It had been raining in Fengyi for four or five days, and the dam upstream was likely to burst at any time. The people downstream were watching the rain outside, becoming increasingly worried.
The home of the village chief of Wangjia Village, Yunshui County.
The villagers gathered in the main hall, their faces full of anxiety.
"Village head, what do you think we should do? If the dike upstream breaks, the dozen or so surrounding villages will bear the brunt of the damage, and our Wangjia Village will be the first to suffer. It's too dangerous to continue waiting."
Wang Huaian frowned, and after a moment of contemplation, he said, "We have Panlong Mountain behind us, the highest mountain in the entire fiefdom. Instead of waiting for the court, why don't we move directly up the mountain?"
“Once the dam breaks, we won’t be able to escape at all. We will all die then. Waiting for the court’s words… Haha, it’s simply a joke.”
The villagers looked at each other, still a little hesitant.
Although it is dangerous at the foot of the mountain, you don't have to worry about food and drink at home. But once you go up the mountain, you have to go up in the rain. If you get sick on the mountain, it will be no joke.
Wang Cheng hesitated a little: "Village Chief, do we really need to go up the mountain? But there's no movement from other villages. If we go directly to the mountain, what if the government finds out..."
The village chief glanced at him calmly and said, "I'll let you decide on this matter. Those who are willing to go up the mountain can go, and those who don't want to go up the mountain can stay at the foot of the mountain."
"As for the risks, you bear them yourself. If the dam breaks, you're just waiting to die. If you go up the mountain and encounter wild animals, you're just as likely to die. In the end, neither path is easy."
As soon as these words were spoken, the villagers fell silent.
Soon, sobbing could be heard, and someone choked out a sob: "Why hasn't the imperial court sent down the documents yet? It would be better if we could just move away temporarily. Without the documents, we dare not go anywhere."
"The flood is secondary. The biggest concern is the epidemic that follows the flood. There has been too much rain this year, so there's no guarantee there won't be an epidemic."
The village chief waited until they calmed down and said, "Everyone go back and discuss. Those who are willing to go up the mountain should pack up their things. We will go up the mountain early tomorrow morning."
"If there really is a plague, we can still survive in the mountains. We just have to face the danger of wild animals. But as long as we work together, there is still hope."
"Don't even think about waiting for the court. I heard there was an earthquake in the capital, and even the imperial palace was not spared. Rebuilding it will cost money."
"If you expect the imperial court to take care of us, then you'll die."
Wang Dalang muttered quietly, "But the court always took care of things in previous years. Otherwise, how could we have survived? It doesn't make sense that the court wouldn't care when the floods are so severe this year."
The village chief chuckled, his eyes filled with indescribable irony: "It's not like this old man hasn't been to the capital before. Dalang, you think the court is too kind."
"If something really happens, you still have to rely on yourself. Hopefully, the court will forgive you. Okay, let's go back and discuss it. We should go up the mountain as soon as possible."
The villagers left in a rush.
When the old village chief thought about going up the mountain, he couldn't hide his worry on his face and sighed deeply. There was a drought in the north and a flood on their side.
He murmured, "It would be great if the north and south were separated. Why are they all coming down here? My rheumatic legs are acting up again, and it hurts so much."
The next morning
The old village chief looked at the twenty or so households rustling around, and his lips formed a line. You know, there are fifty or sixty households in the village, and less than half of them have come.
His voice was a little hoarse: "Well, while it's not raining now, let's quickly go up the mountain to find a cave and settle down for the time being."
A group of people carried their things and moved up the mountain little by little.
After half an hour, they found the cave. The village chief simply divided the cave according to the population of each household. Fortunately, there are many natural caves on this mountain, otherwise there would be no way.
It is extremely difficult to build a house temporarily.
The villagers at the foot of the mountain saw this and gathered before it started to rain, saying, "Has the old village chief gone crazy? He actually brought people up the mountain. It's so comfortable compared to staying at home."
"That's right. It's not raining now, and maybe it won't rain again in the future. Let's just wait for the water to recede."
We waited for a whole day, and the next day a man ran into the village wading through mud and water, his face full of panic and fear.
He yelled at the top of his lungs, "Something's happened! Everyone, get out quickly! Lijia Village has been flooded and everyone is dead! Everyone is dead!"
The villagers of Wangjia Village immediately ran out. When they heard the news, their expressions changed drastically. They asked, "What's going on, Goudan? Why is Lijia Village flooded? It hasn't rained yet."
The man named Goudan, dressed in rags, is a village guard. There are such people in every village. They never marry or have children and grow up eating food from many families.
"Aunt, it's been raining for a while now, and the hillside has become loose. Plus, there's been a lot of logging in Lijia Village over the past two years, so the whole village is flooded with mud and water."
"Those people couldn't escape at all. They were buried. There was no way to save them. We could only watch them die."
The villagers gasped when they heard this and looked up at Panlong Mountain. This was the highest mountain in the entire fiefdom. If it was flooded, the fiefdom would be in trouble.
What if, what if they come down from upstream? Even if they can't, Lijia Village is not far from them, and the corpses rush over.
Just thinking about this makes me feel cold all over.
Another twenty households of villagers went up the mountain that day. Even if there was only a slight possibility, this risk could not be taken. If it happened, it would mean death.
The old village chief on the mountain has arranged everything and is now sitting in the cave warming himself by the fire. His life seems to be quite stable, but he knows nothing about the news at the foot of the mountain.
When I saw the villagers going up the mountain, I couldn't help but be surprised.
"Why...are you guys coming up the mountain?"
Everyone was talking at once. After listening, the village chief remained silent, his expression becoming increasingly serious. He stood up and walked out to gather everyone together.
"Everyone, listen to me. You know the situation down the mountain. It's obviously not going to work for each household to act on their own. We must work together to stay warm."
"We'll divide up all the work and make it through the mountain together. From now on, we'll calculate the number of people, and I'll arrange everything. Everyone must do their best."
"Otherwise, if it rains, we will just be waiting to die on the mountain."
The villagers said solemnly, "Yes, village chief, you say so, and we will listen to you."
"Okay, gather the food, firewood, and herbs. The men will go hunting. Cook and jerky all the meat for preservation. Go down the mountain and bring up the firewood."
"The herbalist woman will go dig, and let the old lame man lead the way."
"Children, pick some fruits, choose ones that won't spoil easily, and bring them all back to the canyon over there. There's a well-ventilated area for easy storage. Whether we can survive from now on depends on you all."
The village chief was highly respected in the village, so naturally no one objected. Everyone took action. Looking at the busy people, the village chief still felt uneasy.
It feels like there is a stone in my heart, so heavy that I can't let it go. I looked up at the sky, but it was so gloomy that I didn't know when it would rain again.
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