On this rainy night, all of the more than one hundred people in the village fled. The men stood on the top of the North Mountain, looking down into the dark village, getting soaked in the rain, and not one of them uttered a single word.
They already knew that four families hadn't escaped. Judging from their locations, it wasn't that they couldn't escape, but rather that they simply didn't believe in natural disasters like floods and landslides, and were probably still asleep.
Or perhaps it was because of the warning given on Wednesday that these families always went against the grain, but now the worst has happened: the villagers who escaped want to go back to rescue them, but there is no way to go back in the afternoon.
The road down the mountain into the village had been flooded by the floodwaters that rushed out from the western gully. When the last group of people escaped and looked back, the area behind them was already a vast expanse of water. They could even hear the pitiful cries of pigs, sheep, and dogs mixed in with the rushing floodwaters.
The disaster came suddenly, but there were signs. It rained for more than ten days in a row, and the clan chief told everyone to prepare for the evacuation in advance, but some people still failed to escape.
"Alas, those stubborn fools have ultimately brought ruin upon their entire families. Let's wait and see when dawn breaks; perhaps they can climb onto the roof and escape this calamity," the clan chief sighed.
That's all everyone can think!
"Alright, everyone go into your tents and change out of your wet clothes. Don't get sick again. We'll talk about it when it's light!" the chieftain said, then went back into his tent.
Afterwards, everyone gradually returned to their tents.
Although it's crowded and damp here, at least it can shield them from the rain outside.
The women and children from each household had quietly huddled together to rest. When the men returned, they sat down beside them and changed out of their wet clothes.
Because we had prepared in advance, we brought one or two dry clothes with us.
For a moment, the four dark tents were filled with the rustling sounds of people changing clothes.
Zhao Shili was kept inside by Old Man Zhou and Zhou Quan, and was already resting on the wooden board next to Zhuzhu.
"You close your eyes and rest for a while too. I'll keep an eye on things. You should be able to stay here until dawn without any problem," Old Man Zhou said to Zhou Quan.
"I'm not sleepy now, I'll sit for a while longer. Dad, after you change your wet clothes, you can rest for a bit!"
Li Mai took the package out of her spatial storage and handed it to Zhao Shi while Zhou Quan was blocking her way.
Zhao gave Old Man Zhou some dry clothes to change into.
Of course, in such situations, one can only change one's top and outer robe; it's inconvenient to change one's underpants, so one has to wear them as they are for the time being.
The men from other households were also quietly changing their clothes.
Li Mai was not asleep; she lay there pondering how the villagers would survive after this disaster.
Of the more than 40 households and over 100 people in the village, only about ten families have enough money to rebuild their houses and start a new life. This includes a few families who recently received a sum of money as a result of their ancestors' good deeds.
But what about most other households?
The entire Zhoujia Village is situated in a valley surrounded by mountains on three sides.
Originally, such a location was considered an auspicious place to live.
However, such a living environment also has a risk, namely, the worst thing is to encounter rainy days and years with continuous rain.
In such weather, not only will the house become damp, but in severe cases, heavy rain can also cause landslides, floods, and mudslides in the surrounding mountains, endangering the lives of people living in the valley.
Presumably, our ancestors chose to live here knowing these risks, which is why they passed down stories of past disasters from generation to generation, warning future generations to be careful on rainy days.
Therefore, today, when faced with such a situation, most of the villagers were able to escape and survive.
The four families that didn't come out could have come out, but their stubbornness ruined their own lives.
After the flood, should we leave the village and find another place to build a house, or stay here? If we stay here, how can we withstand this kind of flood?
She had never encountered these things in her previous life and never imagined the outcome would be so severe.
I don't know how things are in Lijia Village. However, it's a village located halfway up a mountain, so it's unlikely they'll encounter floods. But leaks or houses collapsing are bound to happen to some families.
After this is all over, I'll go back and check on my little house. It probably won't withstand this continuous rain and will collapse.
Li Mai thought about a lot of random things, and then dozed off for a while.
Unexpectedly, she had a nightmare and was awakened by it.
In her dream, she was fighting a giant mutated beast. But at the crucial moment, her spiritual power suddenly disappeared, and she couldn't use her superpowers. As she watched the mutated beast spit out a ball of fire towards her, she screamed and flew backward, crashing to the ground.
Upon waking, she sat up abruptly and looked around, only to realize that she was still in the tent where she and her family had temporarily taken refuge, and that it was gradually getting light.
I glanced around and saw that everyone was huddled together resting.
Perhaps sensing that he had woken up, Zhou Quan, who was resting in a chair, also opened his eyes and looked at her.
"Xiaomai, what's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?" Zhou Quan asked softly.
Li Mai nodded, not daring to touch Zhao Shi and Zhu Zhu beside her. She quietly stood up, turned her back to him, and took his pulse. "How are you? Is there anything that's uncomfortable?"
"My legs are a little numb, probably from sitting for too long!" Zhou Quan said in a low voice.
Li Mai let go of his hand, then took his hand and said softly, "I'll help you stand up and catch your breath. You can lie down there for a while."
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