Xu Jiang calmed himself down and choked up as he said, "I'm fine. He... they haven't come back yet, and there's no news from them either."
The guard shook his head, "No."
Xu Jiang felt empty inside. After thanking him, she ran back to the city gate.
On the way, she suddenly remembered the snowy night a year ago when Lou Yunchun was looking for her in every street and alley. She wondered if he was as anxious as she was now.
The old man was a little surprised to see her come back. "Madam, is there anything else?"
Xu Jiang hurriedly asked him, "Old man, have you seen the man I was with yesterday? He went out to help with disaster relief last night and hasn't returned home yet."
The old man was stunned for a moment, then thought about it carefully and shook his head, "I haven't seen it."
Just as Xu Jiang was feeling disappointed, the old man said, "I did see two teams of patrolmen helping to evacuate the villagers. They said they were urgently called in to help. The leader was a young man who looked quite capable."
"That's him! Do you know where he went?"
"Is it him?" The old man thought about it and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that the man's words and actions were indeed somewhat familiar. Seeing Xu Jiang's anxious face, he quickly said, "He should be on the other side of the river right now."
"That way? Across the river?"
"Well, the rain was so heavy that the water kept rising, and the silt was made up of rocks, which couldn't be moved by human power without a cart. He saw the danger of a breach at any moment and ordered everyone to evacuate, but the official in charge of clearing the silt wouldn't allow it, insisting that the river workers and villagers continue digging. Later, he resorted to force, and the official finally stopped and allowed everyone to evacuate. During the evacuation, everyone was originally heading this way, but he heard that some people in the village hadn't had time to evacuate yet, so he went back there. By the time we got here, the silt had collapsed under the pressure of the water, and they hadn't had time to get over."
Xu Jiang felt a chill in her heart.
The old man comforted him, "They went there on horseback. They should have been far away from the river when the flood occurred. Don't worry, they will be safe."
Hearing this, Xu Jiang finally breathed a sigh of relief. He then clasped his hands together and prayed to his master in his heart: If you appear in heaven, please bless him with safety, otherwise I, your disciple, will end up living alone.
Seeing how nervous she was, and that she was not dressed like a woman, the old man had a secret guess in his mind, and then he couldn't help but sigh that this woman saw through the danger and saved their lives, and that man made a prompt decision to disperse them and saved their lives again. It was a blessing for them in their previous life that they could meet this pair of fairy lovers.
He then clasped his rough, dry hands together in front of his chest and silently chanted, "Three Pure Ones, please bless my benefactor with safety and hope that we can all be reunited with our families."
Xu Jiang tied the donkey aside and stretched his neck with the old man to look at the other side, hoping that the flood would pass quickly so that he could come back soon.
It was not until the evening that the flood showed signs of receding.
The imperial court ordered that the Qixia Gate remain open tonight, and sent soldiers to erect more straw huts for the victims to rest and recover, distributing dry food and water. Many officials and wealthy merchants also set up stalls to distribute porridge and steamed buns.
The old man queued up to beg for two steamed buns and gave one to Xu Jiang.
"I'm not hungry, you eat." How could she eat anything else when her stomach was full of worries?
"Let's eat something first. If you starve yourself to death, how can you reunite with your family?"
She had been trying to persuade him with these words. Xu Jiang took the steamed bun and took a big bite. "You're right."
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