CHAPTER 448: CHAPTER 448: PREPARATIONS

Hua Jin had many things to do every day, either farming inside her space, taking care of her two little nephews, or tending to her second sister-in-law’s feelings and keeping her company when nothing else was pressing. Most importantly, she didn’t ignore the weather changes and constantly monitored the situation with the family’s animals.

Fortunately, after the extreme heat, the outside temperature stabilized around the thirties, and it is worth mentioning that the long-awaited heavy rain came unexpectedly on the second day after her sister-in-law gave birth.

One moment, the sky was clear, and the next, a strong wind brought thick clouds covering the sky like a huge black net. In a short time, the sky darkened, and a torrential rain anticipated by everyone poured down.

At that moment, Hua Jin couldn’t help but feel anxious. If it weren’t for the normal behavior of the family’s animals and the absence of any ominous feeling, she nearly took her family to hide in an open area.

They were fine, but how could her newly delivered sister-in-law and the children withstand such upheaval?

Like her, Hua Laohan, Hua Chengtian, who also knew the upcoming situation, felt uneasy and stayed up as long as it rained.

Luckily, Hua Granny and Qi-shi stayed upstairs to care for Dayia and the children, or there would have been two more people to worry about.

The downpour lasted a full day and night without cease, finally quenching the land parched for months, with creeks, rivers, and large rivers finally showing standing water. Almost everyone came out from their shelter, letting the rain drench them while greedily drinking the rainwater. Some shouted excitedly, others cried out with passion, and some knelt on the ground muttering... In short, everyone was venting in their own way.

This storm not only brought life back to the land but also gave humanity renewed hope.

After the heavy rain, it continued to drizzle for a few days before the world returned to normal, allowing Hua Jin to breathe a sigh of relief. However, the matter of the earthquake was like a lingering shadow in her heart. After all, moving such a large population out of the valley couldn’t be done immediately, especially with the current crops almost ripe and her knowing her grandfather was waiting for the harvest.

She knew that Grandpa had already begun preparations. After the washing ceremony, Dad left the valley, along with thousands of young men from the village, carrying tools, food, and water, heading down the mountain to make early preparations and return to Hua Village.

Hua Jin didn’t know how Grandpa informed everyone, but almost every family in the valley was active, packing their belongings, especially food and water, so they wouldn’t be caught off guard when they had to leave.

When Dayia was halfway through her confinement month, Hua Yunao, under Grandpa’s arrangements, left the valley with his sister, cousins, and brothers.

The destination was the Salt Lake. Bringing tools, their task was to produce a large amount of salt in a short period to bring down the mountain, essentially preparing for everything possible.

Hua Yunao, though reluctant to leave his wife and son, understood that his grandfather’s arrangements must have a rationale, like taking them to the mountains to find caves during the initial rainfall, then seeking the valley. Without Grandpa’s wise decisions, how could they have such a comfortable life now, let alone marrying and having children?

With his grandmother, mother, and mother-in-law occasionally coming by, Hua Yunao, despite his reluctance, went into the mountains with his sister and cousins.

It was Hua Jin’s first time at the Salt Lake, and it took several days with her brothers to reach this place.

It’s very large, much larger than the lakes in the valley. The surrounding area and mountain slopes were covered with white crystalline deposits; the white salt blooms looked intoxicatingly beautiful from afar.

Thick layers of crystals could be seen all along the lake’s edge, indicating the vast quantity of salt in this lake.

Perhaps due to the Salt Lake’s presence, the surrounding mountains’ vegetation was heavily eroded, and the area around the lake was a barren wasteland.

Even areas further from the lake were barren due to the extreme heat over the last year, leaving few surviving plants, mostly ancient trees from old times.

But after the rainstorm, everything was struggling to rejuvenate. Grass and tree branches were tenaciously sprouting, growing vigorously, suggesting it wouldn’t be long before the entire mountainside regained its lush, vibrant appearance.

Boiling salt was something that Hua Yunao and his peers were thoroughly familiar with. Upon arriving, after a brief rest and setting up tents, they immediately started working.

They brought twice the number of tools as before, meaning several large pots boiled simultaneously, significantly increasing efficiency.

Hua Jin joined in the entire process, refusing to rest even when her brothers offered, tirelessly continuing her efforts.

Given such a large Salt Lake, failing to produce enough salt could leave them in trouble after the earthquake altered the terrain, so she seized the opportunity to stock up as much as possible.

Not only did she store the processed salt, but Hua Jin also collected as much unprocessed salt as possible in her space.

In this manner, Hua Jin and her brothers spent seven days at the Salt Lake, producing a large batch of salt—not including the same amount secretly stored in her space. Concerning the salt in the lake, more was collected in secrecy, ensuring enough stockpile to support Hua Village for decades.

As they prepared to leave, they realized they could carry no more than they had harvested, and even if they continued processing, there would be no way to transport it out, especially considering the time-consuming round-trip.

With about ten people, including Hua Jin, they worked tirelessly for nearly five days on their return to the valley, arriving just in time for the harvest. After resting for a day, they began working vigorously again. Drying and storing all the grain took a few more days.

Dayia finally finished her confinement month and could step outside. Not bathing for a month in this weather felt torturous, especially after several days of postpartum sweating, leaving her feeling a bit sour-smelling. Even though her family wasn’t put off by it, she found it somewhat unpleasant herself.

The day she finished her confinement, she thoroughly enjoyed a bath, using two entire basins of water, and felt revitalized and refreshed.

By then, Yun Niang had entered her late pregnancy stage, with less than two months until delivery.

The full moon party for Hua Family’s fourth-generation first grandson certainly couldn’t be skipped, although it wasn’t held on a grand scale, given that most of the village’s young men, including the grandfather Hua Chengtian, were away.

However, saying it wasn’t grand is relative; the scale was still significant, with the entire village attending, setting up over a hundred tables for everyone to celebrate.

On this day, the two children received gifts that filled their small bed, mostly red envelopes, along with handmade toys, clothes, fabrics, and more.

Their maternal grandparents gave each brother identical silver necklaces, silver bracelets, many small clothes and blankets, a considerable amount of brown sugar, eggs, and fine grain, not to mention the red envelopes, aside from gifts from their brother and sister-in-law. This family was rare among farmers in their strong affection for their daughter.

By the time the children had their full-moon feast, Hua Chengtian had long since arrived back at Hua Village with the village men.