Chapter 45: The Rainy Season Arrives

Time flew by; in the blink of an eye the rainy season had arrived. The mature rice was all harvested before the rains, and then a new crop was planted.

Looking at the outside land that hadn't dried since the rainy season began, I felt relieved: fortunately the rice had already been dried and stored. The new season's crop had also been planted; now I only needed to check on it at regular times each day. At the start of the rainy season, there were many more game animals outside the tribe than usual; Ba Ke Er and the tribe's beastmen went out together and hunted a lot of game to bring back. Zhang Fan had never seen such a sight; after asking Ba Ke Er he learned that this is how the beginning of each year's rainy season always is, because later the rain gets heavier and heavier, and many low-lying areas will see herds of animals start migrating from their original habitats to higher ground.

After hearing the explanation, Zhang Fan realized that the rainy season here was like Earth's flood season. But on Earth there is no flood season lasting five months.

Starting in the second month of the rainy season, Ba Ke Er stopped going out of the tribe to hunt. He began working with Zhang Fan to maintain the household's food reserves. Even the live game caught in the first month of the rainy season was raised. Because there were too many animals, the pigpens, sheep pens, and cattle sheds at home were insufficient, so they built several more new ones, barely enough to house the animals. Fortunately the household's yard was large; after building five pigpens, three sheep pens, two cattle sheds, and placing over a dozen rabbit cages, there was still plenty of open space.

Zhang Fan looked at the livestock raised at home and felt especially happy. If all this livestock were on Earth, how much money would it be worth! Especially pork! It once drove the nation's economic growth for a period of time! Think back to when eating a catty of pork cost fifteen or sixteen RMB, and a catty of spare ribs cost nearly thirty! The wild pigs raised at home are still piglets; imagine how much meat they'll have when grown! Just thinking about it gets me excited. However, Zhang Fan quickly calmed down, after all this isn't Earth but a very primitive Shouren Xingqiu.

That afternoon, Ba Ke Er left while Zhang Fan was still napping, and only returned after Zhang Fan woke up.

"Fan Fan, I just went to check the fields; the rice seedlings are growing splendidly! I estimate this season will be another bumper harvest! Moreover, the sweet potatoes in the soil have grown quite large—bigger than the ones we first brought back. Look, I dug up a few and brought them back." Ba Ke Er began saying this even before he entered the courtyard.

Zhang Fan saw Ba Ke Er go out again without a raincoat or straw hat and grew worried:

"Ba Ke Er, why are you going out again without a raincoat or straw hat! The rain outside is pouring down; getting wet makes it easy to get sick! No more next time! From now on, on rainy days you must wear a proper raincoat and straw hat before going out! Do you understand?"

After saying that, he ran back to the room, fetched a clean towel, and came out to wipe the rain off Ba Ke Er's body; then he went to the kitchen to fetch a large bucket of hot water, carried it to the bathroom, and told Ba Ke Er to take a hot bath. Seeing Ba Ke Er go to take a bath, Zhang Fan returned to the kitchen and began to brew ginger tea for him. After all, in a primitive society lacking medicine and doctors, catching a cold or fever could be fatal. So Zhang Fan had prepared a lot of fresh ginger at home for emergencies.

As soon as Ba Ke Er finished his bath and came out, Zhang Fan handed him a cup of ginger tea. Ba Ke Er felt more than once how fortunate he was to have gotten such a gentle and virtuous Fan Fan. However, after drinking the ginger tea and feeling warm, Ba Ke Er took over the task from Zhang Fan's hands. He began preparing pig slop for the household's pigs and feeding fresh grass to the sheep, cattle, and rabbits. Only then did Zhang Fan recall that Ba Ke Er had said he brought back a few sweet potatoes.

"Ba Ke Er, you just said you brought back a few sweet potatoes—where are they?"

"Fan Fan, I've already put the sweet potatoes in the stove cavity to roast; they'll be ready to eat tonight."

After hearing Ba Ke Er say that, Zhang Fan sat down and began discussing with him when to go dig up the sweet potatoes in the field.

"Right, Ba Ke Er, we also need to tell the group leader so everyone can start preparing to dig up the sweet potatoes. The rain is getting heavier and heavier; if we don't dig them up soon, they'll probably rot in the ground."