Chapter 627 Flood in Nanyang City
The faces of several elderly people in the village were very solemn.
"As the saying goes, a severe drought is always followed by a severe flood. The droughts of the past two years have likely led to floods this year."
"If this rain continues for another ten days or so, the river will definitely be flooded. Once the river overflows, all the fields in the village will be ruined."
"However, floods usually occur in June or July. It's only April now, so don't scare yourselves unnecessarily."
"..."
Cheng Wanwan said, "Regardless of whether or not there will be a flood, we must organize people to dig ditches to drain the water. Dahe Town is adjacent to Dadong Mountain, and the terrain is slightly higher. There is a valley on the west side, so we will drain the water from the village into the valley... In addition, Tiezhu, you will have to go to each village and ask the village head to dig ditches to drain the water according to the terrain of the village, so as to avoid serious consequences."
Before a flood occurs, we can only try our best to avoid such a situation and do as much as we can.
Zhao Tiezhu nodded and immediately went to do it.
After half a month of continuous rain, many people in the village had nothing to do, and the workshops were closed. Everyone volunteered to dig ditches to drain water.
Even the newly arrived craftsmen in Dahe Town wore straw hats and raincoats and joined the drainage team.
Thanks to the villagers' tireless efforts day and night, the drainage ditch was dug in just five or six days. The water overflowing from the fields flowed through this ditch into the valley on the west side of Dadong Mountain, which barely alleviated the current situation.
Perhaps it was a case of human determination conquering nature, because the heavy rain suddenly stopped the next day.
After nearly a month of continuous rain, it stopped quietly, and the sun broke through the dark clouds, bathing the earth in sunlight.
The people of Dahe Town were overjoyed and hurried to start planting rice seedlings. Although they were busy, everyone's faces were full of smiles because their worst fears had not come true. There was no flooding, which meant it would be another year of favorable weather, and all their hard work would be rewarded...
The weather gradually warmed up at the end of April.
Perhaps because of the continuous rain, it felt especially hot when the sun came out.
Wearing a thin spring shirt, Cheng Wanwan sat in the courtyard adjusting the formula for her beauty and skincare products. This was the third trial; if there were no problems, it could be put into the workshop for mass production...
There are also crayfish in Lijia Gou, many of which were washed away by the heavy rain, and they need to be restocked with crayfish seedlings...
As she was making plans, Zhao Ergou, who should have been busy at the Grand River Banquet, rushed in: "Mother, something terrible has happened!"
Cheng Wanwan paused, slowly raised her head, and calmly asked, "Tell me slowly, what is it?"
"There's a sudden flood in Nanyang!" Zhao Ergou gasped for breath. "My older brother is in Nanyang. I'm worried something might have happened to him. I have to go there right away to see what's going on!"
Cheng Wanwan suddenly stood up: "It's only April, how could there be a flood?"
She and Dashan had been corresponding, and Dashan mentioned that it had been raining in Nanyang, but it was still within a controllable range. How could it suddenly get out of control?
“The river had already risen above its usual level after the recent rains. Fortunately, the rain stopped suddenly, and Huzhou escaped a disaster. But—” Zhao Ergou said gravely, “Nanyang is connected to the snow-capped mountains in the northwest. It’s probably because the temperature suddenly rose after the rain stopped, causing the snow on the mountains to melt suddenly. The meltwater rushed down from upstream and caused the flood…”
Cheng Wanwan understood; this was what later generations called the spring flood.
Winters are too cold, and rivers in high-altitude areas are blocked by ice floes. As temperatures rise, the ice melts, and combined with accumulated snowmelt, a large amount of water rushes down from upstream, forming spring floods. However, under normal circumstances, the impact of spring floods is limited and they do not cause major disasters. But recently, there was a month of heavy rain, and the spring floods, combined with the rainwater that could not be drained in time, may cause widespread flooding.
She asked slowly, "Is your information accurate?"
"Many people at the dock have returned from Nanyang, saying that Nanyang City is about to fall." Zhao Ergou said anxiously, "Mother, I'd better go first."
Cheng Wanwan pursed her lips.
Nanyang is a large city with a relatively mature defense and drainage system, so it should not be affected by the disaster. The farms within Nanyang's jurisdiction should be the ones affected now.
If Zhao Dashan happened to be in the countryside, I'm afraid...
It takes two days to get to Nanyang by land, but by water you can arrive overnight.
She glanced at the sky: "Let's go to the Hekou County Wharf first, the sooner we leave, the sooner we'll get there."
Zhao Ergou was taken aback: "Mom, you're going too?"
Cheng Wanwan nodded: "Of course I have to go, there's no doubt about that."
When her son has an accident, how could a mother stay at home waiting for news? The main reason is that her online store has all kinds of emergency medical equipment, so if something really happens, she can deal with it in time.
“I’m going too.” Wu Huiniang came out from the backyard. “Xiao Zhuzhu and Xiao Zhenzhen are being looked after, I…”
“Hui Niang, you shouldn’t go.” Cheng Wanwan’s voice was resolute. “If Da Shan is alright, you’ll have made a wasted trip. Why bother? If something happens to Da Shan, he’ll still worry about you if you go. He’ll feel at ease if you’re at home, and I will feel at ease too.”
Zhao Ergou added, "The banquet will need your help to oversee things, sister-in-law, and the household affairs will also need your help to manage..."
Wu Huiniang opened her mouth, and after a long while, she said, "Then I will definitely take good care of things at home, Mother, you don't need to worry."
Cheng Wanwan nodded, turned around and went back to her room to pack her clothes.
Granny Qi and Ninglan wanted to go with her, but she refused. This trip was to rescue people, and bringing along old women would only be a burden.
She had Cheng Jia and Cheng Yi take turns driving the carriage, while she and Zhao Ergou, mother and son, sat inside the carriage and rested with their eyes closed.
When the carriage arrived at the Hekou County dock, many boats were moored at the dock. The water level had risen considerably, and some boats had stopped operating after returning.
She immediately revealed her identity: she was related to the Cao family by marriage and was a fourth-rank official named Sui Gongren. The Cao family steward dared not be negligent and immediately arranged for the largest ship to escort the mother and son to Nanyang City.
Cheng Wanwan went to sleep after boarding the ship. She needed to be well-rested so that she could carry out her business in Nanyang City.
But the boat rocked and swayed as she slept, making her sleep restless. She even dreamt that Zhao Dashan was drowning and desperately screaming for help in the raging floodwaters...
She would wake up in fright from her nightmares, and looking out the window, she saw that it was getting light and they should be almost at Nanyang City.
She walked out of the room and saw Zhao Ergou standing on the deck.
On the vast river, there were many small boats that had come from Nanyang City, all crowded with people and making a lot of noise.
"It seems the situation is quite serious," Zhao Ergou sighed. "They're probably all ordinary people who went to Huzhou to seek refuge with relatives..."
Cheng Wanwan did not speak.
It's only the second day since the floods started. The more time passes, the more people will be affected. After Nanyang City collapses, Huzhou will be the most affected.
The journey from Nanyang to Huzhou by boat would first take you to Hekou County. If Hekou County fell to the enemy, Dahe Town would also be affected...
The large ship moved forward quickly and soon arrived at the Nanyang City dock. As soon as the ship stopped, many people crowded over to board it.
The boat was waiting for Cheng Wanwan and her son to return, so it naturally wouldn't leave at this time. It was stopped about fifty or sixty meters away from the dock, far away on the river.
The dock was crowded with people. Cheng Jia and Cheng Yi led the way, followed by Cheng Wanwan and Zhao Ergou. After walking for a short while, they arrived at the city gate of Nanyang.
Even more people gathered at the city gate, but the gate was tightly closed, and ordinary people were not allowed to enter.
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