American Farmers: Facing a Cutoff at the Start

He grabbed a pitchfork leaning against the wall and used it to block the bull "White Boots" that was about to charge toward the gate.

"Go back! You idiot!"

Fett yelled and smacked the cow’s rump hard with a pitchfork.

White Boots grunted twice, exhaling two puffs of white breath from its nostrils, before reluctantly turning its head and following the cows into the pen.

The father and son, one on each side, chased and intercepted the frightened animals in the muddy and slippery yard. It took them a lot of effort to drive them all into the cowshed and lock the gate.

"call--"

Old Frank wiped the sweat from his forehead, panting heavily:

"This darn weather comes on so suddenly, I don't think the freezing rain will stop tonight."

He pointed to the yellow raincoat hanging under the porch:

"There are raincoats over there, put them on quickly! Don't get wet and catch a cold."

Then, he pointed to several bags of de-icing salt and sand piled up in the corner:

"Fett, go and spread those on the porch and garage entrance, especially on that ramp. Spread a lot, in case it freezes and someone slips and falls."

"I'm going to the backyard to check the generator. This freezing rain will most likely cause the power lines to snap, and if the generator doesn't work, that will be a real problem."

"it is good."

Fett put on his raincoat, picked up the heavy sandbags, and started scattering them along the porch and main road.

The sand and gravel fell on the half-frozen ground, making a rustling sound.

Fortunately, old Frank had already prepared most of the supplies today.

For the next period of time, Fett was like a clock that had been wound up tightly.

Wrap the exposed water pipes with tattered cotton cloth for insulation, and move the outdoor tools into the garage...

Every task must be completed as quickly as possible.

"Fett, is that enough?"

Old Frank returned from the backyard, carrying a dripping oil jug, and shouted loudly.

Fett placed the last brick on top of the tarpaulin covering the pickup truck, stood up, and shook the mud off his hands:

"That's almost done, everything's packed up."

"OK!"

Old Frank wiped the rain off his face and glanced in the direction of the neighbor:

"Then let's go help your Uncle Roy! He raises quite a few livestock; the three of them alone definitely can't handle it!"

The two trudged through the half-frozen mud, braving the increasingly dense freezing rain, until they reached Roy's farm.

As soon as I entered Roy's yard, I saw Roy standing at the gate of the stable, leaning against the reins, sweating profusely.

The normally docile chestnut horse was now terrified by the hail-like freezing rain. It circled frantically in the muddy enclosure, its hooves digging deep furrows in the mud, white breath coming out of its nostrils. No matter how much Roy shouted, it refused to enter the dark stable gate.

"Frank! Fett! You've come at the perfect time!"

Roy saw the two of them as if they were his saviors:

"Quick! Help me get it inside! I've already led the other one in, but this one's scared! It just won't go in!"

Without a word, Fett crawled over the railing and went around to the back of the horse. Old Frank understood and followed him to the other side of the horse.

"Uncle Roy, you hold the lead! Dad, let's push together!"

With a loud shout, Fett and old Frank each pressed their four hands firmly against the horse's sturdy hindquarters.

"One, two, hey!"

The three of them exerted force simultaneously, pulling and tugging!

The horse, perhaps angered by the pain, suddenly kicked out with its hind legs, its hoof whistling as it slammed into Fett's abdomen.

"Be careful!"

"Fett, watch out!" Roy and the other man exclaimed simultaneously.

With lightning speed, Fett withdrew his hand and deftly sidestepped, the muddy hoof grazing his clothes before missing its mark.

"Dad! Push!"

Before the horse's hooves had even landed firmly, Fett pressed close again and, together with old Frank, braced their shoulders against the horse's rump and pushed forward with all their might!

The stubborn horse felt as if there were two bulldozers behind it, and its four hooves slid forward involuntarily, eventually being helplessly pushed into the stable covered with hay.

Roy closed the stable door and wiped the rain off his face:

"Alright, it's good that the horse is inside."

He pointed towards the backyard:

"Frank, let's go help Rachel herd the sheep. Those sheep are no pushovers."

"Fett, go check on Lyra at the greenhouse. I just saw the roof look a bit precarious!"

"good!"

Fett agreed and turned to run towards the greenhouse.

Upon arriving at the greenhouse, the situation was indeed dire.

The makeshift greenhouse, constructed from a few galvanized pipes and plastic film, was on the verge of bursting under the weight of the thick ice shell, the plastic film already severely sunken.

Leila was soaked to the bone, with a few strands of wet hair clinging to her cheeks.

Even more striking were the tiny ice beads formed from freezing rain clinging to her long eyelashes and the ends of her hair, sparkling and translucent in the dim light, like a string of natural crystal ornaments.

Her face was red from the cold as she stood to one side, holding a wooden stick in her hand, trying to reinforce the rickety roof from the outside. Her eyes were red with anxiety.

Fett immediately saw the problem.

The most urgent task right now is not to reinforce it; the shed will collapse before it can be reinforced.

We need to remove the ice from the top first to reduce the load on the greenhouse before we have time to build supports and reinforce it.

"Layla! Stop it!"

Fett rushed over and grabbed her:

"Listen to me, go into the shed, find a long pole, and tie a soft cloth over your head."

"Let's work together from the inside and outside. I'll break the ice from the outside, and you gently push the plastic sheet upwards from the inside to make it bulge and let the ice slide down!"

Leila paused for a moment, then immediately understood what Fett meant, turned around and went into the shed.

Fett quickly found an aluminum folding ladder and took a wooden pole.

He climbed the ladder and carefully tapped on the ice on the roof, afraid of breaking the fragile plastic film by using too much force.

"Snap! Snap!"

As he struck, the accumulated ice on the ceiling shattered into pieces.

"Ready? Go!" Fett shouted.

"Okay!" Leila's voice came from inside the shed, sounding somewhat muffled.

The plastic film inside bulged slightly.

"Splash—"

Large chunks of icicle slid down the bulging arc, crashing to the ground and shattering into ice shards.

The two worked together to clear most of the ice from the roof.

The roof, which was originally on the verge of collapse, finally improved and slowly returned to its normal shape.

"Phew—at least it's saved."

Fett jumped down the ladder and exchanged a glance with Lyra, who had just emerged from the greenhouse.

The ice beads hanging in Leila's hair had all melted in the greenhouse, and now her hair was wet and looked as beautiful as if she had just taken a bath.

"It's not over yet; we need to reinforce it now."

The two of them worked together to move a few wooden beams, opened the greenhouse door, and went inside.