Chapter 137 Arrival in Fengxian, a gaping maw
At dawn the next day, raindrops pattered incessantly, falling into the lake.
In just one night, many mud walls of the county's residents were washed away. Seeing that the rain showed no signs of stopping, Tang Bo'an followed Zhang Ting's instructions and directed the county's residents to evacuate to higher ground.
As Zhang Ting's carriage sped away towards Fengxian, Tang Bo'an only had time to bow in the direction she had left. Large raindrops streamed down her cheeks, but with a resolute look in her eyes, she wiped her face and turned back to continue leading the people to evacuate.
The words of parting will remain in their hearts for now; they each have their own battlefields to go to, their own missions, and the people they want to protect.
Meeting a kindred spirit on a rainy night, we'll meet again someday.
The mountains are high and the roads are long, see you again another day.
...
Three days later, the rain finally subsided, but the sky remained overcast, like a heavy gray cloth soaked in water, pressing down on us.
In Fengxian County, torrential rains have poured down for three consecutive days, destroying fields and houses. Many people were unable to evacuate in time and were killed by collapsing mud walls and roof beams, or swept away by the flood.
Those who were fortunate enough to escape knelt halfway up the mountain, gazing intently at the vast expanse of water below, weeping for their dead relatives and friends, and lamenting the loss of their homes and food.
"My little girl, my little girl..." The old woman lay on the ground, crying her heart out, her face covered in rain and tears.
"Mommy, waah, I want Daddy..." The little girl hugged her mother's leg and cried, "I want Daddy, Niu Niu will never be greedy again."
"Your father, your father..." The woman hugged her, wanting to say a few words of comfort, but she kept choking back sobs.
They had just experienced a drought and thought they had finally made it through. They were planning this year's harvest and inviting a few friends to hold a wedding banquet for their daughter next year. But in just three days, the world seemed to have changed. Floods swallowed their homes and devoured their relatives and friends. Everything was gone, all gone. It seemed that the suffering in the world was endless for them.
Spring, light, where are you?
...
After three days and two nights of continuous travel, traversing many muddy roads, Zhang Ting and his group finally arrived in Fengxian County.
The situation here is far worse than in Luchuan County. Towns and villages are located in low-lying areas, and floods can swallow up all living things along the way in an instant.
However, after careful observation, Zhang Ting discovered that, fortunately, there was a very high mountain with dense vegetation that could provide shelter for the people and was not at risk of collapse.
Seeing that the rain had subsided, she hurriedly urged the driver to hurry on his way, making sure they arrived before dark.
The natural disaster struck suddenly and swiftly, leaving Zhang Ting little time to prepare. He turned and took Zong Suyi's hand, asking, "Are you feeling alright now?" He had been traveling day and night for the past three days, the roads were muddy and the journey bumpy; he was afraid his body couldn't take it.
Zong Suyi leaned against the car wall, his face pale. "I can still hold on, and so can the baby. He's very strong." He clutched his belly. Usually, other pregnant men would be overwhelmed by morning sickness, but with him, the baby was as well-behaved and sensible as a little fairy.
Zhang Ting was still a little worried, so she pulled him into her arms and touched his forehead and cheeks.
“I came in a hurry, and Luchuan County was also hit by a disaster. I don’t have any close relatives or friends there, and I was worried about leaving you and the baby there, so I took you with me and traveled day and night, which caused you to suffer.”
Zong Suyi looked up and gave a weak but happy smile. "I'd be willing to eat coarse food and wild vegetables to be by your side, let alone endure the bumpy road." He leaned against her with peace of mind. "My wife, don't feel guilty. Whether we are rich and powerful or poor and humble, the most important thing is that our family can be together."
"Okay." Zhang Ting choked back a sob, pulled his head into her arms, and gently kissed his hair.
Zong Suyi's eyelashes trembled, and a smile suddenly appeared on her face. She gently pushed her away, saying, "Don't kiss me. It's been so long since you washed your hair. Don't you find it smelly?"
Stink? Zhang Ting glanced at the top of his head subconsciously. It was clean and fluffy, and she could still smell a faint fragrance.
But in front of Zong Suyi, she pretended to be unaware, saying, "My lord really should wash his hair." She glanced at the top of his head, frowned, and seemed to feel heavy-hearted because she had just kissed his 'dirty hair'.
Zong Suyi had only been saying it casually, but now he couldn't take it anymore. He hurriedly pushed her away, his face flushed red, even the tips of his ears were bright red.
How could it really smell bad?! He was on the verge of tears, so embarrassed he wanted to disappear into the ground. Oh God! He had made a huge fool of himself in front of his sweetheart!
How could such a noble, handsome, virtuous, and gentle young master from an official family make such a fool of himself?!
Good heavens, how could this kind of thing, how could this kind of thing happen to him! How could it be!
Zong Suyi huddled in the corner of the carriage, covering his face with his hands in shame, no longer daring to look his wife in the eye.
But if he removes his hands, he can see his beloved wife looking at him with great interest, her eyes hiding mischief and cunning.
It's so funny, even after three years, they're still so easy to fool.
Well, we don't even need to change our tactics, haha.
Her husband's adorable actions swept away the gloom that had been weighing on Zhang Ting's heart for days, and she couldn't help but chuckle softly.
When Zong Suyi heard the laughter, he pricked up his ears warily and carefully moved his hand away to look. He saw his wicked sweetheart beaming with joy, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up as well.
The next moment, realizing he had been tricked, he felt a sense of relief. It turned out his head wasn't dirty, and in his wife's mind, he was still the noble, handsome, gentle, and virtuous young master of an official family.
The next moment, he realized he had been tricked yet again. He stood up, hands on his hips, glaring at her with eyes so fierce they looked like he wanted to devour her. "You untrustworthy bastard! You promised last time you would never lie to me again!" He wanted to continue berating her, but the carriage suddenly lurched, and he staggered backward. His eyes widened, and he clutched his stomach in terror.
Zhang Ting, who had been enjoying the show, was now terrified. Before her brain could even process what was happening, she reached out and pulled the person back.
Without time to think, a fire ignited in her heart, and she pinched his nose to scold him, "You know this road is muddy, yet you still stood up? You almost got into an accident."
Zong Suyi was still feeling lingering fear, but when she suddenly heard that she had been scolded, her temper flared up.
He sat on Zhang Ting's lap and angrily shoved her, "You old rascal, you remember every little thing that happened in bed. If I give you even a little less, you torment me. And yet, and yet what? You go back on your word after you've had your fun! You've had your fun, and now you're denying everything you promised me after we got out of bed! And now you have the nerve to criticize me!"
Zhang Ting opened her mouth, but couldn't speak for a long time. It was the first time she had been scolded so badly that she was speechless and didn't know where to refute it.
"How can that be the same? What I just said was that you're reckless and act without considering the consequences." She wrapped her arms around his waist to prevent him from falling over again.
"Same or different, isn't that just your excuse? Don't think I don't know what kind of wicked scheme you're plotting." He sneered, reaching out to pinch her waist hard. "You just want to use this as an excuse to torment me again and again, letting me do whatever I want with you, shameless! Bastard!"
"Ha, you really think I'd fall for your tricks again? Dream on! You old sly fox!"
Zhang Ting immediately calmed down; oh, she really didn't mean that.
There's no need to use such complicated methods to deal with Zong Suyi.
She simply frowned, turned her head away, sighed softly, and said nothing more. Her expression was indescribable, as if it contained a trace of sadness.
Zong Suyi immediately fell silent, looking at the silent person, feeling a tightness in her chest. She wondered if her words had been too hurtful.
He lowered his head, feeling awkward and guilty for a moment, then took the initiative to approach her and weakly apologized: "My wife, I was wrong. I shouldn't have said those things to you. Don't be sad."
She remained silent and did not speak.
Zong Suyi was afraid that he would anger her, so he panicked immediately. He cupped her face in his hands, apologizing and kissing her at the same time, determined to let her see his remorse and love.
Zhang Ting then awoke from the sweet kiss of her beloved and, with remarkable tolerance and generosity, forgave her husband for his harsh words. Seeing the slight weariness on his face, she tenderly coaxed him back to sleep.
Zong Suyi slept soundly, completely satisfied. Just before losing consciousness, he was thinking that his wife was truly the most forgiving and kind person, yet he also vaguely felt that something was amiss.
Zhang Ting smiled as she smoothed her sleeping husband's hair, saying, "Look at this silly guy, he didn't even notice, haha."
But joy is fleeting. Her smile faded, and with a solemn expression, she lifted the carriage curtain. The sound of pattering rain reached her ears, and looking out, she saw a raging torrent, its turbid waters carrying away beams, logs, and vegetation, their destination unknown.
What will become of the people of Fengxian County?
The villages and towns at the foot of the mountain had been completely submerged. Looking around, it seemed that the people had almost finished evacuating. As darkness fell, two roads appeared in front of them. The woman in the cart asked which one to take.
"Go up the mountain."
Fortunately, although the mountain was high, the road was flat, and the group stopped at a flat spot in the mountains.
Liu Dawang and his two companions went ahead to scout out a place to rest and take shelter from the rain.
Zhang Ting put on a straw hat and raincoat and suddenly squatted down to probe the damp mud.
No one knew the meaning behind her actions, but even though they were in the eye of the storm, they felt safe as long as she was there.
Zhang Ting stood up thoughtfully. Although the ground was soaked in muddy water, the soil was firm. She reached her hand out to wash it with the rainwater.
He turned to Zheng Er and asked, "How many more days will our rations last?"
Zheng Er had already planned ahead, "It shouldn't be a problem in about half a month."
Zhang Ting nodded, saying that the flash flood would recede in half a month without any problem.
After the group ate their rations and rested for a while, Liu Dawang still hadn't returned.
Li Ruilian paced anxiously, "Could it be that it fell into some hole or acupuncture point? There's no one to help it."
Just as she was about to volunteer to Zhang Ting to find the two men, as if on cue, Cao Cao appeared.
The two men were beaming with joy and couldn't contain their excitement. "Master, we've found a large cave on the mountain. It's spacious, dry, and clean, and there are no wolves, snakes, or tigers around."
Zhang Ting was also delighted and immediately stood up. "Then let's go! Find a place to hide the carriage and take the horses and supplies with us."
It was already dark when the group opened umbrellas, lit torches, and began their journey.
After walking for only a quarter of an hour, they found a cave on the mountain, which was hidden in a rather secluded way, covered by grass.
The first thing the group did after entering the cave was to take off their straw hats and raincoats and shake off the rainwater.
"This place is wonderful!" Liu Da exclaimed with delight.
"Who says otherwise? Haha."
The cave was indeed spacious enough to be about an acre in size. It was so dry that there was not a drop of rain, and even dust was extremely rare, as if it had been deliberately cleaned.
As soon as they entered the cave, a gust of wind blew out their torches, plunging them into darkness once more. Wang Wu rummaged through his bundle for a long time before finally pulling out a flint and steel.
Zhang Ting turned around and suddenly asked the two how they found this cave.
"When I went back to my master's house, it was because Wang Wu had slipped and fallen into the ditch. I was searching for her by parting the bushes when I accidentally discovered this blessed place!"
"Hehe, that's right, I did contribute a little bit too." Wang Wu tried several times, but the flame was blown out by a gust of wind as soon as it started to burn, and she complained about how unlucky it was.
Zhang Ting lowered her eyelids and pondered, sensing that something was amiss.
Little did she know that in the pitch-black cave, a tall and sturdy figure quietly rose up behind her and suddenly opened its blood-red maw at her.
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