The heavy rain lasted for three days and three nights. At noon, a loud bang was heard as the dike in Gaoshan Village collapsed.
As the white wall collapsed with a deafening roar, the yellowish rain, like a beast unleashed from its cage, roared and surged toward the village below the riverbank.
In an instant, the sounds of rain, shouts, and cries filled the air.
The village secretary of Gaoshan Village lived down the dam. The floodwaters rose so quickly that the family didn't have time to escape before the water washed away their door.
"Tiger, Tiger..." Guihua, the village secretary's eldest daughter-in-law, cried out in fear and despair. She watched as her two-year-old child was swept away by the water. She reached out to grab him, but the water flowed downstream and the child's cries were instantly carried away by the current.
Guihua was originally holding onto the roof beam, but when she saw Huzi float away, she gritted her teeth and let go, and was instantly submerged in the water.
The neighboring village of Gaoshan Village is Luxian County. Luxian County is at a higher elevation than Gaoshan Village, so the flood destroyed Gaoshan Village, but Luxian County was only submerged in a shallow layer of water.
The rain was pouring down outside. Xu Nuo was fast asleep inside when she was suddenly awakened by a knock on the door.
The noise woke her up as the person outside knocked on the door urgently and heavily. Xu Nuo groaned, and a pair of hands patted her back soothingly. Li Xian lowered his voice and said, "I'll go check on her."
Li Xian glanced sharply at the door, then covered her with the blanket. She was so small that the blanket made her invisible.
Li Xian's tall figure blocked the view inside the house. The man who came in was wearing a raincoat and looked like he had rolled in the mud. He was only concerned about the flood in Gaoshan and did not look into the house at all. He said urgently, "Gaoshan Village is flooded. The brigade leader told everyone to gather at the village entrance to rescue people. We will set off in half an hour."
Gaoshan Village and Luxian County have always supported each other. In the past, there was a severe drought. Gaoshan Village, with its high terrain, was not so badly short of water. However, Luxian County, with its high terrain and limited land, was able to store water. So, when Luxian County was short of water that year, the villagers of Gaoshan Village were kind-hearted and were willing to share water with Luxian County during the dry season. The villagers of Luxian County carried the water in baskets, which prevented people from dying from the drought.
The people of Gaoshan Village, covered in dust and grime, ran to Luxian County, crying with tears and snot streaming down their faces: "Help! Our village is flooded!"
Upon hearing this, Chang Youxin and the village party secretary disregarded the heavy rain and immediately went door-to-door to notify people to go to Gaoshan Village to rescue the people.
The message was relayed in sequence, and this was the last one for Li Xian.
The messenger delivered the message and left. This time, he was going to Gaoshan Village to rescue people, and he had to keep everything at home. He was in a hurry to go home to prepare things and also to inform his family.
Xu Nuo heard what the other person said, and as soon as they left, she sat up and asked Li Xian in a soft voice, "Are you leaving?"
Li Xian strode over, patted her head gently, and said softly, "Gaoshan Village is flooded, I have to go save people."
There was some worry in his eyes; he was really worried about leaving her alone at home.
Xu Nuo understood what he meant, snuggled into his arms, and said coquettishly, "I'm fine, don't worry about me, I'll wait for you to come back at home."
Li Xian nodded, quickly packed his things, went to the kitchen, started a fire, and put all the eggs in the cupboard into the water to boil.
He stuffed the sweet potatoes into the firewood pile and searched the kitchen thoroughly. Apart from some raw red beans, there was only a packet of rock sugar.
There was so little food left at home, and his eyes filled with frustration.
Time was short, so he packed up his things and went to the room to say goodbye to her.
Xu Nuo was holding a thermos and waiting for him when she shoved it into his hands: "Quick, drink it all."
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