The house where Zhao Xingguo lives now is the red brick house that Zhao Xingguo and his son rebuilt. Due to the snowstorm, the coal originally used to build the new house was used up by the family for heating. Therefore, the Zhao family's original plan to build a two-story house was eventually reduced to two rooms, one for men and one for women. They casually built a stove with bricks outside the house, which became their simple home today.
Zhao Xingguo's family was lucky with the plant and animal mutations this time. Only the stove was partially damaged. When the other plants in the house mutated, their dog, Rhubarb, barked to warn them.
The Zhao family had a lot of strength, so they cleaned up all the weeds and shrubs that emerged from the ground in the house before they fully grew up. However, their dog, Da Huang, was left unharmed.
They could sleep next to the stove to avoid the wind and rain. But now Dahuang has grown into a dog as big as a lion or tiger. How could he sleep in the corner next to the stove? Besides, the two puppies that Dahuang brought with him have also grown up.
Zhao Xingguo had no choice but to ask his son to build a wooden doghouse for the three dogs. Although it was not beautiful, it could still provide shelter from the wind and rain. However, it rained every day these days and Dahuang's wooden doghouse started to leak, and no matter how he patched it, it wouldn't work.
At this time, Zhao Xingguo was staring at his own doghouse with an expression of indescribable sadness. Even his favorite cigarette, which he usually liked to take a few puffs of, was no longer in his energy at this moment. He was only thinking about the water level in the river.
"Zhengde, why is God so unwilling to give us a way out? I went to the river again this afternoon and saw that the water level is much higher than this morning. At this rate, I'm afraid there will be a flood this year. Do you think we should move to the mountains?" Zhao Xingguo frowned and sighed. "The yellow river water has flooded the place where we usually wash vegetables. It looks like it will soon reach Zhao Erdong's land."
"If we want to move, we have to make plans as soon as possible. There are more than 600 people in the village now. If a flood really breaks out, who knows how many people will get into trouble in a panic!" Zhao Zhengde didn't know where he got a heavy smoker from, and he smoked as vigorously as Uncle Jiu.
Wanxi Village is located on high ground. In the years that Zhao Zhengde and Zhao Xingguo have been in charge, the village has never experienced a flood. When the water level in the river is at its highest every year, it only barely floods the large stone road where they go to the river to wash vegetables and fetch water. Generally, it only reaches the calf level of an adult man.
But this year is different...
The large stone road beside the river is no longer a road, and even the stone slabs are invisible. They are all soaked in the dim river water!
The river water is fast, deep and yellow, which makes people feel uneasy.
Seeing the river water like this, Zhao Xingguo was so anxious that his hair almost turned white!
"But if we move up the mountain, what should we do if we encounter some powerful mutant animals? Commander Meng and his men encountered a huge group of mutant spiders before... I'm afraid if we encounter something like that while we're in the mountains, we villagers won't be able to hold on..."
"There are so many people in our village. We can't let them suffocate to death in the rain. Since you can't figure it out here, why don't you go and talk to Uncle Nine and the old village chief? It's not a good thing to be frowning here every day! Then we can discuss with everyone in the village to see if we can decide to move to the mountains?" Zhang Cuifen looked at the heavy rain outside her house, waved her hand in annoyance, and asked her husband to go and talk to others as soon as possible, and stop sitting at the door and sighing.
…………
Zhao Xingguo and Zhao Zhengde were discussing whether to move the entire village to the mountain, but on the other side, He Zhennan, Pang Xiongdongzi and the other two just came back from outside.
The three of them opened the door and entered the house, bringing with them gusts of steam and cool air, as well as a series of watermarks under their feet.
"You three are back? Why are you back so early today? You didn't have lunch, right? I'll go make some dumplings for you now! Rabbit meat and vermicelli dumplings, guaranteed to be delicious!" As soon as Lu Liqing saw her sons, she smiled so hard that her eyes curved. She quickly got up and went to the kitchen to cook dumplings for her son and the other three boys.
Xiao Wu, who had been squatting next to her, immediately jumped up from the ground when he heard Lu Liqing say that she wanted to cook dumplings. He didn't pay attention to how big his body was. He happily wagged his tail at Lu Liqing, his dog eyes full of desire for dumplings.
"Woof woof woof!——" I'm not full after eating so few dumplings just now!
"Woof woof woof woof!—" Xiao Bayi slapped Xiao Wu on the head with his paw, directly warning him not to push his luck. He said those dumplings were just for tasting. Wrapping them was too much trouble. What if he got himself tired?!
Qin Suyun sat aside, watching her dog showing off, and her originally depressed mood immediately improved a lot.
However, Dongzi stopped his mother with a serious face, "Mom, forget about Jiaozi for now... Let's pack up this afternoon and start moving."
"Moving?! What's going on...? Why are we moving so soon?" Lu Liqing was surprised, her eyes widened, and she looked at her son in astonishment.
"The rain's getting heavier, and we've been feeling a bit uneasy lately. So, we took advantage of the last few days to look around... but the results are not good... Ningyong County, the closest to us, has already started flooding! And the water level is rising very fast. I'm afraid it won't be long before it reaches us. People in the county are fleeing everywhere, and I predict it'll be here soon!"
Dongzi explained to his mother, then turned to look at Qin Suyun, "Miss Qin, you should move with us. We have found some good hiding caves in the mountains. You can go there to take shelter first."
"If we move away, what will happen to the villagers? Are you going to tell them about this?" Qin Suyun pursed her lips and frowned.
It is easy to move to the mountains, but how everyone will live after moving there is a more troublesome matter. It is easy for my own family, but it is not so easy for other residents in the village.
Qin Suyun pursed her lips, feeling an indescribable feeling in her heart, a sense of loss and powerlessness that her original plan had been destroyed.
Last summer's dream allowed her to change her future, but now, the dream and the future changes are too far apart. According to the dream, people have just experienced the cold snowstorm and earthquake, not the flood that is about to come.
It was like an unknown butterfly effect that caused the entire world to change drastically. It was no longer the same as it had been in her dreams. Even though she had prepared so many things before the end of the world, she couldn't suppress the uneasiness in her heart.
But no matter what, everyone has to keep living.
"Don't worry, I'll tell the village chief..." He Zhennan said, "But I also hope you can move to the mountains with us. In fact, I should have mentioned this to you and Aunt Lu two days ago, but we hadn't found a suitable base at that time... Now the base has been found, and we've almost finished cleaning up the area. After we move to the mountains, I will take good care of you, don't worry."
The man looked at Qin Suyun with a pair of sincere eyes, which seemed to be filled with the most sincere flames.
Qin Suyun was so infatuated by the gaze of the man opposite her that she was speechless. She pursed her lips and nodded under He Zhennan's gaze.
"Since everyone has agreed, let's hurry up... You guys eat first, I'll go talk to the village chief." He Zhennan glanced at Qin Suyun and knew that she was still reluctant to let go of the villagers, so he put on his raincoat again and rushed to the village chief's house in the heavy rain.
He Zhennan has lived in Wanxi Village for a long time and likes the atmosphere in the village very much. He is willing to help the people in the village within his ability.
The rabbit meat vermicelli dumplings were very fragrant, but Dongzi, Pang Xiong and the others did not eat them carefully as they usually did. Instead, they stuffed them into their mouths in a hurry, trying to move to the mountain as soon as possible.
Dongzi, Pang Xiong, Lu Liqing and others had little luggage, so it was not an easy task. However, it was not the same for Qin Suyun. All her belongings were in this house, including the livestock raised in the pigpen and sheep pen, and the dozens of barrels of collected gasoline and stacked food supplies in the cellar. It was not an easy task to move them away.
And once she leaves, she doesn't know if she will have the chance to come back again.
If the flood persists and they only bring a few supplies up the mountain, then she and Dahei and the others may have a hard time in the future. But if they bring everything up the mountain, it would be too much of a commotion.
After much deliberation, Qin Suyun decided to take a small portion of the supplies from home and leave the rest in the cellar.
When the house was first built, a lot of effort and hard work went into the entire house from top to bottom. Not only was the reinforced concrete structure earthquake-proof, but it was also very well waterproofed. Qin Suyun considered the issue of growing crops at home when designing it.
"Even if the floodwaters spread into the house through the gaps in the doors and windows, as long as the entrance to the cellar is completely sealed with cement slurry and other materials, the supplies in the cellar should not be completely damaged..."
Qin Suyun frowned and thought to herself that at the very least, all the gasoline in the house was stored in sealed gasoline barrels. As long as these sealed gasoline barrels were not damaged, they would be able to survive the flood.
Qin Suyun thought so in her heart, but it was not an easy thing to take action. There were too many things at home. If it were not for Dahei and Xiaoqi who could help move some of the supplies at home, Qin Suyun would have to give up most of the things at home and travel light.
A medical first aid kit, food, warm clothing, a small generator, everything Qin Suyun could think of that she needed was packed up by her. All these things were packed in plastic bags, sealed tightly, and then put into snakeskin bags and tied tightly.
Qin Suyun had already made plans to stay in the mountains for several months, and she packed a dozen bags of things and four barrels of gasoline.
These four barrels of gasoline were not the large barrels of gasoline she had collected before, but small barrels, each holding only 50L.
She didn't buy many of these small gasoline barrels at the time, only four. She thought they would not be used in the future, but she didn't expect them to be useful here.
After tidying up these things at home, Qin Suyun's biggest headache was the fish and crayfish in the fish pond on the first floor.
These aquatic animals also grew a lot in the previous mutation. The original ten-centimeter-long crayfish had long since grown into twenty to thirty-centimeter-long lobsters. Every time they saw Qin Suyun approaching, they would wave their claws to stop her movements. In addition, there were not many lobsters in the fish pond, so Qin Suyun had only eaten them once in these days.
After the mutation, she never tasted these lobsters again. However, Hei Dou had eaten a few fish from the fish pond at home.
But facing the fish that now filled two rooms, Qin Suyun rubbed her brows and went to discuss it with Hei Dou at home.
These fish...
Or maybe just leave the fish at home and let them fend for themselves?
………………
On the other hand, the words He Zhennan brought to Zhao Xingguo were like the last straw that broke the camel's back, making Zhao Xingguo and Zhao Zhengde determined to move with everyone in the village!
Moving is not an easy task. When they move to the mountains, they not only have to find a high ground, but also a cave that is large enough to hide in. Those who have tents are better off, but those who don't have tents must find some suitable caves to hide in.
This is a huge project. Fortunately, the villagers of Wanxi Village are relatively familiar with the situation in the mountains behind them. However, after the animals and plants mutated, the original landforms have also changed greatly, making it still difficult to find them.
It has been raining outside for more than ten days in a row. The sky is covered with dark clouds every day, and it is gloomy, making people feel uneasy.
Many people in the village had already noticed how fast the river was rising. When they heard the village chief and the village secretary tell them that Ningyong County, which was closest to them, had begun to be flooded, they could no longer sit still and packed up their bags, preparing to go up the mountain.
Everyone thought that going up the mountain meant more people meant more strength. The mutated plants in the mountains were nothing special; they had only grown in size, but remained the same as before, unable to move or eat people. However, the mutated animals, insects, snakes, rats, and so on in the mountains were enough to make people shudder.
Even though there were still a few people with guns in their village, there were only more than 20 of them, and some of their guns were almost out of bullets.
Zhao Xingguo had heard about these things from the soldiers a long time ago, but facing the current panic situation, Zhao Xingguo could not make everyone feel more depressed at this time, so he could only cheer them up.
I was thinking about whether I should ask someone to go to the original military base first. Although most of the buildings there have collapsed and are buried underground by rocks, a few houses should still be habitable.
But Zhao Xingguo couldn't help but worry...
The houses in the military base were invaded by mutant plants and became uninhabitable.
However, before Zhao Xingguo had the chance to say anything about this matter, someone had already brought it up. Five soldiers decided to go to the mountain first to see the situation. If the houses at the military base were still habitable, they should be able to accommodate dozens of people.
There were only five buildings in the military base at the time, from the office area to the accommodation area to the cafeteria.
Among them, the collective dormitory is the largest building in the middle, but it is only three stories high. When the earthquake broke out, the landslide directly buried the soldiers' dormitories, warehouses, etc. underground, leaving only half of the office building and a cafeteria.
With such a small place, they can only accommodate less than a hundred people at most, and the rest of the people will have to find other places.
The five soldiers carried their guns and walked cautiously up the mountain. They set out in the afternoon and did not return until the next morning, when they brought back the news of the military base.
The good news is that their cafeteria was still intact after the previous animal and plant mutation, but the remaining half of the office building had been torn into two halves by a giant tree that grew out of the ground. It is no longer habitable. Such a living environment is really too dangerous.
There are more than 600 people in the whole village. Even if everyone stands in the cafeteria without sleeping, there is not enough space for people to stand in the entire cafeteria.
So everyone started discussing who would live at the military base, and who among the rest would go to the mountains to find their own place to live?
No matter how comfortable the cave in the mountains is, it can't be more comfortable than living in the cafeteria in the military base. What's more, the mountain is so big, how difficult would it be to find a cave suitable for living in it?
A cave that is safe and habitable is not something you can find just by looking for it!
Because of this incident, the villagers in the village and the more than one hundred people who had just moved from the city had the most intense quarrel!
Everyone was arguing with each other until their faces turned red and they refused to give in.
Qin Suyun, He Zhennan and others standing in the crowd frowned.
"Fuck! The old people and children in your village are human beings, but I am not a human being?! You only allow the old people and children in your village to live in, but you don't allow people like us to live in. What do you mean by this?! The mountains are so dangerous, and you let us find a place to live by ourselves in the mountains. Aren't you forcing people to death?!" A man in a gray long-sleeved shirt slammed the table and roared.
"You are allowed to bang the table in our house as you please?! You think you are so great just by banging the table! You are all strong and healthy, do you still have the nerve to compete with the elderly and children for living space?! Do you have any shame?!" Several young men in the village also banged the table and shouted, not wanting to be outdone.
There are almost no families consisting of only elderly people and children who are willing to make the decision to come all the way from Yunhai City to the rural Wanxi Village.
Among these people, either they are alone in their able-bodied condition, or they have families with only one or two able-bodied adults. Those who do not have able-bodied adults dare not travel all the way from Yunhai City to Wanxi Village.
However, the situation in Wanxi Village is different. There are many households in the village with only elderly people and children. The adult laborers in these families went out to work early and never came back after the earthquake.
Under such circumstances, the villagers naturally wanted to give the houses that could be vacated immediately to the elderly and children. The elderly and children were in poor health and could not bear living in the cold cave for a long time!
Accidents are especially likely to happen when searching for a place to stay in the mountains.
It was a rainy day and the lighting was already poor, and it was even worse in the mountains with dense trees, bushes and weeds. How could the elderly and children be allowed to move around alone?
Naturally, these elderly people and children should be allowed to live in military bases, and the soldiers with guns in the bases should help take care of them.
But the people from Yunhai City also feel wronged!
It is true that there are young and middle-aged laborers among them, but they also have elderly people and children in their families!
They came all the way from Yunhai to Wanxi Village, but they didn't want to die. They came here with the army from Yunhai City because they wanted to survive!
They were not familiar with the conditions in the mountains behind Wanxi Village. What if something happened? What would they do?
They don't have any suitable weapons and are not familiar with the terrain. Isn't this just sending them to their deaths?
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