Chapter 266 A Typhoon is Coming
The typhoon was expected to be fierce.
Although even Mao Mao couldn't say for sure when it would arrive, signs soon appeared.
The sky, which had been clear for days, turned overcast, the wind picked up, and a light rain began to fall intermittently. The sweltering heat brought a brief respite from the heat, but the air remained stuffy and suffocating, as if a storm was brewing.
Newspapers in Haicheng began issuing typhoon warnings, solemnly declaring that a strong typhoon was approaching.
All the people of Haicheng began making preparations.
The Lou family had originally planned a summer vacation at their mountain villa, but now they had to postpone their trip. The whole family began busily preparing for the approaching hurricane.
Mao Mao also followed the wives, running up and down to help.
“Here!” Mao Mao pointed to a window.
The servants rushed forward and boarded up the windows.
"And here too!"
The servants swarmed in again, carrying the flowerpots that were outside into the house.
"And this too!"
The servants are... um?
Ah Chun looked at the empty stove in the kitchen with confusion and said, "Miss, there's nothing here."
Mao Mao tilted her little head up and looked at everyone, blinked her eyes, and obediently said, "Mother said to prepare food and water."
Ah Chun and the others: "..."
Hmm... We do need to stock up on some food and water, but Miss, their rice and flour bins are full, and they have enough firewood, so they won't run out of food.
Furthermore, why is food being prepared in the stove...?
The chef shook his handkerchief, and without saying a word, pushed through the crowd: "Make way."
He scooped a spoonful of flour from the flour bin, added water, kneaded the dough, and began making snacks.
The dim sum is good and keeps well; I can make enough for the lady to eat for several days.
Mao Mao smiled broadly and said, "Thank you, Uncle."
Chef: "Hmm!"
The snacks would take a long time to make, so Mao Mao led a group of people out again and wandered around the house.
In addition to sealing doors and windows, moving away dangerous items that could be blown away, and preparing food and water, emergency flashlights and candles, as well as first-aid medicines, are also essential.
Fortunately, the Marshal's Mansion is located on higher ground, so there's no need to worry about it being flooded by heavy rainfall. But the situation is more uncertain for other places.
Mao Mao went to queue up in front of the telephone again.
The wives called home to remind their families to prepare supplies for the typhoon.
She stood at the very end of the line, and after everyone else had finished making their calls, Mao Mao laboriously brought over a small stool, stood on it, and began dialing numbers by turning the dial pad.
"Beep beep—"
"uncle!"
Nie Zhengyun's surprised voice came through the microphone: "Miss Mao Mao?"
"It's me!"
"Miss Mao Mao, why are you calling me today?" Nie Zhengyun said with a smile, "The fish in my pond are getting quite fat, would you like to come fishing?"
Holding the microphone, Mao Mao reminded her best friend, "Uncle, my dad said a strong wind is coming, so be careful!"
“Strong winds?” Nie Zhengyun: “Oh, you mean typhoons.”
He had already seen the warning in the Haicheng newspaper.
The people of Haicheng are experienced, and after receiving the news, before Mao Mao called to give instructions, the Green Gang members also took a series of preparatory measures.
Despite the preparations, the fact that the young girl kept it in her heart made Nie Zhengyun's smile deepen.
"I heard the typhoon is really strong this year, Miss Mao, you should be careful too."
"Mmm!" Mao Mao raised her little head, patted herself with her little hands, and only after she finished did she remember that her uncle was on the phone and couldn't see her. She quickly said into the receiver, "Uncle, I'm with my mom and brothers, Mao Mao isn't afraid!"
"Miss Mao Mao is so brave."
"Uncle, are you scared?"
“I…” Nie Zhengyun paused, then changed the subject, “I do feel a little scared living alone at home.”
"Uncle, don't be afraid," Mao Mao said with concern. "If you're scared, come to my house. It's very safe there."
The ladies next to her who were making the phone call: ?
The first wife hurriedly stopped her: "Mao Mao, this won't do!"
"Huh?" Mao Mao tilted her little head up in confusion.
Fortunately, Nie Zhengyun on the phone did not immediately agree.
He said with great regret, "Unfortunately, I was also supposed to be home that day."
"oh……"
"With Miss Mao's encouragement, I will try my best to overcome this," Nie Zhengyun said. "After the typhoon passes, how about Miss Mao comes to my house to go fishing?"
Mao Mao readily agreed: "Okay!"
The ladies: "..."
After calling Uncle Nie, I called my sister.
Zhang Jingsen answered the phone again.
“Mao Mao, you called at the perfect time,” Zhang Jingsen said. “My sister said she’s taking me home this afternoon. If you had called any later, I wouldn’t have been able to answer.”
"oh."
Mao Mao repeated the same words to her brother Sen Sen.
Besides inviting people to one's home.
Sen Sen's older brother and sister want to go home and have family with them, so they don't need to come to Mao Mao's house.
The two children chattered on the phone for a long time about school and vacation before hanging up.
The last one is Uncle Shen.
Uncle Shen's family is large, so there's even less need for Mao Mao to invite him.
After making calls to everyone, Mao Mao took out the children's raincoat that she had put in her suitcase.
When Lou Heming returned home, in the gloomy weather, he saw a small, bright yellow figure busily running back and forth in the rain.
Lou Heming went home with an umbrella, but the umbrella could not withstand the torrential rain.
Today, all shops in Haicheng were closed, and factory machines had stopped operating. Except for hospitals that couldn't be shut down, everyone was staying home. Therefore, when Lou Heming returned after finishing his business at the hospital, there were no cars or people on the streets, and all the doors and windows of the houses were nailed shut.
The wind picked up, and the rain intensified. The strong wind, carrying the rain, swept in haphazardly from all directions, and an umbrella was utterly ineffective in blocking it. On his way home, Lou Heming was soaked to the bone.
He entered the house soaking wet, first pinching his nose and gulping down a bowl of ginger soup, then watching Mao Mao run past through the glass.
Wearing a little raincoat and rain boots, Mao Mao ran around in the courtyard, incredibly lively.
He asked, puzzled, "Why is Mao Mao still playing outside?"
Lou Hongjian hugged his bird's nest and teased the chirping chicks inside: "Mao Mao said she's worried there might be other bird nests in the tree and wants to go check again."
Lou Heming smiled.
Soon, Mao Mao, who was playing in the courtyard, was also caught and brought back by her mother.
She entered the house soaking wet, her rain boots and raincoat covered in mud. She sat on the threshold, legs crossed, and asked her mother to help her take off her shoes.
Xia Xiaoxiang looked disgusted: "Sigh, why do you always run into puddles?"
Mao Mao looked at her with an adorable expression.
But being cute was useless; Xia Xiaoxiang took her to the dining room and made her drink a bowl of ginger soup.
The chef used a lot of chili when cooking the ginger soup, making it extremely spicy. Lou Heming was holding a bowl, and the ginger soup was too hot. He had only drunk half of it when his sister came in, called out "Brother," and then gulped down the rest of the small bowl.
Lou Heming adjusted his glasses.
He casually put down the bowl and asked, "Aren't Dad and my older brother coming back tonight?"
"That's right."
The wind and rain outside were getting stronger and stronger. According to the meteorological station's estimate, the typhoon should make landfall around midnight. Tonight, both Commander Lou and Lou Fengju stayed at the Military and Political Office to facilitate command and receive information.
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