Warning Everyone to Flee the Flood

"What? Is there really going to be a flood?" Mrs. Wang shot to her feet, her face grave. "I still remember that flood decades ago. Everywhere the water swept through, every house collapsed, and all the cattle and sheep were washed away!"

Zhang Mu nodded. "Ali, Aunt Wang, Yuanbao, I have a hunting cabin up in the mountains. I've already told Dr. Wu and Caiwei to pack up and head there. You all should hurry too. I figure the dam upstream will break in a day or two. With all this rain, the road to town is impossible, so our only option is to hide in the mountains. We need to move quickly—if we wait for the flood, it'll be too late!"

Su Li knew Zhang Mu was reliable—if he came all this way to warn her, things upstream must be bad. She and Mrs. Wang made a snap decision to move to the mountains.

"Zhang Mu, we need to tell the Village Chief and get everyone to evacuate! If the flood hits, most of the village will be underwater. If we don't leave early, who knows how many people will die!" Mrs. Wang said anxiously.

"Don't worry, Aunt Wang. After I tell your family, I'll go straight to the Village Chief," Zhang Mu said, wiping his face and throwing on his raincoat as he headed out. "Dr. Wu and Caiwei will come soon and go with you. Dr. Wu knows where my cabin is. You'll go together—be careful. There's food and water in the cabin, so you don't need to bring much. The flood comes and goes quickly, so don't worry about going hungry."

"Zhang Mu, let me go with you. You're young, and you might not be able to convince everyone. I lived through the last flood—I'll talk to the villagers myself," Mrs. Wang insisted.

Su Li couldn't let Mrs. Wang go alone, so she insisted on coming too. Yuanbao, worried about the two women, also wanted to join them.

Thankfully, Su Li's house was full of worthless odds and ends, and all her silver had already been exchanged for banknotes, wrapped tightly in waterproof oil paper. She packed everything, including a small jewelry box, into a tiny bundle.

Just then, Dr. Wu and Caiwei arrived, each carrying a basket and wearing raincoats. Su Li shoved the bundle into Caiwei's arms. "Caiwei, this is everything I own—I'm trusting you with it."

Caiwei tucked the bundle into her coat. "Let's hurry. The flood won't come just yet. My dad and I will wait here for you, and then we'll all go up the mountain together."

Without delay, Zhang Mu and the three from Su Li's family—everyone wrapped in raincoats—dashed through the downpour toward the Village Chief.

Zhang Mu told the Village Chief everything he had learned. The Village Chief, puffing on his pipe, looked grave: "Zhang Mu, is your information accurate? You know, mobilizing the whole village to go up the mountain is no small matter."

Zhang Mu replied, "It's accurate. I wouldn't dare make up rumors to deceive the villagers."

Mrs. Wang said, "Village Chief, you experienced that flood years ago too—so many people and livestock died! We're lucky Zhang Mu gave us an early warning this time, so the villagers can get to the mountains before the flood hits."

The Village Chief thought for a moment, then looked at the relentless rain outside, hesitating.

Mrs. Wang said anxiously, "Village Chief, I lived through that flood too—it rained day and night, just like now, as if the sky had sprung a leak. Look at this rain—it's even heavier and longer than last time! If a flood comes, it'll be a once-in-a-century disaster. Our village is low-lying and right by the river; if the flood hits, nobody will escape!"

The Village Chief clenched his teeth. "Alright, we'll go notify everyone to head up the mountain! If the flood doesn't come, at worst they'll curse me for making a fuss. But if it does, and I didn't warn them, and lives are lost, I won't have the face to meet anyone in the afterlife!"