The situation on the mountain could not be resolved, so they came to the river and found that the water level in the riverbed had risen a lot, flooding the shallows around where people usually washed clothes and vegetables. It was initially estimated that the river water had expanded at least twice as much.

The river is flooding, this is no small matter!

The village chief immediately realized that things might be a little troublesome, and hurriedly led his men upstream. As he expected, the river water upstream had risen sharply, and the rushing water was turbid and powerful.

If it continues to rain for a few more days, it is very likely to burst the dam and wash away the mountain, causing a flash flood.

At that time, some of the families living in lower-lying areas are very likely to be flooded.

Upon discovering this situation, the village chief did not dare to delay any longer and hurriedly took his people back to the village and informed the entire village of the news as quickly as possible.

After learning that the matter was so serious, the villagers were suddenly terrified and rushed to the village chief's house to ask what to do and whether there was any good solution.

When Jiang Xueying arrived at the village chief's house, many villagers had already arrived and were constantly pulling the village chief to ask what to do. The village chief had a worried look on his face and couldn't make up his mind.

Jiang Xueying pursed her lips after seeing this and said, "Village Chief, since we have discovered that the river may burst its banks, we should immediately organize everyone to move to higher ground. Even if something bad happens in the future, we won't suffer too much loss. At least saving lives is the most important thing."

After this was said, many people were not satisfied and retorted on the spot, "How can this be possible? My home is here. If I leave, what will happen to the chickens and ducks I raise at home?"

"Yeah, yeah, where can we go now? My legs and feet are not working properly, I can't go anywhere."

Listening to their reasons, Jiang Xueying couldn't help but frowned. In her opinion, these were not a problem. The key was that these people just didn't want to leave. Compared to life, nothing else mattered.

"Anyway, I'm not leaving. Whoever wants to leave can leave. I will live and die with my house."

"Yeah, I won't leave either. This is just a hypothesis. Who knows if the river will burst its banks? Maybe the rain will stop in two days, and the water will recede, right?"

"Fellow villagers, what you said makes sense, but we are only leaving for a while and will be back later."

Seeing more and more people opposing, Jiang Xueying couldn't help but explain.

Unexpectedly, after hearing this, these people made even more noise, making a loud noise in the village chief's house and shouting that they would not leave no matter what.

Looking at their unreasonable appearance, Jiang Xueying couldn't help but sigh, then turned and left. Now the situation was urgent, she could only persuade them kindly. Anyway, she couldn't control others, so she could only make preparations herself in advance.

Jiang Xueying hurried back home in the rain and began to pack her things without any delay, including some necessities for living, some food that could be stored for a little longer, and some clothes. She didn't know how long the rain would last, so she took as much as she could.

Judging from the condition of the river, it could burst its banks at any time. She had to prepare early to protect the safety of her two children.

It was already evening when everything was packed up. Jiang Xueying reached out to wipe the sweat from her forehead. Listening to the sound of the rain still falling outside, she couldn't help but frown.

At that time, several families who were on good terms with Jiang Xueying also packed up their belongings and planned to leave with her.

Looking at the people carrying large and small bags, Jiang Xueying nodded with satisfaction. He knew that only wise people should take precautions before things happen. It would be too late to act if they waited until things happened. This was a matter of life and death, and she dared not gamble.

"Okay, now that everyone has packed up, let's go. We should be able to find a place to stay before dark."

Everyone nodded immediately and followed Jiang Xueying out of the village. Although the house was important, life was more valuable, so they chose to leave without hesitation.

"Ma'am, what kind of place should we find to live?"

Mrs. Qiao walked up the mountain holding the package in one hand and her child in the other. Looking at the continuous rain, she couldn't help but ask a question.

Jiang Xueying pulled Ye Xiaojin along, and when she heard Qiao's question, she looked up at the terrain around her and frowned unconsciously.

"It would be best if we could find a cave. This way we won't get wet in the rain, and we don't have to worry about wild animals, insects, snakes, etc. at night. It won't be flooded, so we don't have to worry even if there's a mudslide."

Jiang Xueying originally wanted to take them to the cave where the salt crystals were discovered, but the cave was low-lying and had groundwater inside, which posed a safety hazard and was not suitable for temporary residence.

I thought I might not be able to find such a place, but I didn't expect that the eldest brother of the Liu family found it first. The entrance of this cave faces the foot of the mountain. There is a large rock on it. Even if there is water, it will flow towards the foot of the mountain and will not flow into the cave.

The cave is very dry, and there is a relatively large platform in front, which is a nice place.

So, the group of people stayed here temporarily and divided the cave into several areas, with one family living in one area, so that they would not disturb each other and could take care of each other.

Although there were a lot of people there, the cave was quite large so there was no need to worry about crowding.

After deciding to stay here temporarily, everyone started packing their things, hoping to get everything in order before dark so they could get a good night's sleep tonight.

Jiang Xueying packed up quickly, then went out to find some vines and weaved a simple curtain to block the cave door so that no flying insects could come in.

Although it was only February and there were no snakes yet, Jiang Xueying still sprinkled some pungent smelling substances around to ward off snakes and other animals just in case.

In the next few days, the rain never stopped, but fortunately, the cave where Jiang Xueying and others lived did not leak, so they were lucky.

During this period, the village chief was busy all the time, never stopping. He went from house to house to persuade the villagers to go up the mountain to take shelter.

"Aunt Lin, let's go. If the dam breaks, maybe even the people will be washed away. If the people are gone, what's the point of having this house?"

“Is this flood really that severe?”

Aunt Lin is not an unreasonable person, and she was somewhat moved by the village chief's earnest advice.

"Yes, Aunt Lin, let's go."

The village chief was extremely anxious, fearing that if he was too late something unexpected would happen, which would be terrible. He didn't have the ability to save the villagers' property, but at least he could save their lives.

People like this are relatively easy to persuade, but when you encounter those who are difficult to persuade and refuse to listen, no matter what the village chief says, they will stay here.

The village chief tried his best to persuade some of those who were unwilling to leave and still chose to stay. He had no choice but to go with them.