RYEY -Chapter 259 Flash Flood Eruption

“You go back first. I’ll go find Uncle Yuejin.”

Li Huan didn’t even bother to take an umbrella. He ran straight toward Chen Yuejin’s house. Chen Yuejin was Wang Xiangyang’s father-in-law, Caiqin’s father—a lifelong hunter who had also lived through the previous flood disaster.

“What did you say? The animals are all fleeing? Let’s go up the mountain.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Chen Yuejin took a straw raincoat and straw hat down from the wall and handed a set to Li Huan. Li Huan hurriedly copied his movements and put the raincoat on.

Seeing that Chen Yuejin had also brought a homemade gun and various tools, Li Huan silently committed this to memory. This was precious experience—something he had to remember well.

The two of them trudged up the mountain through the mud. When they finally reached the halfway point, they indeed saw wild chickens and rabbits fleeing in all directions. Even the insects and ants underground were rapidly moving their nests.

Chen Yuejin didn’t look at the chickens or rabbits at all. Instead, he stared intently at the ants, watching which direction they were crawling, then immediately followed that way.

Half an hour later, they reached the right side of the mountain. Chen Yuejin looked at Li Huan seriously. Based on his judgment, even if a flash flood came, it would discharge from the other side—this side should be safe.

Still, this was only based on his experience, and he couldn’t guarantee how reliable it was. Li Huan nodded repeatedly. Experience was invaluable. No matter what, they had to find some mountain caves first and get the villagers to hide.

They quickly discussed a plan: Chen Yuejin would search for caves, while Li Huan would go down to notify the villagers. But this time, Li Huan miscalculated—many people were unwilling to leave their homes. They didn’t believe there would be a flood here.

“First take your essential belongings—bring quilts, bedding, and dry rations. Go up the mountain and hide for a while. If nothing happens, it’ll just be a false alarm. But if something does happen, don’t forget the flood from more than twenty years ago.”

As soon as he said this, the older villagers grew nervous, but the younger ones laughed and shook their heads. Their rogue village chief had only been reliable for a few years—how could he suddenly become unreliable again?

“I’ll listen to Huan-zai. Xiangyang, take your wife and your younger siblings up the mountain first. Your father and I will come later.”

Aunt Wang quickly raised her hand. She told Xiangyang and Caiqin to go up first to secure a good cave. She herself needed to go back to make flatbreads and boil water—people still had to eat and drink up in the mountains.

All members of the security team also listened to Li Huan, but they couldn’t leave yet. They had to escort the elderly, the weak, women, and children safely up the mountain.

Of course, there were still more than a dozen households unwilling to go. They had followed Huan-zai and made some money, had just finished building new houses, and even bought new furniture and bicycles. Asking them to abandon these things—over their dead bodies.

Li Huan didn’t have time to waste on them. He returned to the village committee office and called the commune. When the commune secretary received Li Huan’s call, his expression also turned solemn.

“Comrade Li Huan, I order you to ensure the villagers’ safety at all costs. Those who need to evacuate must evacuate. Anyone who refuses—enforce it.”

Li Huan nodded repeatedly. He could only protect his own village; he couldn’t manage the others. As for those villagers who refused to go up the mountain, Li Huan’s attitude was very direct.

He led several security team members, grabbed a shovel, and smashed it straight onto their brand-new furniture. Weren’t they reluctant to part with these worldly possessions? Smash them first, then talk.

From the moment Cheng Qiao warned Li Huan until all the villagers were up the mountain, a full six or seven hours passed. Chen Yuejin was also extremely capable. Familiar with the mountain, he found more than a dozen caves, each able to hold dozens of people.

Cheng Qiao didn’t idle either. She had Mother Li make flatbreads and boil water with Li Le, while she and Ye Jun took Xuhui, his grandmother, and the two children up the mountain first.

With the elderly and the children, if they were mixed in with a large crowd going up the mountain together, accidents could easily happen. Moreover, Xuhui’s grandmother had poor mobility, so they had to go ahead.

Watching Cheng Qiao carrying his grandmother up the mountain in front of him, Xuhui felt a warmth spread through his heart. He tightened the basket on his back and carefully followed step by step.

“Cheng Qiao, Doctor Ye, come over here. This cave is small, but it’s high.”

Cheng Qiao looked at the recessed spot. There was a huge rock above blocking it, so rainwater couldn’t get in at all. The cave wasn’t big—at most a dozen square meters—but she was very satisfied.

Xuhui quickly took out the bedding wrapped tightly in plastic sheeting and spread it at the innermost part of the cave, letting his grandmother sit down first. Then he ran in and out collecting stones to build a simple stove.

“Master, I’ll leave the children and Grandma to you. I’m going back down the mountain.”

“Alright—be careful.”

“Mom, I’ll go with you too. At least I can carry some things.”

Little Xuhui lifted his head high. Cheng Qiao thought for a moment, then nodded. With Master on the mountain, the two children would definitely be fine. Besides, Grandma could still help with small tasks.

When they went up the mountain again, there were clearly many more people. Cheng Qiao had Mother Li take Li Le and Xuhui, carrying baskets and following the villagers up the mountain, while she herself stayed behind, busy in the house.

She put everything into her space. Of course, she was prepared to abandon the furniture, but she also packed up some kitchen items before going to find Li Huan.

Li Huan had been busy for hours without even a sip of water. When he saw Cheng Qiao, he immediately put on a pitiful act. Cheng Qiao shot him a look, took out a water bottle and some snacks, and made him eat and drink his fill first.

Only after forcibly escorting the last stubborn villager up the mountain did Li Huan finally walk uphill with Cheng Qiao, the two of them supporting each other. Seeing the old ox stuck in the mud and unable to move, Cheng Qiao glanced around and swiftly put it into her space.

The rain kept falling. Everyone spent the night in fear and anxiety. But by the evening of the next day, there was still no sign of a flash flood. Some villagers began to grumble, and some even wanted to go down the mountain.

Li Huan took out the homemade gun. Whoever dared go down—he’d shoot. Even though it was already a society ruled by law, when the rogue village chief truly got angry, everyone was afraid.

Just as things were deadlocked, Chen Yuejin suddenly shouted, “The flash flood is here!”

Everyone heard a rumbling sound like muffled thunder. They ran to the cave entrance to look—and realized it wasn’t thunder at all. It was a massive flash flood, carrying thick mist, pouring down toward Xiangyang Village from another direction.

Chen Yuejin muttered under his breath. When Li Huan leaned closer to listen, he realized Chen Yuejin was praying that the Xiangyang River could take in all this water—otherwise, the village would be flooded again.

The villagers fell silent. The looks they gave Li Huan were filled with gratitude. Just from animals fleeing, he had been able to foresee a flash flood—this village chief was truly capable.

Li Huan himself was deeply shaken. Thank goodness for Cheng Qiao. If she hadn’t warned him, if he hadn’t trusted his wife completely and taken immediate action, Xiangyang Village would have been completely wiped out.

No one knew how much time passed before crying could be heard behind them. Watching the enormous waves rush down the mountain, the villagers knew they were about to lose everything once again.