Chapter 28: There Will Be a Severe Drought in the Second Half of the Year

**Tang Ailian nodded vigorously, "My master said there will be a severe drought in the second half of the year!"

Long Jiusheng felt a sudden shock. Was this some kind of cruel joke played by fate? First, there was a major flood in the first half of the year, and now they were about to face a drought in the second half. Wasn't this pushing people to the brink of despair?

If any other child had said this, he wouldn't have believed it, but this was coming from Tang Ailian, and she mentioned her master.

He held Tang Ailian's hand tightly and asked, "What else did your master say?"

Tang Ailian held up the sweet potato vine for Jiusheng to see and said, "My master said, Captain, Uncle, plow the rice fields and plant sweet potatoes!"

"Plow the rice fields and plant sweet potatoes?" Long Jiusheng thought he had misheard.

Tang Ailian enunciated carefully, trying to make herself clear, "Yes, my master said, for this year's second half, there will be a severe drought, so Captain, plow the rice fields, and plant sweet potatoes."

Her pronunciation was not perfect since her teeth hadn't fully grown in yet.

In fact, during the rising floodwaters, Tang Ailian wanted to tell Long Jiusheng not to submit the surplus grain this year and not to plant rice in the second half, but rather to plant sweet potatoes. However, how could she communicate that when she was just a baby? She had been looking for an opportunity to be alone with Long Jiusheng for a while. Finally, when her mother went to deliver surplus grain and her grandmother left to fetch pigweed, there was no one at home, so she took the chance to run out and find Long Jiusheng.

Fortunately, she had started walking at an early age, at around ten months old.

Ailian remembered that in her previous life, around this time, Longtou Village didn't submit surplus grain. However, later, a work team came and pressured Longtou Village into submitting the surplus grain. As a result, there was a major drought in the second half of the year, and almost no grains were harvested. People in the village were starving, and she didn't want to see her fellow villagers suffer from hunger again.

So, she hoped that this time, without the pressure from the higher-ups, Long Jiusheng, as the leader, wouldn't submit the surplus grain. However, she had no idea if Long Jiusheng would listen to the words of a baby like her.

Long Jiusheng's eyes turned red. He had just planted the second-season rice, and he had just sent away the surplus grain from the summer harvest. Now, Tang Ailian was telling him there would be a drought in the second half of the year?

However, he couldn't help but smile again. No matter how smart Tang Ailian was, she was still an infant. How could she possibly know such things? He was being absurd.

Nevertheless, he held onto Tang Ailian's small hand and asked again, "Are you sure? Did your master really say that there will be a severe drought in the second half of the year and that I should plow the rice fields and plant sweet potatoes?"

Tang Ailian nodded firmly, "Yes, my master said there will be a drought this year and drought and locust disasters next year."

Long Jiusheng was stunned. Not only a drought this year but also drought and locust disasters next year?

His scalp tingled. It felt like heaven was playing a cruel joke on them, and something big was about to happen.

Longtou Production Team held an emergency meeting of its cadre members. During the meeting, Long Jiusheng relayed what Tang Ailian had passed on from her master.

"This is how it is. Let's discuss whether we should follow Tang Ailian's master's advice and plow the rice fields to plant sweet potatoes."

When the cadre members heard that there would be a severe drought this year and drought and locust disasters next year, they were all taken aback. They couldn't believe that disasters were lining up like this. A major flood in the first half of the year, a drought in the second half, and then drought and locust disasters next year?

The Women's Brigade Leader, Pala, asked, "Who said this? Is it reliable?"

Long Jiusheng thought for a moment and told them the truth, "This was what Tang Ailian's master told her."

The group was collectively surprised. Tang Ailian had a master known for saving Zhang Jixiong's life with miraculous medicine. "We shouldn't believe it completely, but we shouldn't dismiss it either," Deputy Team Leader Long Wanqiu suggested.

Longtou Production Team's cadre leader, Shi Dong, said with disdain, "Do you all really believe that a little kid like Tang Ailian can understand anything? You believe everything she says? She just utters some words, and we have to go through all this trouble? Plow the rice fields and plant sweet potatoes?"

(End of Chapter 28)