Chapter 49: Is the flood bacteria species still important to others?
Qi Fang and Guo Changping are not from the same work team. I don't know whether Guo Changping came to work today.
But he knew that Guo Changan had difficulty walking, and if Guo Changping and Jin Baozhi were not at home, then little old lady Guo would not be able to move him. He also knew that if Yan Xue insisted on going, he would not be able to stop her.
So he said nothing, but just grabbed Yan Xue's arm when she stepped into the puddle.
When the couple first went up the mountain, the water on the ground was only above their ankles, but when they came down it was almost up to their knees.
The two rushed to Guo's house as quickly as possible, and sure enough, the door was still open.
"Auntie Guo, it's time to leave!" Yan Xue walked in quickly, but did not hear any response from the three rooms of the Guo family.
She turned around and didn't see anyone. Not only Aunt Guo, but even Guo Changan, who usually stayed in the house, was nowhere to be seen.
"Could it be that he has already left and forgot to close the door when he left?" She looked again as if to confirm.
Qi Fang glanced around and noticed something was wrong. "Something is missing from this room."
Yan Xue was about to turn around to take a closer look when the man pulled her and said, "Let's go back to our old room."
The two men waded through the water across the yard and opened the door of the main room, only then did they hear the voices inside that were hidden by the heavy rain.
"This flashlight seems to be out of power. I'll go back and find two more batteries."
It’s Aunt Guo.
"No, I'll be done soon. I just need a few more."
The unfamiliar male voice, which clearly revealed an effort, should be Guo Changan.
Yan Xue hurried in and said, "The water is almost up to my thighs. Why don't you leave, Auntie?"
Before he could finish his words, he was already shocked by the scene before him.
The earthen kang where she and Qi Fang had slept for four months was now occupied by four large boxes, with a desk on top of them.
The mother and son of the Guo family were both standing on the kang. Guo Changan even had half of his body lying on the desk. He was struggling to take the can from Aunt Guo and put it on the table with one hand.
Yan Xue lost her voice at that moment, and it took her a long time to find it again. "It's already this late, why are you still caring about this?"
Aunt Guo looked even more surprised than she was. "Weren't we told to go to the back mountain? Why are you here?"
"You also know to go to the back mountain? I was worried that Sister Baozhi and Brother Changping were not at home, so I came to check on them."
Yan Xue was about to get on the kang when Qi Fang stepped up from behind, took the can from Guo Changan's hand, and pulled him down from the kang.
Guo Changan subconsciously tried to struggle, but Yan Xue immediately scolded him, "Are people more important than fungus strains?"
Yan Xue directly pulled Aunt Guo down and said, "Don't worry about it, come with us and let Qi Fang carry Chang'an!"
Only then did Aunt Guo respond and hurriedly picked up a small bag on the kang, which was obviously prepared in advance.
The group locked the door and went out. The water in the yard was almost up to Yan Xue's knees.
Qi Fang carried Guo Changan on his back and pulled her back. She then reached back to hold Aunt Guo and walked towards the higher ground as quickly as possible.
Feeling the strength of the little hand holding her, Aunt Guo couldn't help but say, "Actually, you don't have to come back. We have set up the ladder. Once we are done, we can climb up to the roof."
Guo Changping and Jin Baozhi were indeed not at home today. When the rain stopped yesterday, they took the children back to Jin Baozhi's parents' home. Who knew that it would rain again not long after the rain stopped, leaving them there and unable to come back.
The neighbors probably didn't know about this and thought someone was home. When she went out to look for someone to carry Guo Chang'an, they couldn't find him. She couldn't carry him herself, and Guo Chang'an was stubborn. He just said he couldn't walk up the hill, but he could pull himself up to the roof with one arm.
"There's no rush to get on the roof anyway. Chang'an said your fungus can't be submerged and needs to be placed somewhere high, so we helped you out. Who knew you'd still come here?"
"If I don't come, what if the flood also submerges the roof?" Yan Xue didn't even consider the issue of those fungus strains.
She spent nearly half a year to prepare these things, buying agar-agar and boiling agar. They are the foundation of her, her grandmother and her brother's livelihood. It is a pity to lose them.
Even if she misses this year, she will have to wait until next year to start over. But no matter how important things are, can they be as important as people?
A wave of water came and Aunt Guo stepped on something and almost fell into the water.
Yan Xue hurriedly grabbed her, and she herself became a little unstable.
Qi Fang noticed it and immediately grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
Just at this moment, someone came over with a flashlight, "The water has reached your thighs, and you two are still running around!" It was Liu Weiguo's voice.
Seeing that the situation on their side was not good, Liu Weiguo hurried over and supported Aunt Guo on the other side, "Let's go quickly, Yan Xue, your brother has asked you several times."
Now with support on both sides, the speed was finally faster, and we finally reached a place with high enough terrain.
The floodwaters that made it impossible to stand still gradually receded from the waist to the legs, and then from the legs to the knees and ankles...
When they stood on the mountain and looked back, they found that the forest behind them had turned into a swamp, and all the buildings stood in the rushing water.
Liu Weiguo wiped the rain off his face and said, "It's all flooded. Why is the water so high this year?"
"We haven't had such a severe flood in decades," said Aunt Guo, adding, "We don't know how much damage this will cause."
"It's okay as long as everyone is okay." There was no frustration in Yan Xue's voice.
The worst that can happen is that we have to start all over again. As long as we are still alive, we can always find a way to live our lives.
"Let's go, people are still waiting for us on the mountain." She supported Aunt Guo again, and Qi Fang carried Guo Changan up again.
Several people walked towards the temporary camp, which was already of some size. Before they arrived, a small figure ran out, "Sister! Brother-in-law!" Behind them was the second old lady who had bound feet and was inconvenient to walk.
"Why are you running around in such heavy rain?" Yan Xue said to him.
The young boy retreated back under the shed, but stood at the edge, staring at Yan Xue with his big eyes without blinking, full of worry.
"It's just a short distance. I can walk by myself." Aunt Guo patted Yan Xue and went to pick up Guo Changan. "Put Changan down."
Guo Changan said nothing, but his legs slid down, obviously wanting to walk on his own, so Qi Fang let him go.
Aunt Guo immediately supported him, and the mother and son walked towards the bottom of the shed with difficulty in the wind and rain. After taking a few steps, Guo Changan suddenly turned around again and said, "Thank you."
This was the first time Yan Xue heard him speak to her. She narrowed her clear eyes in the rain and said, "Same here. Thank you and Auntie Guo too."
The wind and rain continued outside. Even though the shed was covered by the tarpaulin, the rain was still blown in by the wind.
A group of people huddled under several sheds. Those like Yan Xue and the others who came out with small boxes were fine as the boxes were placed on the ground and they could take turns sitting on them. The rest of them could only stand.
Yan Jigang was young and the second old lady had bound feet, so Yan Xue simply let the second old lady sit on the box and hold Yan Jigang.
She stood side by side with Qi Fang, looking at the rushing flood below.
It is said that water and fire are merciless, but only when you actually face them do you realize how merciless they can be and how insignificant humans are in the face of natural disasters.
Yan Xue looked at the handsome man next to her, whose face was soaked with moisture and looked unusually quiet. "What are you thinking about?"
Qi Fang's gaze remained fixed on the ground below him, his voice soft amidst the sound of rain. "I'm thinking about the Yellow River and Chang'an."
This Chang'an obviously didn't refer to Guo Chang'an. "Are you talking about the capital during the Tang Dynasty?"
"Yeah." The man turned to look at her and reached out to wring the rain out of her hair. "Chang'an is also prone to flooding."
Chang'an's repeated use as the capital led to a rapid population growth, severe deforestation, and soil erosion. This led to frequent floods during the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, during the reign of Empress Wu Zetian, Luoyang was designated the "Divine Capital," and the emperor often resided there rather than in Chang'an.
In his opinion, perhaps today's flood was not only a natural disaster, but also a man-made disaster to a large extent.
"No one in Chang'an grows trees," Yan Xue said. "And yet we're asked to go up the mountain every day to cultivate young trees, even when it rains."
The progress of human civilization is always accompanied by environmental damage, which is unavoidable. Only when we develop and have spare capacity will we think about protecting the environment.
Yan Xue remembers that later those factories that caused serious environmental pollution were closed. Environmental protection has always been a very important issue for the country, and a lot of money is invested in its governance every year.
There was a hint of complaint and a touch of playfulness in these words. Qi Fang didn't know if he heard them or not. He looked at her, then walked back into the rain.
"What's wrong?" Yan Xue asked hurriedly.
Qi Fang raised his hand to signal her not to follow him, and walked into the woods next to him. Soon he came back carrying a large stone.
After rinsing the surface of the stone clean, he placed it next to the small box where the second old lady and Yan Jigang were sitting. He looked up at Yan Xue and said, "Sit down."
Yan Xue was a little surprised that they were going to find something for her to sit on, and then she frowned.
She moved the stone further out, sat on one half, and patted the other half, "You sit too."
The stone wasn't big, but with the petite girl sitting on it, it didn't seem so small. Qi Fang lowered his eyes to look at it, then sat on the other side with his back to her.
Perhaps because the stone was too small, the two of them were very close this time, and Yan Xue could even feel the man's body temperature under his clothes on her lower back, which was much warmer than hers.
This made her move back involuntarily, getting closer to the rare warmth in the cold rainy night.
Perhaps he noticed something, but the man straightened his back and also moved back a little, allowing her to get closer.
Yan Xue only needed to tilt her head back slightly, and she could even rest her head on his broad back, so she simply leaned her whole body against him, "Now I realize that being small is also good."
If she were taller, or not as big a size as Qi Fang, she wouldn't be able to enjoy this warmth.
"Yeah." Qi Fang maintained that posture without moving, and just turned around and pressed her head lightly.
The family of four were all sitting here, and the people standing over there were watching. They finally came to their senses from their worry, anxiety, heartache, and fear, and went to look for stones nearby.
Soon, no one came up anymore. Secretary Lang came over to count the number of people and found that there were still seven missing.
This made him frown, "Hasn't every household been notified?"
The water is so deep and the sky is so dark down there that it's impossible to find it even if I want to.
In the end, he could only settle the people on the mountain first, and deal with the others until tomorrow morning.
Two or three hundred families in Jinchuan Forest Farm huddled together under makeshift sheds and endured this extremely difficult night.
In the middle of the night, perhaps because the rain had subsided and people were frightened, tired, and really sleepy, some people couldn't help but fall asleep.
Seeing the second old lady pulling Yan Jigang into her arms, Yan Xue reached out her hand and said, "Let me hold you for a while, and you can take a rest too."
Just as he was holding it, Qi Fang took it away again, "I feel hot."
His body was indeed warmer, his embrace was wider, and more reassuring. Yan Xue did not argue with him, and then fell asleep unknowingly.
This sleep was not restful. She could feel people talking, moving, sobbing, and children making noises. Outside the shed, there was a constant patter of rain. When she finally woke up, the sky was already turning light. Someone said with a hint of surprise, "It seems to be getting brighter."
Yan Xue opened her eyes, squinted them, and then looked towards the horizon like many people who had just woken up.
The millstone thunder stopped at midnight yesterday, but the rain has not stopped. Now the gloomy dark clouds seem to have been opened by something, and the light finally leaks in.
Secretary Lang and his men distributed the biscuits and bread they had brought from the store last night to everyone. "There aren't many, so everyone should make do with this for now."
When Qi Fang took out the box, the second old lady stuffed a few cakes into it. Because it was well protected, no water got into the box, so it was just right to take them out and fill his stomach.
After a night of camping, everyone had calmed down a lot. Secretary Lang saw that the rain had subsided, so he asked a few young men who were good at swimming to blow up tires and make a simple raft.
There were still seven families left, and they couldn't just leave them there. They tied the raft and lowered it down. Not long after, an old man and two children were brought up.
There were also people who stayed on the roof and refused to come down. Secretary Lang had no choice but to go over and persuade them personally, and persuaded a few more households to come down.
In the end, there were still two people who had not been found, and no one knew where to look for them. They could only stay on the mountain and wait anxiously for the rain to stop and the water to recede.
At noon, the dark clouds were gradually replaced by sunshine, and the flood that was once higher than a person's shoulder finally receded slowly.
By evening, the water had receded to below people's waists and the rain had completely stopped. Secretary Lang looked at the sky and said, "Let's all go back. It shouldn't rain any more."
But no one dared to move. Everyone was frightened by the flood last night and was afraid of experiencing it again.
Yan Xue didn't move either. She just secretly tugged at Qi Fang and pointed to the horizon, "Look."
Qi Fang looked in the direction she pointed and saw a clear and beautiful rainbow.
"Isn't it beautiful?" Yan Xue's eyes sparkled. "But if we hadn't experienced the brutal storm last night, we wouldn't be able to see such a beautiful rainbow now."
She knew that the man had a problem in his heart, and she didn't know whether he could just wait another seven years and continue to carry those burdens. She said this in the hope that he would be more open-minded.
Qi Fang looked at her, but he felt that her eyes were more beautiful than the rainbow, making him want to kiss them and treasure them.
Unfortunately, the time and place were wrong. Not far away, someone cried out, "My house was collapsed by the flood!"
The couple looked over and found that it was Li Shuwu's wife.
She slapped her legs and cried heartbreakingly, "Where are we going to live? And all the things in my house are gone! All gone!"
The houses in the Bawangquan area were warm, but their foundations were shallow and their resilience to flooding was poor. During the flood, some houses collapsed. Li Shuwu's house was among them, and it was obvious that most of it had collapsed. Only half of the wall remained on the side not directly hit by the flood, revealing the supporting wood inside.
The point wasn't that they had to rebuild their house—after all, the forestry farm had provided the wood, so it was just a bit of a hassle. It was that if the house was gone, what would be left of the things inside?
This was too tragic. Yan Xue looked at the other person and didn't say, "Aren't you an experienced local?"
Qi Fang, however, was not as kind-hearted as her. He said sarcastically, "It's a good thing I didn't rent their house in the first place."
How mean! Li Shuwu’s wife must have heard it since she was not far away.
She did hear it, but she was too sad, and she probably still remembered what she said to Yan Xue yesterday, so she didn't say anything and just continued crying.
Several other families had their houses washed away. Secretary Lang, upon seeing this, came down again to inform everyone to check their own houses first. Those who could live there should stay, and those who couldn't should try to squeeze into other people's homes first, lest the floods not only spare them, but also cause them to be crushed by collapsed houses.
As for the several houses that were confirmed to have collapsed, they were all temporarily relocated to the guesthouse in the forest farm. The structure there was made of bricks and tiles, which was stronger than the Overlord Circle, and nothing happened there.
The group of people were tired and hungry, and they couldn't really stay in the mountain any longer. When it got dark and the flood receded a little, they went back one after another.
At this time, it was clear how wise it was for Yan Xue and Qi Fang to add an extra layer of bricks on the outside when they built the house. A nearby house collapsed, and another house was cracked, but only their house was not hurt.
But the fact that nothing happened doesn't mean they have it easier than others. The flood alone entered the house, and the silt it brought in was enough for them to clean up for a while.
Later, broken items need to be replaced, dirty things need to be washed, and the house that has been soaked in water needs to be thoroughly disinfected and aired for a while, otherwise it will definitely get moldy.
Probably because of rocks carried in the water, several windows in Yan Xue and Qi Fang's room were broken. After a discussion, they decided to just clear out the room occupied by the second old lady and Yan Jigang, and let the family squeeze in for the night. They would wait until the water receded completely the next day, and then clean up the other rooms bit by bit.
The only thing to be thankful for was that they were well prepared, and the flood did not reach the roof, so many things stored high up in the house were spared.
Qi Fang took the quilt down from the top of the cabinet and opened it. Inside it were a dictionary, a workbook, a pencil case and a small hand/wooden box. He didn't know when Yan Jigang had put them in there yesterday.
Seeing that several people were looking at him, and there was amusement in his sister and grandmother's eyes, Yan Jigang blushed and hurried over to take it away.
But the kang had been soaked in water and couldn't be heated, nor could they sleep on it directly. Several people put a layer of clothes underneath and finally managed to get through the night.
The next morning, the forest farm became busy with people packing up things everywhere. Yan Xue had the opportunity to count their losses.
First, the window glass needs to be replaced. A lot of plates and bowls are broken. The few remaining ones with chips are barely usable, but they have to be bought new.
Fortunately, all the valuables were in Qi Fang's small box, and they had stored the food up high, so there was no need to worry about food shortages. Some families had already run out of food, and Secretary Lang was contacting nearby unaffected forest farms to see if they could ship some food over.
In addition, what surprised Yan Xue the most was the tree stumps in the backyard, because they had built a shed in advance, so there was not much damage.
However, they have all been soaked in water and need to be exposed to the sun before use. The surface also needs to be disinfected with lime water first, otherwise there will be bacteria.
In addition, the places where wood ear mushrooms are grown and the homes that have been exposed to water must also be disinfected with quicklime. I don’t know how many of the fungus strains were saved after all the hard work of Aunt Guo and Guo Changan.
Fearing that the Guo family didn't have enough manpower, Yan Xue simply packed up her place and rushed over with Qi Fang.
As expected, Guo Changping and Jin Baozhi have not returned yet. I heard that a mudslide occurred on the road from the forest farm to Dahuan Village.
Yan Xue and Qi Fang ignored the fungus strains and helped the mother and son clean up the house first. After they finished here, they returned to the small house they had rented before.
This time Guo Changan did not avoid them. He supported himself against the wall with one hand and followed them with difficulty with the support of Aunt Guo with the other.
As soon as you enter the door, you'll see several broken cans, with glass shards and sawdust scattered all over the floor.
Qi Fang didn't let the others in. He went out first to find a shovel and cleared the road, especially the glass shards. Then he looked up and said, "Most of them are fine."
Fortunately, Aunt Guo Changan had the idea of using boxes to pad the desk, and she spent a lot of effort to move it up. Except for a few boxes on the edge that were shaken down and some that were not put back in time, most of the cans were preserved well.
"You have helped me a lot this time." Yan Xue's eyebrows curved as she looked at Aunt Guo and then at Guo Changan.
Seeing this, Auntie Guo smiled. "I'm glad you can help. I was worried that our efforts would be in vain."
Guo Changan, however, pursed his lips. After a long pause, he asked, "Is it still usable?" Seeing several people looking over, he added, "It was definitely below 22 degrees the night before yesterday."
When Auntie Guo heard this, she also became a little worried. "Yes, it's raining so hard that we won't be able to light a fire for the next two days."
"It's okay." Yan Xue smiled. "The low temperature will only slow down the growth of the mycelium. It won't affect its activity. We can just adjust it back later."
"That's good, that's good." Aunt Guo breathed a sigh of relief, while Guo Changan looked thoughtful.
Seeing this, Yan Xue simply said a few more words to him: "In fact, wood ear mycelium is most afraid of high temperatures. Once it exceeds 30 degrees, it may lose its activity, so it is generally controlled between 22 and 28 degrees. However, the most suitable temperature is actually 25 degrees, but this is difficult to control, so I didn't force it."
As they were talking, several people had already started to take the cans down. These things were easy to break, and it was not safe to put them in high places. The Guo family's tables and boxes could not always be occupied here.
Guo Changan couldn't use his right hand, but his left hand was very steady. He helped to take it down without saying a word.
Just after they moved the table to the yard, Guo Changping and Jin Baozhi came back. It was obvious that they had come in a hurry and didn't even bring Tiedan with them.
When Auntie Guo saw what was happening, she immediately asked about the situation: "Where's Tiedan? Why didn't you bring him back? How's Dahuan Village? Is there a flood?"
The couple hurried over to take over. "Dahuan Village is fine, and Tiedan is fine too. The road had just been cleared and was difficult to walk on, so we didn't take him with us."
Auntie Guo finally felt relieved and told them what happened the day before yesterday, "Thanks to Xiao Yan and Xiao Qi, otherwise Chang An and I would have had to go up on the roof."
The couple hurried over to thank them.
"It's okay, Auntie and Chang'an also saved my fungus."
Yan Xue explained it clearly, but the couple was still very grateful. It looked like they had to express their gratitude profusely.
Yan Xue was about to go back to continue cleaning the house, but when she saw Guo Changan silently moving out holding the wall, she suddenly stopped.
"If you really want to thank me, how about letting Chang'an do some work for me for a few days?"
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