Chapter 441: Torrential Rain and Flood
Whoooosh—
Sitting on the threshold in front of his small courtyard, Qin Shi stared at the rain pouring down like water being dumped from buckets, a brief daze appearing in his eyes.
It really was raining—and heavily at that…
"So Peony really can talk to fish," Qin Shi murmured softly.
Within the mental space, Qi Han silently shook his head.
Large numbers of fish rising to the surface to breathe was, in itself, a sign that a torrential rain was imminent.
When a downpour is about to arrive, the water vapor content in the air becomes too high, leading to oxygen depletion in the lake. That was why the fish behaved that way.
After sitting in the courtyard for a while, Qin Shi seemed to recall something. He stood up and returned indoors, peering through the window toward Peony's house not far away.
He remembered that a section of Peony's roof had broken a couple of days ago and hadn't yet been repaired.
With rain this heavy…
No—he had to go check on her.
With that thought, Qin Shi grabbed the straw raincoat hanging nearby and draped it over himself, then jogged straight into the rain.
The rain lashed hard against his face, even stinging a little. Qin Shi had never seen rain this heavy before.
Who knew how long such a storm would last?
He hurried into Peony's house, looked around, and found no one there.
"Peony! Peony, are you here?"
No answer.
Why was Peony still outside?
Anxious, he gritted his teeth and rushed back into the curtain of rain.
"Peony!"
"Peony, where are you?!"
After searching aimlessly through various parts of the village without finding her, Qin Shi suddenly seemed to realize something. He turned and sprinted wildly in one direction.
"Peony! Peo—"
His shout cut short.
He had arrived at the shores of Dongting Lake.
Amid the torrential rain, he seemed to make out a small figure.
Without hesitation, he waded into the lakewater, which had risen due to the storm, and quickly approached. Seeing that familiar figure crouching in the lake, wearing a straw raincoat, her delicate feet completely submerged, Qin Shi's eyes filled with distress.
"Peony, why are you still here? The water level is rising—hurry home!"
"No. I can't go home yet," Peony said, looking at the fish still scrambling to poke their heads above the surface even amid the downpour. She slowly stood up. "This storm may last a long time, and there's a very good chance it will cause flooding. I need to tell the villagers so they can leave early and take shelter."
"This…" Seeing the resolute expression on Peony's rain-soaked face, Qin Shi took a deep breath. "Then I'll go with you. With two people… we can notify them faster."
"You'll come too?" Peony's expression instantly grew complicated. She gazed steadily at the boy who had known her for three years now. After a long while, she broke into a radiant smile. "Alright."
…
"Auntie Zhao! Auntie Zhao, are you home?"
Qin Shi wiped the rainwater dripping down his face, knocking on the door as he called out loudly.
Creak—
The door opened gently, and a middle-aged woman with a bit of gray in her hair peeked out. She glanced at Qin Shi. "Shopkeeper Qin, what brings you here?"
"Quick, pack up some essentials and leave the village!" Qin Shi said urgently. "This torrential rain won't stop anytime soon. The water level of Dongting Lake has already risen very high—flooding is about to happen. If you don't leave now, it'll be too late!"
"Ah? But my home—"
"As long as the green hills remain, there will be no shortage of firewood. Once the flood recedes, you can naturally come back home!"
"Alright then… but where should I go?"
"The nearby Li Family Village is on higher ground and won't be flooded so quickly. Auntie, go to Li Family Village first. If even Li Family Village gets flooded, then head south—there's a mountain over there!"
"Oh, alright. Thank you so much, Shopkeeper Qin…"
"Go on, Auntie, hurry and pack up. I still need to notify the next household!"
Seeing that the aunt had no further questions, Qin Shi wiped the rain from his face once more, turned around, and charged back into the torrential downpour, heading toward the next house.
…
"Peony, I've already notified all seventy-plus households on the west side of the village. What about you?"
"I still need to tell Granny Zhang and Uncle Song…" Peony replied. "I still have to go let them know. Those two live on slightly higher ground—they probably don't realize the flooding has started yet."
"No!" Qin Shi grabbed Peony just as she turned to leave, pointing at the water that had already risen to his thighs. "Are you crazy? The water's already this high. By the time you finish notifying them, what are you going to do?"
"It's fine," Peony forced a smile. "If I hurry, I should still make it back in time."
"You—" Qin Shi gritted his teeth. "Then I'm going with you! We'll each take one household."
"No, you should—"
"Don't say anything more." Qin Shi looked at Peony with unwavering resolve. "Unless you leave with me right now, wherever you go, I go!"
Peony looked deeply at Qin Shi. After a moment, she said nothing more, turning toward one of the remaining households that hadn't been notified yet.
Qin Shi stayed close by her side, heading toward the neighboring house.
After finally persuading Uncle Song to leave and helping him quickly pack up his belongings, Qin Shi turned his head and saw that Peony, not far away, was still trying to convince Granny Zhang to evacuate. She hadn't left yet.
Oh no! Granny Zhang's legs aren't good!
Qin Shi's heart sank. He waded through the water and hurried over.
"Peony, how is it on your side?"
Peony came out of the house while carefully supporting Granny Zhang, carrying the old woman's belongings on her back. There was a hint of helplessness on her face. "Granny Zhang's legs aren't very good—she can't walk…"
"I'll carry her." Qin Shi looked at the water, which had already risen close to his waist, clenched his teeth, and bent slightly to lift Granny Zhang onto his back. "Peony, stay close to me!"
"Okay."
Peony nodded blankly and followed Qin Shi as he moved forward quickly.
…
"Ah!"
With the elderly woman on his back, Qin Shi pushed forward toward Li Village. Suddenly, Peony let out a cry. He stopped at once and turned around, seeing Peony stumble and nearly fall into the water. He hurriedly reached out and grabbed her arm.
"Peony!"
Soaked through by rain, Peony's slender arm was slick. Qin Shi's grip slowly slid from her forearm down to her wrist, on the verge of slipping free. Peony hurriedly tightened her fingers around Qin Shi's wrist.
Only then did Qin Shi breathe a sigh of relief. Seeing Peony still unsteady, he urged anxiously, "Peony, steady yourself! We have to hurry!"
Peony's face was pale. She tried to stand firm in the water, which had already risen to her neck, but her foot seemed to have stepped into a hollow—there was no ground beneath her at all. "I… I can't stand."
Qin Shi gritted his teeth. With one hand supporting the elderly woman on his back and the other gripping Peony's hand tightly, he tried to pull her along. But the water had already reached his chest, making every movement extremely difficult.
He glanced around in panic, and suddenly his pupils shrank.
Not far away, a surge of water was rushing toward them. Judging by its height—more than half a meter—it would be hard for him to withstand it in his current state, and Peony, unable to stand steady, was in grave danger.
Peony saw it too. A look of calm acceptance slowly appeared on her face.
"Qin Shi," she called softly, then showed the brightest smile she had ever worn. "There's a box in my house. It probably won't be swept away by the flood. When the water recedes, remember to go and take it."
With that, she gently released her grip on Qin Shi's wrist.
The raging wave swept over them, and the girl's figure vanished into the floodwaters.
"Peony!!!"
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