Chapter 39 : It Won’t Rain at All

Shen He once again joined the team carrying sandbags.

The originally low riverbank was piled up by everyone, and it soon became half a meter high. The officers and soldiers of the army were long experienced in flood control and disaster relief. Therefore, the location they reinforced was near the village head.

There were still openings in the low-lying areas of the village, allowing water to flow into the lower reaches of the river.

The villagers in these low-lying areas could only move to higher ground in advance.

Su Ranran stood for a while, then turned and walked towards the crowd of people who were being relocated.

The rice that had just been harvested and dried by the team had all been moved to the abandoned house of the former landlord. The terrain there was the highest, and it would not be flooded even in the event of a flood. Some smart villagers had sent their valuables there early.

Pan Shuifang had even found a place to hide her two hens like treasures.

Seeing Su Ranran coming, she asked her to take care of the two chickens and told her she had to go back to transport the sweet potatoes from home.

There were many rooms in the abandoned house of the landlord, enough to accommodate half of the team.

Although many rooms had holes in their roofs, they were still stronger than the houses of many in the team.

Staying here, even if the floodwaters surged, it was unlikely to flood.

In the previous life, the team members hadn’t known that the rain would last so long. When they thought about evacuating, all the houses in the village were flooded.

Even with great abilities, they couldn’t fly to the landlord’s house.

Only Li Xueqiu’s family had moved their things early to the rich man Huang’s house. They even occupied the best house in the rich man’s place, eating and drinking comfortably. While watching the people of the Shuiqiao Brigade struggle in the flood, she appeared as the “savior,” using the excuse that she had found food left by the rich man Huang in the cellar.

The villagers almost worshipped her like a goddess.

It was true that Li Xueqiu had no obligation to save the villagers, since if it had gone wrong, she would have been blamed. Her approach was undoubtedly the most beneficial to herself.

But Su Ranran knew that even if she could ignore it, Shen He would never abandon the villagers and walk away. That military uniform meant that he would never leave the people behind.

She had warned the villagers in advance so that Shen He would not have to go out and rescue others when the flood came.

Under Wang Fulai’s command, everyone evacuated to Huang Caizhu’s house in an orderly manner. Those unwilling to leave because of the high terrain stayed in their own homes.

Everything was ready, and time ticked by little by little.

Only three hours remained until the rainstorm in the last life. But the sun was still hanging high in the sky. The sky was clear, without a single white cloud, and there were no signs of rain.

At this time, someone couldn’t help but murmur.

“Will there really be a rainstorm? Are we just wasting our time?”

Su Ranran, standing at the door, heard this, but she didn’t respond. Her palms were soaked with sweat as she kept her gaze fixed on the gate.

The sky was so blue it seemed to drip ink, and the air was so heavy it made people feel breathless. The weather in July was already very hot, and with so many people crowded in Huang’s house, it was even hotter and more stifling.

I don’t know how much time had passed, the sky was still blue, but the landlord’s house had become more and more suffocating.

Finally, someone couldn’t take it anymore and stormed out of the house, cursing as they left.

“It’s so hot, I’m going home! If the rain comes, I don’t believe it can drown me!”

Seeing someone rush out, those who had been reluctant to leave couldn’t stay any longer either.

Before long, more than a dozen people walked out of Huang’s house. Wang Fulai hurried forward to stop them.

Although there was no sign of rain in the weather, and it was more like a drought as the expert had said, it wasn’t up to him to decide whether it was a drought or rain. The higher-ups had already issued orders for him to properly resettle the people.

Not only that, but even the army had sent reinforcements to the river embankment. With such a big operation, he couldn’t help but murmur in his heart. Everything was ready, but it hadn’t rained. How could the people listen to advice?

After a while, the dozen or so people still rushed out of the door.

The remaining hundreds of people were also in a state of panic, looking like they were ready to leave at any moment.

Su Ranran saw this and felt very anxious.

She wasn’t worried about their safety, but she was afraid that if they ran away, her husband would have to go find them later.

Fortunately, Secretary Qi had immediately sent militiamen to guard the gate and prevent anyone from leaving.

Two hours later, the weather grew hotter and hotter.

Su Ranran stood at the door of the hall, barely able to breathe some fresh air.

But the people inside the house couldn’t stand it anymore. Not long after, another twenty or thirty people made their way to the door. Some even brought their own food, as if they weren’t planning to return once they left.

Secretary Qi, now anxious, tried to persuade them to stay a little longer.

But people are strange creatures. Once they’re convinced it won’t rain, no matter how much you persuade them, it’s useless. At this point, not only would they leave, but they would curse, calling the experts liars! They needed to harvest the rice early.

If they waited a few more days, wouldn’t the rice grow fuller?

Moreover, they had been harvesting for days, but still saw no sign of the “model worker.” 

The more they talked, the angrier they became, and the gate became noisy. Some people shouted about holding a “conference” with the experts, saying they had no real skills and could only deceive others.

Such experts should be sent to the brigade for reform!

Seeing that the situation was about to spiral out of control, suddenly, there was a uniform sound of footsteps outside the door!

Su Ranran looked up and saw a group of soldiers in uniform walking in.

Shen He was among them!

Upon seeing him, Su Ranran’s eyes suddenly lit up. She couldn’t help but wave at him.

Shen He naturally saw his wife waiting by the door.

But with the people inside causing trouble, he didn’t have the time to say much to her. As he passed by her, he briefly pulled her into a corner, then led the others into the house.

Seeing the soldiers, the troublemakers immediately fell silent. But while the bold ones hesitated, there were still some who dared to speak quietly.

“Comrade soldier, please talk to the secretary and let us go home. It won’t rain at all today!”

“That’s right! It’s too hot here, I’m about to get heatstroke. Let us go back!”

One after another, the complaints filled the air, and the house was about to become noisy again.

Shen He raised his hand, signaling for everyone to be quiet.