Chapter 630 Father and Son in the Flood
It kept raining, the fine raindrops barely noticeable on people, but soon their clothes and hair were soaked, but no one cared.
As they went further, the water level became deeper and deeper. At first, they could still see houses, but gradually, they could only see rooftops. Many people were swimming on the water with floating boards, while some adults were struggling to swim in wooden tubs, which mostly contained crying children. When they saw boats appear, they waved happily for help.
Cheng Wanwan remained silent and did not stop the boat.
Because the assault boats were too small, each boat could only hold a maximum of eight people, so they could only save one person but not another. Besides, she had more important things to do.
Madam Huang sat by the side of the boat, pointing in a direction and saying, "In about a quarter of an hour further, the water will be shallower. Hang in there, don't give up..."
The people here could at least find driftwood to survive, but their Huaihua Village was downstream from the flood. The current was too strong; even clinging to a piece of wood would result in being swept away and drowned… She was worried about her husband and the villagers. Even if the hope was slim, she had to bring Sui Gongren to Huaihua Village…
The assault boats continued forward, and ahead lay an endless expanse of floodwater, so vast that not even rooftops could be seen, let alone the people struggling to survive.
Every now and then, floating corpses would drift by...
The people all looked rather unwell, and they remained extremely silent the entire way, with only the wind whistling past.
The floodwaters submerged the roads and rooftops, and the constables were completely disoriented, relying entirely on Madam Huang to lead the way.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, we finally saw a corner of the corner tower that had not yet been submerged.
Madam Huang's face was filled with sorrow: "This is the tallest corner tower at the entrance of Qing'an County, and it has been submerged as well. Huaihua Village is finished..."
There are still four or five hundred people who didn't escape. Are all of them dead?
Cheng Wanwan's fingers clenched tightly together, her heart filled with dread. This was the first time since arriving in this era that she felt the insignificance of human power.
Even with her system store and numerous modern technological products, it seems she couldn't withstand this overwhelming natural disaster.
The mountains...
Please, please don't let anything happen to you...
Suppressing her anxiety, Cheng Wanwan said softly, "Let's keep going."
Huang Niangzi raised her hand and pointed to the southwest: "Huaihua Village is over there, we'll get there in a little while."
Heading in this direction, the once calm waters gradually became turbulent. Previously, it was easy to row the assault boats at a fast speed, but now the speed gradually slowed down. After traveling for half an hour, we finally arrived at Huaihua Village. However, the houses were submerged and could not be seen at all.
Cheng Wanwan looked southwest, where there were continuous mountain peaks. These peaks stretched from the southwest, appearing as if they were coming from afar, with no visible source.
The reason why Huaihua Village was the most severely affected by the disaster is that it is too close to the mountain. Before anyone could react, the village was submerged, and all lives seemed to be buried under the flood.
Huang Niangzi covered her lips and began to cry.
“Don’t cry…”
Cheng Wanwan suddenly spoke.
How could Madam Huang dare disobey? She quickly swallowed back her sobs.
The constables who had been discussing the matter nearby immediately fell silent.
The surroundings quieted down, with only the sounds of water and wind, and at the same time, the cries of children.
Cheng Wanwan looked up into the distance: "There are people over there!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Cheng Jia ordered the constables to row the boats and quickly approach that direction.
Because this is a village, you can see many large, swaying trees, but the water level is too high, so you can only see the thin treetops.
One of the treetops was swaying violently. As you approached, you could clearly see a child clinging to the tip of the tree, wailing loudly.
Under the child's bottom, a pair of hands were supporting him. The owner of those hands, with only half of his head showing, was a man in his twenties. He struggled to tilt his head back, trying to get more air, but the waves came and submerged his chin, then his lips, nose, and eyes... He desperately shook his head to shake off the waves, freeing one hand to try to climb up.
With each movement he made, the treetops bent slightly... The slender treetops couldn't support the weight of an adult man...
"It's Yang Laosan!" Madam Huang cheered excitedly. "Yang Laosan and his youngest son are still alive! They're not dead! Lady Sui, please save them..."
Even if she didn't say anything, Cheng Wanwan would still save people.
She reached into her sleeve, bought a rope from the mall, and quickly had Cheng Jia and Cheng Yi tie it around their waists. The two of them jumped into the floodwaters and swam toward the father and son clinging to the treetop.
Old Yang thought he was going to die here. It didn't matter if he died, but his son was only five years old. If he died, how would his son live on?
He probably doesn't need to worry about this at all; with such a massive flood, his son probably wouldn't survive either.
It's alright, it's alright, it's better that they died together...
"Father, a boat is coming!"
Yang Xiao'er shouted with delight.
Yang Laosan smiled bitterly. Even if the imperial court arranged for ships to provide rescue, it would be impossible for them to reach Huaihua Village so easily; the disaster situation in Huaihua Village was far too severe…
He looked at the swaying treetops and the murky floodwaters, sighed deeply, and said softly, "Son, you must live on. This is as far as I can accompany you..."
His hand slowly loosened its grip on his son's bottom, his other hand released the treetop, and the two legs that were wrapped around the trunk slowly lost their strength...
Just then, someone grabbed his shoulder.
He turned around, his eyes filled with disbelief.
There really is a boat!
Someone even jumped into the water to save him!
His waist was bound with rope, and then his son was pulled down from the tree, also bound with rope.
The people on the boat worked together to pull the rope and brought them over. They quickly helped them onto the boat and draped them in burlap sacks that they had somehow gotten their hands on.
"Yang Laosan!" Madam Huang looked at him with delight. "This is Lady Suigong. If it weren't for Lady Suigong bringing people to Huaihua Village, you and your son would probably be..."
Yang Laosan immediately pressed his son down to kneel on the boat: "Thank you, Lady Xie, for saving my life. I am willing to serve you like an ox or a horse to repay your kindness..."
"Get up first," Cheng Wanwan said. "Tell me carefully, where are the other people from Huaihua Village?"
Old Yang raised his head and pointed to the mountain peaks in the southwest: "Everyone has fled to the mountains..."
The flood came very suddenly. When the water first rushed down from the mountain, no one in the village thought it was serious, and he didn't take it seriously either, continuing to work in the fields.
But as the water rose higher and higher, the fields and roads were quickly submerged, and the houses were gradually flooded as well. Only then did they realize the seriousness of the situation.
He remembered that when the water wasn't too turbulent, Huang Niangzi's husband, Huang Wei, shouted for the villagers to escape quickly, but only a few people listened to Huang Wei and ran away. As soon as those people escaped, the water flow instantly cut off the only road out of the village...
Everyone rushed to the village head's house for shelter, as it was the highest point in the village. However, the floodwaters continued to rise, and the village head's house wouldn't last much longer...
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