Chapter 631 Swearing to Follow Lady Gong to the Death
"That Lord Zhao made a decisive decision to lead all the villagers up the mountain to escape the flood," Yang Laosan quickly recounted the events. "But the floodwaters rushed down from the mountain, and the road leading up the mountain was already submerged. Anyone who tried to cross would surely die. This decision was met with opposition from everyone..."
"Lord Zhao said that those who opposed it didn't need to go, but he had to go. So, he and two other officials started making simple boats out of planks... Originally, the village head didn't agree with this plan either, but the current was getting stronger and stronger, already above everyone's ankles. If they didn't think of a way, all four or five hundred people in the village would die... At that time, there were only two paths in front of everyone: first, follow Lord Zhao up the mountain; second, go with the current out of the village..."
Cheng Wanwan pursed her lips.
She had never experienced a flood, so she didn't know exactly how to escape.
If Dashan chooses to flow out of the village with the water, he will surely be swept away by the rapids to who knows where, and his chances of survival will be very slim.
If you choose to go against the current up the mountain, once you get past the most turbulent section, you can find a place on the mountain free from floodwaters to take shelter...
"I didn't go up the mountain with Lord Zhao; I always felt it was suicide..." Old Yang was filled with regret. "More than two hundred of us decided to swim out of the village with the current... Everyone found planks and basins, and we swam out of the village with our families, thinking it was a way to survive. But the water was too deep, and the current was too strong. More than two hundred people were swept away in an instant. My father, mother, wife, and two eldest sons were all swept away by the water... I was lucky enough to grab a tree and that's how I survived..."
Huang Niangzi's face turned pale instantly: "More than two hundred people, are they all...? Where is my man? Is he with you all?"
Yang Laosan shook his head: "Huang Wei went up the mountain with Lord Zhao and the village head, I don't know..."
Cheng Wanwan calmly asked, "Where do we start from to get up the mountain?"
Old Yang pointed southwest: "It's over there. The water rushes down from the riverbed. The water is the deepest and fastest there. I'm afraid Lord Zhao and the others are in grave danger..."
Before Cheng Wanwan could give any instructions, Cheng Jia ordered his men to row the boat and quickly head in that direction.
Although the peak of the flood season has passed, water is still flowing down the mountain, forming a whirlpool that blocks the way up the mountain.
Cheng Wanwan could understand why more than two hundred people were unwilling to go up the mountain. If it were her, she might not have had the courage to go against the current... because going up the mountain didn't mean she was safe; there were still landslides, mudslides, and other related disasters...
She used to think that Dashan was dull and honest, but now she realized that her son was no longer the same as before. He could work steadily and attentively, and he could also shoulder heavy responsibilities and take the lead.
"Sui Gongren, we can't go any further!" Yang Laosan said urgently, "This boat is too small, it will definitely capsize..."
Cheng Wanwan looked around at everyone: "What are your opinions?"
Cheng Jia and Cheng Ding looked at each other with unwavering determination: "We swear to follow Lady Gong to the death."
Madam Huang said, "Now that I'm here, I must find my man, even if it's just a corpse..."
The other constables exchanged glances. If they deserted out of fear, the prefect would certainly not let any of them off.
Moreover, if Sui Gongren were to die, the prefect would certainly hand them over to the imperial court for punishment...
Since I'm going to die anyway, I might as well follow Sui Gongren and gain a good reputation.
Seeing that everyone was willing to go against the current up the mountain, Yang Laosan sighed and said, "Then I'll be in charge of showing the way."
Cheng Wanwan took out some ropes again. These ropes had steel claws on them. As long as the other end of the rope was thrown up the mountain and wrapped around a tree, the group could use the ropes to cross the swift river.
Cheng Jia stood on the boat and tried to throw it out several times, but it was no use because the distance was too far.
He said, "My lady, let me swim over first. Once the rope is secured, it will be safe."
Cheng Wanwan shook her head: "You can't swim across by yourself. Think of another way."
She stood at the bow of the boat, carefully observing the terrain opposite, but she knew nothing about it and couldn't come up with a good solution no matter how hard she looked.
She tried hard to recall the relevant articles she had read before, even though she had only skimmed through them, they were still some points of knowledge...
After thinking for a moment, Cheng Wanwan said, "Let's go up the mountain from another place."
A mountain has four sides and eight directions, so why insist on going against the current in the most turbulent river? The most important thing now is to get up there first, and then make other plans.
The assault boats began circling the mountain peaks, but no matter where they went, the currents were just as turbulent, and they couldn't get close at all.
"Wait a minute!" Cheng Wanwan pointed to a spot not far away. "There seems to be a large rock in the middle of the river. What is that?"
“This is the Stone for Praying for a Child,” said Madam Huang. “Many years ago, a huge rock washed down from the mountain and landed in the middle of the river. Because the rock looked like a newborn boy, the villagers revered it as the Stone for Praying for a Child and even built a stable base for it, which is why it wasn’t washed away by the flood…”
Cheng Wanwan immediately said, "Cheng Jia, let's try using the fertility stone as an anchor point."
The fertility stone was located in the middle of the river, near the mountain, and it was close to them. Sure enough, Cheng Jia tried three times and the nail was fixed in place.
He grabbed the rope and was about to wade across the water.
Cheng Wanwan pressed him down: "Wait."
She reached into her sleeve and pulled out a simple chest harness.
Cheng Jia was extremely surprised. It was one thing for Gongren to have so many long ropes in her sleeves, but she even had this thing... But he had been with Gongren the whole time. When did she buy these and carry them with her? Why was he completely unaware of it...?
Cheng Wanwan knew that Cheng Jia and Cheng Yi would definitely have questions, but she couldn't care less about that now. Did she have to worry about not exposing the system store at this critical moment of life and death? She had to make sure everyone was safe!
The chest harness and rope are fixed together, so even if Cheng Jia lets go of the water, he will not be swept away, which greatly improves safety.
Cheng Jia went into the water and swam with difficulty along the rope. Several times he was almost swept away by the flood, but fortunately he was wearing a safety belt and was not injured.
After walking for about fifteen minutes, he finally reached the middle of the river. He secured himself to a large rock and began looking for an anchor point on the opposite bank. After about four or five attempts, he finally managed to fix the claw nail to a large tree. He tugged hard and then turned around to make a gesture that he could come across.
Cheng Wanwan had already fastened everyone's seat belts, and each person was tied together with a rope to form a single unit.
Seeing her constantly pulling out all sorts of things from her sleeves, Cheng Yi was already numb... To be honest, he had become immune to Sui Gongren's abnormal behavior on the way back from the capital last time... He pretended not to see it, helping people off the boat one by one, while he himself walked last. He had a rope tied around his waist, which was tied to two boats. This boat couldn't be lost, otherwise they wouldn't be able to get back...
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