It is already the end of August in the lunar calendar, almost September, and in a few days it will be October 1st, National Day, in the Gregorian calendar.
The Liuhe River is a branch of the Huaihe River. Now that the Yangtze River basin has entered the dry season, the Huaihe River is no exception. It is no longer easy to catch fish in this river, so my father-in-law has stopped buying fish.
This fish-buying operation, which lasted for more than a month and nearly two months, suddenly stopped, leaving many farmers who were used to catching fish for money somewhat disappointed.
The money they earned day by day was all bright white cash.
Many families had already saved a considerable sum of money. Not to mention anything else, this year the villages in the Shenjiaba area would surely have a prosperous New Year. At least every household could afford to eat meat.
After lunch, Chen Yang took the two little ones for a nap under the osmanthus tree in the courtyard.
Although it was already the end of August, almost September, the lingering heat of autumn still persisted for a while, and the weather was still very hot.
The sun was fierce, and he dared not let the two little ones run around.
Chen Yang had the carpenter make a bamboo bed and a rocking chair, which were placed under the osmanthus tree they planted themselves. The osmanthus was about to bloom, and there was already a faint fragrance.
When the osmanthus flowers bloomed, the entire courtyard would be filled with a rich aroma.
This osmanthus tree was planted the year Chen Yang and Shen Xue got married. At that time, his father-in-law brought adobe to build this small mud courtyard for them.
Back then, Chen Yang was still a romantic literary youth with a bit of a bourgeois temperament. He said to Shen Xue, "Although the humble dwelling is mine, virtue is its fragrance; though there are no bamboo, there must be flowers."
Shen Xue went into the mountains overnight and dug up two osmanthus saplings to plant in their courtyard. Three years have passed in the blink of an eye, and the children are already so big.
The two osmanthus trees have also grown very large. Under the dense leaves, Chen Yang fanned the two little ones with a palm-leaf fan.
In the city, there were already electric fans, but they were still relatively few, and only relatively wealthy families could afford them. It goes without saying about the countryside. Even if Chen Yang wanted to use one, he couldn't, as the Shenjiaba village hadn't even had electricity connected yet.
The midday sun filtered through the gaps between the osmanthus leaves, dappled and patchy, falling on the bamboo bed, still a bit dazzling.
"Creeeak."
Although the two little ones tried their best to pretend to be asleep, any slight movement of the bamboo bed would make quite a noise, which naturally escaped Chen Yang's ears.
"Dad is fanning you, don't take it for granted. Hurry up and sleep. Don't think about sneaking out to play after Dad falls asleep."
"The sun is so fierce, it will tan you into a black monkey later."
"I won't hit you. If your mother beats you later, I won't stop her."
Chen Yang patted the two little ones. He didn't mind if the children got tanned. The main reason was that the midday sun was too hot and fierce. If they ran out to play wildly at this time, they would suffer from heatstroke.
They would also sweat easily, and children's skin is tender. When it's hot, they would get prickly heat, which would be even more uncomfortable.
Chen Yang was reluctant to hit his children, but Shen Xue was ruthless and could put on a stern face.
These two little rascals were really disobedient. If they angered her, she would be willing to spank their palms. If she was really angry, she wouldn't hesitate to pick them up and spank their little bottoms.
Chen Yang didn't dare to say anything. As parents, they couldn't both play the good cop. That would spoil the children. Since Shen Xue could be a strict mother, Chen Yang was happy to have some leisure and naturally wouldn't undermine her efforts.
The little ones pouted, "Stinky Daddy, won't let us play." Sudancanxiao.com
On such a sweltering afternoon, it was easiest to feel sleepy.
As he fanned, the two little ones finally fell asleep. Chen Yang also lay on the rocking chair and fell into a deep sleep.
In his drowsiness, he heard shouting outside, and it seemed like someone was crying.
Chen Yang was still groggy when Shen Xue woke him up.
"Something happened by the river. I heard more than a dozen children went into the water, and we don't know the situation yet. Dad has already gone with a bamboo pole."
Shen Xue glanced at the two sleeping children, and her heart felt a bit more at ease.
She didn't allow the two little ones to go out at noon partly because of this worry.
Fortunately, the two little ones were still young and couldn't swim. But she was afraid of the older children who didn't know better, and they followed and ran to the river. If something happened, it would be terrible.
When the weather gets hot, naughty children like to go into the water to play. Children in the south mostly grow up by the water. Almost every village has a small river or stream, and very few of them can't swim.
When it's hot, playing in the water is certainly cooler than staying at home.
But while it's cool, it's also easy for accidents to happen.
Even in later generations, when the school teachers in rural areas have summer vacation, their biggest worry and fear are students falling into the water.
Every time they repeatedly warned parents to take good care of their children and not to go into the water, but how many children were taken away by the water monsters each year?
There was no other way. Ninety percent of the children left in the countryside were left-behind children. Their parents were out working, and their grandparents were old and couldn't control the children.
In the time it took them to take a nap, the children would have sneaked out. By the time they were discovered, their bellies would have been full of water and they would be floating, with no hope of rescue.
"You watch the children, I'll go and see."
Chen Yang also took a long bamboo pole from the yard. They were all neighbors, and hearing that something had happened, he couldn't just sit at home and pretend he didn't hear.
Besides, as parents, how heartbroken they would be if their children were to have an accident.
"You can't swim, so use the pole to pull people from the bank. Be sure not to go into the water."
Shen Xue instructed Chen Yang with concern. Chen Yang was a landlubber, and though others might not know, she knew clearly.
"I know. Don't worry, I'm going to save people, not cause trouble."
Chen Yang grabbed the bamboo pole and hurried towards the river. Since he couldn't swim, he wouldn't go into the river to save people. If he went in, they would have to save both the child and him, which would be a waste of time.
On the way, many men from nearby households had already run out. Some, hearing the noise, ran towards the river with bare chests and feet, without even bothering to put on their shoes.
Passing by some courtyards, Chen Yang also heard women calling their children's names. There was no other way, most people were napping. Hearing that something had happened, no one was sure if their little rascals had sneaked out to play.
"Yangzi, quickly, bring the bamboo pole over. Mengzi is losing strength."
Ahead, his father-in-law was holding a bamboo pole and pulling a man who was saving someone. Those who could swim had already jumped in.
A seventeen or eighteen-year-old young man now had only his head showing above the water. It was Shen Ermeng, who had just saved a child and jumped back in.
He had pulled another one, but he had been struggling in the water for too long, and the child was thrashing around in his arms. Now, he was visibly losing strength.
"Everyone, make way."
"Mengzi, quickly grab the pole and hold onto it yourself. Take a breather."
"Any men who can swim nearby, quickly lend a hand and take over."
Chen Yang rushed over and quickly placed the bamboo pole in front of Ermeng. Since he couldn't swim, he could only help rescue people in this way.