Yang Xi hurriedly pulled her son into the front hall; Zhou Yu helped Uncle Zhong, and Third Yang regretted the chess game, quickly gathering the board.

The rain grew heavier, the torrential rainwater pooling together and flowing away through the drainage system.

Zhong Yan frowned, “This year’s rain is more than usual.”

Zhou Yu stood under the eaves, “Yes, thankfully my elder brother repaired the dike.”

Zhong Yan was also very grateful; if the dike had breached, the entire Xiang County would have been finished.

Zhong Yan sat back down in his chair and asked, “You were too tired yesterday to talk. You entrusted the escort agency to find Zhan Peng; what did they say?”

Zhou Yu said, “The escort agency agreed, and Boss Bai even helped to tell other escort agencies that they would inquire about any agencies heading north.”

Zhong Yan wasn’t optimistic, but said, “Boss Bai is righteous.”

Yang Xi was somewhat lost in thought. The escort agency’s help in the search offered more hope; any hope was good, even if it was slim.

Unlike modern times, where cameras are everywhere and communication is highly developed, finding someone in ancient times was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Third Yang sat to the side, fiddling with the chessboard. He found playing chess quite interesting and wanted to continue. Seeing Uncle Zhong and his Jiefu watching the heavy rain outside, he noticed the lines of raindrops. The recent rain in Ruizhou was almost equivalent to half a year’s rainfall in the north—too much rain.

The rain started as a heavy downpour and then turned into a moderate downpour, but it never stopped. The temperature was low due to the rain, and the front yard was a bit chilly.

There was only one umbrella in the front yard. Zhou Xiaodi went back to the back yard to get an umbrella and a raincoat. Everyone shared the umbrellas and headed to the back yard.

Zhou Yu carried his son on his back, supporting his bottom with one hand and helping his wife, who was holding the umbrella, with the other. “Watch your step,” he said.

Yang Xi carefully stepped forward. “Okay.”

Back in the yard, the rain intensified. Yang Xi’s skirt was wet, so she found the clothes for the father and son and changed her own clothes.

Yang Xi said, “Such heavy rain at the start of spring, it’s not a good year.”

Zhou Yu added, “These past few years haven’t had any good weather.”

Yang Xi lit the oil lamp, her eyelids drooping as she listened to the rain. “I’ll lie down for a while.”

“Okay.”

Zhou Yu didn’t let his son write, as the dim light in the room was bad for his eyes. He quietly told his son stories, mostly idiom stories, and soon the father and son both fell asleep.

Zhou Yu was woken up by his younger brother, who got up and asked, “It’s raining outside, why did you come?”

His younger brother’s clothes were slightly wet. “Brother, the Lizheng is here.”

Zhou Yu asked, “It’s raining heavily, why is the Lizheng here?”

His younger brother shook his head. “I don’t know, looks like he needs to see you.”

Zhou Yu took the umbrella. “I’ll go to the front yard.”

His younger brother followed him to the front yard, where the Lizheng was warming himself by the fire in the main hall.

Zhou Yu, his face damp with sweat, sat down in front of the charcoal brazier to warm himself and asked, “What brings you here, sir?”

Liu Lizheng, puffing on his pipe, replied, “I was a little worried about the heavy rain, so I came out for a stroll and stopped by.”

Zhou Yu asked, “How’s the situation in the village?”

Liu Lizheng frowned, “Most of the houses in the village are mud-brick and thatched houses, and with all this rain, many are leaking. I’m afraid they won’t be able to withstand the pressure and will collapse.”

“If there are any dangerous houses, it’s safer to move out beforehand.” Liu Lizheng sighed. “Let’s not talk about that. Tell me about what’s happening outside since you came back from Yizhou.”

Zhou Yu didn’t hide anything and told him about the price changes in Yizhou.

Liu Lizheng put down his pipe, cursing under his breath, his voice filled with worry, “I wonder if the price of salt in Ruizhou will rise.”

Zhou Yu didn’t mention Gu Zhifu’s intentions, as Liu Lizheng was more concerned about their small plot of land. He advised, “I’ve never lived in the south, but I also think the rainfall is abnormal. You should plan ahead. With things so chaotic outside, having grain in hand is the best policy.”

Liu Lizheng agreed wholeheartedly, “This year’s grain cannot be sold.”

Zhou Yu continued, “Our village is a wealthy one, but I am afraid others will target it. If you can, hide more grain.”

Gu Zhifu considers Ruizhou his for the taking, and he was afraid of being forced to buy grain, so they had to be cautious.

Liu Lizheng’s heart jumped instantly, “Do you know something?”

Zhou Yu replied, “I know a little. Ruizhou is relatively peaceful.”

The word “relatively peaceful” revealed the information, and Liu Lizheng understood. He hunched over, puffing on his pipe.

Liu Lizheng was lost in thought until the room was filled with the smell of smoke; then he slowly came to his senses, rubbing his dry, old face vigorously. “Sigh, peace won’t last long. Forget it, I don’t want to think about it anymore. We common folk can only drift along with the tide.”

Zhou Yu didn’t say anything, nor did he want to open the door to let the smoke out.

Liu Lizheng noticed the room was full of smoke and quickly got up to open the door. “I’m bothering you, sir.”

Zhou Yu waited for the smoke to dissipate, then exhaled. “Drifting along with the tide is too passive. You should prepare as much as possible, xiānshēng. Whether it’s a prosperous time or a chaotic one, food is the most important thing.”

Seeing Zhou Yu’s composure, Liu Lizheng’s heart gradually calmed down, and he smiled and said, “You’re right. By the way, you’re back. When are you planning to open the school? My grandson is waiting!”

Zhou Yu already had a plan. “Seven days from now.”

Before going to Yizhou, he had Zhou Xiaodi order some tables and chairs, which had already been delivered and placed in the side room of the front yard. Now, only the blackboard and chalk were missing, which he would make himself.

Liu Lizheng said “good” three times. Seeing that it was getting late, he said, “I’ll head back now.”

Zhou Yu got up to see him off, but Liu Lizheng waved his hand, “Please stay.” Zhou Yu insisted on seeing him off with an umbrella. The village roads were even muddier now, and Liu Lizheng’s shoes were already soaked. Wading through the water into the village, he noticed another good quality in Liu Lizheng: he was responsible for the village and wouldn’t abandon it.

The next day, the sky cleared up. On this rare sunny day, the villagers, who had been looking worried, smiled. Taking advantage of the time before the rain, they hurried to repair their roofs.

Zhou Yu was making chalk at home. The family had prepared plaster beforehand. Chalk was a novelty, and Yang Xi, being pregnant, hadn’t offered any help.

Zhong Yan was very curious and sat watching from the side. Zhou Yu naturally wouldn’t let Third Yang and the other villagers, who were providing free labor, pass by.

First, there were the molds, which had been made long ago. He didn’t care about making them exquisite, only practical ones.

Making chalk wasn’t difficult; he could make quite a few in a day.

Third Yang squatted there for most of the day, looking at the neatly arranged molds. “Jiefu, it’s done so easily?”

Zhou Yu washed his hands. “Yes.”

Third Yang felt he had learned a lot from being around his sister and brother-in-law. “Jiefu, when are we making the blackboard?”

Zhou Yu rubbed his wrists. “Tomorrow.”

Zhong Yan was very much looking forward to the chalk taking shape. “Where did you learn about chalk?”

Zhou Yu explained, “I saw that plaster could leave marks on stone slabs. I pondered this for a long time in the capital, experimented with it myself, and made chalk. Then I found that it didn’t write well on stone slabs, and it wasn’t very clear on wooden boards. So I thought that the contrast between black and white would be more obvious, and I made a blackboard.”

This was the downside of having Uncle Zhong around; his novel ideas needed a reasonable explanation.

Zhong Yan thought about Zhou Yu’s teaching methods and concluded that Zhou Yu had thought a lot about things in private. Zhou Yu liked to use his brain, so it wasn’t surprising that he came up with chalk and a blackboard. “I’ll see the finished product when it’s done.”

Zhou Yu smiled. “I definitely won’t disappoint you.”

(End of Chapter)

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