Chapter 51: Resounding

"I didn't think much of it at first, but now that I reflect, our grandaunt must be able to read the weather. Since she said it wouldn't rain, then it won't. Shouldn't we hurry and harvest so we don't let her down?"

Though Chen Zhaodi didn't spell it out, everyone in the village knew their grandaunt was blessed with great fortune. After a brief moment of thought, Chen Daliu waved to the villagers awaiting confirmation. "Alright, don't just stand there. Let's get to the harvest."

Since the heavens had granted their grandaunt favor, they couldn't afford to delay. They had to finish the harvest swiftly.

The conversation between Chen Zhaodi and Chen Daliu was overheard, and soon, word spread through the fields that their grandaunt could predict the weather and had assured them it wouldn't rain for several days.

By the time Bai Xi heard the villagers claim she could keep the rain at bay, the rice grains were all threshed, drying on the sunning grounds.

Over the next few days, whenever the sky darkened, Chen Daliu would anxiously come to the treehouse, sometimes hesitating, sometimes voicing his worry that rain might spoil the drying rice.

Bai Xi: "..."

Though speechless, she cooperated, using gentle threats and persuasion to coax the sun from behind the clouds.

Each time Chen Daliu visited, within half an hour, the gloomy sky would clear, and the sun would shine brightly.

Now, the rumor that their grandaunt was blessed and could bring good weather spread even louder throughout Niuluo Village.

Even when Bai Xi faced the villagers' reverent and admiring gazes, no matter how she claimed she knew nothing, they merely echoed her words, but none truly believed her.

"I really haven't done anything!"

"Yes, grandaunt hasn't done anything." They didn't need her to do anything; her happiness alone was a blessing for Niuluo Village.

Bai Xi: "I can't bring good weather, nor can I summon rain."

"Of course, grandaunt, rest assured, we won't tell anyone." Those who responded wore expressions of solemn secrecy.

Bai Xi's lips twitched. Despite her threats, it was clear that whatever she said, the villagers attributed everything to her abilities. Her denial was pointless.

Even Bai Xi found it odd. She glanced at the sky, suspicion crossing her youthful face—could the heavens truly be intimidated by her threats?

Niuluo Village's harvest was plentiful this year, but that didn't mean they were eager to hand over all their rice. Everyone wanted to keep fine grains for their own meals. At the very least, some could be traded on the town's black market for oil, cloth, or shoe coupons—rare commodities.

Fine grain was precious now, much more so than coarse grain, and easier to barter.

Before the sweet potatoes were harvested, Chen Daliu had already negotiated persistently with the commune. After much effort, once the sweet potatoes were gathered, he led the villagers to deliver half as the requisitioned crop.

When the rice was dried, some was handed over, hulls and all.

Having already given a substantial portion of sweet potatoes, the rice quota was less burdensome.

By the time the commune officials realized what was happening, Chen Daliu had distributed all the rice among the villagers. It was already in every home, and asking for more was impossible.

Besides, Niuluo Village was the first to meet the requisition quota this year, which was much higher than usual. Though most of it was sweet potatoes, given the recent drought and reduced yields, sweet potatoes were better than nothing.

Other villages were still dragging their feet, unable to meet their quotas.

Don't be fooled by Chen Daliu's three consecutive days of pleading with the commune's grain collection team leader, acting out hardship and the struggle of tightening their belts to support the requisition.

Only the villagers of Niuluo Village knew that their harvest was even better than last year's. When divided, they found they'd received three hundred more pounds of sweet potatoes and five hundred more pounds of rice—hulls included—than the previous year.

It seemed little per person, but it was enough to ensure no one went hungry in the coming months.

The village had also planted three acres of peanuts, which were divided among the households.

Everyone was secretly delighted, but when outsiders asked, they all put on miserable faces, complaining of hardship and hunger, painting as bleak a picture as possible.

No one was foolish enough to let outsiders know the truth. If word got out and the commune demanded more, they’d have to give up extra grain. No one wanted to go hungry, so hiding their gains was necessary.

Even the daughters-in-law who married into Niuluo Village, when questioned by their families, shook their heads and sighed.

At most, if their natal families were struggling unbearably, they'd secretly send ten or twenty pounds of grain, always insisting it was painstakingly saved from their own household rations.

There was no choice—starving themselves was one thing, but letting their children go hungry was another. Besides, their natal families grew crops too; a little help was enough—any more, and their in-laws would object.

On the day the rice finished drying, Chen Daliu led a group to deliver ten burlap sacks to Bai Xi.

When Bai Xi learned of this, the rice was already stacked in her treehouse attic granary.

Knowing this was the villagers' tribute, Bai Xi did not refuse. After all, she had long awaited the taste of fine grains.

That evening, Bai Xi enjoyed a fragrant bowl of rice.

Chen Zhaodi had milled twenty pounds of rice, removing the husks, stored it in the kitchen’s rice jar, and when cooking, cleaned and added two fresh sweet potatoes.

Though not pure white rice, the sweet potatoes were fresh, sweet, and delicious.

Watching Bai Xi eat, her eyes squinting in satisfaction, dimples appearing on her cheeks like a contented cub, Chen Zhaodi smiled happily.

When the grain was divided, the villagers were full of gratitude, and the object of their thanks was, of course, their grandaunt. Had she not chosen the right day for sowing and prayed for rain during the drought, their harvest would never have been so good.

Indeed, many now attributed the rain after Bai Xi nearly drowned to her. Such a blessed person falling into the water was surely a sign of heaven's wrath.

Perhaps, they reasoned, it was because grandaunt couldn't find another way, so she sacrificed herself to bring rain.

But no one in Niuluo Village wanted to go through that again. Should another drought come, they’d rather carry water from the pond than risk their grandaunt’s wellbeing.

So, though everyone knew, no one ever mentioned it in front of Bai Xi.

The ten burlap sacks of rice given to Bai Xi were never recorded in the village ledger; everyone unanimously agreed it was her due.

The rest was handed over to the state, some kept as seed, and the remainder divided among the households.

In any other village, every grain would be meticulously recorded in the ledger. But in Niuluo Village, what was given to Bai Xi was never registered.

Moreover, this year, the ledger reported Niuluo Village’s yield as slightly less than the previous year.