144 Chapter 144: Better To Have A Daughter
“Hubby, are you having a nightmare?” Seeing that Song Que seemed to have been frightened by her, Qin Xiaoyao did not dare to step forward.
Song Que quickly regained his composure.
“No… I’m fine.” He avoided Qin Xiaoyao’s gaze.
“Oh. Then I’ll go get some water for you, Hubby,” Qin Xiaoyao replied and didn’t ask anymore. She then stood up.
“Mm-hmm.”
After hearing Song Que’s affirmative response, Qin Xiaoyao went out.
Song Que only heaved a sigh of relief after Qin Xiaoyao left.
“It’s too dangerous to have a son. Forget it. It’s better to have a daughter. My daughter should be more gentle and quiet…”
Qin Xiaoyao didn’t know any of this.
She went to the well to get some water and washed herself up first.
After that, she fetched some water for Song Que.
She only left after Song Que was done washing up.
Then, she went to prepare the century eggs for today.
As time passed, Song Yun, Wang Xiaomei, and Song Ye also arrived at the alley.
They chatted with her as they weaved straw sandals for her.
Little Song Ye was playing at the side, occasionally being teased by his sister-in-law and older sister. Sometimes he would recite his books.
As for Aunt Sun next door, she also arrived with her little daughter and went to Madam Liu’s room.
Hearing the laughter coming from Madam Liu’s room, Qin Xiaoyao also smiled.
The atmosphere in the entire Song family was peaceful and wonderful.
“Sister-in-law, are Aunt Big Girl and Sister Xiaomei really going to live next door?” Song Yun suddenly asked Qin Xiaoyao.
Wang Xiaomei also looked at Qin Xiaoyao.
“Yes. If Aunt Liu and the rest of the family don’t object, then it is very likely,” Qin Xiaoyao replied with a smile.
It was good that Big Girl lived next door. She could come and chat with Qin Xiaoyao from time to time.
As for her little sister-in-law and Xiaomei, the age difference between Qin Xiaoyao and these two girls was too big. There were many things that she couldn’t talk to them about.
“That’s great! It’ll be even more lively in the future!” She didn’t get much chance to play with Sun Xiaoyue next door.
Sister Xiaomei had to follow her sister-in-law to do business, so she didn’t have much time to talk to Song Yun.
If Aunt Big Girl and the other Sister Xiaomei were to come here, she would have more people to chat with.
Wang Xiaomei also had a smile on her face. She was also looking forward to having two more people to talk to.
Moreover, they were all from Brook Falls Village, so they were familiar with each other.
Now that they were in town, it was even better for them.
“Big Brother said that the small stream in the village has completely dried up. The village chief went door to door and notified every family. He stipulated that every family had to go to the well to fetch water at different times. He also limited the amount of water they can fetch,” Wang Xiaomei suddenly said.
“Now, every household is short of water. If the water carried back from the well is not enough, we can only go to River Ringwaters to get water.”
When Song Yun heard this, she suddenly remembered what she had told her sister-in-law this morning.
“There are many people going to get water from the well at the end of the street. They said the supply is a bit tight.” Song Yun then turned to Qin Xiaoyao.
Qin Xiaoyao’s eyes flickered slightly, and she lowered her head to continue wrapping the century eggs.
“The dry spell is still ongoing. It’s normal to experience a shortage of water.”
“By the way, Xiaomei, did your Big Brother say how the crops in the village are doing?”
“He did.” Wang Xiaomei quickly nodded her head.
“He said almost all the home farm crops have withered. Even those that survived had to be watered and taken care of every other day.”
“The ones in the fields are slightly better, but most of the fields are out of water.”
“In some fields which have difficulty storing water in the past, the rice grown there has already dried up and died.”
“Previously, everyone was carrying water from the River Ringwaters, thinking of saving some fields.”
“But ever since Second Uncle Zheng got a fever after fetching water and collapsed, the people in the village have taken a step back and are only taking care of the home farm crops now.” The reason was that even if they wanted to take care of everything, they simply couldn’t cope.
“Now, everyone is worried that if the weather continues to be hot, it will become a great drought. I’m afraid we won’t be able to harvest this autumn’s grain,” Wang Xiaomei said with a frown.
Qin Xiaoyao murmured a reply.
She knew that everyone’s worries would soon become a reality.
“How’s your family’s land then?” Qin Xiaoyao asked Wang Xiaomei.
Wang Xiaomei frowned, her expression slightly troubled.
“The situation isn’t good either.”
“Big Brother is busy gathering and selling firewood and doesn’t pay attention to the situation in the farm fields. Father…”
“My father goes to River Ringwaters to fetch water every day, but when he wakes up every morning, the water in the land has dried up.”
Qin Xiaoyao glanced at Wang Xiaomei.
She didn’t find the situation that Wang Xiaomei described surprising at all.
How much water could one person carry in a day?
...
On such a hot day, if the water was poured into the fields, it would soon evaporate.
Moreover, some fields were cracked from the sun’s constant baking, making it even harder for such fields to retain the water.
“My father is complaining about my big brother now. He hopes that Big Brother will fetch water with him to keep the rice growing in the paddy field.”
“But my big brother has to go into the mountains to gather firewood. He wanted my father to help and give up on the crops instead. Right now, neither of them can convince the other,” Wang Xiaomei said with a frustrated look.
“Then what are your views on this matter?” Qin Xiaoyao looked at Wang Xiaomei with a smile.
Wang Xiaomei was taken aback.
After thinking for a moment, she said, “I hope Father can help Big Brother. In this way, Big Brother will have an easier time.”
Gathering firewood was honestly not an easy job.
Big Brother had to go into the mountains practically before dawn and then stay in the mountains all day.
After returning home, he had to send firewood to town.
With no one to help, he had to rely on himself for both tasks.
...
Qin Xiaoyao smiled. “Then you are not going to care about the crops in the farm fields?” she asked Wang Xiaomei.
Wang Xiaomei seemed to struggle inwardly for a while.
“Forget the crops. If the drought continues, they will not be able to save them even if they fetch water to irrigate them every day. It’s more practical to save some energy and earn some money.”
Big Brother collected firewood to sell every day. Although it was hard work and he did not earn much, at least he had income every day.
What her father was doing now might not necessarily yield any results in the end.
Qin Xiaoyao nodded, quite pleased with Wang Xiaomei’s answer. However, she knew that this girl was more biased toward her big brother.
“Yes. If I were in their shoes, I would also choose to give up the crops in the farm fields.”
Wang Xiaomei’s eyes lit up as she looked at Qin Xiaoyao immediately.
Qin Xiaoyao simply laughed. “But this is not up to us to decide. They have to decide for themselves.”
Wang Xiaomei’s eyes became despondent again.
“Then there’s no other way. I’m afraid it’s hard to change my father’s mind.”
Qin Xiaoyao chuckled again.
“Since there’s no way to change it, let nature take its course. Doing our own work properly and living our own lives well is better than anything else.”
Wang Xiaomei was taken aback.
Then, a smile appeared on her face.
“Yes! Mrs. Song is right!” Her eyes had already brightened up.
That was true. Just live her own life. In addition, she also had to weave more straw sandals to save money.
This way, if the family really encountered trouble, at least she would have the ability to help Big Brother out.
Qin Xiaoyao glanced at Wang Xiaomei and didn’t dwell on this topic anymore.
“By the way, about setting up a stall in the night market…” Qin Xiaoyao suddenly said.
Wang Xiaomei immediately looked at Qin Xiaoyao.
“I’ve thought about it and decided not to.”
“I didn’t rest much during the day, and I still have to set up a stall at night. It’s too hard on me.”
The real reason was she wanted to take her attractive husband out for a walk on the streets.
She couldn’t just think about making money all the time. She should also enjoy life, right?