How could Niu Fangfang possibly let her grandmother go get the things? Why would she, a young woman, run away first?
She pushed the old man onto the high platform behind the house.
"Grandma, go up the mountain to find my dad and the others. I'm going to get some things."
"No, the water's coming soon..."
The water was already up to their calves, and the only reason they still had time to talk was because their house was on higher ground.
But that's not a reason to keep talking.
Water and fire are merciless; when it's time to run, you still have to run. After helping the old lady onto the high platform, Niu Fangfang turned around and ran into the slightly lower house.
The old lady stood on it, extremely anxious.
"Fangfang, Fangfang, be careful..."
No one expected that the river flowing through the center of the village would suddenly swell.
(Grandma Niu and the others did not know that the reservoir above had been bombed.)
Because it's almost Chinese New Year and we're about to have our New Year's Eve dinner, the men in the family went to the mountain to pay respects to our ancestors, leaving mostly the elderly, women, and children at home.
The old lady stood there shouting, her face full of anxiety, staring at Niu Fangfang's back as she waded into their house, her heart pounding in her chest.
"Fang..."
"I'm fine, I'll be right out."
Niu Fangfang had already made her way into the old lady's room and found the wooden box where she kept her money and her grandfather's portrait on the bedside table.
She tucked her grandfather's portrait into her bosom, while holding her grandmother's money box tightly, and turned to walk out.
"Fangfang..."
Just as Niu Fangfang was about to step outside, the water at her feet suddenly rose considerably. What was originally just knee-deep water suddenly reached her chest.
Niu Fangfang lost her balance and fell into the water with a splash.
"Fang'er...Fang..."
Grandma Niu didn't hear the sound of falling into the water, but the water suddenly rose, and Niu Fangfang hadn't come out for a long time, so she was very worried.
It looked like they wanted to come down from the platform.
"Milk……"
Niu Fangfang's cousin, Niu Zhenghui, ran over from a distance and saw the old lady about to wade in the water. He was so frightened that his soul almost left his body.
Without saying a word, he rushed over and grabbed the old lady's arm.
"What are you doing? The water's dangerous!"
He went to pay respects to their ancestors with his second uncle and his father. When they reached the top of the mountain, they noticed something was wrong. When they looked back, the entire village was flooded.
This scared the whole family half to death.
At that moment, they didn't even bother to worship their ancestors, nor did they take any of their belongings; they turned around and ran home.
Niu Zhenghui was younger than his second uncle and father, and his legs were much better, so he could naturally rush down the mountain faster.
That's why he arrived at just the right time.
"Your sister, your sister is still at home, you have to go save her, hurry!"
Upon hearing the old lady say that her sister was still at home, Niu Zhenghui immediately understood why the old lady had gone into the water.
“I understand, Grandma. I’m going to save my sister. You go to higher ground. My dad and second uncle will be here soon. Slowly walk towards them.”
After giving his instructions, Niu Zhenghui took off his cotton-padded coat and placed it on a large rock to the side, then plunged into the water that had already leveled the top of their house door.
Niujia Village is located in a low-lying and narrow area, with the Rhinoceros Horn Reservoir above it and a wide river flowing through the middle of the village.
Most of the villagers' houses are built on the south bank of the river, with mountains behind them.
When the floodwaters come down, those near the riverbank basically have nowhere to run.
However, because of its proximity to the river, many villagers are excellent swimmers.
Niu Zhenghui is one of them.
"Sister, sister, where are you? Sister?"
As Niu Zhenghui swam deeper into the water, he called out to Niu Fangfang.
Niu Fangfang, who had just fallen into the water, was now struggling to swim over. Hearing Niu Zhenghui's voice, she tilted her head back and responded.
"Xiao Hui, I'm here, I'm fine, get out of the water quickly."
The water was too strong, and Niu Fangfang was very worried that the buildings would be washed away.
If they stayed in such water, it would inevitably be somewhat dangerous.
Once Niu Zhenghui was sure his sister was alright, he wasn't so worried anymore and didn't need to stay in the water any longer.
With long arms outstretched, he parted the water and reached Niu Fangfang's side, took the box she was holding protectively, and turned to swim towards the shore.
The brothers Niu Jianbang and Niu Liye had just arrived at their location. Because of the snow, the two brothers had fallen several times along the way.
But they couldn't even think about themselves; instead, they rushed over.
I'm afraid something might happen to the elderly or children.
The two brothers were relieved to see that the person was alright.
"Dad, Mom and Auntie went to Grandma's house. Grandma's village is also by the river..."
Niu Fangfang wiped the water from her forehead and looked at Niu Jianbang before speaking.
The two brothers married sisters from the same family in Liujia Village. Although they were brothers, they were also brothers-in-law, truly the kind of relationship where blood ties remain even if broken.
Because of this relationship, Niu Fangfang and Niu Zhenghui have had a closer relationship since childhood than siblings born of the same mother.
Niu Jianbang glanced at his younger brother beside him, then turned to his mother and daughter and said, "Mom, have Fangfang and Xiaohui take you to the city. Liye and I will go to visit their maternal grandmother."
"Okay, go quickly, don't worry about me, go quickly."
Although Grandma Niu was an old woman from the countryside, she was not a mean-spirited one. Unlike others, she never treated her daughters-in-law as outsiders.
In the old lady's eyes, her son, grandson, and daughter-in-law were all equally important.
When faced with danger, her first concern was for their safety, not her own.
If it really came to the point where there was no other choice but to choose one of them to live and the other to die, the old lady would absolutely choose to sacrifice herself to protect the children without hesitation.
Of course, we are not facing that situation now.
The two brothers, Niu Jianbang and Niu Jianbang, hurriedly ran to their wives' hometown, Liujia Village.
Niu Fangfang and her brother Niu Zhenghui also helped the old lady, walking uphill with one stumble and the other staggering.
Their target was naturally the city.
However, the original road into the village is now submerged by water, which is nearly two meters deep. Trying to walk on the road now would be a complete idiot.
Therefore, if they want to leave the village and go to the city, they have to cross the mountain behind their house.
Fortunately, the mountain wasn't particularly high. Both Niu Fangfang and Niu Zhenghui had played on the mountain when they were young, so they knew the way up and down.
Even in the dead of winter, with snow still covering the mountains, it seemed unlikely that they could make it uphill like this.
Especially since Niu Fangfang and Niu Zhenghui's clothes were still wet.
If I continue like this, I'm bound to get sick.
"Sis, shall we find a place to dry our clothes before we leave?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
