Chapter 49

Chapter 49

The scenes of Liuhe Village after the flood receded, although Wen Qian had not witnessed them in person, many people in the town shared videos of it.

These days, with the widespread use of smartphones, even a pumpkin growing a bit larger or a radish with an odd shape in the village would be posted online.

When the flood came, someone from the town across the river captured the footage.

After the waters receded, videos of each household clearing mud, scraping walls, and cleaning up started appearing.

Wen Qian only needed to check nearby people's posts to see a lot of flood-related content.

The electricity was cut off when the flood arrived but was restored the second day after it receded.

After scraping off the flooded wall plaster, people would either repaint or retile the walls once their homes dried up. Some even had to replace their doors that were swept away by the floodwaters.

At the bridge entrance, mineral water, instant noodles, and a medicine stall were set up.

Those who had experienced the flood often felt a sore throat and skin problems shortly after returning home.

The staff at the medicine stall provided free medicines for the flood victims, including treatments for bruises, skin disinfectants, and anti-inflammatories. Minor ailments could be treated by getting medicines there.

Disinfection workers would come and spray disinfectants in the mornings and evenings. Extra attention was paid to sanitation after the flood to prevent outbreaks.

At this time, people's respiratory and digestive systems were vulnerable, and the elderly and children could easily fall ill, which would only worsen the situation.

Every household was cleaning and sanitizing, and many who had sought shelter with relatives or friends had returned.

Those with relatives in town went to check and reported that it was a mess with a lot of garbage on the streets.

When the flood came from upstream, it washed down a lot of things, including many large logs of wood.

So in the downstream sections where the river slowed, some things would get stranded, and many people were salvaging items like motorcycles and lumber.

There were even those checking electronic devices, though it was uncertain whether they would still work.

People were picking up discarded items, and Wen Qian even considered joining them, mainly to collect wood.

But with so many people there, she would have to drag away anything she picked up herself, so she decided against it.

Thinking about how difficult it was to obtain building materials, Wen Qian turned her attention to the nearby bamboo grove.

After the rain, new bamboo shoots had grown into a new batch of bamboo trees.

Wen Qian cut down a lot of bamboo, reducing the density of the grove and storing a good amount in her space.

So clever people placed the mahjong tables inside the wooden tables. During meals, it served as a dining table, but when flipped over, there was a mahjong table underneath that could be used by plugging it in.

Many households felt it wasn't trendy not to have a mahjong table at home. Even if they couldn't afford fancy meals, they would still buy a mahjong table to display at home.

When evacuating, many people carried refrigerators and washing machines upstairs, but the heavy mahjong tables were left on the first floor.

Yet even when the floodwaters burst open their doors, the sturdy mahjong tables remained unmoved.

After the flood, they disassembled and cleaned the tables, allowing them to be used again.

So when Wen Qian came to town, she saw mahjong tables drying outside.

The garbage on the streets had been cleared, leaving the entire street clean with the lingering scent of disinfectant.

Wen Qian hurried across the bridge to the town on the other side, where only one row of residential buildings had been flooded this time, with no other major damage.

Even during peak hours, there were still many people in this town.

Whenever Wen Qian had the chance to go out, she would definitely go and spend some money buying things to store more items in her space.

She felt she had become addicted to hoarding.

People were discussing this recent flood, which hadn't caused any casualties on this street, but they had heard that upstream, someone holding a child fell from a bridge while watching the flood. The child fell into the water and the body still hadn't been found.

Wen Qian couldn't understand the mentality of people watching the spectacle. Couldn't they just observe from a safe distance?

As she listened to the conversations around her, she waited for the rotating dough sticks in the pot to be ready for serving.

The only casualty caused by the flood on this street was an elderly man who had left home to stay with relatives before the flood. After the waters receded, he returned with his family to clean up.

The second day after the flood, when the river level had significantly dropped, many people were washing things or rinsing mops on the usual river steps.

Around noon, when most were resting at home after cleaning, this elderly man went to wash his mop but never returned.

His family assumed he had gone for a walk and became worried when they couldn't find him anywhere in the village or town after a few hours.

Eventually, they discovered his drowned body not far from the steps. He had likely slipped and fallen, without anyone nearby to notice or rescue him.

His family wailed as they carried his body home.

Having survived the flood, yet perished in its aftermath.

People sighed at the impermanence of life.