FID – Chapter 570

Chapter 570: I Just Came to Listen

A group of people gathered around Liu Yusheng, eagerly waiting for her response.

Liu Yusheng laughed. “Of course, there will be more rewards. With so many additional orders every month, the workers must have been working overtime, right? They’ve worked hard.”

The number of workers was fixed, and with increased orders, they had to work extra hours to meet deadlines. There was no doubt it had been exhausting.

It was only fair to give them rewards.

Hearing Liu Yusheng’s question, the village chiefs all nodded in agreement. “Yes, they’ve been working overtime. Since two months ago, the number of orders the winery received has been increasing. If we didn’t rush production, we wouldn’t have been able to meet deadlines, and that would have affected the shops’ reputation. That’s why everyone worked overtime without complaints. If not for that, we wouldn’t have dared to bring up the topic of bonuses.”

Being able to work at the winery was already a great opportunity. If they started talking about extra bonuses and profit sharing, what if they were seen as greedy?

“You all are responsible for managing the wineries, which means you are its administrators and the leaders of the workers. You have the right to speak on their behalf and bring up any concerns. As long as the request is reasonable, I will consider it.”

“Great! With your words, we’re relieved!” The village chiefs beamed.

There was no other workshop as open-minded as theirs.

After the village chiefs left, Liu Yusheng returned to the front yard, where she saw Grandpa Liu sitting at the entrance of the main hall, frowning. She walked over and asked, “Grandpa, what’s troubling you?”

“Nannan, don’t you think the weather has been strange lately? It’s been so stuffy. It makes people feel uneasy and restless.”

Hearing this, Liu Yusheng’s delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly.

She had been busy expanding the new winery with Qian Wanjin and hadn’t paid attention to anything else. Now that her grandfather mentioned it, she also felt that the weather had been unusually stifling.

“Maybe it’s going to rain? It’s summer in the south, and the rainy season is supposed to be frequent. But since summer began, we haven’t had a single drop of rain yet.”

“It should rain within the next couple of days,” Grandpa Liu sighed.

For rural households that relied on nature for their livelihood, favorable weather was of utmost importance.

Regular rainfall was fine, but he was worried things might not go as expected.

Since the beginning of the year, the weather has been unusual. There had even been a severe snowstorm during the New Year celebrations.

He just hoped that after the snow disaster, there wouldn’t be any other unexpected problems.

Grandpa Liu had a keen intuition for the weather. That very night, in the middle of the night, heavy rain suddenly poured down.

The rain pounded against the windows with a loud, crashing sound, waking up those in deep sleep.

Because of the summer heat, Liu Yusheng had left her window open before going to bed. Within moments, rain had splashed inside, soaking the floor.

By the time she was startled awake by the sound of the rain and lit the oil lamp, the floor near the window was already drenched, with a large wet patch spreading across it.

“Nannan, I’ll close your window for you. Go back to sleep. I’ve already shut all the windows in the other rooms too, so don’t worry.”

Wei Hong appeared outside the window, dressed in a raincoat and hat. No one knew when she had woken up. If not for recognizing her voice, she might have given someone a fright.

The corners of Liu Yusheng’s mouth twitched. “Thank you, Aunt Hong. You should go rest too. I’m fine here.”

Silence returned, with only the rhythmic drumming of rain against the doors and windows.

The sound created an inexplicable restlessness.

After sitting in bed for a while, Liu Yusheng finally managed to suppress the unease in her heart and went back to sleep.

By morning, the rain still hadn’t stopped.

It rained continuously for five days. It paused for barely an hour before pouring again.

The endless rain forced winery workers to brave the downpour and wade through water to get to work. However, farming activities in the fields had to come to a halt.

The water in the fields continued to spread, and the water level of the Qing River kept rising, almost reaching the riverbanks. The once-clear river had turned murky.

“If the rain doesn’t stop by tomorrow, there’s going to be a flood!” Grandpa Liu stood at the entrance of the main hall, his brows furrowed tightly, unable to sit still.

The south was full of rivers, with almost every village having a winding waterway. Excessive rainfall could easily trigger flooding, and the fields on both sides of the river would suffer.

“Just sit down and rest for a while. Pacing back and forth is making people dizzy. Watching won’t solve anything,” Grandma Liu stepped forward and pulled him down to sit.

Right now, anyone sitting at home was feeling restless.

It was already July. In just over two months, the crops would be ready for harvest. If a flood really came, half a year of hard work would be ruined.

Who knew how many families would end up in tears?

Liu Dalin and Liu Erlin’s families had also lost their usual energy for chatting and bickering, sitting in silence with furrowed brows.

“Zhixia just took office recently, and now he’s already facing something like this. The yamen must be in chaos.”

“And Yuzheng—she’s heavily pregnant and alone at the yamen. Zhixia is probably too busy to take care of her. I wonder if she has anyone reliable by her side.”

Each person had their own worries.

After comforting her family as best as she could, Liu Yusheng looked outside at the rain curtain. The unease in her heart was growing stronger.

A flood seemed inevitable.

Natural disasters were beyond human control.

That afternoon, Liu Yusheng discussed with Qian Wanjin and decided to temporarily halt operations at the shop.

Many workers at the new winery had to travel long distances to get to work. With the rain and flooding worsening, the village roads had turned into muddy messes. Commuting in such conditions was no longer safe.

Qian Wanjin agreed without hesitation.

On the third day after the winery ceased operations, the yamen posted an urgent flood warning. Government officers, dressed in rain gear, traveled from village to village, beating gongs to warn the people to strengthen their defenses.

The flood was coming.

Panic followed.

In Xinghua Village, every household sat at home, frowning anxiously. The atmosphere was bleak.

Village Chief Liu Jinfu couldn’t sit still at home. Braving the rain, he ran to the Liu family’s courtyard to inquire about the situation. Many villagers did the same, including the chiefs and villagers from nearby Shangpo and Xiapo villages.

A large crowd gathered in the Liu family’s main hall.

“A flood is almost here. Right now, all the farmland near the river is ruined. The rice, which had just started to form ears, is submerged and already rotting. This year’s harvest is a lost cause. Other villages are in the same situation as us. The Qing River winds through seven or eight villages—none of them could escape this disaster,” Liu Jinfu said grimly.

“The yamen in town hasn’t taken any action yet. They only told us to protect ourselves, but they’re doing nothing substantial,” the village chief of Shangpo added, then turned to Grandpa Liu. “Has Zhixia sent any news from Yunzhou City? How are things over there? Do they have any countermeasures?”

Grandpa Liu shook his head. “All the village roads are flooded. He’s far away, busy with government affairs, and can’t return. There’s no way to get messages through either. I expect the situation there isn’t much better.”

If Yunzhou were in a stable condition and Zhixia had heard about Xinghua Village’s flooding, he would have come back to check on them without a doubt.

Everyone fell silent. Someone turned to An Cai, who had been quiet since entering. “Your Xiapo Village isn’t doing any better, is it? Have the troublemakers in your village caused any trouble?”

“What’s there to cause trouble about? Every household is suffering the same,” An Cai said, his eyelids drooping. “The Qing River has already overflowed. The yamen isn’t taking action, and we can’t just sit around waiting. We need to figure something out ourselves. I’m just here to listen if you have any ideas. Don’t mind me.”

“…”