Chapter 70 - 70

Chapter 70 The Tense Harvest"Uncle Shen, it's me, Xingye." Duan Xingyelowered his voice and looked around warily.Shen Anliang immediately opened the door, glanced around nervously, and pulled Duan Xingye inside."You brat, what are you doing here? Don't get targeted." Before Shen Anliang could speak,Grandpa Shen looked at Duan Xingye and said irritably.The men were all crammed into one room, while the women lived in the next room. Hearing the commotion, they all came over."Don't worry, Grandpa Shen, I'll be careful. I'll bring you some things. It's getting cold, so please take good care of yourselves."Grandma Shen wiped away her tears. "Hoshino, you're so kind. At this time, you're the only one who's willing to approach our family. But this is absolutely unacceptable. If we're discovered, the consequences will be unimaginable."The Shen family still doesn't know that Duan Xingye is working as a commune here. Because of the secretary, everyone assumed that he had come all the way from elsewhere to see them." Grandma Shen, I've been careful. I'm currently working as a Commune here." Secretary, it's quite convenient for me to take care of you. Just let me know if you need anything, and I'll try my best to get it to you.Although the Shen family was surprised that he was working as a secretary, they quickly realized there must be a reason, and wisely refrained from asking further."Alright, no need to send so much stuff over here, lest we attract attention. Go back now!"Grandpa Shen waved his hand, signaling him to leave."Then I'll be going now, Grandpa Shen. You all need to take care of yourselves. Things won't stay like this forever. The light will always come. We're all waiting for the right opportunity.""Hoshino, tell your grandfather to stop interfering in our family affairs. We can still hold on."Duan Xingye nodded. Shen Anliang first opened the door, looked outside, and seeing nothing amiss, let Duan Xingye go out." The Duan family are all good people, so please don't let us drag them down with us," Grandma Shen sighed."Don't worry! Old Duan knows what he's doing."Grandpa Shen and Duan Xingye's grandfather have been friends for life. They understand each other and are both sensible people."If you ever return home in the future, never forget the kindness the Duan Family showed us. It's easy to add flowers to brocade, but difficult to provide charcoal in the snow," Grandpa Shenadmonished his son and grandson."Dad, we know that.""Grandpa, don't worry!"Duan Xingye was unaware of the conversation between the Shen family members, as he was currently riding his bicycle back to town.Time really flies, and it's harvest season again. Everyone is on high alert.The autumn harvest is truly a bittersweet experience for everyone.I'm really tired! But seeing the bountiful harvest makes me incredibly happy.This year's autumn harvest is a little different. When the harvest was halfway through, some elderly people in the village looked at the weather and vaguely felt that it looked like it was going to rain. This was very serious. If it rained and the grain was not harvested, then all the hard work of the year would be wasted, and they would have to go hungry during the winter.Yun Ting's Wood Element Ability also detected that it was indeed about to rain; the dampness in the air immediately made her feel heavy-hearted.Upon receiving the news, the Brigade Leaderimmediately convened a meeting to explain the situation, and everyone was extremely anxious.So the Brigade Leader didn't waste any time talking and got everyone to work. Everyone in the village who was able-bodied, young and old, joined the harvesting effort and did their best to help.Everyone was affected by the tense atmosphere. No one wanted to go hungry, so everyone was full of energy and wished they had more hands.The sickle swung so fast that only a blur remained, cutting down the wheat with a "swish, swish" sound, and soon a large area was cut down.People were arranged to follow behind, bundling the harvested wheat into bundles and neatly stacking them on the ridges of the field. A special team would then transport them to the Threshing floor, where the children, regardless of age, would pick up the fallen ears of wheat." Educated Youth Yin, you did this job last year, how come you still can't do it? How can you be so slow? You're not harvesting wheat, you're giving it a haircut!" Brigade Leader frowned at her."Haha..." The people around couldn't help but burst into laughter.Brigade Leader was getting impatient watching her slow movements." Brigade Leader, I tried my best! But my hands won't obey me. What if I cut my foot later?" Yin Jiao looked at the Brigade Leader with innocent eyes. The Brigade Leader turned around and left immediately, afraid that if he said a few more words, he would have a heart attack.There are still corn, peanuts, and soybeans left to harvest, so the task is still quite heavy.Everyone worked incredibly hard, so tired they could barely stand up straight, their arms aching terribly, but they dared not stop.With everyone's concerted efforts, only the corn was left.That day, after a long day of work in the cornfield, sharp sickles flew up and down, neatly cutting down the corn stalks, and stacking bundles of corn behind them. The air was filled with the unique scent of soil and straw, and accompanied by everyone's laughter, the joy of harvest spread throughout the fields.But just around noon, the once clear blue sky suddenly changed. Dark clouds seemed to be rapidly pulled together by an invisible hand, instantly obscuring the sun completely. The wind also began to rage, rustling the straw, and large raindrops pelted down, stinging people's faces."Oh no, the weather's about to change!" the Brigade Leader yelled at the top of his lungs. "Don't just stand there, hurry up and harvest!"That shout was like the sounding of a bugle call to charge.Yun Ting didn't bother wiping the sweat and raindrops from his forehead. He gripped the sickle tightly with both hands and worked as fast as he could."Oh my god! This is killing me, my back is killing me.""Little Educated Youth Yun, you little girl, you still have an old back?""Alright, hurry up and get moving, stop rambling, we can't let all our hard work go to waste."Everyone fell silent, not daring to speak again.The raindrops grew heavier, turning the ground into a muddy mess, making every step incredibly difficult. Some slipped and fell, but got up and kept going; others had their sickles dulled, but they quickly repaired them and continued cutting. Everyone had only one thought in their minds: faster, faster!As darkness fell, everyone's bodies ached and they were starving, but the harvest was far from over.Brigade Leader gritted his teeth: "Turn on the lights right away, let's work through the night! Pick the corn first, don't cut the stalks yet." So, the dim yellow lights flickered in the fields, illuminating tired but determined faces.Rainwater streamed down their faces, but no one noticed. Their eyes were fixed on the corn in front of them, mechanically and rapidly repeating the action of picking corn.Finally, at the last moment before the rain poured down, the last basket of corn was loaded onto the oxcart.Everyone collapsed onto the muddy ground, panting heavily. Looking at the truckload of their labor, a relieved smile spread across their tired faces. They had won this race against nature!Yun Ting finally experienced the meaning of "double harvest" this year; her hands were blistered from all the work.I was so tired. I went back to my room, washed up, and lay down on the kang (heated brick bed) without wanting to move, even though my stomach was growling loudly.