Old Lady Hua had already anticipated it, but hearing the old man say it aloud still made her heart ache. After all, they had lived there for decades, and everything inside and outside the house was acquired bit by bit, with emotions attached.
Feeling a twinge in her nose, Old Lady Hua sat down next to the old man and patted his hand.
"It’s okay. We’ll just rebuild the house later. Our family being safe and sound is more important than anything."
"Yes, as long as we’re all okay," Old Man Hua nodded, pulling a strained smile at his wife.
Hua Chengtian, standing to the side, watched his parents with concern. Fortunately, although the two of them were sad for a while, they quickly recovered, which eased his mind.
Jin’er was even more lively, joking around as she cuddled next to her grandparents, making them restless.
When feeling down, keeping busy can prevent one from overthinking. Finding sothing to do is the right approach.
Jin’er also felt sad about losing the house, but as long as they had silver, there was nothing to fear, provided they could survive the disasters sent down by heaven.
"Grandpa and Grandma, we don’t know how long this rain will last. Shouldn’t we return to our old trade?"
"Old trade?" The old couple looked at each other, puzzled, as they looked at their granddaughter.
So... what exactly was their old trade?
Jin’er burst into laughter: "Grandpa, Grandma, have you forgotten about our winter vegetables?"
"The rain is so heavy, and it doesn’t seem like it will stop anyti soon. Although we packed the vegetables from ho, fresh ones won’t last long. Haven’t we brought the boxes for planting vegetables with us? It’s ti for you to shine again."
She winked at the old couple, speaking with rhythm and enthusiasm.
Seeing their granddaughter trying hard to find them sothing to do to divert their attention, Old Lady Hua and Old Man Hua couldn’t help but laugh.
"That’s right, our Jin’er was thoughtful and tily—indeed, we can’t just sit around and consu what we have," Old Lady Hua affectionately gazed at her granddaughter.
"What are we waiting for? Let’s plant now," Old Man Hua’s interest was piqued as well.
The child was right. Instead of spending ti wallowing in self-pity, it’s better to plant so vegetables so everyone has food to eat.
Saying this, he headed towards the boxes filled with soil placed deep inside.
Transporting these boxes was quite a task as well, and both the household’s ox and horse were exhausted. Thanks to them, the family saved considerable effort.
Having successfully stirred up his grandparents’ enthusiasm, Jin’er felt secretly proud and happily tagged along to join her grandfather in the work.
For this, Hua Chengtian even gave his daughter an appreciative glance before quickly joining in to help.
Since they decided to plant vegetables, they aid to do it well. Ultimately, they decided to move all the boxes outside the cave under the rocks.
Inside the cave, there’s no sunlight all year round. Although vegetables can grow, they won’t flourish without light.
Below the rocks, although it’s enclosed, there were a few windows left open at the top when the stones were laid, allowing so daylight in.
Of course, Hua Yunao and his brother didn’t dare stay idle and joined in to help, lest they received stern looks from their grandfather and father.
Eventually, they not only managed to move the wooden boxes out of the cave but, to maximize space, Hua Chengtian and his son resud work to make so larger wooden boxes. Since they decided to plant, they should plant a variety of vegetables. If successful and they grow, they could sow so grains next spring, although not much, it would be better than nothing.
Most importantly, they could use this to cover up, bringing out the fresh items from their daughter’s space.
In the following days, everyone was busy planting vegetables or making wooden boxes, and everyone had sothing to do. Ti passed quickly, and before long, several days had gone by, and spirits had already recovered.
Knowing the village chief was planting vegetables in the cave, how could other households in the Big Cave not follow suit? They all began to try planting.
Grains and pickled vegetables were not lacking. Even potatoes could last a long ti, so there was no shortage of vegetables in the short term.
Which household didn’t have a vegetable garden? Besides, everyone was used to managing their life well, and they had taken everything cleanly when heading to the mountain.
However, fresh vegetables don’t keep well; they wilt and yellow within a few days. Fear of spoilage prompted them to pickle everything they could. To have fresh ones, they could only gather wild vegetables outside.
Yet, with such heavy rain, gathering wild vegetables wasn’t easy. The village chief’s family reminded them that the wooden boxes had been brought to the mountain as well. Considering that they were made of wood and should not go to waste, they beca quite useful now, although putting soil inside required effort.
Fortunately, they were surrounded by lush, fertile mountains with abundant soil. As long as they weren’t afraid of hard work, gathering soil shouldn’t be a problem.
Almost every household sent two or three people together to nearby mountains to collect soil, and so even gathered quite a bit of wild vegetables, solving the problem of fresh vegetable leaves at ho.
At that ti, due to relentless rains, the floodwaters had already risen to several zhang high against the mountainside, completely subrging the forest below. Falling into the water by accident ant survival chances were slim.
When crossing to neighboring mountains, every step had to be taken with care. Fortunately, the surrounding mountains were adjacent to one another; otherwise, their mountain might have beco an isolated island surrounded by floodwaters.
Hundreds of people going out together was quite intimidating in itself, driving back many wild animals just by their sheer number.
Though worried, things went relatively smoothly. They dug enough soil and wild vegetables. Those with so luck even caught a few wild chickens and rabbits, making life a bit better at ho.
They spent an entire day bustling back and forth, gathering plenty of firewood in the process. With these supplies, everyone could comfortably stay in the mountain for a while.
All they hoped for was for the rain, which seed relentless, to stop.
Compared to the relatively comfortable life in Hua Village, the people hiding on other mountains in Shanggu Town were going through harrowing tis.
Those who narrowly escaped on the day of the flood instinctively climbed to higher ground, trying to find a place that would be both safe from the flood and provide shelter.
Unfortunately, apart from those who had already taken refuge in the mountains, most people had no good options. Those with sufficient supplies could at least use oilcloth and nearby materials to build a makeshift shelter.
But most of those who fled to the mountains in panic lost many things and had to gather materials nearby to build makeshift shelters with trees and vines.
Those lucky enough to find a rock for cover at least didn’t have to worry about rain, but the best spots on this mountain were already claid by those who arrived first.
Unless you had enough strength to take over a cave, there were even cases where blood was spilled over such disputes.
Many caves were occupied by either the wealthy, powerful, or large families, or were in frequent hideouts, making them difficult to seize.
After solving the housing issue, the next problem was food.
Villages that had taken precautions to evacuate to the mountains were relatively prepared, bringing enough food supplies to the mountains. They could manage for half a year to a year without worries.
These villages mostly gathered in one place and were quite united, especially since there was no room for luck during disasters, leading to a stronger bond, making any ill-intentioned person reconsider their abilities.
For those who weren’t prepared, fleeing to the mountains in panic, or losing food during the flood, food beca an imdiate concern, followed by warm clothing.
The only solace was that wild vegetables, fruits, chestnuts, and whatnot could still be found in the mountains, and with so luck, one might catch wild chickens or rabbits. Getting half-full wasn’t an issue, but warm clothing needed a solution.
Especially as temperatures dropped with ongoing rain, worsened during the night, those lacking warm clothes could only huddle together for warmth.
Those quick-witted recalled the chaos when fleeing and sneaked down the mountain. And indeed, so did find nurous items like food, clothing, and blankets.
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