CH 97

Apr 22 2023

Sure enough, when Li Changfeng came back, he was completely soaked by the rain. He changed into the clothes prepared for him by Xu Qing, all the while saying, “This rain seems like it will last for a few good days.”

“This weather doesn’t seem like it will be easy to deal with. The water in the pot is hot, go take a hot bath,” Xu Qing said, putting Li Changfeng’s dirty clothes into a nearby bucket.

“I want to come too! Father!” Tuan Tuan hugged Li Changfeng’s pants leg, eagerly expressing his desire.

“Okay, let’s wash together.” Li Changfeng picked up Tuan Tuan, who was startled when he was suddenly lifted high up in the air, but then he burst out laughing.

“I don’t know who this child takes after, always laughing,” Xu Qing said. He didn’t think he was someone who laughed a lot, and Li Changfeng was even more of a reserved person.

“This is what kids are like. We’ll go wash up, don’t worry about things here, I’ll take care of them later,” Li Changfeng specifically instructed Xu Qing.

He couldn’t just sit idly by and worry about the rain. He had to do something to protect his family. He knew their house wasn’t strong enough to withstand the heavy downpour, and he feared for Tuan Tuan and the unborn child’s safety. He spent the next few days reinforcing the walls and roof of their house, using whatever materials he could find.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

As the rain continued to pour down relentlessly, the villagers grew more and more anxious. They held a meeting to discuss their options, and it was decided that if the rain didn’t stop soon, they would have to evacuate to higher ground.

But for Li Changfeng, there was an even more pressing concern. He couldn’t shake off the old man’s words about Xu Qing’s fate. He feared that if the worst were to happen, Xu Qing would be in grave danger.

He tried his best to push those thoughts out of his mind and focus on the present. There was still so much work to be done, and he couldn’t afford to let his fear consume him. Tuan Tuan, with his infectious laughter and boundless energy, helped to keep his spirits up, even in the midst of the storm.

But deep down, he couldn’t help but wonder what the future held for them. Would they survive this disaster? And if they did, what other challenges lay ahead? Only time would tell.

Li Changfeng didn’t dare to let his mind wander, and hurried back home.

Xu Qing looked at the straightened eaves on the roof with an expressionless face, not knowing what he was thinking.

Tuan Tuan was young and only knew that he couldn’t go out to play when it rained. After playing at home for a while, he fell asleep.

Li Changfeng pushed open the courtyard door, which was soaked in rain, and hurried to the eaves to put away the umbrella.

“Why are you standing outside? Come in quickly,” he said.

Xu Qing withdrew his gaze and looked at Li Changfeng, whose clothes were slightly wet from the rain.

“What did the village chief say?”

“He told us to be careful and be prepared. Let’s go inside,” Li Changfeng said, exhaling.

Xu Qing looked outside at the pouring rain again and his expression changed slightly. It was time to prepare.

For the next three consecutive days, the rain did not stop, and the water level of the river kept rising in the eyes of the villagers.

Li Changfeng came back in the rain again.

“How is Huang’s family?” Xu Qing asked.

Huang was a widower, and his house collapsed this morning. It was a thatched house that couldn’t withstand such heavy rain.

“The person is okay. They have been sent to the temple to live temporarily. When this kind of thing happens, the people in the village become even more anxious,” Li Changfeng said, not even in the mood to drink water. The sight of water now annoyed him.

“You’re pregnant…”

“Changfeng!” Li Changfeng didn’t finish his sentence when Uncle Xie hurriedly appeared at the courtyard gate.

“Changfeng, something’s happened! Something big! Hurry, come with me to the temple!”

As soon as Uncle Xie finished speaking, Xu Qing and Li Changfeng heard the sound of copper gongs ringing in the village. The sound of copper gongs only rang in very urgent situations.

“Hurry up! I’ll tell you on the way!” Uncle Xie pulled Li Changfeng and hurried toward the village in the rain. His footsteps were very urgent, and Li Changfeng knew without asking that this was not a good thing.

“Wife, stay at home!”

“Go!”

Xu Qing’s heart was beating irregularly, he had a feeling that something was about to happen.

“The dam outside the town has been severely damaged by the flood. Just now a group of officials came to our village and said that every man in each family, except those who are too old or too young, must go and repair the dam!”

Uncle Xie walked very quickly, but his mood was even more urgent than his footsteps!

After Li Changfeng heard this, his heart sank heavily. If he went to repair the dam, there would only be Xu Qing and Tuan Tuan left in his family. Xu Qing was also seven months pregnant. If he wasn’t there and the rain was so heavy… Li Changfeng didn’t dare to think about it!

“Can’t we just give them money?” Li Changfeng asked.

Uncle Xie shook his head heavily, “If money could solve the problem, the officials wouldn’t go through all this trouble. What they lack is manpower, they need laborers!”

When Li Changfeng and Uncle Xie arrived at the ancestral hall, it was already full of villagers. Everyone’s face looked bad, especially when they saw the officials sitting at the top of the hall. The peasants were trembling with fear.

After one of the officials counted the people, he came to the head official and said, “Sir, all the heads of households who can come are here.”

The head official was tall and burly, and he had a straightforward personality. He stood up and looked at the villagers in the hall.

“I won’t waste words! The time has come for the people of the village to help with the dam! The court has ordered all officials to resist the flood and protect the fields! Therefore, every man over fifteen and under fifty in each family must come with us!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the hall erupted into a tumultuous noise.

“I’m the only one left at home. If I go, my old father won’t be able to survive on his own. What am I supposed to do?!” A skinny man in his thirties immediately said with a sad face.

“That’s right! I only have a few children at home!”

“If I go, what about my wife?”

“My wife is also pregnant! He’s about to give birth!”

At once, the cries from the ancestral hall rose and fell, growing louder and louder.

Li Changfeng clenched his fists. He couldn’t leave. He didn’t believe that Xu Qing would be safe if he did!

“Can’t we donate some silver?”

Li Changfeng’s low but powerful voice rang in everyone’s ears. Those who had some extra money looked hopefully at the official.

The official looked at Li Changfeng, who had spoken first. He was well-built and strong.

“No, you can’t.”

Not that they couldn’t, but they shouldn’t.

The head official looked at the villagers of Xingfu Village, his heart filled with helplessness.

“Fellow villagers, we can’t let the embankment of the city moat fail! Once the dam breaks, our homes, fields, and even our lives will be destroyed!”

The head official’s words silenced the ancestral hall.

Just as the official was about to speak, Li Changfeng spoke again.

“But we can’t leave our children, wives, and elderly relatives at home alone. If anything happens in the village while we’re gone, what can we do? What can you do to ensure that our families are safe and sound when we return?”

Li Changfeng’s words expressed the concerns of the villagers present.

“That’s right! We don’t know if we’ll come back alive!”

“We’re not afraid to die! But we’re afraid that we won’t see our families when we come back!”

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

“This is an order from the court! It’s not up to you whether to go or not! You have half a day to go home and pack up. If people are not gathered by tonight, hmph, the consequences are not something you can bear!” The official’s words made the villagers, who had been relatively obedient to the arrangements, immediately restless.

After speaking, the official left with his men. They still had to go to Anle Village that had yet to be informed.

After the official left, the village head looked at the puzzled crowd and sighed, “What are you still standing here for? Go back and pack up.”

The village head was forty-six years old this year, and his son Xia Feng had also reached the age of fifteen. Even if he didn’t want Xia Feng to go, there was no way. He was also worried.

Second brother Wei, Li Changfeng, and Uncle Xie left the hall together.

“Ah, they don’t leave any way out for us. I don’t even know if I’ll have a chance to see my child born,” Second brother Wei said bitterly.

“Don’t talk like that. Even if we have to hold our breath, we must come back to see our families!” Uncle Xie couldn’t stand hearing negative talk.

“I’m going back first.” Li Changfeng opened his umbrella and disappeared into the rain.

Xu Qing was dressing up Tuan Tuan, who had just woken up. The sound of the rain outside was particularly loud, and Tuan Tuan didn’t like it, burying his head in Xu Qing’s arms.

“Good boy, all dressed up.”

Xu Qing patted Tuan Tuan’s head and put him down on the ground.

“Father!”

As soon as Tuan Tuan got down, he saw Li Changfeng come in and called out softly.

Li Changfeng picked up Tuan Tuan and gave him a few kisses, then hugged Xu Qing, who was watching him.

“I’m going to have to go build the dam on the outskirts of the city. I don’t know when I’ll be back. You and the child, you have to wait for me to come back.” Li Changfeng smelled the familiar and reassuring scent on Xu Qing’s body and didn’t want to let go.

Xu Qing felt the stiffness in Li Changfeng’s body. This man was afraid.

“Don’t think too much, you forgot that the old man also said that I have a way to protect myself, nothing will happen.”

Xu Qing hugged Li Changfeng tightly and looked at him, then at Tuan Tuan, who smiled and stretched out his short chubby hands to hug Li Changfeng and Xu Qing’s head.

The family couldn’t bear to part, no matter how uncomfortable or unwilling they were, they could only pack up Li Changfeng’s things as he was about to leave.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

“You don’t need to bring so many clothes, you probably won’t be able to wear them all,” Li Changfeng opened the package Xu Qing had packed and took out the extra clothes, leaving only two that could be washed.

Xu Qing saw that it was getting late and took out a small bottle from his pocket. This was the spiritual spring water he had packed, and one bottle could last a long time.

“Take this with you, if you catch a cold or something, just drink a little bit, don’t drink too much, just a little bit.”

Li Changfeng took the bottle and put it in his pocket, without asking any further questions.

He squatted down and leaned over Xu Qing’s belly, listening to the movements inside, but there was no response. Li Changfeng smiled and reached out to touch it.

“You’re so well-behaved, that’s great. Don’t make trouble for your Ama while your father is away.”

Then he stood up and looked straight at Xu Qing, “You have to be safe, you must.”

Xu Qing smiled and said, “Of course.” He wouldn’t have any problems so easily.

Thingyan: A man from the apocalyptic world, your wife is much stronger than you think he is, ML sama. I say, Xu Qing should just go live inside his space during this time.