Chapter 344 Landslide

Gu Jiayue's heart seemed to be pulled by something, feeling sore and soft.

These children are so sensible, they don’t seem to have a rebellious phase. As long as there is an opportunity to climb up, they will work hard to climb up.

This is good, but very tiring.

She patted the children's heads and patiently explained, "Studying doesn't have to take just two days. You can review your lessons at home. Come back when the rain stops, and the teacher will make up for the lessons you missed."

Most of these children came from the surrounding villages. Although the school was not too far away, many of them lived in Walnut Village on the other side of the mountain. They had to climb a steep hill and walk a long way to get to the school.

The mountains here are loose and landslides are likely to occur when it rains heavily. How could she dare to let the children take this risk?

Thinking of this, her tone couldn't help but become firm: "Just do as I say. If it still rains tomorrow, no one is allowed to come to school! Wait until the rain stops before coming back. Do you understand?"

Seeing her resolute attitude, the children reluctantly lowered their heads and replied in a long tone, "I heard it..."

Seeing that the children's clothes were gradually drying and their faces had regained their rosy complexion, Gu Jiayue finally let them go back to the classroom with peace of mind.

But somehow, the inexplicable irritation in her heart surged up again, as if an invisible hand was pulling at her heart, making her feel uneasy.

The rain was getting heavier, and the water under the eaves had gathered into a small waterfall. The sound of children reading mixed with the sound of the rain, "rushing" down.

Gu Jiayue picked up the roll call on the table and walked out of the office quickly.

She had to go and see how many students hadn't arrived today.

She checked each class one by one, and as expected, there were several empty seats in each classroom.

Those empty chairs looked particularly glaring in the dim light.

She didn't know whether the children didn't go out because it was raining so hard, or whether they encountered danger on the way and were trapped halfway.

The more she thought about it, the more panicked she became. She slammed the roster shut, turned around and walked out, just in time to run into Hu Zi who was carrying hot water.

"Huzi!" Her voice trembled slightly. "There are still many students who haven't arrived yet. Quickly gather a few people and let's go look for them separately. Those children are only six or seven years old. If they were really trapped on the road, they would be so scared..."

The thought of the children crying helplessly in the wind and rain made her heart ache like it was being cut by a knife.

What if the children were injured or buried by rocks rolling down the mountain or mud washed away by rain?

No, we must quickly confirm that the children are safe.

Hu Zi quickly put down the basin in his hand, an anxious look on his face. "Okay, I'll go to the village and call for help! Miss, don't go out. It's raining so hard and the mountain roads are slippery. It's too dangerous for you to go out."

But Gu Jiayue had already grabbed the straw raincoat from the corner and was putting it on. "No, I have to go. They are my students, I have to make sure they are all safe."

She fastened the belt of her raincoat and added, "Have everyone bring a rope. It might be useful in case of a landslide or getting stuck in the mud."

Seeing that he couldn't persuade her, Hu Zi stopped talking. After all, if the young lady wanted to do something, ten horses couldn't stop her. Just listen to her.

Hu Zi turned around and ran out, his steps as fast as the wind.

Gu Jiayue had a very high reputation in the village. When the villagers heard that she needed help and was going to look for her child, the men immediately rushed to the school carrying hoes and sickles without saying a word. Soon, more than 20 people gathered.

Even some women wanted to go and help, but were persuaded by their husbands. "Why are you joining us in such heavy rain? Go back and take care of your children."

After saying that, he rushed into the rain.

Gu Jiayue made arrangements quickly. "I just checked, and most of the children who didn't come are from Hetao Village, Xinghua Village, Lijia'ao, and Wangjiagou. Let's split into four teams of five people each, and go to these four places to search."

"This is the child's name and home address. If you don't see the child on the road, please go into the village and ask if he is home."

She distributed the written list and address to the four leading villagers, then pulled out a few palm-sized iron pipes from her bosom and handed them over. "These are flares. If you encounter danger, pull the rings on them and a red flame will shoot up into the sky. We'll see them and come to help immediately."

She exchanged these flares from the system mall. She had originally planned to keep them for later use, but she didn't expect them to come in handy today.

"Don't worry, Jiayue!" A dark-skinned strong man patted his chest and assured, "We are very familiar with the roads in the mountains. We will definitely find the children safely. Maybe it's just raining so hard that their parents won't let them come. Don't worry too much."

"Yes, remember last year when there was a hailstorm and Uncle Li was trapped in the mountains, didn't we go and find him in the middle of the night? So you don't have to worry."

"That's right. It's been raining really hard these past two days. I don't allow the children to go out."

"And the river in the village seems to be flooded too. It's very dangerous. Don't let the children go there."

The others nodded in agreement, comforting Gu Jiayue while chatting away.

Gu Jiayue nodded gratefully, her eyes feeling a little warm.

She was very lucky. Most of the villagers in Taohua Village were simple and honest. They supported her work many times.

"Let's go, Hu Zi, let's go to Walnut Village together." She thought about it and finally chose the farthest Walnut Village, where the mountain road was the most dangerous and there were the most children who did not come to class.

But as soon as he expressed his thoughts, he was stopped by Hu Zi.

"Miss, you can't go to Walnut Village." Hu Zi's face flushed with anxiety. "The mountain road over there is the longest. If something happens in other villages, you won't be able to rush back in time. Why don't you go to Xinghua Village? It's closer here, so if something really happens, you can make arrangements in time."

Gu Jiayue was stunned for a moment, and thought that what Hu Zi said did make sense.

She took a deep breath, suppressed her worries, and nodded: "Okay, I'll listen to you. I'll go to Xinghua Village."

The rain was still falling, and the wind blew the raindrops onto my face, making me feel freezing cold.

Gu Jiayue looked at the mountains in the distance shrouded in rain and fog, and prayed silently in her heart: Be safe, children.

Gu Jiayue went to Xinghua Village, and Hu Zi took people to Walnut Village.

To reach Walnut Village, you have to go south from Taohua Village. You have to cross Nanshan Mountain first, and then walk along a long, narrow, muddy path with a cliff on one side and a steep cliff on the other.

It was raining, and even someone with martial arts skills like Hu Zi found the mountain road difficult to walk on, let alone others.

Hu Zi looked at the others who were stumbling and said through gritted teeth, "Put the ropes on your hands. It's okay to walk slowly. Just watch your step."

After hearing what he said, everyone quickly untied the ropes on their bodies, tied a slipknot and put it on their hands.

After walking for a long time and almost turning over the hillside, a big man suddenly pointed ahead and shouted, "Look, there's a landslide ahead!"