mtl008 Chapter 303 Equal Relief Won't Work
Chapter 303 Equal Relief Won't Work
"Xiangyang, if this rain doesn't stop, how unbearable will this winter be?"
Looking at the continuous rain outside, Li Xiaoyun said with concern.
“Yes, but don’t worry too much, the higher-ups won’t abandon us.” Li Xiangyang nodded. “However, we can’t just wait for relief; we have to find our own way.”
Li Xiaohua asked curiously, "Brother, what should we do then?"
Li Xiangyang patted his younger sister's head and comforted her, "Don't be afraid. Compared to 59-61, this is just a minor difficulty. We've saved the cornfield, and now we'll start hunting more game to store up food. We'll get by."
Just then, there was another knock on the door.
Li Xiangyang opened the door and saw Wang Ergou standing outside, already dressed in clean clothes.
"Brother Xiangyang, the production team is calling us to a meeting," Wang Ergou said.
Li Xiangyang nodded: "I'll go right away."
He turned to Li Xiaoyun and said, "I'm going to a meeting, I'll be right back."
Li Xiaoyun nodded and said, "Go ahead, be careful."
Li Xiangyang and Wang Ergou walked along the muddy village road. The rain had lessened considerably, but the sky remained overcast.
"If this rain continues for another two days, it'll be troublesome."
On the way, Wang Ergou said with a worried expression.
Li Xiangyang nodded: "Yes, the most important thing right now is to save the cornfields; we can't just rely on relief."
“That’s right,” Wang Ergou agreed. “No matter what, we’ll save whatever we can.”
The two arrived at the production team office, which was already full of people discussing how to deal with the disaster.
Production team leader Lao Zhang was speaking: "Right now, the wheat fields at the east end of our village are basically all destroyed, but the cornfields can still be saved. We've already reported the situation to the commune and the county, and we expect that someone from higher up will come down soon to assess the disaster."
Hearing this, the atmosphere in the room relaxed a little.
"The most important thing now is to save the cornfields," Old Zhang continued. "We need to organize people and drain the water as soon as possible. Also, any leaks in the roofs of houses need to be repaired quickly."
“I’d like to take a few people to the cornfield to dig drainage ditches first,” Li Xiangyang said, standing up. “Let’s take advantage of the lighter rain and drain the water.”
Old Zhang looked at Li Xiangyang and nodded: "Go ahead, but be careful. Come back quickly if the rain gets too heavy."
After the meeting, the rain had lessened, leaving only a light drizzle. Everyone spontaneously grabbed their farm tools and headed to the cornfield to start digging ditches.
Everyone understood that this was not only related to the production team's output, but also to each member's work points and rations, so they all worked extra hard.
Gradually, a drainage ditch was formed, and the accumulated water began to flow along the ditch to the low-lying areas.
They worked until evening, finally draining most of the water from the cornfield.
"That's enough for today," Old Zhang said as he walked over. "You've all worked hard. Keep it up tomorrow."
Li Xiangyang nodded: "Captain, I'd like to go check the hillside again tomorrow, just in case there are any more mudslides."
"Good idea," Old Zhang patted him approvingly on the shoulder, "Everyone will get ten work points today."
Hearing this, no one was happy. More work points meant more grain to be distributed at the end of the year.
However, given the current situation, no one can say for sure how much food can be saved.
Everyone dragged their tired bodies home.
At this moment, Li Xiaoyun had already prepared a hot meal and was waiting for Li Xiangyang to return.
"How's the cornfield?" she asked with concern.
Li Xiangyang washed his hands, sat down, and let out a long sigh: "Most of the water has been drained. As long as it doesn't rain again, the river will be saved."
"It's already a blessing that the cornfields were saved," Li Xiaoyun said, serving him a bowl of hot soup. "Right now, all we can do is pray that the rain stops soon."
Li Xiangyang nodded and began to drink the soup, his body gradually warming up.
After dinner, Li Xiangyang sat by the window, watching the rain outside.
The rain stopped for a while, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but then the sky darkened again.
In the blink of an eye, large raindrops began to fall again, making a crisp sound as they hit the roof.
Li Xiangyang frowned and said to Li Xiaoyun, "The rain is getting heavier again. It looks like all our work over at the cornfield will have been for nothing."
Li Xiaoyun sighed, "Can't God just leave us alone for a while?"
……
The heavy rain lasted for three days, until the fourth day when the dark clouds finally dispersed, revealing the long-awaited blue sky.
The villagers stepped out of their homes and looked at the devastation caused by the week-long torrential rain, their hearts heavy with sorrow.
Everyone understands that this winter will be tough.
In the morning, cadres sent by the commune and leaders from the county came to Xiaoliang Village to inspect the disaster situation.
"The situation is indeed not optimistic," said a county leader standing beside the destroyed farmland. "Given the current situation, this year's harvest will definitely be severely affected."
Production team leader Lao Zhang nodded: "Yes, the wheat fields are all ruined; it's a miracle if we can save even 30% of the cornfields."
"Comrade Zhang, don't worry. Let's secure as much as we can. I'll make arrangements to allocate a batch of disaster relief grain as soon as possible," the county leader said. "However, everyone should be prepared; this year will be tough."
Old Zhang said gratefully, "Thank you for your concern, leaders. We will find a way to overcome the difficulties."
After seeing the leaders off, Lao Zhang gathered the key members of the village together for a meeting.
“Relief grains alone won’t be enough,” Old Zhang said gravely. “We can’t say exactly how many areas have been affected. We have to find our own way to save up more food.”
He turned to Li Xiangyang: "Xiangyang, everyone knows how good you are at hunting. I'd like you to teach the villagers how to hunt, so we can accumulate more game. After all, nobody wants to go through a situation like 61 again."
Li Xiangyang nodded: "No problem. But if we want to have a better winter, we'll need you, Captain, to report our current difficulties to your superiors. After all, not everyone can use a hunting rifle."
“Of course, I think the higher-ups will relax some restrictions appropriately. But once it's in our hands, we must manage it strictly. If something goes wrong, we won't be able to explain ourselves at all,” Old Zhang said worriedly.
"You'll have to put in the effort for this. Er Gou and I can start by teaching you simple things like catching rabbits and fishing."
"Okay, you teach first. Even if I apply, the gun won't be ready anytime soon."
……
After the meeting, almost all the able-bodied men in the village gathered under the big tree at the village entrance, waiting for Li Xiangyang's "lesson".
Looking at the many expectant eyes in front of him, Li Xiangyang took a deep breath and began his first "survival lesson".
"Today I'll teach you the simplest hunting method—setting traps," Li Xiangyang said, taking out the prepared wire and rope. "This method doesn't require any special tools; it mainly relies on observation and patience."
He explained in detail how to identify rabbit tracks, how to find the paths rabbits frequently take, and how to set the most effective traps.
The villagers listened very attentively. For these farmers who depend on the weather for their livelihood, having more survival skills means having more security.