Chapter 2 Abnormal
"None of us can leave."
There were voices coming from under the eaves. Her father, Jiang Weimin, who had gone outside to check on the situation, had returned. Jiang Qian went out and happened to hear her parents talking about what was happening outside.
Jiang Weimin hung his raincoat under the eaves. "The water in the river has risen a bit, but it's not serious. It's all draining out along the river channel. As long as the next rain is lighter and doesn't keep falling so hard, even if it rains for another three days, our land won't be flooded."
Huang Liping sighed, thinking of the wheat that had not yet been harvested in the fields, her eyes filled with worry, "I hope it can stop soon!"
As the two were talking, a car horn sounded at the door.
Following the sound, I turned around and saw my youngest son Jiang Dong getting out of the car in the rain and carrying things home.
Huang Liping quickly picked up the umbrella next to her, opened it, and covered her son with it. "Why are you back at this hour? What are you doing in such heavy rain?"
"It's raining heavily today and there are not many people outside, so I thought of closing the shop and going home to check on the store and restock the small supermarket at home."
Jiang Dong is two years younger than Jiang Qian. He is 31 years old this year and runs a tobacco and alcohol business in the city. He moved to the city with his wife Ren Ru two years ago when his son Jiang Mingchen started elementary school.
Originally, they wanted to let the elderly couple in the family go with them, but Jiang Weimin and Huang Liping were unwilling to do so. They felt that they were only in their fifties and could still work, and they did not want to cause trouble for their children, so they stayed in the village and planned to contract a few more acres of land for farming.
But Jiang Dong didn't want his parents to continue working hard. He was a businessman and had channels for purchasing goods, so he encouraged the old couple to open a small store at home, which usually sold oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, candy, snacks, cigarettes and alcohol.
Because the Jiang family lives on the main road at the edge of the village, facing the main road to the countryside, their business is pretty good.
Not only do people from my own village come to buy, but sometimes people from other villages who are visiting relatives will also come to buy some things. Add to that the cigarettes and alcohol that I sell from time to time, and I can earn at least a few hundred yuan a month. Not only can it cover the family expenses, but there is also a little left over.
Because they had an income, the old couple worked with full energy and enthusiasm. Thinking that the busy farming season was about to begin, and some people in the village liked to have a drink or something, they called their son a couple of days ago and asked him to buy some more supplies when he returned home.
But they didn't expect that their son would come back in the heavy rain.
"There's no rush to restock. What if you come back in a couple of days?"
Seeing her son enter the house, Huang Liping hurried to get a dry towel. Just as she was about to wipe the child, she saw the person who had just entered the room slip out again.
"Wipe it later, there are still several boxes!"
…
Only after moving all the things from the car in did Jiang Dong have time to sit down and wipe himself off. After he finished wiping himself off and changed his clothes, he found that his mother Huang Liping was already making ginger soup in the kitchen.
But before he could ask about the situation at home, his sister Jiang Qian asked about the situation in the city.
Jiang Dong was stunned and a little confused, but he still answered properly.
"The situation in the city? It's not bad. The drainage in the residential complex we live in is pretty good, there's no water accumulation, don't worry. Even in the old district, there's not much water accumulation due to renovations, so don't worry!"
"It's just that the rain is really heavy, and the visibility is poor when driving on the road, so it's hard to go out. But Ren Ru usually stocks up a lot of food at home, and there are several supermarkets at the entrance of the community, so there's no need to worry. I was worried that it would be difficult for you to go out at home, so when I came back, I brought you some instant noodles, ham and other fast food. The production dates are all very new. Even if we can't finish them at home, we can sell them in the convenience store later."
The child was thinking about himself, Jiang Weimin felt comforted in his heart, but said.
"Don't worry about us. We're just farming at home, and we can handle food shortages. You just need to take care of yourself and Xiaoru Chenchen in the city."
Huang Liping came out of the kitchen carrying two bowls of ginger soup, one for her husband and one for her son.
"Your father is right. If you take good care of yourself, your wife, and your children, and we don't have to worry about anything, that's better than anything else. We have your sister at home!"
Jiang Dong took a sip of the ginger soup and stuck out his tongue because of the spiciness. "Mom, look at what you said. You are also my parents. Even if my sister is at home, how can I rely on her alone?"
Huang Liping glanced at her daughter, smiled, and patted his arm. "Okay, you know that's not what I meant."
Jiang Dong also smiled and said nothing more. He followed his father's example and drank the ginger soup in one breath.
It rained all night long. Around noon, the rain finally seemed to be getting lighter, and the dark sky seemed to be getting brighter. Through the thick clouds, the sun could be vaguely seen.
Jiang Weimin, feeling uneasy, went to the river again before lunch, and when he came back he looked much more relaxed.
"It looks like it won't rain any harder, so the wheat in our fields should be safe."
But perhaps the more I thought about it, the less I could say it. Just after lunch, the rain became visibly heavier. Within half an hour, it looked even heavier than last night's rain.
Alerts from the weather center started popping up on various apps on my phone, and the blue-purple, purple-black precipitation maps on the news were terrifying to look at.
The other people in the family also had sad expressions on their faces.
Jiang Qian looked at the dark sky outside, her heart pounding, and she had a bad premonition.
The weather is getting worse and worse, and there are more and more news reports on the Internet, especially in the southern regions with developed water systems. The surging river water in the news videos makes people panic even through the screen.
As the Jiang family watched the news on TV and watched videos online, they became increasingly panicked as they thought of the rising creek not far from their home.
The village where they live is called Xiaohewa. As the name suggests, it is a village built along a small river. The terrain is not high. The Jiang family is one of the families in the village with the lowest terrain closest to the river.
If the river really rose, the first families to be flooded would definitely be the ones living on the lowest land near the road.
Jiang Weimin was panicking, but he still tried to comfort his family, saying, "Don't worry, it should be fine. At most, our land will be flooded, but our house shouldn't be flooded. The creek hasn't flooded in over 20 years. All the new houses built in our village were on higher ground, so it's never flooded our area. Otherwise, the government road wouldn't have been built here, right? Don't worry, don't worry."
As he spoke, he lit a cigarette, but he had to press the lighter several times before a flame came out. The sad expression on his face also showed that he was not as calm as he said.
In this silence, a cell phone rang, attracting everyone's attention.
Jiang Dong was also startled by the sudden sound of his phone, but when he saw the caller ID, he quickly answered the call.
"Hello, wife?"
The person who called was Jiang Dong’s daughter-in-law Ren Ru.
In a quiet environment, even if the hands-free mode is not turned on, the sound from the receiver is still clear.
"Dongzi, are you still in your hometown? How is your family?"
"Everything is fine at home. Mom, Dad, and my sister are all home. The river is just rising, but it hasn't flooded the river yet. We just had lunch, and I'll be back soon. Is there anything you want to buy or take with you? I'll pick it up on my way back. It's raining heavily outside, so don't go out. I should be home by two o'clock. Wait for me to go back and drive Chenchen to school."
"There's nothing to bring. We have food and drinks at home. I'm just a little worried because it's raining heavily. Chenchen's school teacher has already sent a message saying that there won't be school this afternoon and we can just take online classes at home. There's no need to send him. There's already flooding in the city, so bring a few bags of sand when you come back so we can block the basement door together..."
"Has the city started to flood?"
Jiang Qian suddenly interrupted Ren Ru.
When Ren Ru heard her elder sister-in-law's voice, she went to the window, took a photo and sent it to the family group.
"The community started to accumulate water at noon, and the road in front of the school was also flooded. When I went to pick up Chenchen from the school across the street at noon, I waded through the water carrying him. I was afraid that the rain would not stop. The neighbors on the first floor had already blocked the unit door with sandbags, so I was afraid that the water would flow back into the basement through the underground garage... Oh, Dongzi, when you come back, don't go through the main gate, go through the east gate. There seems to be an electrical box on the road next to the gate that is leaking electricity. Someone in the property management group said that there were sparks there this morning, and they are currently having a power outage for repairs..."
Jiang Dong: "Then our house also has a power outage?"
Ren Ru: "There's a power outage in several neighborhoods near our house because they need to repair it. I won't talk to you anymore. I didn't charge my phone this morning, and Chenchen will use it for class soon, so I have to prepare the app the teacher mentioned. Be careful when you come back. If the house isn't safe, get my parents and sister over. Things at home are more important than people. Although our house is only on the fifth floor, it's much better than my hometown..."
"Okay, I understand. I'll discuss it with them."
After hanging up the phone, Jiang Dong looked up and saw the anxious faces of his parents.
"Dongzi, you should go back soon. Xiaoru and Chenchen are the only ones at home now. If anything happens and there's no one to help, go back quickly and take some of these instant noodles back with you."
"Yes, you should leave early. I think the rain won't stop for a while. You are a man and the backbone of the family. Xiaoru and the children are counting on you. We are all fine in our hometown. Our ancestors are all relatives in the village. Even if something happens, we can always find someone to help us. Don't worry, nothing will go wrong. You don't need to worry about us. Just take good care of them."
His parents' urging was right in his ears. Looking at the heavy rain outside, Jiang Dong wanted everyone in the family to follow him. Before he could think of what to say, he heard Jiang Qian, who had been browsing her phone next to him, suddenly say.
"None of us can leave."
After listening to what Ren Ru said, Jiang Qian has been browsing information online.
She discovered that for some unknown reason, information related to the previously censored doomsday live broadcast had suddenly resurfaced, like a flood. Online discussion of the live broadcast was also increasing.
The entries suddenly disappeared and then suddenly appeared. This abnormal phenomenon was like a reminder, forcing Jiang Qian to consider the worst.
Seeing that Jiang Dong might successfully persuade her family to move to the city, Jiang Qian became anxious and blurted out her thoughts.
Receiving the looks from the entire family, Jiang Qian calmed herself down and repeated her suggestion, saying firmly, "No one in our family can leave. Not only can no one leave, but we have to quickly bring Xiaoru and Chenchen back from the city."
【Author’s words】
The hot second chapter is here!
If you are interested, you can collect it!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
