R70 Chapter 32

Tearing Down and Rebuilding the House, Xie Yun Fights for the Property!

Although it was still hotter than usual for this time of year, at least it was no longer as suffocating as before.

The atmosphere in the village had noticeably lightened.

Women sat in twos and threes under the shade of trees, stitching shoe soles, while children began chasing and playing on the threshing ground again.

Even Old Li, who always wore a worried expression, was humming a little tune.

“This damn weather has finally passed!” Wang Defa stood under the big locust tree at the village entrance, waving his palm-leaf fan and shouting loudly, “I told you so—how could it stay that hot forever!”

Several villagers nodded in agreement.

Xie Yun appeared from nowhere and said sarcastically, “Some people just love to spread alarmist tales, saying things like a great drought was coming. Got a slap in the face now, didn’t they?”

Wu Yunzhu, who was passing by carrying water, paused in her steps.

She looked up at the sky—cloudless for miles, the sun still scorching.

This brief cooling was merely the calm before the storm.

“Yunzhu!” Yuan Ye came back from the fields carrying a hoe. Seeing her, he immediately hurried over. “Let me carry that heavy water for you.”

Wu Yunzhu shook her head. “No need, I can manage.”

She lowered her voice. “Yuan Ye, do you think this weather is normal?”

At her words, a flash of darkness crossed Yuan Ye’s eyes. He frowned, looking up at the sky, and said tentatively, “It’s definitely not right. It should be raining by now at this time of year, but look at those clouds…”

As they were talking, Cheng Yaoyao swayed over. “Team Leader Yuan, the brigade leader is looking for you!”

She deliberately squeezed between the two of them, glancing sideways at Wu Yunzhu. “Some people are always babbling nonsense—probably something wrong with their head.”

Wu Yunzhu couldn’t be bothered with her and walked away with the water buckets.

Behind her came Cheng Yaoyao’s affected laughter. “Team Leader Yuan, look at her…”

Returning home, Wu Yunzhu poured the water into the vat and found her parents in the main hall discussing something in low voices.

“Dad, Mom, I have something to tell you.”

Wu Jianguo looked up. Seeing his daughter’s serious expression, he gestured for her to sit down. “What is it?”

“This cooling is temporary,” Wu Yunzhu said directly. “A more severe drought is coming. We must store more water now and reinforce the house.”

Sun Hongying exchanged a glance with her husband. “Yunzhu, are you certain?”

“I’m certain. It was the same in my previous life,” Wu Yunzhu said. “It’s going to get so hot that even the well water will dry up, and all the crops will die.”

Wu Jianguo pondered for a moment, then suddenly made a decision. “Alright! I’ll go gather the villagers for a meeting right away.”

Early the next morning, Wu Jianguo rang the big bell at the village entrance.

The dull sound of the bell echoed through the morning mist, and villagers gathered in twos and threes at the threshing ground.

“Fellow villagers,” Wu Jianguo stood on the millstone, his voice resonant, “I’ve been observing the celestial signs. This cooling is only temporary. A more severe drought may be coming…”

Before he could finish, laughter erupted from below.

“Old Wu, have you gone crazy being brigade leader?” Wang Defa shouted hoarsely. “The weather is clearly getting cooler!”

Xie Yun stood in the front row of the crowd, chiming in sarcastically, “Some people just can’t stand seeing others live peacefully.”

A vein throbbed on Wu Jianguo’s forehead, but he still patiently explained, “I suggest everyone store more water now and reinforce their houses…”

“Enough!” An old man interrupted him. “My roof beams are already cracked from the sun. If there really is a great drought, repairing them would be pointless!”

The meeting ground was in chaos, with some yawning and others whispering to each other.

Wu Yunzhu stood behind her father, coldly observing it all.

Wu Jianguo’s face turned ashen, his fists clenched with audible cracks.

In the end, the meeting dispersed unhappily amid a chorus of mockery.

Back home, Sun Hongying anxiously wrung her hands. “What are we going to do? When the drought really comes, won’t those people ransack our house?”

Wu Jianguo suddenly slammed his fist on the table. “Tear down the house and rebuild!”

Wu Yunzhu’s eyes lit up. “Dad, we’re thinking the same thing!”

“What?” Sun Hongying’s eyes widened in shock. “Can we finish it in a month?”

“We can!” Wu Yunzhu said decisively. “When the drought comes, money will be the least valuable thing. We’ll hire fifty workers directly. Yuan Ye and I will go to the county to find building material suppliers. We can definitely finish within a month!”

Sun Hongying looked at the determined expressions of her husband and daughter, and finally nodded. “Alright, let’s do as you say!”

That afternoon, Wu Yunzhu went to find Yuan Ye. Hearing they were going to the county, Yuan Ye immediately borrowed the brigade’s tractor without a word.

“I know there’s a brick factory on the outskirts of the county,” he said while starting the tractor. “I know the factory director. He should give us a good price.”

The tractor chugged along the country road, kicking up dust.

Wu Yunzhu sat in the passenger seat, the wind blowing her hair back, revealing her smooth forehead.

“Yuan Ye,” she suddenly spoke, “why are you helping me so much?”

Yuan Ye’s hand jerked violently, and the tractor nearly veered into the ditch.

His ears turned red as he stammered, “Be-because you’re a good comrade…”

Wu Yunzhu chuckled and didn’t press further.

The atmosphere between them somehow became ambiguous.

Arriving at the brick factory on the county outskirts, it was indeed as Yuan Ye had said—when the old factory director heard it was Yuan Ye, he immediately offered the most favorable price.

“However,” the old factory director rubbed his hands together, looking troubled, “the entire county is currently engaged in construction, and brick and tile supplies are tight. To gather the quantity you need all at once, I’m afraid…”

Wu Yunzhu pulled an oiled paper package from her cloth bag. “Director, this is medicinal herb from my family’s garden, specially for treating rheumatism and bone pain.”

The old factory director skeptically opened it, and a fresh fragrance wafted out.

He was astonished to discover that this was the “Dragon Bone Grass” he had been searching for years without success!

“This, this…” The old factory director’s hands trembled with excitement. “Girl, where did you get this herb?”

Wu Yunzhu smiled without answering.

In the end, the old factory director made the decision to not only supply the bricks and tiles at cost price but also personally arrange vehicles to guarantee delivery within three days.

On the way back to the village, Yuan Ye kept stealing glances at Wu Yunzhu’s cloth bag. “That medicinal herb of yours?”

“Secret.” Wu Yunzhu winked mischievously.

In the following days, the Wu family began their grand reconstruction project.

Yuan Ye found over forty strong laborers from neighboring villages, plus about ten from their own village, and the fifty-person construction team worked enthusiastically.

The day they tore down the old house, the entire village came to watch the excitement.

Wang Defa stood nearby with his hands tucked in, making sarcastic remarks. “Tsk tsk, are they building a palace?”

News of the Wu family rebuilding their house reached Xie Yun’s ears.

“What? Rebuilding the house and hiring fifty workers?”

When Xie Yun heard this news, she was nursing Jianhua in her arms. Cheng Yaoyao nodded and said sourly, “That’s right. Your ex-wife is quite impressive without you!”

Xie Yun angrily stormed directly into the construction site. “Wu Yunzhu! Don’t forget that half of this house is mine!”