Chapter 294 I will never abandon the land, I will never abandon the land until I die!
"Everyone, please don't be impatient and don't beat the children. The problem with the rice fields was actually caused by this day!"

Chen Ping said this, pointing his index finger to the sky.

The rain soaked everyone. They looked up with their heads covered with bamboo hats, and saw raindrops dripping down their faces.

“The continuous rains in August certainly need to nourish the rice fields, but when the water is full, it will overflow!”

"From now on, we have to find a way to drain the water from the rice fields."

"The water level has surpassed the rice plants, and the roots are unable to support them. A gust of wind can uproot the rice."

"Even if the rice can be saved, prolonged soaking may cause the rice ears to rot. If we don't take action, we will get nothing in the autumn harvest!"

Chen Ping spoke earnestly, his expression becoming increasingly serious.

When the villagers heard this, panic and helplessness were written all over their faces.

For them, having no harvest is more terrifying than death.

They are fed up with poverty and hunger! Rice is their lifeline!

Chen Ping took a deep breath and without waiting for the villagers to respond, raised the key question of today's rally.

"In addition, there is something more important and more terrifying that needs to be told to everyone."

"If, I mean if!"

"If this rain continues for another 15 days, everyone will have to abandon their rice fields, pack up their valuables, and move to higher ground to escape!"

"Otherwise, the problem we face is no longer whether we can keep the rice, but the life and death of the entire village!"

"Did everyone hear that clearly?!"

Chen Ping's words were calm and firm, his voice was loud, but the pain in his heart was like a knife.

In order to have a good harvest, he worked as hard as the villagers, sowing seeds, transplanting rice seedlings, and applying fertilizers. Every step was the result of his hard work.

Now that he has to give up his land, he feels the same as the villagers.

His words caused an uproar under the old locust tree in Jiangbian Village!
The villagers were first stunned, then shocked, and finally angry!
If they abandon their fields to save their lives and escape, what will happen to the entire village, young and old?
Without rice fields, what will they eat in the future?
What is the previous hard work?
"I won't abandon the field!!"

"Don't abandon the field!!!"

"We swear to never leave the fields. Rice is the lifeblood of our family. Without rice, we cannot survive. I will not leave. Without rice, I will not go anywhere!"

The villagers understood Chen Ping's words and their response was extremely firm.

All the men, women, young and old in the village present are willing to live and die with the rice fields.

Even the young little tiger wiped his snot, and his tender little face was full of determination.

When Chen Ping heard this, waves of emotion surged in his heart, and he stared at the villagers with red eyes.

He also wanted to protect this rice field, but would God's will allow it?
The rain suddenly increased at this critical moment, and puddles continued to accumulate under the villagers' feet, as if deepening along with their worries.

"Mr. Chen, do you know how much suffering we have endured and how many years of hunger we have gone through?"

"Countless lives have been lost due to hunger over the years. If you go to the back mountain and take a look, you will find that every tombstone without words once represented a living being!"

"There are only seven newborns in Jiangbian Village this year. If the rice harvest fails, how can our village expect a future?"

"Rice is a gift from God, we can't throw it away!"

The village chief stood up amid the villagers' approval and recounted the sad history of Jiangbian Village with a look of sorrow on his face.

He blamed himself for being incompetent and unable to grow enough food and ensure the livelihood of the villagers.

Now, rice has become their only hope, and the village chief will never give up easily.

"We can't abandon the rice fields!" "My wife and I depend on that one acre of land for our retirement. If we give up the rice fields, won't that mean we will die?"

The person speaking was Uncle Zhang, who lived next door to Chen Ping. There were six people in his family, including three sons and one daughter.

The eldest son died for the country, and the youngest daughter starved to death during the cold winter last year.

At the beginning of the year, the old couple was still mourning the death of their daughter, but they learned the news that their eldest son had died in battle.

Just when they were ready to die, the rice fields gave them the courage to live.

Everyone in Jiangbian Village is struggling in the sea of ​​suffering, and what Chen Ping is most concerned about is this old couple.

Despite their own difficult lives, they often lend a helping hand.

Ever since Wang became pregnant, Aunt Zhang has been helping to take care of Chen Ping whenever he goes out.

"Brother Ping, my wife is going to give birth in three months. The previous two children didn't live past the age of three."

"We must protect this child no matter what!"

The thin man on Chen Ping's left burst into tears. Men don't shed tears easily, but the helplessness and despair of seeing two children starving to death made him unable to hold back his tears any longer.

As he grew older, his health deteriorated. If this child could not survive, he would have no descendants.

"Brother Ping, we are all counting on the new rice to save our lives. Rice is life. The day I saw the rice ears mature, I was happier than when my wife gave birth to Tiger. I laughed all night beside the ridge. How can you let us abandon the fields?"

After hearing everyone's words, Chen Ping opened his mouth, but didn't know how to respond, and felt mixed emotions.

Since leading the villagers to grow rice, he has seen more and more smiles, and his expectations for life have become stronger and stronger.

He kept all of this in mind.

Today's words are too cruel for the villagers. Abandoning the fields is tantamount to sentencing Jiangbian Village to death.

Sentence the entire Jiangbian Village to death!

The lonely old couple worked hard just to give themselves a stable old age, and the villagers just wanted to feed their children, grow rice, and let their children have a full meal.

Chen Ping lowered his head, pain flashed across his face, but when he raised his eyes again, only determination remained in his eyes.

He looked around the room and announced solemnly:
"We will not abandon the land! We will never abandon the land!!"

"Mr. Chen, as long as we can save the rice, I will do anything!"

Chen Ping's words were like a spring breeze blowing through the hearts of the villagers, making them cry with joy. The village chief's lips trembled with excitement. He patted Chen Ping's shoulder hard, expressing his determination to do whatever it takes.

Chen Ping gazed at the village chief's graying temples and felt deeply that the responsibility he shouldered had increased.

This is clearly an important task entrusted to me by the village chief!
Facing the vast land, although Chen Ping is just an ordinary man, he cannot avoid the inner struggle.

He was silent for a moment, took a deep breath, shook the village chief's hand tightly in turn, and then turned to the villagers.

"It's not that there is no way to save the rice fields, but whether it will succeed depends on God's will."

Chen Ping's voice was full of helplessness. He looked up at the continuous rain and prayed silently.

"God, please open your eyes and stop raining!"

However, Chen Ping's prayers went unanswered.

For five consecutive days, the rain not only did not weaken, but became more and more severe.

Chen Ping's face was pale. For the past five days, he had been guarding the ridge of the field day and night, trying his best to drain the rice fields.

(End of this chapter)