Chapter 25: Heavy Rain

Zhao Mengcheng thought making tofu was hard enough, waking up in the middle of the night to work like a donkey, but the autumn harvest was even more exhausting, working from dawn to dusk.

The donkey they just bought could rest when it was tired, but the farmers during the autumn harvest never stopped for a moment.

To say every drop of sweat shattered into eight pieces¹ was a literal description, not an exaggeration.

They headed to the fields at the first light of dawn and worked until it was too dark to see. At this time, harvesting rice relied entirely on strong physical labor.

Zhao Mengcheng’s newly recovered body was struggling to keep up. He looked at the remaining rice fields with a sense of worry.

“The harvest is going fast enough this year. We should be finished by tomorrow,” Uncle Wang said with a smile.

He also urged Zhao Mengcheng: “You rest at home tomorrow. We can handle the rest here.”

Tired as they were, the villagers still beamed with joy at the sight of the bountiful rice.

Zhao Mengcheng looked up at the sky, feeling uneasy.

He could sense the moisture in the air growing thicker. Although the sky was still cloudless and filled with stars, the humidity didn’t lie.

He feared the heavy rain would fall before the rice was fully harvested.

Auntie Wang had prepared a feast early on, buying fish and meat. She insisted they eat their fill before letting them go.

By the time Zhao Mengcheng led the three kids home, the sky was pitch black.

Zhao Xin was stumbling as she walked, so Zhao Mengcheng simply picked his daughter up. The little girl’s head tilted, and she fell asleep against his shoulder.

The girl had been well-fed recently and was becoming chubby. She wasn’t light, and her whole body felt soft as she leaned against him.

“Are you two exhausted?” Zhao Mengcheng adjusted her weight and asked his two sons.

Zhao Chun patted his chest. “Not tired. It’s easier than before.”

In previous years, they would also help in the fields during the harvest. Back then, they not only had to rush their own harvest but also help at their eldest uncle’s house. If they slacked off even a little, their eldest aunt would nag them incessantly.

It wasn’t like today. Even though they were supposed to be helping the Wang Family, Uncle Wang and Auntie Wang didn’t actually expect much from them. They would call them to rest every now and then, fearing they would get too tired.

Despite his words, he let out a huge yawn in the next moment.

Zhao Mengcheng laughed and quickly fetched water for them to wash up.

Zhao Xin didn’t even wake when he wiped her face with a cloth. She just shifted positions and fell into a deeper sleep, her little face flushed and incredibly adorable.

Only after tucking the children into bed did Zhao Mengcheng return to the main room.

“Dad, do you have something on your mind?” Zhao Mao hadn’t slept and followed him out.

Zhao Mengcheng was surprised by the boy’s sharp intuition. “It’s nothing. Go to sleep.”

Zhao Mao didn’t leave. Instead, he leaned against him and asked, “You can tell me, Dad. Even though I’m small, I might be able to help you think of something.”

Those were heartwarming words.

Zhao Mengcheng smiled. “I’m just worried it might suddenly rain heavily, which would ruin everyone’s harvest.”

Although the Zhao family had no land or rice, the villagers relied on farming for their livelihoods. If a heavy rain caused a total crop failure, the consequences would be unthinkable.

Living in Qingshan Village, Zhao Mengcheng naturally didn’t want this to happen. After all, if disaster struck, no one could remain unaffected, and the tofu business would also suffer.

Hearing this, Zhao Mao also furrowed his brows in worry. “There are so many stars. It shouldn’t rain, right?”

Zhao Mengcheng just patted his small head without saying a word.

Zhao Mao added, “It would be great if we could harvest faster.”

Zhao Mengcheng’s eyes flickered as a thought crossed his mind.

He quickly sent the child back to his room, but instead of resting, he headed up the mountain.

Early the next morning, the three kids woke up after a good night’s sleep. Children recovered quickly, and after a night of rest, they were full of energy again.

Zhao Chun heard a noise and ran out to look, only to see several strange objects sitting in the courtyard.

“Dad, what are these?”

Zhao Mengcheng didn’t stop what he was doing as he explained, “This is called a Grain Cradle². It can be used to harvest rice, and it should be faster than a sickle.”

“A Grain Cradle?” The three kids didn’t even bother with breakfast, squatting nearby to watch with curiosity.

Bamboo strips flew through Zhao Mengcheng’s hands, weaving a frame that looked like half a basket right before their eyes.

This was a harvest miracle tool he had only remembered last night. It wasn’t surprising he had just thought of it; he hadn’t farmed in his previous life, and all his knowledge came from books.

The Grain Cradle was woven from bamboo strips and looked like a winnowing fan³, but with larger gaps between the strips.

The most important part was the iron blade on the mouth of the fan. Zhao Mengcheng had thought of it too late to commission a blacksmith, so the blades he was installing now were temporary modifications made from sickle blades.

“Dad, can this strange thing really harvest rice? Is it faster than a sickle?” Zhao Mao asked curiously.

“Eat breakfast first. After we eat, we’ll go to the fields and try it out,” Zhao Mengcheng said.

The three kids hurried to eat, looking up at the Grain Cradles in the courtyard from time to time, their eyes full of curiosity.

After eating, Zhao Mengcheng indeed carried the Grain Cradles on his back and took the three kids to the fields. By then, the three members of the Wang Family had already started working.

Seeing them, Wang Ming called out, “Brother, why didn’t you sleep longer? There’s only a little left; we can finish it today.”

“That’s right, we don’t need your help today,” Uncle Wang added.

Zhao Mengcheng pulled out a Grain Cradle. “Uncle, Ming, take a look at this.”

“What is this? It looks so strange,” Wang Ming asked, puzzled.

Zhao Mengcheng didn’t explain. He stepped directly into the field and began demonstrating for them.

At first, he was clumsy and his movements were awkward, but he soon adapted. With a swish of the Grain Cradle, he cut down several rows of rice with every swing. It was ten times faster than using a sickle.

Wang Ming’s eyes lit up. “Brother, let me try.”

Zhao Mengcheng handed him the Grain Cradle and gave him a few tips.

Wang Ming was accustomed to farm work and picked it up even faster than Zhao Mengcheng. Swish, swish, swish, the rice fell in heaps. He said in surprise, “This thing is great! It’s so fast, and I don’t even have to bend over.”

The hardest part of harvesting rice was having to stay bent over all day. Even a strong young man wouldn’t be able to straighten his back by the end of the day.

Uncle Wang also walked over. “Ming, let me try too.”

Wang Ming was reluctant to let go but yielded to his father’s authority.

As soon as Uncle Wang tried it, he praised, “This is excellent. As expected of a scholar, your mind is sharper than ours to be able to tinker and come up with something like this.”

Auntie Wang couldn’t help but try it as well. She could use it too, but the tool required some strength, and she found it a bit taxing after a few swings.

“It really is a good thing. Mengcheng is truly clever.”

Zhao Mengcheng accepted the praise and said with a smile, “Uncle, Auntie, use this to harvest the rice today. It’ll be faster and save you some energy.”

Without needing to be told, Wang Ming had already snatched the Grain Cradle back and started working.

In a short while, he had finished harvesting an entire acre. He said excitedly, “I’m not tired at all. With this Grain Cradle, I could harvest six or seven acres a day.”

The surrounding villagers noticed the Wang Family’s extraordinary speed and came over to ask, “Old Wang, why are you moving so fast today? What is that thing Ming is using?”

Uncle Wang looked at Zhao Mengcheng, unsure if he should say anything.

Zhao Mengcheng’s original intention was to help the villagers speed up. He explained with a smile, “It’s called a Grain Cradle. It’s faster than a sickle for harvesting rice, and it’s easier on the body.”

A few villagers stood by and watched, immediately bursting into praise.

“This thing is really useful.”

“Old Wang, when your family is done, lend it to mine.”

“Nephew Mengcheng, did you make this? Can you make one for my family too? I’ll treat you to a meal later.”

“Let me try it first. Hey, it really does work well.”

Zhao Mengcheng smiled. “It’s made of bamboo, so it doesn’t cost much. It just needs to be fitted with a sickle. I have some half-finished ones at home; they just need sickles attached to be ready for use.”

“Then assemble two for me first,” Liu Fengshou was the first to speak.

His family had a lot of land, and he had been working day and night for the past two days, worried about the rain. The whole family was exhausted.

Zhao Mengcheng didn’t refuse. He went home and began helping with the assembly, agreeing to everyone who came to ask.

The Old Village Chief heard about it and came to take a look. He nodded and praised, “Mengcheng is capable. Being educated really makes one better than the rest of us.”

Zhao Mengcheng felt embarrassed by the praise. The original owner had only studied for two years and was barely literate; he was only able to produce this by relying on the experience of his predecessors.

Some sickles were of different lengths or shapes and weren’t a perfect fit, but even after the modifications, the harvesting speed was much faster than before. The villagers were very satisfied.

Soon, the people who had been working bent over in the fields all straightened their backs, vigorously swinging their Grain Cradles as the rice fell in swathes.

The harvesting speed in Qingshan Village increased by more than two or three times.

Zhao Wencheng also noticed this change, but he was dismissive in his heart. He grumbled to his wife in private, “He just loves to show off. He treats a bamboo basket like some treasure. I think they’ve all lost their minds.”

Zhao Dasao glanced over. “Husband, I see that harvesting rice over there is much faster. Why don’t we go get one too?”

“You’re not allowed to go. Even if I work myself to death, I won’t go to his door to beg,” Zhao Wencheng said with a stern face.

Zhao Dasao curled her lip but didn’t dare say anything more.

Zhao Xiaohua naturally saw this scene as well. She looked at Zhao Mengcheng suspiciously, thinking that her second uncle hadn’t possessed such skills in her previous life. Why did he have so many tricks in this life?

But then she thought, in her previous life, Zhao Mengcheng had died young. No matter how capable he was, he didn’t have the life to use it.

“What are you dazing off for? Hurry up and help,” Zhao Dasao urged.

Zhao Xiaohua, who had been forcibly dragged to the fields to work, was deeply dissatisfied. She secretly cursed her parents for their lack of foresight. She was a woman destined to be an Empress in the future, so how could she be doing farm work?

What was this bit of rice in the field worth? Once she became the Empress, a single meal would cost dozens or even hundreds of taels of silver.

The bustling autumn harvest continued. With the presence of the grain cradle, the harvest in Qingshan Village ended ahead of schedule.

All the rice had been harvested. The faster families had already begun threshing the grain, spreading it out to dry on the open ground.

Yet the weather remained just as hot. The sun beat down fiercely, with no sign of rain at all.

Zhao Wencheng had been very diligent at first, but seeing the sun hanging high with no indication of rain, he began to complain again. “This doesn’t look like it’s going to rain at all. The Village Chief really has gone senile.”

Zhao Dasao was also exhausted, so she added, “Isn’t that the truth? If we had known, we wouldn’t have had to rush and could have worked slowly. Now our harvest is smaller, not to mention we’re tired half to death.”

“Then let’s just take it slow. A few days won’t make a difference,” Zhao Wencheng said with a curl of his lip. “I don’t believe it’s going to rain out of the blue.”

Zhao Xiaohua opened her mouth, wanting to say it would rain soon, but she looked down at her red, blistered palms and swallowed her words.

It was only a few acres of land; if it was gone, it was gone. Only when the family had no money would her parents agree to sell her. If someone like Zhao Xin could fetch ten taels of silver, she could surely fetch twenty.

With twenty taels, her parents certainly wouldn’t starve. She only had to wait a few more years, and then she would return in glory to take them to the capital to enjoy a life of luxury, letting them live as Imperial Uncles.

Zhao Xiaohua felt smug as she plotted in her heart. She tossed aside her sickle, having no intention of trying to convince her parents.

The Wang Family was one of the fastest households in the village, and they had already begun drying their rice.

On the drying ground, some people also brought up the matter of whether it would rain. “If it doesn’t rain, we’ve all been busy for nothing.”

Auntie Wang tried to persuade them otherwise. “It had to be harvested sooner or later. Harvesting early only means losing a little rice, but if it rains, the entire crop could be lost.”

“It doesn’t look like it’s going to rain at all. Sigh, my family only started harvesting because we saw everyone else doing it and got anxious.”

“Sigh, it looks like this year’s yield will be reduced.”

The Village Chief naturally heard the villagers’ discussions, and he began to feel a bit uncertain.

Looking up at the clear, boundless sky, he found Zhao Mengcheng. “I haven’t mentioned to anyone else that you said it would rain. If it doesn’t rain later, don’t say anything either. If they want to blame someone, let them blame me.”

He was planning to take the fall for him.

Zhao Mengcheng smiled. “Uncle, if it really rains, you will have saved the lives of the entire village.”

In his heart, he felt that Qingshan Village was lucky to have the Old Village Chief. Although the man had his own selfish interests, he was fair and willing to listen to others.

The Village Chief waved his hand and looked up at the sky with a sigh, also feeling that it probably wouldn’t rain.

Perhaps it would, but not within the next few days.

Everyone in Qingshan Village thought so, and the commoners in nearby villages who had followed suit in the rush harvest felt it even more. They had originally joined in the excitement, but seeing that the heavens had no intention of raining, they immediately grew slack.

By the time Qingshan Village had basically completed its autumn harvest, the faster neighboring villages had only finished half, while the slower ones had just begun.

Everyone felt that the heavens would not send rain.

Zhao Mengcheng narrowed his eyes as he felt the water elements in the air becoming increasingly turbulent.

“Ming, cover your family’s rice tonight. It will rain tonight.”

Wang Ming looked at the sky; there wasn’t a single cloud. “It doesn’t look like it.”

“I think it will,” Zhao Mengcheng said.

Wang Ming had always trusted him. Although he didn’t think it would rain, he still moved his rice inside.

A few nearby villagers saw this and mocked him. “The rice isn’t even dry yet. Aren’t you tired of moving it back and forth?”

Wang Ming only said, “Better safe than sorry. You all should move yours home too, or at least cover it with oilcloth.”

The villagers still laughed at him. “It doesn’t look like rain at all. You’re far too timid.”

“What if it does?” Wang Ming countered, already carrying his family’s rice home.

He didn’t mention Zhao Mengcheng’s words, fearing that others would blame Brother Mengcheng if they heard.

Hearing him say this, Liu Fengshou also had his son help him move the mostly dry rice back, while covering the rest that wasn’t dry with oilcloth.

“You actually believe him? It’s too much trouble.”

Liu Fengshou only said, “Ming is right. Better safe than sorry.”

Hearing him say this, some of the more cautious villagers also began to move their grain, saying, “A little extra effort is better than being worried sick. This is our family’s food for the year.”

Zhao Mengcheng didn’t try to persuade the remaining skeptics and turned to go home.

Just past midnight, thunder and lightning struck, the bolts tearing across the sky as if splitting it in two.

Before those in their dreams could even wake up, a torrential downpour followed immediately, falling with a crash without giving anyone time to react.

“It’s raining!”

“Oh no, my rice!”

“Quick, get up! Go move the rice!”

The villagers, startled awake, rushed out of their homes. The heavy rain was already forming small streams on the ground.

“Hurry! Move the rice home first!”

The Old Village Chief, seeing them standing there in a daze, shouted repeatedly.

The villagers didn’t care that they were soaked to the bone. They pulled oilcloths and put on straw raincoats, and the drying ground became a scene of total chaos.

Zhao Mengcheng woke up at the first clap of thunder. Stepping outside, he saw the turmoil.

The neighboring Wang Family was also awake. While they were relieved that their own rice was safe, they were worried about their fellow villagers. All three of them intended to go help.

“Ming, give me a hand.”

Zhao Mengcheng called out, and Wang Ming followed without a word.

The two of them rushed to the Tofu Workshop and pulled down the large pieces of oilcloth used for shielding. They carried them to the drying ground and temporarily propped them up with bamboo poles to provide shelter from the rain, giving the others a moment to breathe.

The Old Village Chief was soaked through. Seeing this, he let out a sigh of relief before starting to scold people again. “I told you it was going to rain, but you wouldn’t listen. You were just too lazy, and now look.”

Even the rice covered with oilcloth had been dampened to some extent.

Zhao Mengcheng looked around and found the situation better than expected. “Uncle, let everyone move the rice back first. Even if it’s wet, it can still be eaten after it’s dried.”

“That’s all we can do,” the Old Village Chief sighed.

After being busy for most of the night, the rice on the drying ground was mostly gathered. By now, it should have been dawn, but the sky remained gloomy, and the heavy rain continued without any sign of stopping.

Amidst the sound of the rain, Zhao Wencheng and his wife wailed loudly.

The two of them hadn’t believed the Village Chief and had been lazy. More than half of their rice was still in the fields.

Rice that had been harvested could be taken home to dry, but there was no way to save what was still in the ground. The heavy rain had flattened all the rice. After a single night, it would sprout and become completely inedible.

Since they were from the same village, others felt pity and said, “Stop crying and get to the fields to cut the rice. Save as much as you can.”

To their surprise, Zhao Wencheng blamed them instead. “It’s easy for you to say. What’s the use of cutting it now?”

The person was so angry that they turned and left, ignoring them.

The couple began to cry loudly again.

Inside the house, Zhao Xiaohua stood under the eaves looking out. There was no regret or worry in her eyes, only a growing sense of joy and anticipation.

The heavy rain had finally started. When this rain ended, her parents would believe her words. Then they would sell her to the Wan Family, and her glorious life would begin.

Thinking this, Zhao Xiaohua only felt that the sound of the rain was pleasant, and she could no longer hear her parents’ desperate cries.

Zhao Mengcheng had gone out to help, and when he returned home, he was soaked from head to toe. Upon entering the house, he frowned.

The Zhao Family house was too old. It was fine on sunny days, but once it rained, it began to drip everywhere.

It was raining hard outside and drizzling inside.

Previously, he had only focused on food and hadn’t noticed, but now that it was raining, he realized the house was in a serious state of disrepair.

The three little ones had also been awake for a long time. They had brought out all the wooden buckets, large bowls, and basins in the house and placed them everywhere, creating a clinking symphony.

“Dad, drink some ginger soup.”

Zhao Mao carried over a large, brimming bowl, having even added some brown sugar to it.

Zhao Mengcheng drank it all in one go. “I’m afraid this rain won’t stop for a while.”

The heavy rain not only didn’t stop but showed signs of becoming even heavier.

A tile on the roof of the room where the three little ones slept happened to be broken, and by now, their bed was soaked in water. The cotton quilt could have been wrung out.

Zhao Mengcheng could only settle them in his own room. At least his bed was dry, though there were five holes leaking elsewhere.

Lying beside their father, the three little ones weren’t afraid. Instead, they were somewhat excited.

All three heads crowded against Zhao Mengcheng. Zhao Xin even said, “It’s so nice that it’s raining. I can sleep with Daddy.”

“Is it really nice when the house is all wet?” Zhao Mengcheng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Zhao Xin tilted her head and said, “The wetness isn’t good, but sleeping with Daddy is very good.”

“Your room won’t be fit to sleep in for a while. The four of us will just have to squeeze together for a few days.”

Zhao Mengcheng tapped the three little heads, mentally calculating the remaining silver in the house. He pondered building a new house once the rain stopped.

Actually, he should have built a house long ago. The Zhao Family only had two rooms, and it wasn’t right for a little girl like Zhao Xin to keep living with her two older brothers.

Furthermore, when winter came, this house of the Zhao Family would be drafty everywhere, making it truly unsuitable for living.

A heavy downpour interrupted all plans. The people of Qingshan Village could only huddle at home drying their rice. With rain this heavy, they couldn’t even make tofu, and even if they did, they wouldn’t be able to sell it.

Wang Ming was reluctant to lose his daily earnings and wanted to brave the rain to head out, but Uncle Wang and Auntie Wang grabbed him and refused to let him go.

Auntie Wang said, “Is your life more important or the money? If you get caught in the rain and fall sick, no matter how much you earn, it will all go toward medicine.”

Wang Ming felt it was a pity, but he ultimately held himself back.

He just stared outside, worrying. “When will this rain ever end?”

“This rain is going to last for a full half-month,” Zhao Xiaohua said with absolute certainty.

She stood before her parents with her chest puffed out. “Dad, Mom, do you believe me now?”

Zhao Wencheng’s face was dark. “If you knew it was going to rain, why didn’t you say so? Now our family’s rice is all ruined.”

Despite their best efforts, they had only managed to harvest thirty percent of the family’s rice; the rest was still in the fields.

Zhao Xiaohua felt even more wronged than him. “I told you, but you didn’t believe me. What was I supposed to do?”

Zhao Wencheng raised his hand to give her a slap.

Zhao Xiaohua took a step back and said coldly, “Dad, think carefully before you strike. Whether or not you can enjoy wealth and glory in the future depends entirely on me.”

These words stunned Zhao Wencheng. His hand hung in the air, unable to strike or lower itself.

Zhao Dasao looked at her daughter in shock and fear. “You… when did you become a spirit medium?”

“Xiaohua, what else can you predict? What are we going to do now that the rice is gone? Your brother needs money for his studies, and the three of us need money for food and drink. The family doesn’t have any savings left.”

Zhao Xiaohua curled her lip disdainfully. “What does a little rice matter? Hurry up and sell me to the Wan Family. Within a few years, I’ll become the Empress.”

“Do you know what an Empress is? That’s the most noble woman in the Great Zhou. When that time comes, never mind rice, you’ll have all the gold and silver you could ever want to spend.”

The couple looked at each other. Although their daughter had been right about the rain, becoming an Empress sounded like a pipe dream.

Zhao Xiaohua frowned and stomped her feet. “Why don’t you believe me? Fine, I’ll tell you something else. In a few days, our entire village will be flooded. You’d better make plans early. It’s safest to move up the mountain to avoid the rain.”

The couple’s expressions shifted uncertainly.

The heavy rain halted the steps of the country folk, but it had no effect on the wealthy families.

Third Young Master Wan repeatedly urged the steward to speed things up.

The steward braved the heavy rain to find Monkey Face. “When exactly can you get your hands on that little girl you mentioned?”

Monkey Face hurriedly said, “Who knew it would suddenly start pouring? Otherwise, I would have had her within these past two days.”

“The young master can’t wait any longer. Three days at most. I must see her within three days,” the steward pressured.

Monkey Face looked troubled. “With rain this heavy, the village folk aren’t coming out. This won’t be easy to handle.”

The steward gritted his teeth and took out some silver. “This is the deposit. You’ll get the other half once the job is done. But you’d better guarantee that the girl is truly good-looking. If the young master isn’t satisfied, you’ll have hell to pay.”

Monkey Face bit the silver and agreed readily. “Don’t worry, steward. I guarantee she’s a real beauty in the making.”

As soon as the steward left, Monkey Face found several men and began to plot in low voices.

Translator’s Notes