The grain was first transported back to the old house. After both families had loaded their share, Eldest Brother Lin and his son helped Third Brother Lin deliver his portion home.
By the time it was Nan Sheng's turn, it was almost one in the morning.
Sizhe carried his younger sister while Eldest Brother Lin and Sizhong escorted the mother and her two children home. Once they arrived, Nan Sheng placed her daughter on the kang bed and immediately helped move the grain, lifting one sack together with her son.
The five hundred pounds of grain were temporarily stored in Sizhe's room. Nan Sheng planned to buy a lock in town the next day so she could secure the west room while Sizhe was at school.
Sizhe had intended to go straight to sleep, but his stepmother pulled out a small cloth bag and motioned for him to open it. When he shone his flashlight inside, he was stunned.
"How is there so much money?"
Nan Sheng counted on her fingers. "Ten thousand pounds of cornmeal at fifteen cents per pound comes to fifteen hundred yuan in total. It's all here."
Sizhe couldn't wrap his head around it—his stepmother didn’t seem like a black-market boss at all, so why did she have all the money from the grain purchase?
Nan Sheng beamed with pride. "When I went to the black market to buy grain today, I warned their leader in advance about the impending drought across the county. To thank me, he decided not to charge for this batch of grain."
She patted her son’s head. "From now on, eat as much as you need. Your father and I can provide for you."
Nan Sheng had noticed that Sizhe had been deliberately reducing his portions these past few meals. Nothing was more convincing than this pile of money.
"I understand. Thank you, Mom!"
Honestly, Sizhe’s sudden change in address caught Nan Sheng off guard.
But a child’s thoughts were simple—he had felt maternal love and security, so calling her "Mom" came naturally.
With over two thousand yuan now in hand, Nan Sheng stood tall with confidence. The next morning, she even fried a piece of meat for breakfast. Though she didn’t say it outright, her son’s willingness to call her "Mom" was like a shot of adrenaline for her.
After a night’s sleep, the affection meter had skyrocketed to 50, filling her with joy.
What rocket-like progress! The system must adore her.
Siqi found the breakfast atmosphere a bit strange today—Mom kept serving Sizhe and seemed to forget about her, the well-behaved child.
But seeing how happy her brother was, she only pouted briefly before obediently focusing on her own bowl, which was also full of meat.
"Big Son, if you’re not going to school these next couple of days, go gather some duck eggs and catch fish. While it’s hot, we can pickle the eggs and dry the fish."
"Got it, Mom!"
After the meal, Sizhe didn’t let Nan Sheng lift a finger—he took care of the dishes himself, then took his sister to the river to set up fish traps.
"Brother, are you going to pick vegetables too? Then I won’t have anything to do."
Sizhe carried a large basket while Siqi held a small one. "Silly Qiqi, didn’t you hear Mom ask me to gather duck eggs? You can pick all the vegetables, okay?"
Siqi finally smiled. Every time she brought home vegetables, Mom would praise her and kiss her cheeks. If her brother took over her task, what if Mom stopped liking her?
After some time away, the duck eggs in the area were surprisingly plentiful.
After combing through the grass, they collected about thirty. By now, the duck eggs at home were almost ready to eat.
Siqi spread the wild vegetables she picked neatly in her basket, and the siblings moved to another spot to gather more. Only when both baskets were full did they head home.
Back home, they stayed busy. Sizhe picked the grown beans and eggplants to dry in the sun, and the overripe cucumbers from the trellis went into a winnowing basket.
Taking advantage of the good weather, he decided to dig up the potatoes a few days early. Though it was sooner than planned, his stepmother was always busy with work—he couldn’t leave all the chores to her.
Meanwhile, Nan Sheng had arrived at the town government office. While every village sent only their village head and production team leader to the meeting, Xiangyang Village had her—the conspicuous extra.
To make matters worse, she was seated to the right of the town head.
"Sir, maybe I should just stand and listen?"
The room was packed, and being stared at by so many people made her uncomfortable.
Yu Feng reassured her, "Don’t be nervous. This is just a discussion among comrades about the drought. You should listen in."
When it came to serious matters, the town head’s tone turned grave.
"Yesterday, experts from the city confirmed that our county will face a once-in-a-century drought, expected to last between thirty to forty days.
Now, let’s hear everyone’s thoughts. We need to draft a disaster relief plan to ensure public safety and save as much of the harvest as possible."
Many village heads hadn’t heard this news yet. The sudden announcement of a drought threw them into panic, and tension filled the meeting room.
The town head banged the table to quiet them. "Don’t panic yet. At least we know in advance and can prepare."
Feng Wuquan had already gone through his panic phase—now he was calm. Why? Because his family had grain.
He suggested, "As temperatures rise, water levels will drop. Saving all crops is impossible. We must abandon low-yield fields first and prioritize high-yield ones."
The town head nodded in agreement. "The climate experts recommended the same. Each village should start rescue efforts on half of their farmland. If the situation worsens, the state will distribute relief grain. We won’t let our people starve."
Those present were all highly principled, but many village heads couldn’t even convince themselves—how could they persuade their villagers?
The room buzzed with anxious voices:
"Food is the people’s heaven. Asking them to abandon crops is like asking for their lives—some will secretly water their fields anyway."
"Town Head, must we really sacrifice half our farmland? Some villagers are already struggling to eat. Cutting yields in half will lead to starvation."
"And if we don’t? When the water runs out, all crops will wither, and we’ll get nothing!"
The town head grew increasingly frustrated and finally declared,
"This isn’t a suggestion—it’s an order. Every village must comply. Our town’s situation isn’t the worst. Saving half our crops is already a victory."
Lin Guozheng also had an idea. "Once we decide which fields to save, we should destroy the rest outright. Let them curse us—words won’t strip flesh from our bones."
Yu Feng was impressed with Xiangyang Village. Unlike others who kept asking "What do we do?", their village head and team leader actually had solutions.
Water disputes would be another issue post-drought. "Our town will not tolerate water hoarding. Anyone caught diverting streams will face severe punishment. I’ll deploy militia patrols!"
The meeting lasted a full five hours, covering grain control during the drought, potential unrest, and aid for impoverished families.
Nan Sheng quietly took notes throughout, earning the town head’s approval—after all, the palest ink was better than the best memory.
"Speaking of early drought warnings, we must thank Comrade Nan Sheng from Xiangyang Village.
When she noticed the climate shift, she didn’t stand by—she brought her village head and others to seek help from the town. We should all learn from Comrade Nan Sheng’s example!"
