mesbooks Chapter 188 The mountain at the west entrance of the village collapsed
Chapter 188 The mountain at the west entrance of the village collapsed
Can we even continue this conversation? Why bring up such a sensitive topic?
Wu Qingfeng frowned. "What's it to you?"
Bai Shaoan choked. Oh right, what does it have to do with him? As long as he's not used as a guinea pig.
Wu Qingfeng's eyes lit up. He thought that if he were to cook again, he should find someone to taste it first.
He looked intently at Bai Shaoan.
Bai Shaoan's heart skipped a beat. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Wu Qingfeng smiled slightly, "It's nothing. Next time I'll make roasted lamb chops and let you be the first to eat them."
Bai Shaoan: "..." It's really true that what you say comes true. There's no need for that, Third Brother.
Just as Bai Shaoan was about to say something, Gu Xiaoman ran over and exclaimed, "Uncle Bai, lunch is ready!"
The Gu family is large, so mealtimes are always the liveliest. When the children were blocked from going home by the heavy rain, Lin Chang'er never hesitated to eat with them, even if it was just a bowl or two of rice.
As usual, the little kids were seated at a separate table.
The adults sat at one table; in a rural household, there was no particular rule about men and women sitting separately.
Old Mrs. Bai and Gu's mother sat in the seats of honor, while the others took their seats.
Lin Chang'er sat down in her usual spot as usual. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a pine-colored figure. She paused slightly, turned her head, and met Wu Qingfeng's clear, cold eyes.
Lin Chang'er twitched her lips and whispered, "Let's talk after dinner."
Wu Qingfeng grunted in response.
Sister-in-law Gu served two bowls of mutton soup, one for Lin Chang'er and one for Wu Qingfeng, saying, "Third sister-in-law and Lord Wu got caught in the rain, so drink the mutton soup first to warm yourselves up."
"Thank you, sister-in-law!"
The two took the soup bowls and said in unison.
Everyone at the table was taken aback, and Lin Chang'er also frowned as she looked at Wu Qingfeng.
But his expression remained indifferent. "I believe I've gotten along very well with Aunt Gu, Brother Gu, and Brother Gu's family these past few days. I've long considered Brother Gu and Brother Gu's family as my own brothers!" In that case, calling him Sister-in-law Gu wouldn't be too much of a stretch!
The sound of Old Madam Bai's laughter rang in his ears, "That makes sense. Our Shao'an also considers Dalang and Erlang as his own brothers."
Aunt Gu smiled awkwardly, "My eldest and second sons are too good for us!"
Grandma Bai waved her hand, "What are you talking about? These days, haven't Dalang and Erlang been taking care of us as family?"
Wu Qingfeng agreed, "The old lady is right."
Grandma Bai squinted and nodded at him, her eyes holding a hint of something deeper. Wu Qingfeng also nodded back.
Seeing that they had smoothed things over, Lin Chang'er didn't say much and just buried her head in her soup.
Wu Qingfeng glanced at her, his lips curving into a smile. He found her coy act amusing. Just as he was about to drink his soup, a loud "boom" suddenly came from outside, as if the ground itself was shaking.
The children were startled, and the entire dining room was filled with screams.
Sister-in-law Gu and Sister-in-law Gu rushed over to comfort her.
Lin Chang'er's hand holding the soup spoon froze in mid-air. Then, as if remembering something, she quickly stood up. "Everyone, go to an open area, quick..."
Turning around to arrange for the children to leave the dining room, Wu Qingfeng also got up to help, while Bai Shaoan arranged for the elderly and women.
The group moved in an orderly fashion from the dining room to the eaves in front of the main room. Lin Chang'er and Sister-in-law Gu had already brought out all the umbrellas and other items in the house.
Just then, a gong rang out outside, shouting, "The mountain at the west entrance of the village has collapsed! The mountain at the west entrance of the village has collapsed!"
Lin Chang'er frowned, "Eldest brother and sister-in-law, take the children to the ancestral hall first. Second brother, take good care of second sister-in-law. Old Madam Bai and Mother, take good care of yourselves. Shao'an, Liu Zi, Wu..."
He paused for a moment, then said, "Lord Wu, come with me to the west entrance of the village!"
Lin Chang'er quickly assigned tasks, and everyone followed her instructions and took their respective actions.
As Lin Chang'er and her group were leaving, they encountered a man banging a gong to deliver a message. Lin Chang'er hurriedly went to greet him, asking, "What's the situation at the west entrance of the village now?"
The man must have been in a hurry; he didn't even have an umbrella, and he carried the gong on one shoulder, banging it as he ran. He had already turned back from the other end of the village.
Upon seeing Lin Chang'er, he stopped and said, "In this weather, everyone is staying home to avoid the rain! The few houses at the foot of Xikou Mountain are all buried under the rubble!"
He didn't know any more information. As soon as he heard the news, he rushed out to report it and asked the able-bodied men in the village to help rescue the people. Naturally, he didn't know the specifics of the situation there.
Lin Chang'er nodded. "In that case, you can go through the trouble again and make sure all the residents of the old house go to the ancestral hall to hide for a while."
The man scratched his head, "What's the reason behind this?"
Before the words "Boom!" could be uttered, another loud bang was heard, and an old, dilapidated house in the distance collapsed in the rain.
Lin Chang'er frowned. "The rain is too heavy. The old house can't withstand the impact of the rain and will collapse."
The man muttered, "My goodness! I'm going right now."
The gong rang out again and again, and Lin Chang'er hurriedly ran towards the west entrance of the village.
Wu Qingfeng grabbed her arm. "What was that over there just now?"
Lin Chang'er said, "No one lives in that house. We can have the coastal defense team clean it up after the rain stops."
Looking up at the sky, he suddenly remembered something, "You can't stay here any longer, hurry back to the county office to take charge."
Wu Qingfeng was taken aback, but then he realized that the sudden downpour had caught people off guard, and landslides and collapsed houses were not unique to Linshui Village.
Although he is off duty today, as the highest administrative official of the county, he does need to be present at the county office to oversee disaster relief efforts in various areas.
Bai Shaoan also said, "Third Brother, we'll take care of things here. You should go back first."
Wu Qingfeng had no objection to this, but since Linshui Village was also under his jurisdiction, he said, "I'll go take a look first before I leave."
Lin Chang'er did not stop her.
When they arrived at the west entrance of the village, Zhou Hai and his brothers from the coastal defense team also arrived.
Many villagers have gathered around the landslide site to observe the situation.
Lin Chang'er squeezed forward, "Did anyone manage to escape?"
A middle-aged man wearing a gray short-sleeved shirt with patches raised his hand high, "I was carrying my mother to relieve herself, and we just happened to be coming out..." Thinking about it now still makes me feel scared.
I had just stepped out the door when a tidal wave crashed behind me. I had only one thought in mind, and I used all my strength. My legs are still weak!
Do you know who lives in the neighboring houses?
The man scratched his head, seemingly not quite understanding.
Lin Chang'er didn't make things difficult for him and let him carry his elderly mother to the ancestral hall to take shelter from the rain.
Zhou Hai was also investigating the situation and finally confirmed that one of the five buried families had gone to visit relatives and had not yet returned.
One family has gone up the mountain to work and has not yet returned.
Including the orphan and widow family from earlier, three families escaped this calamity.
There are two households left, one a family of three and the other a family of five. Both are located at the foot of the mountain on the outer side, where the gravity they bear is relatively less, and their chances of survival are relatively higher. Rescuing people is like putting out a fire, and every second counts.
Once the location was determined, the rescue operation, led by the coastal defense team, was immediately launched...