I farmed and built a villa in ancient times

Chapter 36 Shelter from the Rain in the Orchard
The cuckoo's cry came from the forest. Zhou Chenyu was lying on the table and fell asleep. When he heard Li Xiuju's cry outside the house, he hurriedly got up and walked out.

There were still leftover mountain crabs fried a few days ago, so Li Xiuju used them to make a pot of porridge and stir-fry a plate of fresh and green water bracken.

Because there was an extra person, Li Xiuju was worried that the food would not be enough. It happened that the chives in the vegetable garden had grown, and they would become old and wilted if they were not picked, so she fried a chive egg pancake, and the fragrance filled the outside of the house.

Li Xiuju went outside to call Baoyu and Zhou Wanqiu to come back for dinner. Zhou Chenyu hurriedly went into the kitchen to get bowls and chopsticks, and heard an old and vicissitudes of questioning, "What are you cooking? It's so fragrant?"

When she heard the sound, she looked up and saw a gray-haired old man in his seventies standing outside the window. His clothes were ragged, skinny, and his teeth were almost missing.

Zhou Chenyu didn't know this person, but we all lived in the same village. If we go back several generations, we might be related by blood.Moreover, asking these questions among village neighbors is just a way of greeting each other.

She looked at the old man with a kind face and no malice, and smiled and said back to him, "There are plenty of fried water bracken, picked up from the creek."

The old man stood there and giggled, as if he couldn't hear her.

She repeated what she had just said twice. The old man smiled and waved his hand, and hobbled away while holding on to the wooden stick.

"He is deaf and can't hear what you say." Li Xiuju stood outside the kitchen, staring at his back.

"Deaf?" Zhou Chenyu frowned, and the old man's strange behavior made it clear at once: "No wonder he answered so strangely, because he couldn't hear him. Then where is his home?"

Li Xiuju shook her head, "I heard about it too. He was a lonely old man in Qingshui Town. His only son died in an accident a few years ago. His daughter-in-law remarried with the child. Since then, he has lost his hearing. Sometimes He is also very nervous and has been wandering around the towns and villages, giving food to any kind-hearted person he meets. His surname seems to be Zhang, and everyone calls him Deaf Zhang."

The three greatest tragedies in life are the loss of a father in childhood, the loss of a wife in middle age, and the loss of a son in old age.

"What a pitiful man." Zhou Chenyu couldn't help but sigh.

Li Xiuju gently stroked Zhou Chenyu's back and came to the dining table with bowls and chopsticks. She first scooped out a bowl of porridge full of fried crabs and gave it to Zhou Wanqiu. "I cooked a lot of food today. If it's not enough, I'll add more."

Baoyu smiled and said, "Yes, Sister Wanqiu, my sister and I picked up these fried crabs in the back mountain. They are delicious. You must try more."

Zhou Wanqiu took the bowl obediently, "Hey, I know."

Several people sat around the table. Zhou Chenyu sat next to Zhou Wanqiu. From the corner of his eye, he watched her pick up her chopsticks and carefully put a little egg cake into the bowl. It was only the size of a peanut, but she chewed dozens of bites.

When Baoyu had the big-head shrimp, she asked her how it tasted. She smiled and nodded and said it was delicious.

Zhou Chenyu put a large piece of egg cake into her bowl, and Zhou Wanqiu looked up in fear.

Zhou Chenyu took a big bite and secretly said: "Like me, I only have the strength to beat people when I'm full."

Zhou Wanqiu looked at her intently, with a smile on his lips.

Li Xiuju looked at the children with relief and saw dark clouds coming from the sky. "It hasn't rained for a long time in this season. If it rains tonight, I can go into the mountains to pick up some summer solstice fungi tomorrow. If I'm lucky, I'll catch a lot of them," she said. You can keep it for yourself and eat it, or you can sell it."

"Mom, you are not allowed to go again!" Baoyu replied dully, "Last year you went to pick up summer solstice fungi and fell from the top of the mountain. Your feet hurt and are still not healed. I can go alone."

what?
Zhou Chenyu listened and found out that this was how Li Xiuju's foot injury was caused.

"You are a stupid boy. You go alone and don't know where to find summer solstice fungi." Li Xiuju was both amused and worried.

makes sense.Zhou Chenyu raised his eyebrows. She could do everything about finding bamboo shoots. The weight of mushrooms was much lighter than bamboo shoots, so she believed it would not be a problem. "Old lady, what does the gallbladder fungus look like? Where are there usually more of them? Tell me. He said, Baoyu and I will go pick it up."

Li Xiuju was about to answer when Zhou Wanqiu, who had been eating silently, spoke up, "Auntie, sister, I have followed my mother-in-law into the mountains to pick up summer solstice fungi since I was seven years old. I know where they are. I will go with my sister and Baoyu tomorrow. "

"Okay, okay, mother, are you relieved this time?"

Having said that, Li Xiuju said nothing more and added some vegetables to Zhou Wanqiu's bowl.Halfway through the meal for the four of them, dark clouds covered the sun above the yard, and a storm was about to come.

Dried radishes are also dried on the eaves. If they have been exposed to rain, they will not only taste bad, but also easily become moldy and spoilage.The radishes we worked so hard to grow cannot be wasted like this.

"It is going to rain."

Li Xiuju quickly put down the dishes and chopsticks and ran to the yard to collect the dustpan. Seeing this, the other people also followed out. Baoyu and Zhou Wanqiu helped dry the radishes, and Zhou Chenyu put away the clothes.

They packed up their things in a hurry, and a downpour hit them immediately. The rainwater was like marbles hitting the tiles, with rumbles of thunder and a few astonishing flashes of lightning. The ditch in front of the courtyard was filled with water very quickly. Overflowing the curb.

The summer rain in Qingshui Town is not as long and gentle as spring. It comes quickly and violently, and it is cloudy and sunny.

It rained once at noon, and after the rain passed and the sky cleared, there was lightning and thunder again at night, and the entire night sky was lit up by lightning.

The rain caused the almost dry pond to overflow. The green duckweed was swayed by ripples, and frogs and toads were driven to the edge to croak.

Only a few water hyacinths remained stubbornly rooted in place, despite the purple water hyacinth flowers growing out drifting in the rain.

It rained at night and the temperature dropped sharply.

Zhou Chenyu closed the window, listened to the croaking of frogs outside, and had a good, safe and comfortable sleep.

The next day, the rain stopped.They made an appointment with Zhou Wanqiu to have breakfast, and then met at the fork of the mountain road in the vegetable garden behind the house.

Zhou Chenyu and Baoyu each took a backpack and walked to the agreed foot of the mountain.

Zhou Wanqiu had been waiting here for a long time. When he saw them approaching, he felt like meeting long-lost relatives. He couldn't hold back the joy in his heart and said, "Sister Shen Yu, Baoyu."

Zhou Chenyu saw that she was much more relaxed than yesterday. He thought it was because of the friendship between her and the piece of chive egg pancake. Sincerity was indeed a surefire skill.

She said, "Everyone is here, let's set off."

The place where they stood was a fork. To the east was a slope road leading to the top of the mountain at an angle of nearly [-] degrees. To the north was a gentle path around the mountain, which could also lead to the top of the mountain, but it required many detours.

Baoyu habitually walked up steep slopes and took shortcuts, "I am the only man. Today I will lead the way for my two sisters."

Zhou Wanqiu glanced at the road to the north and hesitated, "Okay, I'll do whatever you want."

"What are you listening to?" Zhou Chenyu grabbed Baoyu's arm and scolded him: "Are you rushing to be reincarnated? Do you know where there is gallinobacteria? Listen to your sister Wan Qiu."

(End of this chapter)