The rain fell all night. It wasn’t heavy, but it never stopped, drizzling continuously. For farmers who depended on the heavens for their livelihood, this was truly a blessing from above.
Especially for Yuan Zhao—he finally didn’t have to exhaust himself hauling water to irrigate the fields!
With the rain, there was temporarily nothing to do. The rain washed away the heat, and every now and then a breeze carried a faint coolness, making everything feel especially comfortable.
The whole family sat under the eaves, eating fruit they had picked earlier and chatting idly. It was a rare moment of ease.
“I heard Zhao Hu’s mother has gone mute?” Shi Qingyue suddenly said.
“When did that happen? Who did you hear it from?” Shi Zhangshi asked while embroidering a handkerchief. “Weren’t they just back yesterday?”
Shi Qingyue replied, “I heard it from Brother Xiao Shu. He said when Village Chief Niu went to pick them up, he found they couldn’t speak anymore. He thought they had just shouted themselves hoarse at first, but later realized they were truly mute. No one knows what happened.”
Brother Xiao Shu was Niu Dashu, the youngest son of Village Chief Niu. Since it came from him, it should be true.
Yuan Zhao let out a soft sigh. No wonder the village chief had looked so grim yesterday—it must be because Zhao Hu’s mother’s throat was beyond recovery.
“She deserves it…” Yuan Yuan said quietly. “Who told her to spread nonsense!”
“Exactly. She’s full of lies. Even the heavens couldn’t stand it anymore and made sure she can never speak again,” Shi Qingyue agreed. “Serves their family right.”
Shi Zhangshi clicked her tongue. “Mind your words. Keep some things in your heart instead of saying them out loud. You’ll only bring trouble. Don’t go teaching bad habits to Yuan Yuan, or I’ll smack you!”
“Oh~” Shi Qingyue responded indifferently, though she didn’t continue.
To them, the Zhao family matter wasn’t even worth mentioning for long—just a brief topic during idle conversation.
“Speaking of which, it seems people in the village are setting nets by the river again,” Shi Qingyue added.
“How do you know everything?” Yuan Zhao asked in surprise. He hadn’t even seen him go out!
Shi Qingyue said proudly, “I’ve completely integrated into this village. I just walked around outside with an umbrella in the morning, and information naturally came to me!”
In truth, it was because the villagers had become unusually attentive toward their family. It seemed they had finally realized Shi Wuxiang’s scholarly status wasn’t just for show, and they no longer treated them coldly as before.
Especially after hearing what happened to the Zhao family, they developed a sense of respect toward Shi Wuxiang. Naturally, they began to pay attention to the Shi family as well, and small bits of gossip and chatter started circulating again.
Therefore, Shi Qingyue merely went out for a walk, and anyone who saw him would take the initiative to greet him.
“Impressive!” Yuan Zhao praised.
“Impressive!” Yuan Yuan also chimed in.
Shi Qingyue smiled proudly and even raised his hand to flick Shi Qingran’s forehead—a purely mischievous act.
During idle time, sitting around chatting made the hours pass especially quickly. They only took turns going to the latrine a few times, and before they knew it, it was almost noon.
No one had done any work, and since they had been sitting and talking all morning, lunch was kept simple—they cooked a pot of noodles, each person holding a bowl and eating with great satisfaction.
After noon, the rain gradually stopped, though the sky remained overcast. Staying indoors felt stifling, so they decided to go out and wander the streets.
As soon as they stepped outside, they saw that other households had also come out—some carrying farming tools heading to the fields, others gathering with equipment and going in groups toward the river.
After a rain, such gloomy weather was the best for fishing.
“Brother-in-law, are we going to the river too?” Shi Qingyue asked.
“Do you want to go play?” Yuan Zhao looked up at him—he was not as tall, so he had to tilt his head to see him. “If you want to go, we can bring small baskets and catch some small fish and shrimp. After a rain, they all swim close to shore, they’ll be easy to catch.”
Shi Qingyue’s eyes lit up. “I want to go!”
Last time, he hadn’t gotten a chance to catch fish and shrimp. This time, he was determined to catch plenty—otherwise it would be a waste of all his strength!
Yuan Zhao went home to fetch the handmade net bag they had prepared earlier and told everyone to bring their small baskets. The four of them then headed straight to the river.
The riverbank after rain was a bit muddy, so Yuan Zhao only dared to guide them in the shallow areas, but even so, it was already fun enough.
Yuan Zhao was skilled at catching shrimp—any shrimp he spotted never escaped him. In no time, he had already caught more than a dozen.
Although Shi Qingyue was a first-timer, he was clever and steady, not missing a single one. Working together, the four of them actually cleared out the shrimp in that stretch of water for the moment.
So they moved along the riverbank, searching section by section. But soon, they reached the area near Xiahe Village’s riverbank.
The two villages were built along the same river, connected by the long waterway. Both sides fished and set nets.
“Oh? Isn’t that Zhao-ge’er?”
A familiar voice came from across the narrow riverbank. Yuan Zhao looked up and saw villagers from Xiahe Village—they were also there to fish.
Yuan Zhao smiled brightly. “Aunt Lianxiang!”
Aunt Lianxiang said, “Why don’t I see your sickly husband? Don’t tell me he’s lying at home like some young master who does nothing! That won’t do!”
“Heh,” Yuan Zhao immediately shot back, “Aunt Lianxiang, you’re still as fond of worrying about other people’s families as ever. I wonder if your son’s legs are any better? Oh right, I forgot—your son was born lame. Guess he’ll never be able to recover!”
Aunt Wang Lianxiang was instantly hit where it hurt and began shouting and cursing across the riverbank. Her words were so harsh that one could hardly bear to listen.
Yuan Zhao ignored her completely. So she knew how to make a scene when provoked, but had no problem meddling in others’ affairs when it suited her.
“Brother-in-law, are these people from your original village? Why do they speak so unpleasantly?” Shi Chenran frowned, hiding behind Shi Qingyue with a frightened Yuan Yuan.
“The people from Xiahe Village look polite on the surface, but they’re actually quite rotten inside,” Yuan Zhao warned them, then added after thinking for a moment, “If you see them in the future, stay far away. They’re nasty and disgusting people.”
Shi Chenran obediently nodded. “We understand.”
They continued along the riverbank and caught quite a few small fish and shrimp, though shrimp were the most abundant. They also picked up some snails, which were easier to collect as long as they could be seen.
The overcast weather made the river water cold. After soaking for a while, Yuan Zhao began to feel chilly. His skin was more sensitive, and red itchy bumps began to appear. He didn’t dare scratch, so he had to get out of the water.
“I still want to pick mushrooms…” Shi Chenran said. Mushrooms could be sold for money, and the family had been trying hard to earn income lately—they felt they should help too.
“Alright,” Yuan Zhao said, scratching lightly at his itchy leg, then they all slung their baskets and headed into the mountains.
The forest after rain was filled with mist and moisture. The moment they stepped in, their clothes and hair became damp. Even though it was summer, the wet fabric clinging to their bodies was uncomfortable.
Fearing they might catch a cold, Yuan Zhao urged, “Let’s just search the outer edge. If we don’t find anything, we’ll go home. The weather in the mountains changes quickly—we need to be careful.”
“Got it!”
They all responded loudly and began searching.
Wood ear mushrooms tended to grow on decaying branches—once they found one, there would often be a whole patch. Mushrooms, however, were harder to spot since they could be hidden under leaves.
Still, this didn’t dampen their enthusiasm. It felt like treasure hunting—much more fun than working in the fields.
A cold wind brushed against Yuan Zhao, raising goosebumps. The itching on his skin worsened, and he became increasingly restless.
“Let’s head back,” he said.
“Alright!”
Thankfully, the children were obedient and didn’t complain. Shi Qingyue, in particular, was glad he had come—otherwise he would have missed out on all the fun.
“Brother-in-law, your face is so red, and your neck too,” Shi Qingyue said, noticing something off since he was tall. “Are you sick?”
“I’m not sick. We’ll talk about it when we get home,” Yuan Zhao replied, eager to soak in hot water.
Back when he lived in the Yuan household, firewood was precious, and he and Yuan Yuan were not allowed to use much hot water. He had to work hard gathering firewood just so they could have a warm bath.
Those days were difficult, and he could only endure it.
Since coming to the Shi household, this discomfort hadn’t appeared for a long time. Now and then, when it did, a hot bath usually solved it.
As soon as they returned, Madam Shi immediately noticed something was wrong.
“What happened to your face?” she hurried over and touched him. His face was red all over, and there were clusters of bumps on his skin. “And your neck too! Ah Yue, go get the village doctor!”
Yuan Zhao quickly stopped her. “It’s fine. I just got chilled. Once I warm up, the bumps will go away completely.”
Madam Shi studied his expression. “Really? If you feel unwell, you must tell me.”
“Really. I’ll just change clothes and warm up,” Yuan Zhao said.
“Alright then. I’ll go boil some hot water for you.”
“I’ll light the fire—it’s warmer that way.”
“…Alright.”
Only after personally seeing the red bumps fade did Madam Shi finally believe him. She had never seen such strange symptoms before—appearing when cold, disappearing when warm.
That day the sky remained gloomy. Nets placed in the river were not lifted, and even before evening, the light had already dimmed as if night had fallen early.