mtl008 Chapter 447 Roof Renovation
Chapter 447 Roof Renovation
It hasn't rained yet, but the wind is getting stronger.
Xu Yiyi pushed open the door with difficulty and went outside, only to find that the gate to the courtyard was gone.
It was a dark, empty space, like the gaping maw of an abyss, as if it were about to devour someone at any moment.
She shrank her neck and ran into the outhouse.
"Miss?"
San Chuan's muttering voice came out, but it was quickly drowned out by the wind.
"It's your older sister! Go to sleep."
Xu Yiyi responded, and the child finally fell asleep peacefully.
I don't know how long I slept, but when I woke up again, thick dark clouds, like a huge gray cloth, covered the sky completely, and a tense atmosphere filled the air.
After Xu Yiyi finished checking the last window bolt, she heard intermittent cursing coming from next door.
She pushed open the creaking wooden door and saw Ah Yin and Grandma standing in the yard stamping their feet.
The house on her side was missing a corner, and the tiles were scattered haphazardly on the muddy ground, revealing the yellowed bamboo rafters underneath.
"That damned typhoon..."
Grandma Yin's curses were mixed with coughs, "She'll even tear the roof off!"
"Where are Ah Yin, Ah Nai? Uncle Ah and Aunt Ah Lan?"
Xu Yiyi quickly helped the cursing old lady to her feet.
She then realized that she was the only one left in the house.
Upon hearing this, Ah Yin could no longer hold back her tears: "Duo Bao had a nightmare last night, and he was delirious with fever when he woke up this morning. Ah Da and Ah Lan took him to the town clinic."
Xu Yi frowned upon hearing this.
"You rest, I'll be right back."
She turned around and picked up two bundles of green tiles from under her own eaves.
These tiles are for everyday use, so they can be replaced immediately if there's a gap in the roof.
"Hey! What are you doing?"
Ah Yin noticed that Xu Yiyi was putting on airs and sounded somewhat panicked.
"Let's fix the roof while the wind isn't too strong yet, otherwise it'll be a disaster when it rains."
As she spoke, she prepared to step onto the shelf, and the sea breeze immediately filled her linen clothes.
"No! It's too dangerous, you can't go up there."
As soon as Xu Yiyi stepped onto the shelf, she was grabbed by the clothes. The old lady couldn't care less about crying at this moment, and her expression was very serious.
"Can I go and call a few people to help?"
Xu Yiyi came up with a compromise.
The typhoon hasn't made landfall yet, so we can take advantage of this lull to repair the roof.
"You stay inside, I'll go call someone."
Before Ah Yin could react, Xu Yiyi had already run out to call for help.
Before long, he summoned several uncles and elders.
Xu Anyang, that brat, also followed Xu Pinghai to join in the fun.
"Why are your trouser legs all wet?"
Xu Yiyi's gaze swept over Xu Anyang's trouser legs, her tone tinged with doubt.
"It's because the tide is coming in; it's already flooded down to the ancestral hall. We just went to move the ancestral tablets up from inside."
As Xu Anyang spoke, he handed the lower tile up.
Just as Xu Yiyi was about to put the shelf up, she was pulled down by a force.
"Stay put, you'll be everywhere."
Xu Pinghai said irritably, pointing his finger in the air.
This made Xu Yiyi feel inexplicably guilty.
"I can change the roof tiles."
She muttered something under her breath, which only made Xu Pinghai angrier.
"You have the nerve to say that? Didn't I tell you from the beginning that replacing the roof tiles was such a dangerous thing to do? I told you to tell the uncles and elders in the clan, but you just wouldn't listen, did you?"
Xu Pinghai was furious, and Ah Da was unreliable.
It's one thing to replace the roof tiles on one's own house poorly, but the ones they replaced for Xu Yi's family were just so-so.
Looks like we'll have to catch this kid and give him a crash course once the typhoon's over.
Xu Pinghai thought to himself, then stepped over Xu Yiyi and climbed up the frame.
Just as the last few tiles were fastened and the last bit of mortar was about to be applied to secure them,
Ah Da and Ah Lan returned with Duo Bao.
Xu Yiyi looked in the direction of the sound and saw Uncle A wrapping Duobao tightly in a quilt as he walked in.
The worry and fatigue on Alan's face had not yet faded.
"Uncle and Aunt, you're back? How's Duobao?"
Hearing the commotion, Ah Yin rushed out of the house, and Ah Da quickly put the baby into her arms.
But he didn't release the force in his hand, and Xu Yi looked over.
Duobao revealed her small face, her cheeks flushed with an unnatural redness, her eyes half-closed, her long eyelashes drooping limply. She looked like a seedling whose energy had been drained, leaning listlessly against Ayin's chest.
Alan looked up, forcing a smile, but her voice was hoarse: "Lao Yiyi, you've been thinking of me. I just came back from the clinic and got some medicine. The doctor said the sea breeze irritated my lungs and I caught a chill, so I need to take good care of myself."
Seemingly recognizing a familiar voice, Duobao slightly lifted her eyelids and glanced at Xu Yiyi.
Her little mouth pursed, but she didn't call out "Sister Yi-yi" in her usual clear voice. Instead, she closed her eyes listlessly after looking at her and snuggled closer to Ah Yin.
Ah Da carefully touched his son's burning forehead with his rough fingers, and sighed with heartache: "The fever hasn't completely gone down yet, it really makes my heart ache."
Xu Yiyi felt a pang of anxiety when she saw Duobao's distressed little face.
Honestly, she was genuinely afraid of her child getting sick.
Especially in ancient times, a common illness could take a person's life.
"Don't stand there any longer, take Duobao back inside, so he won't catch a chill."
Xu Yi quickly covered herself with the blanket. Only after A-Da and A-Lan had settled Duo-Bao did she realize that there were so many more people in the house.
"The wind brought the tiles down, and Yi Yi insisted on going up to fix them, but I didn't let her. Instead, I troubled Ping Hai and the others to come over."
Ah Yin finally felt relieved, and a smile appeared on her face.
"No way! I just fixed it yesterday."
Ah Da didn't feel the wind was that strong!
"It has to be already fixed, otherwise I'll drag you up here to see what kind of mess you've made."
Xu Pinghai joked with a smile.
People came down one after another.
Ah Da was silent for a moment, then suddenly looked at Xu Yiyi and asked, "Is your roof alright?"
She shook her head.
"It's okay."
Xu Pinghai gave a calm smile. "Of course it's alright. This girl went upstairs herself and repaired the tiles all over again."
Xu Yiyi pouted, feeling both pleased and a little burdened by the care shown to her elders, including Xu Pinghai.
She's such a grown woman, why do you always treat her like a child?
"I was talking to you! Did you not teach me properly?"
Ah Da snorted at Xu Pinghai.
In the end, I only got a dirty look.
"You're blaming me for being stupid? Let me tell you, once Duobao gets better, you'd better start learning all over again."
He's over thirty and can't even do something as simple as renovating a roof.
Ah Da scratched his head sheepishly. After being scolded by Xu Pinghai, his worries actually eased a lot.