Chapter 251: Rain Falls in Early August, and Cows Freeze to Death in Winter
After Deng Shilan helped her eldest son buy a house in the county town, she and her husband cleaned it thoroughly before returning to their hometown. Back home, her second son had already applied for a loan from the credit union. He was just waiting for the loan to be approved so he could buy a car and start his exciting trucking career.
As for the younger son and daughter, they diligently helped clear the wasteland at home. Following her younger brother's advice, Deng Shilan contracted all the public mountains and slopes in the village. The family worked on reclaiming the land whenever they had time, preparing to plant sugarcane on a large scale.
Deng Shirong and Zhang Xiuping, along with their daughter, also returned with them.
Zhang Xiuping brought the children and her father-in-law back this time, mainly to attend the full moon celebration of her younger sister Ou Guofang's son. Additionally, she had been away from her hometown for two and a half months, so it was time to return and stay for a few days.
As for Bu Dashi, he didn't go back with them but returned two days later.
Although Bu Dashi worked in the county town and it wasn't easy to travel back and forth, the important step of looking after the house in marriage couldn't be skipped.
After returning home and having a meal, Zhang Xiuping immediately took the child to visit her younger sister.
Deng Shirong sat under the longan tree, frowning as he burned incense. On his way back, he had noticed people in the village planting sweet potatoes.
In Double Prosperity territory, sweet potatoes are planted twice a year, in April and August of the lunar calendar, known as April potatoes and August potatoes, respectively.
It was now early August, and many villagers had already started planting August potatoes. This observation troubled Deng Shirong because he knew something they didn't: this year's weather would be drastically different from previous years. Not only would frost arrive early, but the cold would persist for an unusually long time, lasting until the following spring.
While such weather was normal in the north, it was highly unusual for Bobai, Guangxi, a region in the far south.
From his memories of his past life, Deng Shirong knew that several oxen would freeze to death in the village this year, and the sweet potato crops would be completely wiped out by the cold. The villagers were now planting August potatoes in vain.
But how could he warn them?
Deng Shirong racked his brains and finally recalled a folk proverb: "Rain falls in the first month of August, and oxen will freeze to death in winter."
Coincidentally, it had indeed rained on the first day of August.
With this proverb, he could reasonably warn the villagers.
As for whether they listened or not, that was their business. At least he had done his part.
In truth, the loss of sweet potatoes wasn't a huge deal—it would just mean wasted effort.
After all, sweet potatoes were planted using sweet potato seedlings, which were plentiful in the village. Every family had plenty of them. However, after this year's freeze, they would have to use sweet potatoes to grow new seedlings for the next planting season.
The real loss would be the oxen that froze to death.
Thinking of this, Deng Shirong set the incense aside and stood up, heading to the home of the production team leader, Deng Yunjun. While he could summon the villagers himself given his seniority and prestige in the village, the production team hadn't been disbanded yet, so it was more appropriate to let the leader handle it.
Deng Yunjun was repairing a shovel handle in his hall when he saw Deng Shirong approaching. He greeted him first: "Uncle Jiu, when did you get back?"
"Just a little while ago," Deng Shirong replied, sitting down casually on a stool.
"Uncle Jiu, how's the restaurant business?" Deng Yunjun asked, setting down the shovel handle and picking up a cigarette to offer.
"I just smoked a few at home," Deng Shirong waved his hand and then answered, "The restaurant's doing well. When you go to the county town for meetings, remember to stop by for a meal."
As the production team leader, Deng Yunjun had been to the county town for meetings and was familiar with its layout, unlike many villagers who rarely left home. He knew the main roads and landmarks.
"Uncle Jiu, where's your restaurant located?"
"Do you know the People's Cinema?"
This was a well-known landmark in the county, and Deng Yunjun nodded. "Yes, it's near the county government. We pass by it when we go for meetings."
Deng Shirong said, "My restaurant is diagonally across from the People's Cinema."
Deng Yunjun smiled. "That's easy to find. What's the name of the restaurant?"
"Suifeng Restaurant," Deng Shirong replied.
Deng Yunjun nodded. "I'll make a note of it. When I go by People's Cinema next year, I'll stop by your restaurant."
After chatting about the restaurant for a while, Deng Shirong brought up the main issue. "On my way back, I noticed many people in the village have started planting sweet potatoes."
Deng Yunjun said, "It's August now, so it's time to plant August potatoes."
Deng Shirong shook his head. "Captain, I think this year's weather might not be suitable for planting sweet potatoes."
Deng Yunjun looked surprised. "Uncle Jiu, what do you mean?"
Deng Shirong asked, "Do you remember it rained on the first day of the new year?"
Deng Yunjun nodded. "I remember. It rained quite heavily that day. What does that have to do with planting sweet potatoes?"
Deng Shirong explained, "There's an old saying: 'If it rains in early August, cows will freeze to death in winter.' This is a proverb passed down by our ancestors, and I think there's some truth to it. This year's weather will likely be much colder than usual, and the cold might last longer. If you plant sweet potatoes now, they'll probably freeze to death."
Deng Yunjun's expression turned serious. Although the village had divided the land and everyone was responsible for their own work, as long as the production team existed, he, as the leader, still had responsibilities. Food-related issues were critical and had to be taken seriously.
"Uncle Jiu, is there any evidence to support this?"
"What evidence could there be?" Deng Shirong shook his head. "As the old saying goes, 'The first day of June predicts the current year, and the first day of August predicts the next year.' Our ancestors have passed down many proverbs, such as 'If it rains on the first day of June, widows will worry,' 'If it rains on the first day of June, the autumn harvest will be plentiful,' 'If it's sunny on the first day of June, cows can build sheds with grass,' and 'If it's sunny on the first day of June, the fields will dry up.' Similarly, there are proverbs about the first day of August, like 'If it rains in early August, cows will freeze to death in winter,' 'If it's sunny on the first day of August, the rice will be as white as silver,' 'If it rains for a while in early August, the drought will end by May next year,' and 'If it's hot on the first day of August, there will be no frost for over 60 days.'
These proverbs have been passed down for a reason. We shouldn't take them as absolute truth, but we also shouldn't ignore them entirely.
So, I think it's necessary to remind everyone. Whether it's true or not, it's always better to be prepared."
Deng Yunjun nodded repeatedly. "Uncle Jiu, you're right. It's better to take such things seriously. I'll gather everyone tonight to discuss this."
Deng Shirong said, "That's why I came to you. I've done my part by warning them. Whether they listen or not is up to them."
After settling the matter, the two chatted for a while longer before Deng Shirong left.
At six in the evening, most villagers in Thatchfield Village had finished dinner. They were sitting at their doorsteps, smoking or visiting neighbors to chat.
Suddenly, the rhythmic sound of a bell rang out. This was the bell used by the Thatchfield production team leader to summon the members.
In this era, each production team had a bell (though it was actually just a piece of metal). Before the land was divided among households, the bell was used to call members to collective labor. It was more efficient than going door to door.
Now that the land had been divided, the bell hadn't been rung in a long time.
Hearing it now, the villagers were surprised and curious. They didn't know why the team leader was calling them.
Since they were free, they headed to the team leader's house to find out.
Thatchfield Village had only a few dozen households. By national standards, it wasn't an administrative village but a natural village. Locally, it was referred to as a village rather than a hamlet, so the original name, Thatchfield Village, stuck.
A village of this size was small, so the bell could be heard by everyone. Within five minutes, people from every household had gathered at the team leader's house.
"Captain, why did you call us here?"
"Captain, are we discussing the electricity issue in the village?"
"Captain..."
As the members gathered, they began asking Deng Yunjun questions.
Seeing that Uncle Jiu had also arrived, Deng Yunjun cleared his throat and said, "Everyone, quiet down and listen to me."
Once the crowd settled, Deng Yunjun continued, "The reason I called everyone here today is because Uncle Jiu brought something important to my attention. After discussing it, I felt it was necessary to share it with all of you. Whether you believe it or not, consider it a friendly reminder."
At this point, Deng Yunjun looked at Deng Shirong and said, "Uncle Jiu, you should be the one to explain this."
Deng Shirong nodded and said, "Do you remember the heavy rain on the first day of the new year?"
"Of course, I remember. It rained heavily that day."
"It was fine that morning. I went to the orchard to work, but the rain came out of nowhere. I got completely soaked."
"Uncle Jiu, is the rain related to what you're about to tell us?"
Nearly a hundred people were present, and more than a dozen responded to Deng Shirong's question.
Deng Shirong said, "Have you heard the old saying: 'Rain falls in early August, and cows freeze to death in winter'?"
(End of this chapter)