Zhou Yan jumped out of bed with a start, ran downstairs without even putting on his shoes. The stairwell was dark, and he bumped headfirst into the stairwell wall without uttering a sound. He then grabbed the wall and rushed downstairs, opening the door.
It was still dark, and the rain was still falling, a steady patter.
Zhou Jie, wearing a raincoat and holding a flashlight, stood at the door. Hearing the noise, he shone the flashlight on Zhou Yan and was startled to see him barefoot and bleeding from his forehead. "Zhou Yan, what happened to your head?"
Zhou Yan didn't care about anything else. His eyes were red with anxiety. He grabbed Zhou Jie's hand and asked, "Brother Jie, what did you just say? My house collapsed? Where are my parents? Where's Momo?"
"The house collapsed, but everyone's okay!" Zhou Jie quickly replied. "They all escaped!"
Zhou Yan released his hand, his legs went weak, and he leaned against the door to steady himself. Now, his forehead was starting to throb.
As long as everyone's alright, the collapsed house is fine, it's collapsed.
Who knows? It almost broke his spirit.
"Quickly stop the bleeding from your forehead. Should we go to the clinic?" Zhou Jie asked with concern.
"It's nothing, just a scrape. I'll go put on my shoes and head back to the village." Zhou Yan, having recovered, took the flashlight from Zhou Jie. "Wait for me here."
"Okay." Zhou Jie replied, stepping under the eaves and wiping the water from his face.
Zhou Yan found a mirror and checked his forehead. There was a bump near his eyebrow, a scrape, and blood trickling down his eye—it looked a bit creepy, but it wasn't serious.
There was a small bottle of iodine in the kitchen. He quickly disinfected it with cotton wool. The rain wasn't heavy, so he put on a straw hat and pushed his bicycle out.
"What happened? When did it collapse?" Zhou Yan asked Zhou Jie on the way.
"It collapsed in the middle of the night, with a loud bang. Half the village heard it. My dad was worried, so he got up to check and woke Haozi and me up to help. He said your house collapsed and told me to come quickly and get you back." Zhou Jie followed beside him, reassuring him, "Don't worry, everyone's alright. Fourth Uncle brought Fourth Aunt and Momo out. First Uncle, my dad, Third Uncle, and Fourth Uncle are all there. It's alright."
"Okay." Zhou Yan nodded, but his feet moved even faster.
His mother and Zhou Momo must have been terrified by the house collapsing in the middle of the night.
"Slow down, the road is very slippery..." Zhou Jie was falling behind and shouted from behind. In a short while, he couldn't even see Zhou Yan's flashlight anymore.
Zhou Yan returned to Zhou Village and saw from afar a dozen beams of flashlight shining back and forth around his house, with dozens of people standing there.
"Zhou Yan's back!"
Someone saw Zhou Yan and called out.
Zhou Yan stopped the bicycle and saw his uncles, brothers, and fellow villagers in the crowd.
Zhou Weiguo, wearing a vest and holding a shovel, was soaked to the bone.
His Second Uncle, Zhou Ze, was covered in mud, as if he had just crawled out of a mud pit.
Zhou Hongwei, his father, and grandfather were also there.
Everyone was carrying tools, presumably having rushed over as soon as they heard the news.
Zhou Yan looked towards the house.
The once spacious house was now reduced to half a rammed earth wall, unrecognizable from its original state.
Zhao Tieying and Zhou Miao stood barefoot in the yard, staring blankly and helplessly at their collapsed house.
The house they had lived in for over twenty years had collapsed just like that; no one could accept it.
"Mom! Dad!" Zhou Yan ran over and hugged them both tightly.
"Zhou Yan… our house collapsed…" Zhao Tieying looked up at him, her voice hoarse, the water on her face indistinguishable between tears and rain.
"It's alright! It's good that you're safe. The house can be rebuilt!" Zhou Yan patted her back, feeling her icy cold body, and quickly pulled his straw hat over her head.
Zhou Miao put his arm around her shoulder and comforted her, "That's right, Zhou Yan is right, it's good that everyone is safe and sound."
Zhao Tieying nodded, her emotions calming slightly.
"Dad, where's Momo? I haven't seen her." Zhou Yan asked, looking around.
"Don't worry, Momo's fine. Zhou Hao took her to your grandma there; she hasn't even woken up since the house collapsed, sleeping soundly." Second Uncle replied.
"That's good!" Zhou Yan's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was completely relieved. As long as everyone was alright, the collapsed house could be rebuilt sooner or later, and it would be even better and bigger!
"Come on, Mom, Dad, let's go to Grandma's house to change into dry clothes. This rain is too cold; everyone's getting soaked. It'll be troublesome if all catch a cold."
"There's no point in guarding this dilapidated house. Let's wait until tomorrow morning when the rain stops, then see if there's anything we can salvage. We'll demolish it and rebuild it!" Zhou Yan helped Zhao Tieying and Zhou Miao out. The two hadn't fully recovered yet, and he had to step in and make the decision.
This autumn rain was a bit cold. Not only their family, but dozens of men were standing in the rain, getting soaked.
Were they really supposed to help dig up a pile of broken cabinets, pots, and pans all night?
"That's right, go change your clothes and dry your hair first!" First Uncle Zhou Qing added.
Zhao Hong brought over two pairs of sandals for them to change into.
"We have shoes!" Zhao Tieying said.
Zhou Yan then noticed that his mother was holding the two pairs of leather shoes he had bought, along with a small wooden box.
Comrade Old Zhou wasn't empty-handed either; he had a cloth bag slung over his shoulder—the one he usually carried when he went out to slaughter cattle—full of tools, presumably for butchering.
Well, at least the important tools and possessions had been successfully salvaged and moved.
The older generation is still reliable.
"Fourth Aunt, you can wear these for now. Leather shoes get dirty and hard to clean, and your feet are covered in mud." Zhao Hong took the two pairs of shoes from her, covered them with a raincoat, and told them to change into sandals.
Zhou Yan bowed to his uncles, brothers, and relatives, then straightened up and said loudly, "Dear uncles, brothers, aunts, and sisters in law, on behalf of my whole family, I, Zhou Yan, thank you for coming to help us in the middle of the night. If you ever need anything from me, please don't hesitate to ask, and I will do my best to help."
"It's too cold today, and the rain is heavy. Everyone should go back and change your clothes, dry your hair, and drink some ginger soup. Make sure you keep warm. I'll come to thank you again later."
Zhao Tieying and Zhou Miao, who had just put on their shoes, stared at Zhou Yan, somewhat lost in thought.
This child is already capable of managing the household!
"We're family, there's no need for thanks!"
"That's right! It's all what we should do!"
"Come on, take your mother and father to change into dry clothes first. We'll come back tomorrow after the rain stops to see how to dig."
Everyone responded with smiles, their eyes filled with satisfaction as they looked at Zhou Yan.
This child is sensible and grateful; even getting soaked in the rain in the middle of the night warmed their hearts.
The old lady's house had a light on, its dim yellow glow seeming especially warm in the cold, rainy night.
The main room had one door closed, and two braziers of charcoal fire were placed in the middle, making it feel warm and cozy as soon as everyone entered.
Two sets of dry clothes and two dry towels were placed on a chair nearby.
The old lady came out of the kitchen carrying a tray with six bowls of steaming brown sugar ginger soup. She said, Laosi (Fourth son), take Tieying to dry her hair and change the clothes first, then come and drink the ginger soup."
"Okay, Mom." Zhou Miao replied, grabbing the clothes and leading Zhao Tieying into the inner room.
"You've came quickly." the old lady said, glancing at Zhou Yan. "Go, go with your uncle to change your clothes. His clothes fit you well. Have some ginger soup too."
"Okay, Grandma!" Zhou Yan replied with a smile.
"Zhao Hong, drink the ginger soup, go back and change your clothes. Tell them to change their clothes and come over to warm themselves by the fire and drink ginger soup. We can also discuss some matters while we're at it." the old lady instructed Zhao Hong.
"Okay, Grandma." Zhao Hong nodded, taking the ginger soup from the old lady, blowing on it to cool it down, and taking a sip. She immediately felt warmer.
Zhou Yan couldn't help but admire the old lady, who was indeed a woman who had experienced many big events. She remained calm and composed at home, managing the logistics perfectly and stabilizing morale.
Zhou Yan changed his clothes and went next door to check on Zhou Momo. The little one was sleeping soundly, probably dreaming about something, with a bit of drool on the corner of her mouth. She probably didn't even know the house had collapsed.
The others changed their clothes and came out, gathering around the brazier to warm themselves, drinking hot ginger soup. Their cold bodies quickly warmed, and their eyes regained their vitality.
Zhao Tieying finished a bowl of ginger soup, letting out a long sigh of relief. A hint of lingering fear remained in her eyes as she murmured, "It's good that everyone's alright."
Zhou Miao, drying her hair with a towel, nodded and said, "That's right, the whole family being together is more important than anything else."
"Exactly! Even a broken boat has three thousand nails, and burnt bamboo leaves green roots. As long as people are still alive, three houses can be rebuilt in two years." the old lady said with a smile as she came out of the kitchen.
"Mom, you're right." Zhao Tieying smiled as well.
As they spoke, the uncles, cousins, and women arrived, leaving their umbrellas and raincoats in the courtyard before entering the main room.
"Grandma, it's so warm inside." Zhou Jie said, rubbing his hands.
"Here, have a bowl of ginger soup first." Zhou Yan quickly served everyone ginger soup.
After a bowl of ginger soup, they immediately felt warm.
The old lady sat at the head of the table, the elders sat on chairs, and the younger generation, including Zhou Yan, either sat on small stools or stood.
In this family, whenever there's a major event, the old lady is undoubtedly the one who makes the decisions.
The old lady spoke first, "Laosi's house collapsed today. It happened so suddenly; it's a miracle they were unharmed. Starting tomorrow, once you've finished your official business, come help with the excavation and see if you can find anything usable to minimize the damage."
"Okay!" everyone nodded in agreement.
The old lady then looked at Zhou Hao and said, "Zhou Hao, it's rare for you to come back. You just got married, and you'll be returning to your unit in a few days. Just stick to your plan and take Yueyue to Rongcheng. Having you in the house won't make us dig up any gold ingots."
"Grandma, I want to stay..." Zhou Hao wanted to say something more.
"Zhou Hao, listen to your grandma. There are just a few broken cabinets and a pile of old clothes under roof. They're not worth much, and they're probably useless even if we dig them up." Zhao Tieying said, looking at Zhou Hao and Chen Yueyue standing beside him. "You only get married once. Yueyue waited so long for you to come back for wedding. She had planned a honeymoon; this will be the most important memory for the next few decades. You need to know which is more important."
Chen Yueyue listened, her face filled with emotion, her eyes reddening.
Hearing this, Second Uncle nodded, "You listen to your grandma and fourth aunt. There are so many people in the family; there won't be a problem."
"Okay." Zhou Hao finally nodded, squeezing his new wife's hand tightly.
The old lady continued, "Laosi, Tieying, tomorrow clean up the room on the east side. You two can come back to the old house for a while. Move out again once the new house is finished."
"Mom, isn't that inconvenient..." Zhao Tieying hesitated. It was the Old Zhou family's custom that once they got married, they had to move out. She felt it wasn't appropriate for the four of them to move back to the old house.
Repairing a house wasn't that simple. They only had a few dozen yuan left, and they didn't know when they could afford to repair the house.
Living in the old house long term would inevitably cause some resentment among the brothers, which didn't align with the old lady's rules.
Zhou Miao didn't speak, watching Zhao Tieying wait for her decision.
"Tieying, just listen to your mother. Nobody can predict these things. Come back and stay for a while." the eldest aunt advised.
"That's right. If you need anything, just come to our house. It's close and convenient." the Second Aunt added.
"Mom has already spoken, what's inconvenient for you? We're all family." Third Aunt chimed in.
Everyone offered kind words of advice, wanting to help the Laosi's family through this difficult time.
But Zhao Tieying just couldn't get over it in her heart. Weiguo had just taken office and was now the Minister of Armed Forces. These past few days, people had already started arranging marriages for him. If others knew that her brother and sister-in-law were living in the old house with their child because their house had collapsed, what would other girls think?
Whole family was thinking of them, and she couldn't just think of herself.
Zhou Yan listened for a while, understood his mother's thoughts, and said, "Mom, why don't you all move into my restaurant?"
"There's a big empty space upstairs in the restaurant. We can find a bricklayer to build two walls and it'll be a room. We can buy two bedding sets and you can sleep there."
"We can think about building a new house after the New Year."