RYEY -Chapter 260 The Ominous Stars

Aunt Wang kept patting her chest in relief. Luckily she had listened to Huanzi and packed all the valuable things at home into a back basket, along with food and water. Otherwise, the losses would have been disastrous.

Uncle Niu’s eyes were brimming with tears as well. He hadn’t been able to bring his old ox up the mountain—there was simply no way the animal could climb up—so he had no choice but to abandon it.

After waiting another full day and night, the rain finally stopped. Everyone heard birds calling, a sign that the weather was about to clear. Li Huan immediately led the security team down the mountain to survey the situation.

But the moment they reached the foot of the mountain, everyone’s hearts ached. Xiangyang Village was in complete ruins. The crops in the fields, just about to ripen, had been submerged. This year, Xiangyang Village would reap nothing at all.

Some of the mud-brick houses had already collapsed, and homes on lower ground were half-submerged in water. Only after the water level of the Xiangyang River dropped would they know the full extent of their losses.

Stepping through the thick, sticky mud, everyone held hands and made their way toward the village committee office. It stood beside the ancestral hall of Xiangyang Village and, aside from Li Huan’s home, was the highest ground in the village.

The water only reached their ankles. Fortunately, the building was made of bricks and tiles and was quite sturdy, though the tables and chairs inside had clearly been flooded.

“Xiangyang, take some people and check on the village,” Li Huan said. “I’ll go to the county to report the situation.”

Wang Xiangyang nodded. He knew Li Huan was going to ask for disaster relief funds. With so many houses collapsed and farmland damaged, the villagers could only rely on the commune.

A week later, after the water in Xiangyang Village had completely receded, everyone returned to their homes. Families whose houses had been flooded or buried could only stay temporarily in the ancestral hall and the village committee office.

With so many people crowded together, gossip was inevitable. That was when they learned that neighboring Xiangqian Village had suffered very little loss.

The flash flood hadn’t poured in their direction. Aside from a few households on low ground being flooded, everything was basically fine.

Not only had Xiangqian Village escaped major damage, other villages hadn’t suffered much either. Even the county town had only been flooded for one night, and thanks to the commune secretary’s timely arrangements, disaster was avoided.

Hearing this, the villagers of Xiangyang felt indignant. Over twenty years ago, Xiangqian Village had been flooded far worse than Xiangyang Village, and more people had died there too.

So why was it that this time Xiangqian Village was unharmed, while Xiangyang Village suffered a natural disaster instead? The gossiping women began to speculate, and eventually all eyes turned to Qian Longxin and Zhao Xiaobei.

If those two girls hadn’t come to Xiangyang Village, the disaster should have struck Xiangqian Village instead. It was only after those two arrived that calamity followed. Therefore, they were “ominous stars.”

The educated youth compound had also been washed away, so they too were staying in the ancestral hall. Qian Longxin clearly sensed the malice in the villagers’ gazes toward her and Zhao Xiaobei. Becoming alert, she grabbed Zhao Xiaobei and headed toward the doorway.

“Ominous stars! If it weren’t for you two, how could our house have been washed away?”

Juhua, her eyes bloodshot, lunged at Qian Longxin. She had been detained for three months, and after returning she learned that Niqui had been expelled from school, and that the old family home had severed ties with them and driven her husband out.

Chen Tiezhu also loathed her because she had abused Chen Dazhu’s child, leading to the child being killed by Chai Jianmin. Filled with resentment, she was seething with pent-up rage.

Seeing her own house completely destroyed by the flood, the fury in her heart could no longer be contained. She needed an outlet. As Qian Longxin saw her pounce, she thought bitterly that she really was unlucky.

She tried to retreat to dodge Juhua’s attack, but the crowd behind her left her nowhere to go. Just as she was about to crouch down, Ermao made his move.

He swung the iron shovel in his hands hard against Juhua’s back. Struck by the pain, Juhua turned around and saw that it was Ermao. Instantly, she understood.

“Hahaha! Hahaha! Cuihua, so your Ermao has fallen for an educated youth too, huh?”

Cuihua’s heart trembled. She glanced at Qian Longxin, who looked completely innocent, while Ermao was flushed red with embarrassment. No need to say more—Juhua had hit the mark.

“Ermao, you wretched child! Get over here right now!”

Cuihua roared, her voice already hoarse. Ermao shuddered and sneaked a glance at Qian Longxin. Seeing her frightened expression, he really wanted to go comfort her.

But Cuihua had already grabbed him by the ear. Zhang Yuefang’s behavior had utterly disappointed her, so she would never agree to Ermao marrying another educated youth.

“Qian Longkun, keep an eye on your sister. Don’t let her flirt with my son every chance she gets!”

Qian Longkun had just been about to thank Ermao for saving his sister when Cuihua’s vicious words stunned him.

“Aunt Cuihua, when have I ever flirted with your Ermao? Is something wrong with your eyes, or is your brain full of water? If you’re sick, go see a doctor. If your brain’s flooded, pour the water out!”

Qian Longxin was furious. Everything she owned had been swept away by the flood. If she had known this would happen, she would never have come to Xiangyang Village. Not a single one of these villagers was decent.

“How dare you curse my mother! I’ll tear your mouth apart!”

Cuihua’s youngest daughter, Chen Xiaoniu, also lunged forward, grabbing Qian Longxin by the hair. The two immediately started fighting.

Chen Xiaoniu was four or five years younger than Qian Longxin, but she had worked the fields and chopped firewood in the mountains alongside Cuihua since childhood. Her strength far exceeded Qian Longxin’s.

Zhao Xiaobei panicked and rushed in to help. When Wang Xianghua saw her good friend being bullied, she charged in as well, calling out to Li Le to join her.

Li Le was at a loss. Wang Xianghua and Chen Xiaoniu were her good friends, but Qian Longxin was also close to her second sister-in-law. And Zhao Xiaobei—she was some kind of distant cousin of her second sister-in-law too.

“Li Le, come here quickly!”

Just as Li Le was struggling with her dilemma, Cheng Qiao came walking over, leading an old ox by the reins. When Uncle Niu saw the ox, tears streamed down his face. He stumbled forward and wrapped his arms around the ox’s head.

When the villagers who had been fighting saw the old ox return, they erupted in cheers. After all, the ox was communal property. When it eventually died of old age, they’d even get to share some beef.

“Cheng Qiao, good girl—how did you find the old ox?”

Seeing Cheng Qiao covered head to toe in mud, and the ox itself having changed color from black to earthy yellow, Uncle Niu knew exactly what she must have gone through to save it.

“Second sister-in-law, are you okay?”

Li Le rushed over, anxiously grabbing Cheng Qiao’s hands. Wang Xianghua and Chen Xiaoniu also forgot all about Qian Longxin and Zhao Xiaobei and ran toward Cheng Qiao.

“Lele, I’m fine,” Cheng Qiao said. “Uncle Niu, the old ox is really smart. It hid in a mountain hollow. When I saw it, I pulled it down, but the mountain path was too hard to walk. I don’t even know how many times the ox and I fell to end up like this.”