139 Dongxiang Dam Burst?
If you and I can survive this time, please give me a chance, okay?
The two of them walked out of the city in the heavy rain. Ye Yunzhao looked back at County Magistrate Han and saw that although Han was dawdling, he didn't think of taking a break alone. He finally felt a little satisfied.
But her happiness didn't last long, and she couldn't laugh anymore.
"What!?" Ye Yunzhao stared at him in astonishment, his eyes wide open. "What nonsense did you just say?! What nonsense!"
County Magistrate Han quickly stepped forward and thrust the reins into her hands, then quickly stepped back a few steps. He didn't know where he got the courage from, perhaps because of the torrential rain, but he just spoke directly to her:
"County Magistrate Ye, I believe I've been kind to the people of Lingnan. Why would I rush to my death now?"
Ye Yunzhao was confused: "Sending yourself to death? How can you say you're sending yourself to death? After the New Year, there were ten consecutive days of heavy rain, but Lingnan County didn't suffer any serious damage. It's only been three days now. I went back because the Dongxiang people were raising fish in the paddy fields for the first time, and I was afraid they would do something reckless.
Even though the journey is long and arduous, you and I are the fathers and mothers of Lingnan County! If a disaster were to occur because there is no one in the county to manage it, we would be dead! Even if we managed to survive, how could we sleep peacefully in the middle of the night?
What she said made sense. Although the rain was pouring down, it didn't look like it would kill anyone. In Ye Yunzhao's eyes, County Magistrate Han had always been a good official who cared about the people. But now, he had been declining several times because of the heavy rain, which was really puzzling.
After hearing her words, County Magistrate Han's face turned grim. He couldn't help but take another step back and suddenly bowed to Ye Yunzhao: "From now on, I am no longer the County Magistrate of Lingnan County. We will not see each other again after today. I beg County Magistrate Ye to forgive me."
"You..." Ye Yunzhao was stunned at first, but then he quickly reacted and said in disbelief, "You actually want to - just for this rainstorm, you actually want to leave!"
"yes."
She had never expected County Magistrate Han to be so persistent. She was filled with anger and helplessness. "An official's unauthorized escape is punishable by death, punishable by the death of all his clans. I'll just pretend I didn't hear what you just said. If you really don't want to go back, then go back to the government office first. I'll go back on my own after the rain stops."
After saying this, she patted the donkey and was about to leave.
Looking at her back, County Magistrate Han was filled with mixed feelings. Although he disliked Ye Yunzhao's great political achievements, he had to admit that she was truly an excellent county magistrate and an excellent boss.
He hesitated for a moment, and seeing that there was no one around, he immediately ran forward to stop her.
"What else?" Ye Yunzhao looked at him unhappily.
County Magistrate Han knelt down, closing his eyes in despair. With a steely determination, he spoke the truth: "The Dongxiang dike is probably breached. County Magistrate Ye, I'm utterly fed up with being County Magistrate. I'm going to find a place where no one knows me and spend the rest of my life. If you still believe in me, please don't go back. Going back... will mean death..."
"What do you mean?!" Ye Yunzhao said in disbelief, "How could the Dongxiang dam burst? I had the Dongxiang village head and his men carefully inspect it before. The dam has been reinforced long ago, and the situation you described will never happen..."
She pretended to be calm on the surface, but she was very panicked in her heart. County Magistrate Han was not a person who would talk nonsense casually. The fact that he did so must mean that he had already known about this matter in his heart.
She was suddenly startled, jumped off the donkey, grabbed his collar, and said in disbelief: "You knew about this a long time ago? Right? Tell me!"
County Magistrate Han's expression shifted slightly. Seeing her bloodshot eyes, he could only tilt his head and answer cruelly, "Yes... I once discovered a gap half the width of my body in the Dongxiang dike. With such heavy rain for three consecutive days, I'm afraid the people in Dongxiang have already..."
Ye Yunzhao punched him in the face. The brute force made her right hand tremble. The pain spread from her right hand to her arm.
"Why didn't you tell me about this before?!" She pulled the fallen County Magistrate Han up, "The people of Lingnan have been so kind to you! Why didn't you tell me?"
Tears mixed with raindrops fell, and Ye Yunzhao immediately stood up, grabbed the reins, and walked towards Lingnan County. Behind him, County Magistrate Han shouted, "Are you crazy? They are all civilians. Are you going to give up your life for them? Why confine your life to this remote and poor place?"
Ye Yunzhao stood on the mountain and looked into the distance. After the heavy rain, the trees on the mountain were greener and more vibrant.
She knew that if he told the truth, she would be on a path of no return. But could she leave? Could she abandon those simple, kind-hearted friends? If she really heard the news of the deaths of Aunt Hu, Aunt Wang, the Dongxiang Village Chief, and others, could she really turn a deaf ear to it?
It was only then that Ye Yunzhao realized that she had truly become part of this world. She couldn't abandon them like County Magistrate Han had done. She gazed into the distance, her heart aching at the thought of the mountains and plains of life turning into a pool of yellow mud.
She suddenly remembered the first day she traveled through time. On that day, the young and energetic Ye Yunzhao promised another Ye Yunzhao that he would do his best to build Lingnan County into a paradise.
At this moment, she rode on the donkey without hesitation and rushed to Lingnan County.
County Magistrate Han, who was left behind, wiped his face, unable to tell whether it was tears or rain. He stood up, touched the purse in his arms and the gold and silver he had kept in the shop in Yuezhou City, then turned and left.
*
Ye Yunzhao was riding a small donkey, holding another one in her right hand. It was raining heavily, and she was wearing a straw raincoat which made it difficult to move around in. She was a little flustered.
She looked back frequently, trying to see the figure of County Magistrate Han in the rain and fog, but there was no sign. He had just left like that, and he had actually decided to abandon the people of Lingnan County and his official position.
Ye Yunzhao didn't quite understand why he knew there was a gap in the embankment but deliberately concealed the fact. Before today, she always thought that the two of them were comrades-in-arms, and their efforts were all for the betterment of Lingnan County.
But it turned out that she had misunderstood.
The road was difficult to walk on, and Ye Yunzhao staggered towards Lingnan County. But after only a quarter of an hour, a familiar yet surprising voice sounded behind him: "A Zhao?"
She turned around when she heard the sound, and in the heavy rain, the person she hadn't seen for months was right in front of her.
Ever since she rejected Chen Jingshan, she had received daily food boxes and wood carvings from him, but he hadn't made any appearances. Sometimes, even Ye Yunzhao wondered if he considered this a form of playing hard to get. But she had to admit: she did think of him occasionally.
Maybe their eyes met, maybe not, but at this moment, seeing him here, Ye Yunzhao suddenly remembered the nearly eighty wooden figurines in her house, and her heart couldn't help but twitch.
Chen Jingshan was quite surprised: "A Zhao, it's raining so hard, why are you here alone?"
Ye Yunzhao patted the donkey and walked slowly forward. He was riding a sleek black horse. He didn't answer, but instead asked, "What about you? Why are you here in such heavy rain?"
To be honest, Chen Jingshan was nervous before he spoke. He hadn't seen her for a long time, and he didn't know if she would respond. Even if she didn't answer, he was extremely happy: "I'll go to Lingnan County to find you."
"Looking for me?" Ye Yunzhao glanced at him sideways.
He whispered, "You haven't eaten the food I sent you these past few days. I was afraid something might have happened to you, so I went back to Yuezhou yesterday to get something important and came back."
The voice was intertwined with the sound of rain, and only a few scattered words fell into her ears.
"Important things?" Ye Yunzhao was stunned and blurted out, "What is it?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she felt that it was not appropriate, and immediately added: "It's okay, you don't have to say it if you don't want to."
"I want to say it." Chen Jingshan touched his chest, took out an oil-paper bag from it, and handed it to her: "I was originally planning to give it to you, here."
Food?
Ye Yunzhao waved his hand and replied, "I don't want it, you take it."
He stuffed the thing into her hand without saying anything: "You take it first."
She thought it was another homemade pastry. She couldn't resist him, nor did she want to refuse. She took it and stuffed it into her sleeve. Frowning in worry, she asked, "Have you been in Lingnan County these past few days?"
Chen Jingshan was stunned. He had been running back and forth to the government office for the contents of the oil-paper package for only three months, and it had only been completed in the past few days. He immediately shook his head and said, "I've had some important matters at home these past few days, so I've been in Yuezhou City the whole time."
Ye Yunzhao said lightly: "You can go back to Yuezhou City now. You don't need to follow me."
"How can that be!" He hurriedly explained, "A Zhao, if you hate me, I will remain the same as before and will never appear in front of you. Don't worry. But I can't let me go back to Yuezhou City. What's more, it's raining so hard now, and the mountain roads are difficult to travel. How can I let you go back alone?"
Seeing his stubborn look, Ye Yunzhao's heart softened. If she were to die now, she would regret her previous decision.
She suppressed the myriad emotions in her heart and said coldly, "I heard the county dam is damaged and it might have already burst. If you follow me, you'll be courting death."
"The dam broke?" Chen Jingshan was stunned. Seeing her relentless attitude, he quickly reacted and reached out to pull the reins from her hand. "Are you crazy? If you knew the dam had broken, why did you still want to go back? Are you trying to save your life? Come on! Come back to Yuezhou City with me!"
Ye Yunzhao exerted force in his hands, tightly gripping the reins, and said word by word: "I am the father and mother of the people of Lingnan. I must go back! Let go!"
"I can't just watch you die. Have you forgotten that time on the mountain? Just the rock pulley caused such a serious problem. The dam breach is far more serious than you can imagine!"
"Let go!" Ye Yunzhao pulled his hand aside, "I'm determined to leave. Hurry back to Yuezhou City!"
Seeing her like this, Chen Jingshan loosened his grip and said without question, "Then I'll go back with you."
She looked up at the sound and met his eyes. Chen Jingshan's eyes revealed a fiery love that could not be ignored. It burned her whole body and made her almost unable to breathe.
"You're crazy." Ye Yunzhao retracted his gaze, not daring to look at him.
"Yes, I'm crazy." Chen Jingshan pulled the corner of his mouth, his words were full of meticulous sincerity, "Ye Yunzhao, I love you, even if I die for you, I am willing.
If you and I can survive this time, please give me a chance, okay?"
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