Chen Dazhu's words are useless, but the village chief's grandfather is different, although he is not the patriarch of the Chen clan of Xiaochen Village, but he is also surnamed Chen, and his status among the Chen clansmen in Xiaochen Village is second only to the patriarch, and he can also speak on the side of the main family.

Li Ping'an's words made Li Erlin and Chen Dazhu both ignite hope, and they looked at the village chief one by one, but before they could speak, the village chief Chen An first said loudly: "I'm not even the patriarch of the side branch, I can't talk to the people of the main family, but I can't help." ”

Li Ping'an was anxious, how could the village chief not be able to talk to the main family, didn't his youngest son just follow the path of the main family and enter the yamen on an errand? Besides, they hadn't told him what had happened, what did they want him to help with, how did he know he couldn't help?

Just when he was about to stalk him, he saw the village chief's grandfather keep making eyes, and he felt a thrill in his heart, and he glanced at the person next to him, eager to slap himself a few times on the spot.

Is this something that can be said out loud in front of so many people?

After reacting, Li Ping'an, who was very regretful in his heart, hurriedly said to his father in order to prevent his father from pestering the village chief: "Dad, let's go back, come back tomorrow, and the road will be even more difficult when it gets dark, and my mother and younger brothers and sisters are still waiting for us to go home." ”

Li Erlin was silent for a moment and nodded.

Seeing this, Li Silin asked anxiously: "Second brother, do we really go back like this?" ”

"Or else?" Li Erlin glanced at Chen Ji Grain Store, "Wait until it's dark?" ”

It is impossible to wait until it gets dark, the gloomy sky must be dark early, and the road during the day is not easy to walk, can you still walk after dark? As for staying in the city overnight, it is even more impossible, when he came, Ping An said that the flash flood was coming, and he was still worried about his wife and children at home.

The group could only return in frustration and in vain, silently praying in their hearts that there would be no real floods, otherwise they would really not be able to live.

Walking through the street, Li Ping'an glanced back, but he still couldn't see those people he didn't know, so he hurriedly came to Chen An's side and asked expectantly: "Grandpa the village chief, can you help us buy food, right?" ”

Chen An let out a long sigh, his eyes swept over Li Dalin's faces one by one, and finally lowered his head and landed on Li Ping'an's face beside him, "You are a clever person, you wait for me at the city gate, I'll help you ask, but I don't know if the main family can be accommodating, you just wait." ”

With that, he hurried in one direction.

Li Erlin and the others didn't expect things to turn around, and there was joy on their faces, you look at me, I look at you, but there is no bottom in your heart, "Can the village chief really help us get food?" ”

"Don't think about it, let's go to the city gate and wait." Now they are helpless, and can only hope for the village chief.

About two quarters of an hour later, the village chief hurried to the city gate, followed by a half-grown boy dressed as a small servant, Chen An pointed to the little servant, "You go with him, don't say anything, don't ask anything, you can take as much as you want, you can give as much as you want, understand?" ”

The group was ecstatic and nodded their heads, and by this time, it was already good to be able to buy food.

Listening to their words of gratitude, the village chief waved his hand indifferently, "Go quickly, buy it early and go back early, I won't wait for you." ”

Li Ping'an was stunned: "Village chief grandpa, don't you wait for us to go together?" ”

"Don't wait, several villages downstream have already been affected, and I have to go back quickly and inform the people in the village to come and buy food tomorrow." After the village chief hurriedly finished speaking, he hurried away.

Li Ping'an hurriedly caught up, and reminded with a worried face: "Grandpa the village chief, when we came, we found that the water in the mountain had become muddy, maybe the flash flood was coming, you should be careful when you go back." ”

After a pause, he thought about it, and said with a slight pleading: "Why don't you wait for us, we can take care of each other on the way." ”

"How can you talk like a!" The village chief scolded with a smile, and then said with a straight face, "Since you said that the flash flood might come, then I should rush back as soon as possible." ”

Li Ping'an gave up persuasion, and watched the village chief's grandfather walk out of the city gate, before turning around and going back to follow the little guy, and they didn't say a word all the way, nor did they whisper in private.

Going around and around, he finally stopped outside the small door in a small alley, and the little guy knocked on the door, and when the door opened, he told them to wait here, and then walked in, and after a while, the little guy came out again, "The steward said, your family can only buy one stone of brown rice at most, 700 yuan." ”

Everyone smacked their tongues, one stone has one hundred and twenty catties, that is, ten buckets, compared with the usual price of brown rice, one catty has risen by almost two cents. But the situation is stronger than people, and you have to buy as much as you want.

gave the money to the little maid, and the little maid took them into the house, Li Ping'an also wanted to see what the house was like, but found that there were walls on both sides, so he could only give up, bury his head and follow for a while, and stopped in front of a room. The little man muttered a few words to an old man with gray hair, and then saw the old man take out the key and open the door.

After two round-trips, the eight-stone brown rice in the sack was moved to the cart, and Li Ping'an felt a little more at ease. As long as they save a little food, one stone of grain is enough for their family of seven to eat for a month.

Although the way back was difficult, everyone felt a little lighter, as if the boulder pressing on their hearts had been slightly lowered.

"Dad, if we can tomorrow, let's come again to see if the grain store can buy grain." Li Ping'an said that the disaster is now a foregone conclusion, and it is not yet known what will happen next, even if the next thing is smooth and smooth, and we can plant in summer and wait for the autumn harvest, but now at the end of May, there are still three or four months before the autumn harvest, and it is not enough to eat a month's worth of grain.

Li Erlin was about to speak, when he suddenly saw that the road in front of him was buried by mud and stones, his eyes moved, only to find that a large piece of the mountain next to him had collapsed.

"The mountain has fallen."

Li Erlin shouted, and Li Ping'an, who was pushing the cart behind, hurriedly retracted his strength, and when he looked up, his heart was half cold.

Seeing that the sky was getting darker and darker, Li Erlin couldn't help but say, and shouted to the adults to dig a road with their bare hands, and even Zhang Dashan went up, leaving only Li Ping'an and Li Dong, two and a half old children, to watch the grain.

Li Ping'an wanted to stop it, although the rain had weakened, it hadn't stopped, who knew if the mountain would collapse again. But they can't say anything when the words come to their mouths, and what can they do if they don't dig a way home?

And it's all collapsed, what is the situation in the village? Are my mothers and younger siblings safe?

The more Li Ping'an thought about it, the more anxious he became, and his heart was in a mess, so he simply let Li Dong wait here alone, and he also went up to help. It's better to have a job in hand than to sit there and think about it.

I don't know how long I dug it, Li Ping'an only felt that his hands were unconscious, people were numb, and seeing that the sky was dark, he became more and more anxious.

Suddenly, I heard my uncle Zhang Yu shouting in front of me: "There are people here!" Someone was buried! ”

The adults surrounded him at once, Li Ping'an reacted half a beat slower, and when he came over, the buried person had already been pulled out of an arm by Zhang Yupao.

Looking at the sleeve on that hand, Li Ping'an's heart tightened, and he grabbed the arm of the person next to him, with a thick horror in his uncertain tone.

"It seems to be the village chief's grandfather!"