The people in the valley busied themselves for a whole day, and before dark, they finally finished building the firewood stacks for the three families, covering them with tarps.
Under the overtime efforts of Uncle De, Uncle Fu, Xiang Dong, and Er Hu, the cellars for the three families were also finally completed and coated with cement and waterproof paint.
Time quickly flew by to the morning of September 23rd. Chen Lan got up and pulled open the curtains, seeing that it was indeed raining outside. She thought to herself, the system is quite something, and its weather forecasts are always so accurate!
The sky outside was gloomy, and the rain continued to fall. This rain had likely started in the latter half of the previous night.
After a whole night of rain, the temperature outside dropped by several degrees. The north wind blew whistlingly, chilling people to the bone. The weather had turned decidedly cold.
With most of the work done, it was time to relax. So, everyone stayed indoors, not venturing out at all.
Thus, both adults and children were confined to their homes. After breakfast, with this rare opportunity and free time, they all gathered in the living room to chat and catch up.
Jia Yao, being suddenly confined at home and unable to go out, felt unaccustomed and kept crying to go outside, muttering "Go, go" incessantly.
He had likely gotten used to playing on the lawn in the yard the past two days and was thinking of freely crawling around the yard today.
Chen Lan was completely at a loss with the little fellow Jia Yao. With no other option, she picked him up and said, "Jia Yao, be good! Good baby, it's cold outside, we're not going out, okay? Come, let's go find your dad to play horsey."
For some reason, the little Jia Yao suddenly threw a tantrum. He clung to Chen Lan's neck and refused to let go, repeatedly saying, "No horsey, go, no horsey, go, go."
With no other choice, Chen Lan bundled him up warmly, and she herself put on a thick cotton coat. Mother and son, bundled up like two giant pandas, opened the living room door. As soon as the door opened, a gust of cold north wind carrying raindrops blew in their faces. Chen Lan couldn't help but shiver, and Jia Yao sneezed. Mother and son immediately closed the door and retreated back inside. Oh my heavens! It was so cold!
Chen Lan looked at Jia Yao and asked softly, "Jia Yao, are you cold?"
Jia Yao nodded his head like a pecking chicken and uttered a single word: "Cold."
Chen Lan continued to ask, "Jia Yao, are we still going out or not?"
Jia Yao shook his head like a rattle drum but didn't speak.
Chen Lan waited for a moment. Suddenly, Jia Yao pointed at Xu Mingxuan with his chubby little finger and said, "Daddy, horsey, ride."
Jia Hui, from the moment she woke up, had her dad Xu Mingxuan handle everything from getting dressed, washing up, to feeding her egg custard. Now snuggling contentedly in her dad's arms, Jia Hui, upon hearing Jia Yao's words, immediately opened her little mouth and said, "Daddy, horsey, ride."
Xu Mingxuan immediately sprang into action. Crossing his legs, he placed Jia Hui on his feet and began the "horsey ride" game. Jia Hui giggled with delight, her words a happy, indistinct "Giddy-up, giddy-up."
Hu Tou, seeing Jia Hui and Xu Mingxuan having so much fun, became very envious and said to his dad, "Daddy, I want to ride horsey too!"
Xiang Dong glanced at Xu Mingxuan and his daughter, then crossed his legs and placed Hu Tou on his feet, also starting the up-and-down motion of the horsey ride game. Hu Tou's laughter grew even louder.
Now, the whole house was filled with the laughter of Jia Hui and Hu Tou.
This made Jia Yao unhappy. He wanted to ride horsey too, constantly saying, "Horsey, ride."
With no other recourse, Chen Lan had to step in herself.
Sitting on the sofa, she crossed her legs and placed the plump Jia Yao on her feet. Oh my goodness! He was really heavy! Without paying attention, Jia Yao slid from Chen Lan's feet to the ground, landing with a thump. This startled both Chen Lan and Jia Yao greatly.
Everyone was also startled. Chen Lan quickly got up, picked Jia Yao up, and held him in her arms, checking where he had fallen.
Fortunately, Jia Yao was wearing many layers today, so he wasn't hurt, just frightened. Being a boy, he had a bit more courage and wasn't scared into crying.
Chen Lan held Jia Yao in her arms and gently patted his back, comforting him, "Jia Yao, good baby, don't be scared! Don't be scared!"
After the fall, Jia Yao truly became a well-behaved baby. He nestled obediently in Chen Lan's arms, much quieter. Only his big eyes kept glancing at Xu Mingxuan's father-daughter pair and Xiang Dong's father-son pair, who were still playing horsey.
Xiang Xi, seeing Jia Yao like this, immediately felt heartache. He walked over, bent down, and smiling, extended his hand towards Jia Yao, saying, "Good baby Jia Yao, come, shall Uncle take you for a high-up ride, okay?"
Jia Yao immediately became happy, reaching out to be held by Xiang Xi, and still saying, "High, high."
Xiang Xi chuckled and said, "You little rascal, you have a good memory! You still remember Uncle lifting you high. Alright! We'll go high-up first, then ride horsey, okay?"
With that, he placed his hands under Jia Yao's armpits and began lifting him up and down.
Little Jia Yao was now overjoyed, repeatedly saying, "High, high."
Xiang Xi lifted him up about twenty times. His speed visibly slowed down. After a few more lifts, he could no longer lift him and was panting heavily. Sudancdn.com
Panting, Xiang Xi said, "Jia Yao, you little guy, what have you been eating every day! You're so heavy. You've gained a lot of weight recently; Uncle can't even lift you anymore."
Seeing Jia Yao still calling out "High," he quickly comforted him, "Jia Yao, good baby, let Uncle rest for a bit, just a moment, and then we'll ride horsey, okay?"
Only after Jia Yao had his fill of horsey rides did the children finally settle down. Everyone continued to chat. As they talked, they eventually began discussing plans for next year.
Uncle Fu said, "Xiao Lan, Xiang Xi mentioned you're not planning to plant as much corn and potatoes next year, but instead spring wheat and rice? Are you confident? Can you do it?"
Chen Lan thought for a moment and replied, "Whether I can do it or not, I really don't know. I told Uncle De we'd try planting spring wheat and rice for one season. He said we'll try it. If we don't try, we'll never know if it's possible."
Uncle Fu pondered for a moment and said, "That makes sense. However, if you're going to try, you'll probably need to start nursery cultivation early. Without early nursery cultivation, the crops won't mature before October."
Reminded by Uncle Fu, Chen Lan suddenly slapped her forehead, remembering something important. The "snap" sound of her slap startled everyone, leaving them stunned.
Even those playing the horsey game stopped and looked at her in unison.