Chapter 94 [VIP]

It was already dark outside, and the rain was still pouring down.

It's not safe on the mountain at night, and we don't know how high the water will rise below.

Chen Xi simply gathered all the able-bodied men in the village together, and divided the more than sixty men into three teams to take turns keeping watch at night.

The day's travel and worries had left everyone exhausted; some had already lay down to rest, their snores filling the air.

Li and Chen Rong were getting old and, although they felt tired, they couldn't sleep. Both of them were worried about their child far away.

Wang Ying coaxed Yuanbao to sleep and placed him in Li's arms. "I'm going out to relieve myself. Mother, you two should go to sleep early."

"Okay, go ahead."

Because there were many people in the cave, it was very inconvenient to eat, drink, and relieve oneself, so Wang Ying specially arranged for two simple toilets to be built outside the cave.

The men go to the left, and the women and boys go to the right. There's no need to worry about the smell; the rain will wash away the excrement in no time.

Wang Ying actually wanted to go to the experimental field, but it wasn't convenient inside the cave, so she deliberately went outside to a secluded spot and slipped in.

The experimental field was sunny and the temperature was just right. There was a new note on the table, which Chen Qingyan must have left today.

Wang Ying opened the note and saw that nothing serious had happened; it was just a brief account of the daily life at the prefectural school. She then wrote a note for Chen Qingyan, informing him that everything was fine at home.

Then I started checking my food reserves. I now have 3,300 catties of wheat and more than 1,700 catties of millet in the system's storage. If I hadn't exchanged experience last time, I estimate I would have more than 10,000 catties.

The wheat in the field is almost ripe, and after the harvest, it will yield about 3,000 jin (1,500 kg), so there's no need to worry about food.

Before coming in, he put all the medicines from his home into the experimental field. He hadn't had time to organize them yet. These were all life-saving things. If someone got sick, it would be difficult to find other medicines.

After tidying up, Wang Ying hurried out and met the guards at the cave entrance. Everyone greeted Wang Ying respectfully with a bow. "Greetings, Master."

"Thank you for your hard work."

"It's not hard work. Our parents, wives and children are all inside. It's what we should do."

Wang Ying nodded and went into the cave, where snoring was already deafening.

Qingyun and Lin Sui also fell asleep. Li Shi and Chen Rong were worried about Wang Ying and hadn't dared to sleep. They also dozed off shortly after he returned.

Wang Ying pulled the blanket up, curled up on the mat, and closed her eyes. She didn't know how much time had passed when she was suddenly awakened by a burst of cursing.

"If your pussy is itchy, go outside and rub it with a stone. How dare you take advantage of me, you shameless bastard!"

"You bitch, keep your voice down, don't push your luck!"

The two were arguing so loudly that they woke everyone up. Someone held up a torch and shone it over, and it turned out that Widow Qin and Song Daming were fighting.

Chen Xi, wearing a coat, stepped forward and asked, "What happened?"

Widow Qin said, "He came and crawled into my bed while I was asleep!"

"Bullshit! When did I ever crawl into your bed?"

"So I untied this belt myself? You shameless bastard, you think you can take advantage of the fact that there are no men in my family? I'll fight you to the death!" Widow Qin said, picking up a carrying pole and smashing it at him.

Taking advantage of his strength, Song Daming grabbed the carrying pole from her hand and swung it back at her. Everyone quickly stopped the two of them.

After understanding what had happened, Wang Ying got up and walked over to Song Daming, asking, "Where were you sleeping just now?"

Song Daming swallowed hard and pointed to the empty space next to him.

Someone spoke up: "Song Daming, weren't you sleeping outside here? Your luggage is still here."

Widow Qin spat, "You dare to lie in front of your master? You've got some nerve!"

Seeing that he could no longer hide it, Song Daming quickly knelt down and said, "I didn't do anything, I just touched her twice."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xi kicked him in anger, "What kind of time is this? And you're still thinking about that! Boss, what should we do about this...?"

"Let him out."

"Huh?" Song Daming was stunned.

"Get out! You're not allowed to stay in the cave!"

"Master, I was wrong, please have mercy..."

Seeing that he wouldn't leave, Wang Ying raised her hand and beckoned to several men, "Throw him out and don't let him come back in."

Four or five people immediately stepped forward and dragged him away. This man was a petty thief in the village, and everyone disliked him. They never expected him to dare to do such a thing at a time like this.

Song Daming was terrified. With the rain pouring down outside, he'd be dead if he went out. "Master, spare my life! Spare me!"

Chen Xi also pleaded on his behalf: "Master, why don't we wait until the rain stops before kicking him out? Otherwise, there's nowhere outside to take shelter from the rain..."

"Get them out!"

Several men hurriedly chased Song Daming out of the cave, throwing his luggage out with him.

The group was surprised that the boss showed no mercy, so they became even more cautious, afraid of angering him and being kicked out.

The people inside were awakened by the disturbance and couldn't fall back asleep. Wang Ying returned to her sleeping place, and Li Shi said worriedly, "It's raining so hard outside, isn't it too harsh to punish him by kicking him out?"

Wang Ying lowered her voice and said, "We don't know how long this rain will last. If we don't make an example of them, things will probably get out of control in this cave. We are just a widow and her children. How can Uncle Chen and Dunzi possibly take care of everything? By the time we want to help, it will be too late."

Li's heart skipped a beat. "No, no way..." Everyone usually treated them with such respect. Would they really cause trouble at a time like this?

"Who knows? Don't test human nature."

Wang Ying had seen too many movies and books in her previous life and knew that human nature could not withstand the slightest test.

Right now, we have enough to eat and wear and can live together harmoniously. But if the rain doesn't stop and we run out of food, people who are starving are more terrifying than wild animals.

*

Around dawn, light shone through the cave entrance, adding a little light to the pitch-black cave.

The rain outside had lessened a bit, and people got up to go out and fetch water for cooking.

Tian Daniu and the others went down the mountain for another walk. When they came back, they said, "Our village has become a river. You can't even see the tops of the houses anymore."

Upon hearing this, everyone couldn't help but sigh again, "Our family just built a new house last year, which cost a full seventeen strings of cash. We were planning to use it for our son's wedding, but now it's all for nothing."

"Who can argue with that? My house was only built a few years ago, and all the savings I've accumulated over half my life are gone."

Chen Xi puffed out welding smoke and said, "No matter how badly you're in the business, can you be worse off than the boss? That big courtyard was so beautiful, but it's all gone now."

The people fell silent; the flood had destroyed everyone's homes equally.

Before long, the porridge was cooked, and the aroma of millet dispelled some of the worries. Everyone picked up their bowls and chopsticks and began to eat.

As if by magic, Wang Ying secretly pulled a boiled egg from her bosom and handed it to her son.

There wasn't much food available right now, and the child was too young to lack nutrition. Before leaving, Wang Ying boiled all the dozens of eggs in the warehouse and hid them in the experimental field, taking out a few for her son to eat every day.

After breakfast, the women and husbands started chatting together, gossiping about everyone and everything.

Li and Chen Rong also mentioned Chen Qingyan and the others, saying, "I wonder how those three children are doing now. It's raining so hard here, has it rained in Laizhou?"

Chen Rong said, "You've been gone for so long and haven't even sent a letter back."

Wang Ying suddenly remembered this matter and realized that she had to ask Chen Qingyan to write a few letters back that night. Although the two of them left notes every day, her mother-in-law would definitely be worried sick if she couldn't see them.

Around 7 a.m., shouts and commotion suddenly came from the cave entrance. Immediately afterwards, Chen Dashun ran in and said, "Master, Father, a lot of people have come outside and want to come into the cave to take shelter from the rain!"

Wang Ying was taken aback, then immediately got up and followed him out.

More than thirty men stood outside the cave. These were villagers from the neighboring Zhengzhuangzi village. They were among the few who had escaped to the mountain, as most of the villagers had been drowned by the flood.

When someone went hunting in the mountains, they remembered there was a cave on this mountain and wanted to lead everyone to find it. However, due to the heavy rain and unfamiliarity with the terrain, they searched for half a day yesterday but still couldn't find it.

They had no food or rain gear with them, and were cold and hungry when they encountered Song Daming, who had been chased out of the cave.

Originally, Song Daming was almost at his wit's end, but upon seeing this group of people, he instantly had an idea. "I know where that cave is, I'll take you there! But once we find the cave, you must take me inside!"

The man in the lead, named Zheng Qun, asked with some confusion, "Since you know where the cave is, why don't you go inside to take shelter from the rain instead of staying outside?"

"Hey, don't even mention it! I got into this mess." He twisted the truth, claiming that the widow had tried to seduce him last night but failed, and then, in a fit of anger, accused him of bullying him. As a result, the landlord kicked him out without even asking what happened.

Upon hearing this, Zheng Qun said, "Don't worry, as long as you take us there, we'll definitely let you in to take shelter from the rain!"

Song Daming then led the group to the cave where they had previously taken shelter from the rain.

The people guarding the cave entrance naturally wouldn't let them in. They weren't from the same village, and the cave was full of elderly, weak, women, and children. What if they came in and caused trouble?

A short while later, Wang Ying came out and immediately spotted Song Daming in the crowd. She couldn't help but curse under her breath.

"This cave is located on the mountain in Chenjia Village. The entire Chenjia Village belongs to me, so this cave naturally belongs to me as well. What are you trying to do by barging in like this?!"

Zheng Qun stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting, "Master, please calm down. The rain outside is really too heavy. We just wanted to come in to take shelter from the rain."

Chen Xi said, "It's not that we don't want to, but this cave is already full and there's really no room left."

Song Daming said, "There's still open space inside; we can all go in without any problem!"

Chen Xi's gaze turned cold. He had even pleaded for him last night. This kind of traitor deserved to be beaten to death!

Upon hearing this, Zheng Qun led his men a few steps forward, and they were about to enter.

Chen Xi angrily said, "Da Shun, call all the men out here. Let's see who dares to act wildly in front of the boss!"

Chen Dashun went in and shouted, and soon all the men and women of Chenjiazhuang came out with hoes, sickles and sickles in their hands. The sight of over a hundred people startled Zheng Qun and his men, who retreated from the entrance of the stone cave.

They thought there were only a few dozen people in the cave, and they wanted to take it over because they were young and strong.

Unexpectedly, everyone from Chenjiazhuang was inside, which immediately dispelled the idea. This group of people was clearly prepared in advance and had weapons in their hands. They would be no match for them in a real fight.

Some people behind them were already backing out, saying, "Let's go, let's find somewhere else to take shelter from the rain."

Seeing this, Song Daming said anxiously, "We can't leave! You can't find such a good place anywhere else!"

Zheng Qun glanced at him. He wasn't stupid. With so many people in Chenjiazhuang, was he really going to risk his life to take it over?

The group turned around and continued walking into the mountains. Song Daming stood there, unsure whether to go or stay. Finally, he stamped his foot and had no choice but to leave with the people from Zhengjiazhuang.

A note from the author: