Back at the town government office, the atmosphere was tense.
Secretary Ma called a meeting where everyone reported on the situation in their respective villages. Although this season didn’t require much water for the fields, they couldn’t afford to have none at all.
If this weather persisted for another five days, the crops would be beyond saving. Everyone was disheartened—after all their preparations, was it all going to end in failure?
Secretary Ma suggested that since the weather was unbearably hot, the government staff could take shifts on duty while the rest waited at home for further notice.
As for whether it would rain, that was up to the heavens.
Nan Sheng had three days off at home. Before heading back, she stopped by the black market. It had been over a month since she handed over the ice-making formula, and she wanted to check on the profits.
When Nan Sheng entered the courtyard, she was led inside. Outside, people were clamoring, willing to pay extra for ice but leaving empty-handed—it seemed Xiao Yi’s stock was running low.
Shitou quickly stood up when he saw Nan Sheng, ushering her to a chair and pouring her a glass of iced sugar water.
She smiled and said, “Shitou, we’ve known each other for so long—no need to be so formal. Is Xiao Yi still busy outside?”
Shitou explained that Xiao Yi hadn’t been in Huaishan County for the past half-month.
“Brother Yi found a new spot in the neighboring county as a temporary ice-making workshop, but transportation costs have gone up, and there’s a lot of loss along the way. We can’t keep up with the demand.”
Nan Sheng understood. With water shortages, if Xiao Yi kept making ice in this county, someone might literally knock his head off if they found out.
“Send him a message. Tell him he can pull back in two or three days. If the ice reserves are enough, transport everything back in one go.”
Shitou thought Nan Sheng had insider information from the experts and promised to relay the message immediately.
When Nan Sheng left, she didn’t go empty-handed—she took two packs of mung bean cakes and four jars of preserves. Watching her leave, Shitou muttered to himself,
“No wonder Brother Yi always says Sister Nan is a blessing. Just think of how much money and trouble her tips have saved us.”
By the time Nan Sheng returned to Xiangyang Village, dusk had fallen.
Her two children were waiting for her in the yard. The moment they heard the sound of her bicycle, they rushed to open the gate.
Siqi cheered, “Mom’s back!”
Nan Sheng rode into the yard and, before even dismounting, apologized, “You must’ve been worried. I had some business to take care of, so I’m late.”
Sizhe closed the gate behind her. As long as their mother returned safely, he and his sister were happy.
“Mom, we’ve already drawn water for you in the basin. After you wash up, we can eat!”
Lin Han’s well was deep and well-placed, so they still had water. In contrast, Granny Zhang next door had run dry and had been fetching water from the Lin household since yesterday.
With both children hovering around her, Nan Sheng felt incredibly fortunate.
Sizhe had cooked corn porridge and stir-fried cabbage for dinner. Though the cabbage was slightly charred, it tasted good, and Nan Sheng praised his cooking skills.
The mung bean cakes were brought to the table—each about half the size of a palm. Nan Sheng and her daughter each had one, while Sizhe ate three. The meal was simple, but the family enjoyed it together.
After dinner, Sizhe washed the dishes while Nan Sheng chatted with her talkative daughter. When Siqi learned her mother would be home for three days, she immediately ran to the kitchen to share the news with her brother.
“Brother, Mom’s staying home for three days!”
“She said she’ll make us delicious food!”
Sizhe replied flatly, “Got it. Go to bed now.”
But inwardly, he was just as happy. Only when their mother was home could he truly relax.
On the first day of Nan Sheng’s break, the three of them had breakfast together before heading to the river to watch Sizhe catch shrimp.
With the water level so low, the riverbed was exposed, revealing mud that reeked of decay, littered with dead fish and shrimp.
Sizhe hadn’t been there in days. After repeated harvesting, the remaining shrimp were scarce and too clever to catch easily.
If not for his craving for his mother’s stuffed pepper shrimp paste, he wouldn’t have bothered.
Despite the scorching heat, Nan Sheng didn’t want to disappoint the children. They spent most of the morning by the river before heading back, where they ran into Sun Qian, whom they hadn’t seen in a while.
Sun Qian ignored Nan Sheng, turning her head away.
Sizhe didn’t greet her either and even covered Siqi’s mouth when she tried to speak.
When he let go, his sister nearly cried—his hand smelled so bad it almost made her faint!
Sun Qian was heading toward the old family house. She was close with Lin Xue and often visited.
Sizhe hadn’t caught much shrimp—just over a pound. Wanting to make the meal special, Nan Sheng added a piece of meat to the pot.
The garden vegetables had long withered, so stuffed pepper shrimp paste was out of the question. Instead, she made shrimp paste soup for the kids and rehydrated dried string beans to stew with the meat.
Lunch wasn’t served until two in the afternoon. Siqi loved the shrimp paste soup, but Sizhe preferred the stuffed peppers, so he focused on the beans and meat.
Nan Sheng’s appetite was light—she had two bowls of soup and called it a meal.
Eating so late meant they could skip dinner. If anyone got hungry, there were preserves and cakes to snack on.
By the second day of Nan Sheng’s break, the villagers grew restless again. Some even suggested abandoning half their fields to save water, arguing it was better than losing all their crops.
The village chief refused, insisting they wait and see.
On the third day, the air grew even more stifling. In the past, the villagers might’ve taken it as a sign of rain.
But now, no one dared hope. Early that morning, the chief ordered water to be drawn from household wells to irrigate the fields, since the river was no longer enough.
After the others left, Siqi pouted. “Mom, our well’s dry too. Will we run out of water?”
“No, we won’t!”
Nan Sheng’s voice was firm—because rain was coming soon…
Little Qi arrived with the ice close to noon, apologizing, “Sorry, Sister Nan. I’m late today!”
Along with the ice, he brought a letter from the military district.
Seeing how overheated he was, Nan Sheng brought him a glass of ice water. “Hang in there. Tomorrow, you won’t have to work so hard.”
Little Qi was puzzled but thanked her with a smile. “Sister Nan, Brother Yi’s back. He asked me to tell you to visit the black market when it’s convenient.”
The last time the two came to Xiangyang Village looking for someone, they’d caught a man lurking outside the Lin house. Though it turned out to be a misunderstanding,
Xiao Yi still didn’t dare come himself, afraid of running into another tense situation.
