Chapter 207: Hailstorm Strikes
Chapter 207: Hailstorm Strikes
On the morning of April 2nd, a sudden gust of strong wind, torrential rain, and hailstorm swept through Bobai County.
In the future, for some unknown reason, hailstorms became a rare occurrence in Bobai County.
But in this era, it wasn't uncommon for hailstorms to strike every few years.
Going back just a few decades, Bobai County had experienced several hailstorms.
According to the county annals, on April 9, 1974, from 6:05 AM to 6:50 AM, the Songshan Commune was hit by a hailstorm. The largest hailstones had a diameter of 10 to 20 centimeters, and in the Guangzhang Team, the hail accumulated into piles as large as a weighing shed.
Numerous birds and animals on the mountains were killed by the hail, and many frogs and fish in the rivers and streams froze to death. Crops like sweet potatoes, pumpkins, and tobacco leaves were completely destroyed. A total of 6,247 houses had their roofs damaged, and six people were injured.
This was the largest recorded hailstorm in Bobai County's history.
On the evening of April 13, 1975, a strong wind and heavy rain brought hail, lasting 7 to 10 minutes. The hail was primarily concentrated in the communes of Nabu, Xintang, Songshan, Dongping, and Shuhe. A total of 7.38 million roof tiles were damaged, and a large number of crops, including rice seedlings, sweet potatoes, and peanuts, were destroyed.
On April 3, 1976, a strong cold front caused a sudden hailstorm, affecting 591 production teams. Over 10,000 acres of crops, including tobacco, corn, peanuts, melons, and beans, were frozen to death or destroyed.
Three consecutive years of hailstorms were a rare occurrence in Bobai's history.
Now, after a six-year gap, hailstorms struck again, and they were concentrated in early April.
This time, the hailstones ranged from the size of a thumb to a fist. Seven communes, including Bobai Town, Chengxiang, Santan, Yashan, Fengshan, Nabu, and Jiangning, suffered severe damage. Many houses had their roofs shattered, and over 40,000 acres of crops were destroyed or frozen.
Although in this era, news didn't spread as quickly as it does in the modern age, where a single post on social media can reach the entire country instantly, news of natural disasters like hailstorms still spread rapidly. By around 9:30 AM, the news had reached Yayue Village.
Upon learning that Bobai Town was also affected, Deng Shirong couldn't sit still. He said, "Yuntai, quickly get your bike and take me to Tanlian Crossroads. I need to go to Bobai and check if the two-story building we rented has been hit by the hailstorm. I also need to see if the restaurant under construction has been affected."
As Yuntai pushed the bicycle out, he frowned and said, "If the roof tiles were hit by the hail, the rooms inside will be a mess, with all the blankets and bedding ruined."
Deng Yunzhen said, "Dad, why don't I go with you? If the roof tiles were damaged, I can help clean up."
Deng Shirong waved his hand. "I can handle it alone. If the building wasn't hit, that's best. If it was, I can still find a place to stay. If you come with me, you won't have anywhere to sleep, and the guesthouses aren't very clean. There's no need for you to suffer that."
Deng Yunzhen thought about it and decided not to go.
...
At 2 PM, Deng Shirong arrived in the county town. Seeing that the surrounding buildings were all intact, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Returning to the main street, he saw that his two-story building was completely undamaged, and he finally felt at ease.
However, the hailstorm also reminded him of the unusually early and prolonged frost of that year, which lasted from winter all the way to the following spring, with no warm days in between.
Deng Shirong vaguely remembered that this year, over 2,500 oxen in the entire county had frozen to death. In their village, Yeye, a few oxen had also perished, including two from Deng Changdong’s family. Additionally, countless acres of sweet potatoes and tobacco had been destroyed by the cold.
In short, if nothing changed, their village would suffer significant losses this year.
It seemed he needed to find a chance to remind his nephews and younger cousins about this.
Whenever Deng Shirong was in the county, he would inevitably visit the courthouse to borrow a pipe from Zhang Guoan.
Seeing Deng Shirong approach, Zhang Guoan handed him the pipe and said, "Uncle Jiu, I’ve already talked to my uncle about the job as the security manager at your restaurant. He loves to have a drink, so I told him that as long as he works at your place, he’ll have all the alcohol and food he wants. He agreed right away, saying he’d be willing to do the job even without a salary."
Deng Shirong took the pipe and smiled, "There will definitely be a salary, but whether the restaurant makes money is still uncertain. So, the salary might not be very high. Besides having all the food and drinks he wants, he’ll earn the same monthly wage as the waitstaff. Do you think this is acceptable, Brother Zhang?"
Zhang Guoan nodded, "This is already a great deal. It’s like getting free meals and drinks every day, and even earning extra money after a month. I might consider changing jobs myself."
Deng Shirong stuffed tobacco into the pipe and said, "As long as your uncle is satisfied, that’s all that matters."
Zhang Guoan continued, "I’ve also spoken to the chef. He’s a cousin of mine who used to be the head chef at a state-owned restaurant in Shuangfeng Commune. He got on the wrong side of the restaurant manager and was constantly harassed. Unable to tolerate it, he ended up beating the manager and lost his job.
"But don’t worry, Uncle Jiu. My cousin has impeccable character and is a very skilled and efficient cook. With him in your kitchen, you won’t have to worry about anything."
Deng Shirong smoked a few pipes, then set it aside and said, "If you recommend someone, I trust them. When my restaurant opens, I’ll need to hire a few attractive young women and wives to walk around the street holding up our advertising signs, so everyone knows there’s a new restaurant in town."
Zhang Guoan immediately pictured the scene and praised, "Uncle Jiu, you’re a genius at marketing. If those young women and wives walk around the street holding your restaurant’s signs, the whole county will know about your opening."
Deng Shirong added with a smile, "I’ll also hire a young man to lead the way, ringing a copper gong to draw attention, while the women follow behind with the signs."
Zhang Guoan gave him a thumbs-up, "Uncle Jiu, that’s a brilliant idea. I’ll take care of finding the right people. How many women do you need to hold the signs?"
"Eight should be enough. I’ll give each of them a five-yuan red envelope, and they just need to walk around Baise Street a few times with the signs."
"With such a generous red envelope, if I spread the word, the young women and wives in our village will be lining up to do it. I’ll start looking for the right candidates. Just let me know when you need them, and I’ll arrange it for you."
"Alright, I’ll let you know once I set the opening date for the restaurant."
(End of Chapter)
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