drought.
Severe drought.
A drought that drives people crazy and gradually leads to despair.
Taoyuan Village has never experienced such a severe drought. At least Shuguan has lived here for sixteen years and has never encountered it.
The climate in Taoyuan Village has always been spring-like all year round, just like the peach forest beside the stream. In previous years, peach blossoms can bloom from March to early May.
But this year, the peach blossoms faded in mid-April.
Because since the beginning of spring, it has hardly rained.
It didn’t rain at the beginning of spring, it didn’t rain every now and then, it didn’t rain during the Waking of Insects, it didn’t rain during the Tomb Sweeping Day, it didn’t rain during the Grain Rain. And after the Beginning of Summer, the weather got hotter and hotter day by day, and the whole valley was as hot as a fire. Grilled steamer.
In the early morning of this day, Wang Erniu, the clan leader of Taoyuan Village, stood beside the stream outside the village.
There was a rotting carcass of a dead fish in front of his feet, lying on the dry mud that had been cracked by the scorching sun these days.
The stream that once flowed happily and could even reach the top of an adult man's head during spring floods is now only as thick as a little finger, dying and flowing among the exposed cobblestones.
Maybe tomorrow this last stream of water will disappear.
Wang Erniu is the father of Wang Dahu, Wang Erhu, Wang Sanhu, and Wang Sihu. He is in his early fifties. He is stocky and strong, standing like a heavy tree stump.
The people who first came to Taohuayuan were not from one clan or one surname, but the largest number of them were Wang and Zhang, accounting for about 70%. Therefore, the clan leaders of Taohuayuan Village were basically from these two surnames.
At this time, Wang Erniu's pair of thick black eyebrows were tightly knitted together, and his face was extremely serious.
"This can't go on like this."
He said this in a deep voice, his tone extremely sure.
Behind Wang Erniu, there were many people surrounding him.
His four sons were all there, standing in a row behind him, like four slightly smaller tree stumps. The tallest Wang Dahu stood on the far right, and the shortest Wang Sihu stood on the far left.
From Shuguan's perspective, it looks more like a row of network signals.
There are also several village elders who are in charge of affairs in the village.
But what Wang Erniu just said was to the old cripple.
The old lame man squatted not far in front of Wang Erniu, staring at the white shining pebbles in the stream.
"Yes, most of the crops in the fields are dead."
"If it doesn't rain, there won't be enough food in the village to survive the winter this year."
The old cripple sighed.
"That's why I asked Uncle Cripple to come and discuss what to do."
Wang Erniu looked at the old cripple with respect.
In Taoyuan Village, the old cripple is a very respected person. Although he was not treated well when he was young, as adults, everyone slowly found that their village was increasingly inseparable from this blind and lame man. What a freak.
This is also the reason why Shuguan can stay in Taoyuan Village.
If any of the villagers had picked him up back then, no one else would have agreed to leave him, an ugly boy of unknown origin, in the village. Only because of the old cripple's insistence did the people of Taoyuan Village reluctantly accept Shu Guan.
Shu Guan knew that the old cripple was a very capable person, and could even be called a bug-like figure in this small mountain village, but this kind of thing should be beyond the scope of the old cripple's ability!
Shu Guan next to him kept wiping his sweat while thinking so.
It's really hot.
Although it is early in the morning, it is at least over 38 degrees. At this moment, Shu Guan misses the days with air conditioning.
If this kind of weather continues for a while, and there is no water in the stream, all the crops will definitely wither. In that case, the people of Taoyuan Village may not survive this winter.
Unlike other places where you can escape during a famine, the villagers in Taoyuan Village have no place to escape.
So as a member of Taoyuan Village today, Shuguan is also a little worried.
But there was nothing he could do.
Because drought was a meteorological problem that could not be solved in the era he traveled to.
At this time, the tallest one in the row of network signals next to him quietly came over and whispered in his ear in an expectant tone:
"Want to have sex tonight? Call Yadan, the three of us will do it together!"
Shu Guanxian glanced at Wang Dahu, thinking that there was nothing to do at night, and the family couldn't bear the weather in this kind of weather, so he nodded.
Wang Dahu chuckled and retracted his head.
Although they often fought when they were young, Shu Guan and Wang Dahu now have a pretty good relationship.
This is because Shu Guan has lived in Taoyuan Village for sixteen years and has not brought any disaster to the village... Well, this drought should not be blamed on him.
As he grows older, Shu Guan has learned a lot about the craftsmanship of the old cripple, so he is now the second most capable person in Taoyuan Village after the old cripple.
The old cripple is very old now and can no longer do many jobs. Most of the time, people in the village need to build new farm tools, repair their houses, or get sick. Shuguan is now doing these things. The cripple can only give some pointers at most.
However, Shu Guan's work was no worse than that of the old lame man, and the people in the village gradually became less repulsive towards this ugly, pockmarked boy.
But the most important change in the Taoyuan villagers' attitude towards Shu Guan was Shu Guan's own conscious desire to change.
After reading the book of notes left by the old scholar, Shu Guan had no choice but to accept the fate of spending his life well in this village. In this case, he must live in harmony with the people in the village.
As a time traveler from modern society, if you really want to have a good relationship with people in mountain villages who have been living in a closed environment, there are always many ways.
For example, the "papapapa" mentioned by Wang Dahu just now is a method that can easily bring people into contact with each other.
Well, "Papapapa" refers to Landlord Dou.
After Shu Guan taught this game to the people in the village, in just a few months, it has become the favorite activity of Taoyuan villagers in their spare time.
From old women in their 70s and 80s to children in their teens, they are all obsessed with it.
Especially after dinner, before it gets dark, every household in Taoyuan Village has closed their doors, and the sound of "pop, pop, pop, pop" comes from the house one after another, and will not gradually subside until late at night.
While Shu Guan and Wang Dahu were making an appointment to play cards in the evening, Wang Erniu and Lao Laizi in front were still talking.
"Our village seems to have encountered such a terrible drought before."
Wang Erniu said with a frown.
"Forty-nine years ago, you were only three years old."
The old lame man nodded firmly. Although he was old, his memory seemed to have never faded.
Wang Erniu's face showed a look of recollection. He still had some memories of the drought he experienced when he was a child, but he didn't remember it as clearly as the old cripple.
However, he finally remembered other things.
This is also the reason why he invited the old cripple to discuss this time.
"I heard that during the drought more than 40 years ago, Uncle Cripple came to the temple to ask for rain."
Wang Erniu asked with some uncertainty.
Regarding this matter, he only seemed to have heard a few words from his parents when he was a child.
"Yes."
The old cripple grinned and nodded again. A bright light shone in one of his cloudy old eyes, as if he was trapped in a certain period of time in the past just like Wang Erniu.
Perhaps it was because that incident was the most glorious moment in his ordinary life.
"So this time, can Uncle Cripple go to the temple to seek help?"
Wang Erniu asked cautiously.
"Okay, the old man will go up the mountain tomorrow."
The old cripple readily agreed.
His demeanor was as casual and calm as if people in the village usually invited him to go to their homes to repair their belongings.
Shu Guan behind him curled his lips.
You dare to agree to this kind of thing casually.
Naturally, he heard the conversation between Wang Erniu and the old cripple just now.
Many years ago, there was a severe drought in Taoyuan Village and Thaksin believed it. Even when the old cripple went to pray for rain, he believed it.
But Shu Guan didn't believe it if the old lame man asked for the rain.
It must be a coincidence?
As a modern person, Shu Guan made a judgment immediately.
But Shu Guan didn't say anything. He knew that it couldn't be explained to these ancient people, and the villagers of Taoyuan Village especially believed in this. After all, they were able to live here because of the mercy of an immortal.
Mercy?
Shu Guan's heart suddenly moved, and he couldn't help but look up.
What he was looking at was the cliff at the end of the creek.
In the middle of the cliff, there is a hidden cave hidden among the trees, and deep in the cave, there is a temple.
Immortal view.
