Chapter 34: Flood Warning

The next morning, Lin Yue quietly got up as soon as the sky began to lighten.

The rain had been heavy and relentless the previous night, but by morning, it had turned into a light drizzle.

She locked the door while her two little ones were still asleep and went up to the dam of the reservoir alone.

She had tossed and turned all night, thinking more and more about what Zhang Shouchang had said.

The entire Da Cang Mountain stretched for over twenty miles, with continuous mountain ranges. Xiaodatian Village was located at the intersection of two hills. The village’s structure was high in the north and low in the south. The reservoir was located in the southwest of the village.

Lin Yue’s home was in the southeast of the village. If a flood occurred and the water rushed out from the reservoir, her house would definitely be flooded.

Lin Yue wasn’t alone now. She had two children with her, but she didn’t dare to take any chances and treat their safety lightly.

She climbed onto the dam and saw that the reservoir was almost full of rainwater.

She didn’t understand the dam’s structure and didn’t know where Zhang Shouchang’s mentioned flood release would drain the water. However, she could see that if the rain didn’t stop, the dam would be washed away in a few days.

Without hesitation, she raised her hand and drained a third of the water from the reservoir.

The reservoir in Xiaodatian Village was quite large. Lin Yue’s space couldn’t hold that much water. She could only store it in the fog.

In her understanding, her space relied on the soil she collected to manifest from the fog. But now, she was surprised to find that a patch of fog was slowly dissipating, revealing a small lake.

Although it was still murky, she could clearly see land on the shore.

Unlike the yellow soil she had collected into her space, the color of the soil around the lake was similar to the black soil she had seen in her previous life.

Lin Yue stood on the dam and thought for a while before understanding.

It turned out that her space had its own soil. Otherwise, with the little soil she had collected from outside, how could she farm? It would be enough for potted plants at best.

When she returned home, the two little ones were still sound asleep.

The sky outside was still dark and it was difficult to tell the time. Lin Yue didn’t have a watch yet, but judging by the time her children usually woke up, it shouldn’t be too late.

The people in the village weren’t wealthy, and most families didn’t have a separate firewood shed. Thanks to the recent rainy weather, the firewood and straw had all been soaked.

Fortunately, Lin Yue had her space and had stored a lot of straw, so she could still cook without any problems.

She made a triangular stove next to the stove using mud, which could hold a pot for boiling porridge.

This morning, she had millet porridge, boiled eggs, and fried potato cakes.

When the food was ready, the two little ones smelled the aroma and woke up. Little Wanli sat upright on the kang with a small, stuffed rabbit made from scraps of cloth in his arms. He had a blank expression on his face, and no one could tell he was actually spacing out.

Little Lingling propped herself up on the kang with one hand and rubbed her eyes with the other. She called out, “Mother, hug Lingling. Lingling wants to pee!”

Lin Yue hurried into the room and couldn’t help but say, “Lingling, be good. You’re a little girl. You can’t say ‘pee’. You can say ‘pee pee’ or ‘pee pee pee’.”

Lingling’s little mouth pouted high. She didn’t want to, “Why? Brother Leile said it like that.”

Lin Yue was helpless. There weren’t many children in the village who could play with them. There were a few six or seven-year-old girls, but they either lived far away or didn’t get along with them.

Playing with a bunch of boys every day had its advantages. The two children’s gross motor skills were developing quite well. However, the downside was that Little Lingling didn’t have any concept of being a girl and was becoming more and more like a tomboy.

She didn’t think there was anything wrong with being a tomboy, but she was worried that her daughter wouldn’t be able to develop a correct understanding of gender, leading to gender barriers.

She might be overcorrecting a bit, but she had never been a mother before and could only learn as she went along.

It wasn’t cold yet, so the children were wearing thin clothes. They could change their clothes themselves.

Lin Yue didn’t help, only giving them a few pointers occasionally. She stood by the kang and waited for them to pull up their pants, then carried them down to pee, wash their faces, and brush their teeth.

Lin Yue couldn’t buy special children’s toothbrushes and toothpaste. She had to use the same adult toothbrushes and toothpaste as her.

At that time, toothbrushes had transparent plastic handles of various colors. There were no soft or hard bristles. They were all hard bristles like the shoe brushes of later generations. They weren’t cheap, but they didn’t require coupons to buy.

Lin Yue herself found it uncomfortable to use such a toothbrush, and the two little ones liked brushing their teeth even less.

Lin Yue finally finished washing the two children. She tied Little Lingling’s hair into two pigtails. Little Wanli had already set up a small square table and a small stool for eating. He sat at the table and waited for the meal.

Lin Yue brought the food to the table and patted Little Wanli’s head, praising him, “Our Wanli is so capable!”

Little Lingling walked over with her short legs and took a large handful of chopsticks and spoons from the cupboard. She tilted her head, waiting for her mother to praise her too.

Lin Yue ignored the chopsticks enough for ten people and closed her eyes, praising her, “Yes, Lingling is also very good. You can help your mother with chores!”

Lingling was dissatisfied. She pouted and said, “No, I want to eat with chopsticks!”

Lin Yue was speechless. She had never seen anyone use so many chopsticks at once. She picked up a pair of chopsticks and handed them to her daughter, saying, “Okay, okay, you can eat with chopsticks. But don’t use so many. You’ll get confused.”

Little Lingling happily picked up the chopsticks and started eating.

Lin Yue sighed. She had no idea how to raise these two children. It was a good thing she had a space, or she would have been overwhelmed by now.

After breakfast, Lin Yue packed up the two children and went to the village committee.

She had to tell the village committee about the situation at the reservoir and ask them to take precautions.

The village committee was located in the center of the village. It was a small, one-story building with a courtyard in front.

Lin Yue walked into the courtyard and saw several villagers gathered there, discussing something in low voices.

She walked over and saw that the villagers were all looking at a piece of paper in the hands of the village head, Zhang Zhiqiang.

The paper was a notice from the county government, warning of a possible flood.

Lin Yue’s heart sank. She had been worried about this.

She quickly walked up to Zhang Zhiqiang and said, “Uncle Zhang, I saw the reservoir this morning. It’s almost full. The dam might break if it rains for a few more days. We need to release water as soon as possible!”

Zhang Zhiqiang looked at her with a frown. “Xiaoyue, why are you here? Don’t you have to take care of your children?”

“Uncle Zhang, this is a serious matter. We can’t take any chances. I’m worried that the dam will break and flood the village.”

Zhang Zhiqiang sighed. “I know, Xiaoyue. We’ve already received a notice from the county government about the possible flood. We’re discussing how to deal with it now.”

Lin Yue was relieved to hear that. She had been worried that the village committee wouldn’t take the flood seriously.

“What are your plans?” she asked.

“We’re going to send people to patrol the dam and strengthen the dam’s defenses. We’re also going to prepare for evacuation if necessary.”

Lin Yue nodded. “That’s good. But we need to act quickly. The rain is getting heavier.”

Zhang Zhiqiang looked at her with a grateful smile. “Thank you, Xiaoyue. You’re a good girl.”

Lin Yue smiled back. She was glad that she had been able to help.

She left the village committee and went home. She had to prepare her family for the possible flood.

She had to make sure that her children were safe.

She had to make sure that her family was safe.

She had to make sure that her village was safe.

“Mother, Lingling is a little tiger. You say little tiger is awesome!”

Little Wanli, hearing this, quickly said, “Mother, I’m a big dinosaur!”

Okay, today they were a little tiger and a big dinosaur.

“Little tiger is awesome! Big dinosaur is also awesome! Little tiger and big dinosaur, eat your food quickly. Let’s have a race to see who can eat the fastest and best, okay?”

She genuinely felt that she had chosen the wrong job in her previous life. She should have been a kindergarten teacher.

After breakfast, some village officials came to the door.

The team was afraid of a flood and notified the few families living in the southern part of the village to move to the homes of people living on higher ground for safety. In case the dam couldn’t hold and collapsed, it was important to ensure the safety of their families.

There were several families living in the south of the village, and the team told them to figure it out themselves.

However, in those days, no one’s house was very big, and there were many people in each family. Most families slept on a large kang with seven or eight people.

It was not easy for these families to find a place to stay. Fortunately, the officials added that if they couldn’t find a place to stay, the team would arrange it for them.

As soon as the officials left, Zhang Shouliang came running over, carrying a large wooden basin. He was out of breath and told Lin Yue, “My mother said you should stay at our house. My elder brother is staying in the worker’s dormitory these days. You can sleep with my sister-in-law.”

Lin Yue smiled and agreed.

The two little ones saw Zhang Shouliang acting strangely and struggled to climb down from the kang. They also wanted to run out into the rain.

Zhang Shouliang had friends waiting for him. He delivered the message and then ran off.

With this kind of weather, they couldn’t go out to play. Their house was small, and while it was okay for a few days, they had been cooped up for so many days. The two children were already impatient. Now that they saw Zhang Shouliang run off, they were about to cry.

Lin Yue had no choice but to put straw sandals on them, give each of them a small basin, and let them run around in the rain for a while.

She saw that their clothes were wet and coaxed them back into the house. She carried them to the kang and changed their clothes.

The two little ones still wouldn’t settle down. Lin Yue had no choice but to tell them stories.

She had forgotten most of the stories she had heard as a child.

The only ones she remembered had problems with their worldview and values.

She was afraid of giving her children the wrong guidance, so she made up a story about a little tiger going back to the dinosaur age and having adventures with his friends.

“…The little tiger walked and walked until he finally met a little Triceratops. He didn’t recognize the Triceratops, so he asked, ‘Hello, strange creature, have you seen my father and mother? They look just like me.'”

Little Wanli pouted, tears welling up in his eyes. Lin Yue stopped telling the story, afraid he would cry. She was about to comfort him when Little Lingling’s endless questions began.

“Mother, why does the little tiger call his mother ‘mama’?”

“Mother, what is a father? Is it ‘die’?”

“Mother, what is a strange creature?”

Little Wanli’s attention was diverted, and his tears stopped flowing.

Lin Yue was busy answering Little Lingling’s questions when Little Wanli suddenly asked, “Mother, where did our father go? Wanli had a father before, but now he’s gone?”

Lin Yue… Oh, they were now considered peers!

She thought to herself, “This morning you were still drinking the malted milk your father sent you. Now you’re saying your father is gone. You’re really your father’s good son!”

After Zhang Yuandong returned to the army, he quickly sent back a large package. It contained everything from malted milk and canned fruit to dates, raisins, dried fish, dried shrimp, and candy, a whole bag of snacks. There were also several nationwide meat and grain coupons inside.

A letter came with the package. Lin Yue opened it and saw only a short line: “I have arrived safely at the army. You can contact the army’s phone number. Hope you are well.”

Lin Yue thought, “For just these few words, sending a telegram wouldn’t be much more expensive than mailing it.”

Over the next few months, Zhang Yuandong would send some food products every month, making Lin Yue wonder how much salary he had.

He always included a letter with the package. Although the words were short, the concern was evident.

Especially for the two children, Lin Yue could tell that he genuinely cared about his son and daughter.

The change was too great, and combined with what he had blurted out that day, Lin Yue immediately understood. He must have guessed something.

For problems she couldn’t solve, Lin Yue’s motto was, “There’s nothing difficult in the world, as long as you’re willing to give up.” She had gone from nervous and anxious to resigned in just three days. Now, she didn’t care anymore. She even wanted to have a confession session.

Perhaps because she had saved him, Zhang Yuandong’s letters had always been kind. Lin Yue felt guilty for receiving so many things from him. A while ago, she wrote back, briefly describing her family’s situation. Basically, she said that everything was fine at home, that he should rest assured and not worry, and that he should keep more money and coupons for himself and not send so many things back home.

After she sent the letter, she never received a reply. In the past half month, she had only received a remittance slip from the army. Even the monthly package that arrived on time had not been received.

What Lin Yue didn’t know was that Zhang Yuandong’s package this time wasn’t sent by mail. It was being held in someone’s arms and was currently on the road.