The villagers of Wangshan Village had been making quite a fuss these past few days. To shift blame, the village head pinned everything on Nan Jingyu's in-laws, claiming it was all the doing of the Xiangyang Village production team leader.
With the blame conveniently pushed onto them, fewer people cursed the village head, but the Nan family faced increasing ostracization.
When Nan Sheng returned from delivering ice, the streets were nearly empty. An elderly woman spotted her and called out to stop her.
"Nan family girl, how dare you show your face here? Our village has suffered because of your father-in-law!"
Nan Sheng stopped her bike and asked, "How exactly has he harmed you?"
"What do you think? The rain’s about to come, and the crops are ruined because of him. We’ll all go hungry this year."
Nan Sheng was already irritated—the stifling heat was unbearable.
"About to rain? Go on, make it rain then!"
"Do you know why the sky’s so dark but the rain won’t fall? Because you’re wicked. If you don’t understand, shut your mouth. Stop yapping.
Promise me, use this time to go home and take a nap instead of polluting the air out here, alright?"
The old woman was stunned by the retort. She turned to someone nearby and asked,
"Since when did the Nan girl become so sharp-tongued? What on earth was she saying?"
"Who knows? All I caught was her calling you wicked. It’s too stifling out here—let’s all go home."
By the time Nan Sheng reached home, her mood had settled. She called out in the courtyard, "Mom, Dad, I’m back!"
Siqi mimicked her mother, shouting, "Grandma, Grandpa, I’m back!"
Zhong Yanyan pushed the door open, delighted to see the pair. "Come inside! Your father’s still out working. You’re staying for lunch."
Grandpa Nan also emerged from the house. "Ah, my girl’s back! Come in, come in!"
His younger son treated him poorly, so when his eldest offered to have him stay for a few days, he packed two sets of clothes and came immediately, not daring to refuse. Now, he shared the west room with his grandson.
"Yes, Grandpa, I’m back! Qiqi, say hello to Great-Grandpa!"
"Hello, Great-Grandpa!"
Siqi wondered if Great-Grandpa’s mother hadn’t fed him enough—he was so thin!
Nan Sheng carried the icebox inside. "Dad and little brother are both out working? I was thinking of having him come by every couple of days to pick up some ice."
She opened the wooden box, and a cool gust rushed out. Zhong Yanyan quickly grabbed a piece and popped it into her mouth. "This heat’s been killing me. I’ll take one to your grandpa to suck on."
Though the old man had enough to eat here, the heat kept him indoors, leaving him listless.
"Keep the box in a cool spot—the ice will last a day and a half. Best not to eat it directly. Try chilling some mung bean soup with it."
"That sounds perfect. Is this ice the same price as popsicles?"
Like Father Lin, Zhong Yanyan worried about expenses.
Nan Sheng didn’t hide it. "It’s free. In a few days, the town government will have villages send people to collect ice, but it won’t be as convenient as this. I know someone."
Zhong Yanyan felt proud of her daughter—no one else had such early news. As she ate the ice, she thought of her own parents.
"Your grandma’s been sick these past couple of days. I got word yesterday and sent your brother to check on her. If it’s serious, I’ll go tend to her for a while."
Zhong Yanyan was the eldest child, with one younger brother and sister. Her parents hadn’t favored any child, but she and her brother were sensible, rarely burdening them with complaints.
Her sister, however, knew the family struggled yet constantly returned to leech off them—always asking for money or food.
As her mother vented about old grievances, Nan Sheng offered a solution.
"Grandma and Grandpa are getting older. They shouldn’t live alone anymore. Uncle will have to care for them eventually—now’s a good time. If we send over their share of grain, Uncle will surely agree."
With her brother and his wife keeping watch, her aunt would find it harder to keep draining their parents’ resources.
Zhong Yanyan sighed. "We gave them 250 pounds of grain last time. Who knows how much is left?"
If supplies ran low, the elderly couple would suffer under her sister-in-law’s temper.
Rumor had it cornmeal in the black market had risen to fifty cents a pound. How could she ask her husband to buy more grain for her parents?
Nan Sheng clasped her mother’s hand reassuringly. "When my father-in-law bought grain, I asked for an extra 500 pounds of cornmeal, just in case anyone hit hard times. If Grandma’s running low, come get some from me."
Usually, Zhong Yanyan refused Nan Sheng’s offers of money, but for her parents, she reluctantly accepted.
Her eyes reddened with guilt. "I’ll pay you back when I can."
Nan’s father was thrilled to see his daughter and even carried Qiqi around for a stroll, not minding the effort.
At lunch, Zhong Yanyan cooked meat, and he sipped some liquor happily.
While his wife cleaned the kitchen, he quietly asked Nan Sheng, "Has your village been causing trouble? Is your father-in-law alright?"
Nan Sheng reassured him. "The Xiangyang Village head gets along well with my father-in-law. Though there was some unrest, it was resolved quickly. I didn’t expect it to affect us here."
Nan’s father scowled. "What could they possibly blame us for? I doubt this rain will come. The experts must know what they’re talking about."
Their village had its own drama lately—Yu Sheng, that scoundrel, had been beaten up somehow and limped back home.
When villagers urged him to report it, he refused. Served him right for all the wicked things he’d done.
Nan’s father almost brought it up but held back, not wanting to risk his daughter reconnecting with him.
He happily drank a bowl of chilled mung bean soup before heading back to work. No daughter was as filial as his!
Unbeknownst to Nan Sheng, the male and female leads were already clashing. In the original plot, Yu Sheng would have scraped together money for Su Jinyan’s return to the city by now.
But now, not only could he not help, he relied on her care—and her self-serving nature would soon breed resentment. Their path to happiness would be a rocky one.
By afternoon, the sky lightened slightly, but the heat grew fiercer. Sensing trouble, Nan Sheng bid her mother and grandfather farewell and raced home.
Pedal faster, legs! The heat’s coming!
By the time she arrived, the sky had cleared into a dry, scorching brightness. Lin Guozheng sighed. "The rain never came after all."
As he headed home, villagers who’d demanded his resignation spotted him—but before he could react, they fled.
That evening, Sizhe returned with sweat-drenched hair. Nan Sheng poured warm water over his head, letting it run down his body.
Not a drop was wasted—the runoff would mop the floors. Her mother insisted they start conserving water now.
"Grandma said the school held a meeting. The principal announced that if this weather continues, classes will be canceled in a day or two."
