Chapter 41: Helping fellow villagers

Bai Yi Ling is still in the kitchen boiling the water in the big iron pot, Bai Yi Chen actually has add more water and increase the fire after using the hot water when he took bath earlier. So, Bai Yi Ling is just making sure that the fire didn't die.

"When gege is done bathing, you call over Aunt Li to let her bath the children first." Bai Yi Yang said.

"En.." Bai Yi Ling answer after yawning.

"Sleepy?" Bai Yi Yang smile lightly and asked.

"Not really.." Bai Yi Ling said.

"You know any of the kids?" Bai Yi Yang casually chat with her sister as they watch the fire together.

"En, only know a bit bah. The oldest one from second Li family is Su Nong gege, then Su Rong jiejie, Su Nuo and the little one I don't know. The boy with Grandpa Bon d Grandma Bo is that Bo Yuan we talked about before." Bai Yi Ling whisper her last sentence, as if she didn't want other people to hear it.

"Oh really?" Bai Yi Yang finally remember a bit about Bo Yuan, his siblings told her about how he is staying nearby.

"Yes.." Bai Yi Ling nod.

"He doesn't look like a bad kid. His face is always frowning, that is why he looks scary, but he listen to his grandma well." Bai Yi Yang said. She can see that he is most probably the tsundere type.

"Anyway…he pulled my hair.." Bai Yi Ling said.

"Did he tell you why he pull your hair? Xiao Ling, maybe this is your chance to find out..what if…" Bai Yi Yang laugh and tease her sister. She may be right ah.

Bai Yi Ling blush, she immediately humphed and look away. Bai Yi Yang didn't tease her anymore and told her to go fetch some tea packets from the Main house, she wanted to make some warm tea for the villagers.

"Yatou.." Bai Yi Yang who is boiling the water in the kettle using the brazier turn her head, it was Aunt Li and Grandma Bo, behind them is the 14 years old girl Li Su Rong.

"Yes." Bai Yi Yang stood up.

"Let us do it bah." Aunt Li said, she already fold her damp sleeve and come over.

"It's almost done, wait for the tub to fill then can start pouring the hot water." Bai Yi Yang said.

After finished taking a bath, Bai Yi Chen let the water run. He already returned to his room a while ago, Bai Yi Yang also remind him about sharing room with Li Su Nong for now which Bai Yi Chen doesn't have any issue with.

"Alright." Aunt Li smile and Bai Yi Yang invite them to sit at the table.

"After bathing the children, just put the dirty clothes inside the basin over here, let it spin in the washing machine. Me or Xiao Ling can do it later tomorrow." Bai Yi Yang add.

"No need, no need. How can we do that, we can just wash it with hands and dry it under the fan." Aunt Li said, she blush. She thinks her family has troubled the siblings enough. Who in the village didn't know that the Bai siblings have a difficult life.

"That won't do. Then how about I teach both Aunt Li and Grandma Bo how to use it. It is very simple." Bai yi Yang bring them to the laundry area. The three people was amazed as they saw the two brand new machine, the Bai siblings has this kind of things now? So impressive.

"Like this, you just put in your clothes in here, then close the door. This is the drawer for the detergent, softener and stain remover, just fill it up until the line then close the drawer. After that you can just press start and it will usually take 45 minutes." Bai Yi Yang explain.

"Yatou, you have two washing machine?" Grandma Bo who has seen washing machine before ask. When she was staying at her son house in the city, she had used washing machine before, but it wasn't as good as this one.

"Oh, this is the dryer, after washing the clothes, just put it inside this dryer and let it dry, there is no need to dry it under the fan. This is easier to use, just put it inside then close the door and press start." She explain again.

"Right, I was being inattentive, with all the rain just now, your quilts must have been rained on a bit. Why don't you bring it over here and let me show you how to do it." Bai Yi Yang said. Aunt Li was hesitating but not Grandma Bo, their quilts is really all damp now, how are they going to sleep with that? They really can't do without quilts tonight. There is such a good machine and they are already troubling the siblings now, she will just owe more to them then.

After a few more words from Bai Yi Yang, Aunt Li asked her daughter to bring their wet quilts over. Bai Yi Yang saw that their quilts is not completely wet, only damp, but it really is uncomfortable to sleep with this. So she set the temperature high for 10 minutes, it will be sufficient to completely dry their quilts.

While waiting, the grandmother and mother start adding hot water to the tub, they didn't allow Bai Yi Yang to help so Bai Yi Yang only sat down and make the tea. She let the two women take care of the children while she brings the warm tea to the living room where Bai Yi Chen is chatting lightly with Second Uncle Li, Grandpa Bo and Li Su Nong. They all have taken a bath, Second Uncle Li and his son took cold bath in the Main house bathroom and they had changed their clothes. While the girls are taking turns bathing in the West house bathroom, Bo Yuan is the last person in the queue.

"Have some tea.." Bai Yi Yang pour the tea into a few cup, this time she add some sugar to the tea. After leaving the kettle filled with warm tea there, Bai Yi Yang return to the laundry room. The bathroom is quite noisy since Aunt Li and her daughter is bathing together.

After taking out the two batch of quilts from the dryer, Bai Yi Yang change the setting again. Only after that she called Grandma Bo to take back their dried quilts.

"Oh my, it is really dried, it feels warm and light too." Grandma Bo said. She then brought their quilts back to the room with a wide smile.

The three quilts remaining must be the Li family's, so Bai Yi Yang bring it to the Main house and hand it over to Uncle Li who is chatting in the living room.

"I was a bit worry because of the damp quilts, now it will be comfortable to sleep." Second Uncle Li laugh. Bai Yi Yang only smile. She went into the right room once again and took out a tin of biscuits, this is the one that is halfway eaten by them siblings.

"Drink the tea with the biscuits." Bai Yi Yang said as she put it down. Bai Yi Chen encouraged them as he open the covering and push it to the middle.

After Bai Yi Yang said a few words to Grandma Bo, she also enter the bedroom to sleep. Bai Yi Chen is outside and they can arrange for themselves so there is no need for her to stay any longer, it is almost 11.30 pm and she is also a bit tired today.

"Ge, I am sleeping first." Bai Yi Yang said before she enters the room. Her three siblings is already sleeping, so after barring the door, she also turn off the lights and went to sleep.

The soft voice outside didn't bother her much but she still can listen one or two words before she completely fall asleep, she sense people moving around the house until it was passed 12 midnight before the house become quiet, the rain also stops just like she said but then it started pouring again at 2-3 am.

Bai Yi Yang woke up at 6.30 in the next day. Her siblings is still sleeping soundly under the blanket.

Bai Yi Yang smile as she see Bai Yi Fang foot on Xiao Mo stomach. Xiao Mo sleeping habit is quite amazing too, the other night, he was sleeping under their feet, he moved too much that he only has a little bit of blanket left covering him.

Bai Yi Yang tucked them into the blanket before she get up to wash her face and brush her teeth. Only after that did she decide to go cook breakfast at the kitchen. When she step out of the Main house, Bai Yi Yang saw that Grandpa Bo is already awake, he is sitting at the entrance of the East house while watching the rain falling onto the central courtyard.

"Good morning Grandpa Bo." Bai Yi Yang greet as she walk to the kitchen under the corridor.

"Yatou, you woke up really early? Going to cook breakfast?" Grandpa Bo greet back.

"Yes. Grandpa Bo, don't stay there, the wind is cold. Come sit in the kitchen." Bai Yi Yang said. Grandpa Bo listen and walk to the kitchen under the corridor. He need to passed the Main house to go to the kitchen so he also arranged the slippers in front of the Main house door a bit.

Bai Yi Yang invite him to sit at the dinner table before pouring him some hot water from the kettle. Last night, they must have wash the kettle after drinking the tea and cook some hot water on the brazier. Bai Yi Yang also had a warm drink to wet her throat.

"Did you sleep well grandpa?" Bai Yi Yang casually ask.

"Of course, the quilts is warm and comfortable, thanks to you." Grandpa Bo smile. His looks is just like a typical old man, but he seems to be quite intelligent, he doesn't look like a simple old man that grow up and get old in the village. Bai Yi Yang suspect that this old man Bo must be not originally from here.

"That's a small matter. Have the rain stop since yesterday?" Bai Yi Yang asked even though she knows.

"Indeed. It stopped for about two hours last night, but then it started pouring heavily again and doesn't look like it is going to stop any soon. Luckily we were ready, all the important documents are brought together, the electric has been switched off. Its just that some furniture on the floor may be damaged. It's fine as long as we are all safe." Grandpa Bo sigh in regret.

"That is a small matter, worldly materials can be replaced anytime. Health and safety is the most important." Bai Yi Yang said. Grandpa Bo nod at her words.

"To be honest, last night it was partially my mistake too. I saw that there are a lot of children and stuff, so I wanted everyone to arrived faster to the village meeting hall, never thought that the water raise very fast, the shorter road to the meeting hall is already flooded. When we decided to return to the longer road, the area on our houses is already flooded. We don't have a choice but to go wait at the foot of the mountain. Who knows that the rain is not getting better but instead getting heavier. Luckily Yi Chen came down the mountain and saw us, he then brought all of us here." Grandpa Bo said feeling a bit regretful. His story is exactly what the villagers has guessed.

"Grandpa Bo, we human cannot beat the nature. You are just thinking in everyone interest. We siblings are blessed that our house can escape the flood, so helping your two family is just a natural things to do. At the first place, when you were trapped at the foot of the mountain, you should have just come up and came to our house." Bai Yi Yang said.

"How can we do that? You siblings is already having it hard..we already feel uneasy troubling you all like this." Grandpa Bo said. Bai Yi Yang just smile.

"The villagers also helps us siblings a lot before, we also wants to help when we can." Bai Yi Yang said.

"Yatou, you siblings are good people." Grandpa Bo praise.

Bai Yi Yang nod, she don't know how to respond to that since they are just doing what a normal human will do. She stood up to start making breakfast. She planned to make a simple rice porridge, then add more carrots and potatoes into the stew, then lastly stir fry big peppers as side dishes. Just a simple breakfast meal because there are a lot of people.

Bai Yi Yang first peel the potatoes and carrots, then slice it into big chunks before putting it into the stew. There are still half meat stew but it won't be enough for all of them, she can only add potatoes and carrots inside so the vegetables can absorb the flavour of the stew, she can just add some seasoning to adjust the taste. It won't be much different than the original, only that the meat chunk is less than before.

"Yatou, you need any help?" Grandpa Bo already finished his warm water and now rinsing his cup at the sink next to Bai Yi Yang who is busy chopping the potatoes and carrots.

"Grandpa, why don't you help me pick some big peppers at our farm behind, just pick enough for breakfast for everyone." Bai Yi Yang said. She really doesn't feel like going out now with this weather.

"Consider it done then." Grandpa Bo answer in high spirit. He already saw the Bai vegetables farm just behind the West house, it was quite messy but the vegetables are plump and looks very healthy. They are also bigger than usual vegetables, looks so appetising.

What he didn't know is that before Bai Yi Yang start salvaging the dying vegetables, it doesn't look much different than thriving weeds.