Not long after May began, the sky seemed to have been secretly turned on by someone, and a drizzle began to fall, shrouding the entire city in a veil of rain.

"Mom, it's been raining for the past two days. I came back to get my rubber shoes!"

Mengyao returned to the Huang family's yard and went straight to the kitchen to help Huang's mother pick vegetables.

Huang Nai sat on the doorstep, looked up at the rain curtain in the sky, and muttered to herself:

"Why did the plum rain season come so early this year? The wheat in the fields hasn't even come to harvest yet. What should we do?"

"Yes, this rain is so heavy that it makes people feel uneasy." Mom frowned when she heard it.

At this moment, Grandma Huang's slightly anxious voice came from outside the door: "Wenjuan, please help me check, why can't I get through on my phone?"

Mengyao ran out quickly, "Grandma, don't worry, I'll take a look."

She took the phone and dialed again. She heard a "beep" sound and then handed it back to Huang Nai.

"Hello, is this the captain? I'm Old Lady Huang. Is it raining heavily at home? Please ask my third son to answer the phone."

Huang Nai's voice was filled with anxiety and anticipation. While waiting, she looked out the door from time to time. The rain seemed to have gotten heavier, hitting the eaves with a crackling sound.

Half an hour later, the phone finally rang again. Huang Nai quickly picked it up, only to hear the slightly tired voice of the uncle on the other end:

"Mom, it's been raining non-stop these past two days. My eldest brother and I are busy harvesting wheat in the fields. Alas, I'm afraid the harvest this year won't be good."

Upon hearing this, Huang Nai couldn't help but sigh and said earnestly:

"It's going to rain, and my mother is going to get married. There's nothing we can do about it. Collect as much as you can, and don't wait any longer."

Inside the family compound, the children were abuzz with joy. Ignoring the adults' dissuasion, they excitedly jumped and played in the puddles, splashing water everywhere, their laughter and joy filling the yard. Some even followed the adults to the river to fish, and their catch on the rainy day was much greater than usual.

By the time we got back to school, the continuous rain had caused the campus to begin to accumulate with water, ranging from ankle-deep in shallow areas to calf-high in deep. Occasionally, fish could be seen swimming in the water, attracting students to gather various containers and homemade fishing gear, excitedly catching fish in the puddles.

The principal, Teacher Zhou and others were very busy. They wore raincoats, took tools, and organized people to clear the sewers, trying to drain the accumulated water out of the campus.

However, the sky showed no sign of clearing up. Instead, the rain intensified, initially drizzling, then developing into moderate rain and finally into a torrential downpour. News reports indicated that nearly 1,600 millimeters of rainfall in just 15 days exceeded the annual total. The water levels of the Qinhuai and Chu rivers also continued to rise, threatening the safety of residents along their banks.

Faced with this situation, the school had no choice but to make the decision to suspend classes and go on holiday early. When the news came, the students were a little reluctant, but more excited about the early holiday.

Xu Mengyao stood in front of the Qi family's house, looking at the incessant rain. This was the longest rainy season in her memory, making her unable to find peace.

"Wenjuan, we have to hurry. I heard that today is the last bus and it will stop running tomorrow." Huang Wenrong's voice sounded in his ears, with a bit of anxiety.

Mengyao nodded, and the two of them acted quickly, moving the items in Qi's house to a higher place one by one.

"This bed also needs to be lifted up, otherwise the accumulated water will get in and soak it."

Mengyao pointed at a few beds, and the three sisters worked together to put a few stacked bricks under the bed legs. Looking at the beds "floating" steadily in the air, they finally felt a little comforted.

After confirming everything was in place, they hurried back to the mining area. Along the way, the water was deep, and occasionally, despite the adults' dissuasion, a few children could be seen excitedly paddling in large basins. Their innocent joy stood in stark contrast to the worries of the adults around them.

"Wenrong, you're finally back!"

When Huang's mother saw them, her eyes instantly turned red, and her voice was full of anxiety and relief.

"I was worried that you were trapped in the city by the rain, so I was planning to wait for your dad to come back and look for you together."

Huang Nai heard the noise and came out of the house, holding their hands, with a look of emotion on her face:

"It's raining so hard, I'm afraid there's going to be a disaster. We have to stay together as a family and not separate."

Just as he finished speaking, Huang's father appeared at the door pushing a cart loaded with sandbags. His raincoat was still dripping with water, but he was obviously relieved when he saw them.

"I'm glad you're back. Come and help me put sandbags at the door to prevent rainwater from flooding into the house."

The family worked together and quickly placed sandbags at the door of each room, building a solid line of defense.

After their busy schedule, Huang's mother boiled some water for the three sisters to take a bath to ward off the cold, while Huang's grandmother brewed a large pot of brown sugar ginger tea and gave everyone in the family a bowl to ward off the cold and warm themselves up.

The next day, the rain showed no sign of abating; instead, it intensified. The sky was like a punctured water bag, pouring down endlessly. Huang Nai sat at the dining table, chopsticks tightly gripped in her hand, yet remained motionless, her eyes filled with worry. She opened her mouth several times to speak, only to swallow back, as if she were considering how to begin.

Father Huang noticed his mother's anomaly and asked softly, "Mom, is there something on your mind? Tell us and we can work together to find a solution."

Huang Nai sighed and finally spoke:

"I'm always feeling uneasy. Our hometown is low-lying, and with such heavy rain, I'm afraid all the crops will be wiped out. What if there's a flood? I'm thinking, can you and your younger brother come to the mining area to take shelter and return after the rain stops?"

This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!