Chapter 266

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Protagonist:

Chai Mi

The summer heat was unbearable, and the local unique dry climate gave rise to a special living habit.

That is, during the dog days of summer, many rural people would choose to go up on the roof to cool off.

After all, there was no need to worry about rain in the middle of the night; sleeping on the roof was cool and comfortable.

The only drawback was that it was easy to fall asleep and roll off......

Chai Mi had slept on the roof before too; aside from it getting a bit chilly in the latter half of the night, it felt fine. Seeing her mother had fallen asleep, Chai Mi didn't turn on the electric light, but tiptoed over holding a small quilt, then found a set of clothes she usually wore, went out afterwards, had Song Qiushui change into them, and then took the small quilt and climbed up the ladder to the roof first.

Afterwards Chai Mi went back into the room a second time, grabbed another set of bedding, shouldered two pillows, and prepared to go up to the roof to sleep.

"Sister, what are you going to do?"

"Going up on the roof to sleep, of course. The room is so cramped, it's hot as hell, and there are so many mosquitoes. Song Qiushui and I are going to sleep on the roof."

Chai Xiu asked carefully: "Can I go? I'm hot too."

"You'd better not go. You sleep like a log; it's easy to fall off." Chai Mi knew her younger sister's condition of sleeping like a log — she was the type who wouldn't wake up even if thunder struck. Letting Chai Xiu go up, nine times out of ten she'd fall off.

And Chai Xiu was young; no matter how you put it, sleeping in the open air, if things went wrong she'd catch a cold.

After all, the temperature difference between day and night was large, and Chai Xiu's resistance wasn't strong, so it was better not to go tossing about.

Hearing Chai Mi's words, Chai Xiu pouted in the dark to express dissatisfaction.

But she didn't dare talk back; anyway, she never opposed what Chai Mi said, her main thing was being obedient and well-behaved: "Eldest Sister thinks things through thoroughly."

"Hehe, Xiu'er. Who did you learn that from, speaking in riddles? Honestly go to sleep. If you wake Mom up in a bit, Laosan will howl, and then nobody will be able to sleep."

"Okay."

Chai Xiu could only agree.

After all, Laosan Chaxin was only a little over two months old; all day long besides crying it was just crying. Chai Xiu was annoyed to no end staying at home, but thinking she was a real younger sister, there was no helping it.

Today too, Laosan Chaxin cried for a long time; Su Wan finally coaxed her to sleep. Chai Xiu didn't want this little treasure to wake up either.

If this live wire woke up, the whole family wouldn't get any sleep.

Hot, let it be hot then.

Chai Mi herself hugged the quilt and pillows, and carefully climbed up the ladder to the roof.

Chai Mi found Song Qiushui, turned on the flashlight, spread the bedding, handed Song Qiushui a pillow, and then lay down on the mattress.

Comfortable?

Chai Mi didn't know what she was feeling right now either.

Just felt like recently her mind was muddled, as if......

Doing anything had no motivation at all.

Maybe she was just too tired.

As a result, the moment Chai Mi lay down and closed her eyes she fell asleep; no matter how Song Qiushui chattered away beside her, she didn't hear a single word clearly.

When she woke again, it was already broad daylight the next day.

And Song Qiushui beside her was long gone.

Touching the mattress that had been dampened by a bit of dew, Chai Mi took the mattress and pillow, then walked to the front of the roof and started calling for Chai Xiu.

"Xiu'er, come out to work."

Chai Xiu came out wearing a small ponytail, looked up at Chai Mi who had cooled off all night, and pouted to express dissatisfaction.

"I'll throw the pillow and mattress down; you take them into the room."

Chai Mi said this, wrapped the pillow inside the mattress, and threw it down.

Chai Xiu helplessly picked them up, patted off the dirt on top, then hugged them and returned to the room.

Chai Mi tidied her hair, then came down from the roof. Seeing Chai Xiu still pouting, she gave her a white-eye glare and scolded: "Xiu'er, you've started getting a temper recently. Ask you to do a bit of work, and you're eight hundred kinds of unwilling."

Chai Xiu muttered quietly: "You got to cool off, but last night Laosan started crying again in the middle of the night, didn't torture people to death."

"Stop muttering. Go get some firewood, time to cook. I'll make you some egg pancakes this morning, so you won't keep saying I shortchange you."

Only then did Chai Xiu quiet down a bit, and went to get firewood obediently.

Su Wan hadn't come out; she was in the room coaxing the child, but the child was still crying in there.

Chai Mi was also irritated beyond endurance.

The child was small, loved to cry; nobody had any good solution.

Chai Mi narrowed her eyes, walked into the room, pinched Chai Xin's little face: "Little white-eyed wolf, if you cry and make trouble again, I'll throw you to Er Tingzhong to raise."

Er Tingzhong was an old man in the village, langlangtangtang, couldn't even afford to eat, relied on stolen corn and sweet potatoes to fill his stomach every day, didn't love cleanliness — of course he didn't have the conditions to love cleanliness either — just like a little ghost crawling out of a kiln cave, scary.

Normally, Su Wan also used this to scare Chai Xin.

Hearing Chai Mi speak today, Chai Xin seemed to understand, and immediately shut up, crying and fussing no more.

Only then did Chai Mi go out to cook with peace of mind.

"Qiu Shui left early this morning?" Chai Mi asked Chai Xiu.

"Mm, she ran off really early, don't know what she went to do." Chai Xiu said: "Probably went to look for crabs, right? She said if she went late the crabs would run off and there'd be nothing to eat, so she left."

Chai Mi gave an "Mm": As long as the person isn't lost, it's fine.

Anyway, as long as she didn't fall off the roof in the middle of the night and get thrown away, there's no issue.

As for going to look for crabs......

Chai Mi slowly frowned: "Song Qiushui doesn't know how to ride a bicycle either? Did she go on foot?"

Chai Xiu just shook her head: "Don't know."

Chai Mi didn't ask further either; anyway, Su Wan was this old a person, she shouldn't get lost.

Beat four or five eggs, kneaded dough, fried some egg pancakes; there were no dishes, so Chai Mi casually prepared two scallions, two cucumbers, a few sprigs of cilantro, smashed them and mixed with soy sauce; if she threw in a few peanuts, it would be the Northeast famous flavor "Tiger Salad."

But Chai Mi didn't like to add peanuts; after all, that plate of peanuts fried last night was better eaten alone.

"Go call your dad to eat; where did he run off to so early this morning?" Chai Mi glanced at Chai Xiu and instructed her to go call Chai Youqing.

"Seems he went to water the fields again; he said this land is still drought-stricken beyond measure. Few use well water, all reluctant to spend money; might as well water more of our own land then, so he went."

"Water a second time?" Chai Mi muttered to herself: "Purely doing that tofu-dregs job."

Chai Mi knew Chai Youqing had always worked like this.

Originally, under such drought conditions, he should have watered heavily all at once. Result: he was fast; in three or four days, he finished watering over ten mu of land.

This is no different from perfunctory work.

At that time Chai Mi already knew Chai Youqing would inevitably have to go re-water the fields in a few days.

Sure enough...

"Let's eat. Move the table over."

Chai Xiu obediently hefted the kang table with effort and began setting out bowls and chopsticks.

Chai Mi scooped the egg pancakes into a small basin, then rinsed the pot, washed rice again, and cooked some millet porridge.

Then she called Mother Su Wan to eat.

After a while, Song Qiushui came running in carrying a ground trap, *ceng ceng ceng*.

Chai Mi hurried out: "You went by yourself?"

Song Qiushui panting: "No, I couldn't sleep this morning, got up and had Da Zhi drive the tractor to take me."

"Then how come you only brought back one trap? Where are the other two?"

"I put the crabs in one trap; the other two I put back there."

Song Qiushui was soaked through, all water; Chai Mi helplessly took the ground trap and set it aside, then took Song Qiushui to change into clean clothes; after she washed up, called her to eat together.

"You're afraid there isn't enough trouble; putting the ground trap there in broad daylight, whoever sees it will just take it. That's not our village's territory; if it's lost you won't even know who to look for."

Song Qiushui hehe laughed; she just felt three traps couldn't be carried, maybe tomorrow she could go collect again, leaving them there was worry-free, and the trap wasn't worth money anyway; if lost, worst case let Chai Xiu suffer a bit more.

"Eat, eat; stew crabs at noon."

"Your family stews crabs to eat?"

"Ai ya ya, uncultured, can you or not? However you make it, I'll eat it..."

Seeing the watch time reach 7:20, Song Qingshan, who had been loitering at the Laozhai gate for a long time, glanced at Liu Zhanggui: "Are we two still going in? We've waited almost an hour?"

Liu Zhanggui wore an awkward face: "Problem: Chai Zhongxiao and Wang Huirong's chimney hasn't even smoked; they haven't cooked. If we go in and they haven't gotten up, what then?"

This wasn't strange for Liu Zhanggui and Song Qingshan dilly-dallying; mainly the Laozhai main gate was shut, not open at all, so they didn't know what the people inside were doing.

"We have to go in anyway; otherwise it'll be too late later, and if we run into my brother then, wouldn't that become us deliberately finding fault? My brother Song Qingshu is probably coming soon; let's hurry up, quick." Song Qingshan said, slapping the main gate while laughing: "You De, open the door."

Chai Zhongxiao and Wang Huirong had actually woken up long ago.

They had also gotten up.

But breakfast really hadn't been made.

Simply because they didn't want to eat.

Although Chai Zhongxiao was very hungry, last night he ate the three dumplings Chai Xiu sent over; due to not seeing oil or meat for a long time, his stomach couldn't handle it, resulting in diarrhea.

And the diarrhea was very severe.

If he weren't still alive now, Chai Zhongxiao would suspect Chai Mi poisoned him.

"Chai Mi this thousand-cut deserver, last night the dumplings she sent us had laxatives. Making me suffer so..." Chai Zhongxiao's face was iron-green; although he felt it wasn't poison, it was laxative; anyway now Chai Zhongxiao thought Chai Mi was rotten to the core, as bad as the white-faced Cao Cao in pingju: "She really deserves to die, how can she do every bad thing!"

"Sigh, I said long ago Chai Mi is no good; you still kept saying she's at least human... In my words, she's a dog, bites whoever she catches." Wang Huirong was extremely dissatisfied with Chai Mi, so her words were very coarse.

The two were just talking when they heard someone knock.

Wang Huirong impatiently went to open the door, and saw it was Song Qingshan and Liu Zhanggui.

Immediately wanted to shut it again.

This was the third time Song Qingshan and Liu Zhanggui had come; the first two times Wang Huirong was already extremely dissatisfied.

They two came to collect debts.

Wang Huirong had no money; what to repay with?

So this time seeing them, she immediately wanted to shut the door.

But Liu Zhanggui was quick-eyed and fast-handed, blocked it: "Qi Gu, look what you're doing? We two are just doing routine business."

"Family has no money; only I'm worth money. Why don't you take me away?" Wang Huirong said angrily.

Liu Zhanggui's mouth twisted: This crooked Old Man, in your family you're the least worth money!!!

"No money, think of a way; in our village, it's not easy either." Liu Zhanggui said, and with Song Qingshan entered the courtyard, heading straight for the East Wu Zi.

Entered the room, Liu Zhanggui and Song Qingshan sat on the kang head, even took out cigarettes and passed to Chai Zhongxiao to smoke.

Liu Zhanggui lit a cigarette for Chai Zhongxiao, lit his own too, said: "Uncle Seven, look at you owing the village that famine relief grain... not that I'm making things hard for you, the township requires it, must be paid. So we two have no other way. You, if you have money, pay up, don't let us two walk away empty-handed."

Song Qingshan also said: "If money isn't enough, you at least give some; we two can finish the task. Pulling not a single hair isn't right either. The whole village knows your family; these years farming so much land, definitely have some money; you shouldn't be short on our village's little bit. Over ten thousand jin of grain, just two thousand plus yuan; you give some, we can go back and help speak for you, extend the time a bit."

Chai Zhongxiao lowered his head, not speaking.

Owing the village grain, this is true.

He Chai Zhongxiao has no money, this is also true.

Owing the Credit Union money, owed too much, and inside there's interest and whatnot; not repaying actually just affects Chai Zhongxiao's credit issue.

Of course, owing that much money, if the Credit Union pursues it now, they'd definitely sue and such. But Chai Zhongxiao has nothing; they can't do anything to him either.

At most they'd grab him and make him squat by the fence.

But owing the Village is very hard.

Reasonably speaking, although the land has already been contracted to households, a portion of grain still has to be handed over to the Village. Especially since Chai Zhongxiao also farms several mu of the Village's contracted land; if he doesn't repay this bit of grain to the Village, the contracted land will have nothing to do with him from now on.

Of course, the most crucial thing is that the Village knows Chai Zhongxiao inside and out. The land Chai Zhongxiao farms belongs to three daughters, and in reality all three daughters have already married off many years ago; if pressed, the Village has the right to take the land back.

Chai Zhongxiao also has no choice but to consider this problem.

But this year the drought is abnormally severe, output will definitely drop sharply; if we wait until autumn to collect grain, I'm afraid thirty to forty mu of land won't even yield ten thousand catties of grain.

Wanting to repay the famine debt this year is far too difficult.

And Chai Zhongxiao doesn't want to repay it either.

If it's all repaid, the whole family will starve to death.

"Ai... I'm old now, have no ability left, owe a bit of money, and you Village people come asking me again and again. I'm also someone who cares about face; if I had it, I'd have given it to you long ago. Truly don't have any, not afraid of you laughing — at home we can barely keep the pot boiling now."

Chai Zhongxiao sighed and said: "Early this year wasn't good either, don't know how much grain can be harvested. At home right now there's just those three bags of corn, and a few bags of sorghum rice — that's what we eat. If you two think that can be taken, and aren't afraid of me and your Seventh Aunt starving to death, then take it away. I also have no method; if next year the harvest is good, I'll repay you all together. This year truly cannot be repaid. You two also be accommodating, grant an extension."