novelraw Chapter 258 The flood has come, those below, hurry up and come up!
Chapter 258 The flood has come, those below, hurry up and come up!
Zheng Lihong made very thoughtful arrangements. Two chefs in white coats carried a large bucket of mung bean soup, with a large basin full of porcelain bowls on top.
One by one, the family members put down their hoes, tidied themselves up, and brushed the dirt off their clothes before heading over. Sister Zheng was truly a worrier; these family members weren't bad people, but they had a lot of problems. If she had to handle the coordination and organization, it would drive her crazy!
While drinking water, everyone huddled together chatting. They were all very interested in Tong Yuheng and took the initiative to strike up a conversation with her.
"Did you grow all the vegetables in your yard?" Battalion Commander Zhou's wife asked.
"Xiao Tong, how do you have such strength?" This is Liu Yaqing, the wife of Deputy Regiment Commander Zhang.
"I was a sent-down youth, and I've done all the farm work. As for my strength, it's because I've been practicing boxing and running with my dad since I was little, so I'm physically strong," Tong Yuheng explained.
Look at her slender figure and thin arms; it's hard to equate them with the "muscular" look she claims to have.
He Xiufang has been unusually well-behaved these past few days, afraid that people will suggest she do the same work as Tong Yuheng. People occasionally tease her about things she's said, saying that even if she can't match Tong Yuheng, she should at least do half of her workload, which has exhausted her. She hasn't had time to complain these past few days while working.
Of course, Tong Yuheng wouldn't hold a grudge. Seeing that she wasn't slacking off or cheating while doing her job, he didn't say a word more. As long as she didn't nag in his ear like a fly, that was enough.
This collective labor improved everyone's impression of Tong Yuheng, and those who used to make sarcastic remarks about him have become much less so.
~
Before we knew it, it was mid-August, and several heavy rains had fallen. The summer heat had passed, and with these rains, the mornings and evenings were quite cool.
Generally, upstream reservoirs release water when they can't hold it all, and with these recent rains, low-lying areas nearby are already flooded. Tong Yuheng estimates that the harvest from the riverbed in Chenjiatun is ruined for this year.
The soldiers helped evacuate nearby disaster-stricken people and reinforced flood control dikes. Most of them were sent out, and Li Chengsong also went to participate in flood relief with his subordinates.
The family compound was notified that the upstream would release water one or two more times. To avoid danger, the families living in bungalows were asked to move into the school's teaching building. Their belongings and food were also moved to the third floor, and a classroom was specially set aside to house each household's belongings.
Tong Yuheng helped everyone move their things several times. She stored most of her belongings in her spatial dimension, only moving some vegetables and grains. She left some tables and chairs behind, tied her legs to the window, and blocked the door with sandbags.
Floods may not come, but we must be prepared. This year's heavy rainfall raises concerns about potential flooding. Even if the houses aren't completely submerged, water entering them will render them uninhabitable. Since we've already received the notice, it's best to evacuate to higher ground as soon as possible.
Some people couldn't bear to part with their belongings and wanted to move everything they could carry, making trip after trip to move things out of their homes. Just then, it started raining, soaking the women and children who were carrying tables, chairs, and benches all to the bone.
Tong Yuheng quickly urged everyone to go upstairs and stay there, instead of running back and forth. If the floodwaters came now, they would be swept away!
Sister Zheng certainly couldn't stay at home at this time. As soon as she received the news, she organized everyone to stockpile water, food, and firewood, and also prepared flashlights, lifebuoys, and the like. She left her own home in the care of her two daughters, letting them stay on the second floor of their house. Political Commissar Gu stayed in his office, receiving all kinds of information at any time, coordinating the canteen, the supply of materials, and the hospital, and doing a good job in logistics.
Twenty or thirty families moved into the primary school building. The children and adults were making a ruckus, and Tong Yuheng helped Zheng Lihong settle everyone in. Fortunately, there were five or six classrooms on the third floor of the school, so everyone could squeeze in.
When a flood comes, the water may not look deep, perhaps only knee-deep or waist-deep, but the current is very fast and the area affected is wide. It's impossible for a person to stand in the water. Once swept away, one can only drift with the current, and if no one rescues them, the chances of survival are slim!
Zheng Lihong and several other cadres were busy settling everyone in. Tong Yuheng looked out from the third floor of the teaching building and could already see the overwhelming gray-yellow flood surging in from afar!
"The floodwaters are rising! The flood has come in, those down below, hurry up and get up!" she shouted. Some people were even thinking of going home to get their belongings! They had just reached the playground.
"Quick, everyone up to the third floor! Keep an eye on the children!" Several women shouted downstairs, and the two who had been thinking of going home rushed back!
The floodwaters arrived in an instant, filling everything in the blink of an eye, leaving no land visible. Standing on the third floor and looking back at their bungalow, water quickly filled the yard and the house, with only half of the house above the windowsills above the water!
"There's someone in the water! Quick! Throw something to her!" Someone shouted as a clump of something floated on the water, its identity unclear.
This time, the lifebuoys that had been prepared in advance came in very handy. Someone quickly grabbed one and threw it out the window at the person! Unfortunately, she didn't catch it!
"It's He Xiufang! Why is she going back at this time?" Someone recognized her, and her son poked his little head out from her back, crying loudly.
"She has her youngest son tied to her! She just said he was missing and she went home to look for him!" Someone quickly said, recalling her anxious look when she was searching for her son.
The person floated past, the child on her body was crying, and she felt panic and despair! She tried to grab onto something, but there was nothing around her except water! The waist-deep, swift current carried the mother and child, bobbing them up and down as they drifted forward!
Just then, with a "thump," someone jumped off the building!
"It's Tong Yuheng! She can swim?"
"It was her! She jumped in with a lifebuoy!"
"Amitabha, may the Bodhisattva protect you..." Aunt Sun prayed, then, realizing she shouldn't promote feudal superstition, immediately stopped talking and prayed silently, "Little Tong is lucky and has a long life; may he be safe and sound!"
Tong Yuheng, holding a lifebuoy, swam swiftly towards the mother and child. As she approached, she grabbed He Xiufang's arm and shoved the lifebuoy into her hand.
"Lie on it and don't move!" Tong Yuheng commanded. He Xiufang immediately hugged the lifebuoy and half-lay on it, trying to arch her back so that the child's body could be above the water.
The three drifted downstream. Tong Yuheng searched diligently for a place to shelter, and luckily, there was a tall chimney in front of them. There was a ladder on the chimney, and Tong Yuheng grabbed it with one hand, while holding onto the lifebuoy with the mother and child clinging to it with the other, and stayed there against the current!
"I'll climb up and pull you over. You climb up too, hold on tight to the ladder, understand?"