in the yard in dejection, recalling the prosperous past.

Zhao Cunliang stared blankly at the rooftop with a hollow look in his eyes, muttering to himself, "Back in the day, our Zhao family was so prosperous. Who could have imagined we would end up like this?"

Tian Guilan came out of the house, her face full of worry, complaining: "It's already this time, what's the point of still talking about all that? Let's think about what to do next!"

Zhao Cunliang sighed helplessly and turned to look at Tian Guilan with a tired expression: "What can we do? Life is getting harder and harder."

The three brick and tile houses stood there alone, as if they were still silently telling the story of the Zhao family's former glory, but this glory had long since disappeared like a passing cloud, never to return.

……

Xiuying's family is having the best time in the village. The ewe in her family has given birth to lambs again. Xiuying is busy at home when Wang Shufang hurried over.

Wang Shufang panted as she said, "Xiuying, come with me quickly. My father-in-law wants to discuss something with you."

Xiuying put down her work and asked with a puzzled look on her face, "What's the rush?"

Wang Shufang pulled her out and said as they walked, "I'm not too sure. I just know they invited a few elderly people from the village who had experienced hailstorms, apparently to discuss what to do after the hailstorm."

Xiuying quickened her pace and followed Wang Shufang to the village chief's house.

At the village chief's house, several elderly people sat together, their faces full of traces of time, and they were immersed in memories.

Grandma Zhang, with gray hair, said in a trembling voice: "After the hailstorm that year, the plague broke out. The scene was really terrible!" Her eyes revealed fear and helplessness.

Uncle Li went on to say, "That's right. Many families have suffered. People die every day, and the cries are deafening." He shook his head as he spoke, his weathered face filled with grief.

Grandpa Liu coughed a few times and said slowly: "At that time, there was a shortage of medical care and medicine. Everyone could only watch their loved ones fall one after another, but there was nothing they could do." After saying that, he wiped the corners of his eyes with his dry hands.

The village chief sat aside, listening to the old people's memories with a serious expression, his brows furrowed, and he fell into deep thought.

Xiuying stood aside, listening quietly, her heart filled with worry.

The village chief looked solemn as he looked around at everyone present and said, "If a plague breaks out, the first thing the court will do is seal off the village."

When everyone heard this, they all looked horrified.

An old man said in a trembling voice: "Seal off the village? Then won't we be trapped here?"

The village chief nodded gravely and continued, "This is the court's usual practice to prevent the spread of the plague. Once the village is sealed, the flow of supplies in and out will be strictly restricted. We must prepare in advance."

Xiuying frowned and said worriedly, "What about the patients in the village? We can't do without enough medicinal materials."

The village chief sighed and said, "So we have to discuss countermeasures now and see how we can prevent the plague. If it does happen, we can also do our best to deal with it."

Ma Ergun sat on the doorstep and said, "The court doesn't care about the lives of us ordinary people at all."

Upon hearing this, the village chief's expression froze, and he quickly said, "Second Stick, don't say that! The court may have its own difficulties and considerations, but we are located in a remote area, so rescue is bound to be delayed. But no matter what, we can't just rely on the court; we have to find a way to overcome this difficulty ourselves."

An old man also trembled and said, "Yes, there's no point in complaining. Our ancestors have lived here for generations, and it's not the first time we've encountered disasters and epidemics. We have to rely on ourselves and unite."

Xiuying bit her lip, her eyes showing determination: "We can't just sit there and wait for death. Even if the court can't take care of us, we have to help each other and overcome the difficulties together."

Everyone nodded, hope and determination rekindled in their eyes.

The village chief, with a serious expression, led everyone to the old locust tree. He held the gong hammer tightly in his hand, took a deep breath, and struck the gong hard.

"Ding-ding-ding-" the sound of the gong echoed in the village, breaking the original tranquility.

When the villagers heard this familiar and nervous voice, they ran out of their homes and gathered towards the old locust tree.

The children hid behind the adults, looking around with curiosity and fear.

The village chief put down his hammer and said loudly, "Fellow villagers, it's time for us to face difficulties together again!"

There was a commotion in the crowd, everyone was whispering to each other, their faces full of worry and anxiety.

"Everyone, be quiet! Listen to me!" the village chief raised his voice. "We must unite as one and be prepared to deal with any possible plague!"

Under the old locust tree, the village chief's voice was firm and powerful, bringing a sense of stability to the panicked villagers.

At this moment, Tian Guilan ran over angrily. Her face flushed red, her eyes wide, and as soon as she saw Xiuying standing under the old locust tree, she started cursing at the top of her voice.

"Xiuying, you're a jinx! Our family is so unlucky because of you!" Tian Guilan cursed and waved her arms, looking very fierce.

Xiuying was stunned by the sudden insults, frowning and said, "Sister-in-law, what are you talking about?"

Tian Guilan refused to give in and continued to shout, "What are you talking about? Humph! You're such a bad mouth. Good things don't work, but bad things always work. One moment you say there's a drought, the next you say there's hail. What are you trying to do now?"

The surrounding villagers all looked at her sideways and pointed fingers at Tian Guilan's behavior.