Chapter 162

Fan Jin also looked at Bai Ziqian.

“Are you missing your parents?”

Everyone at the table turned their attention to Bai Ziqian.

Hu Wenhua and Yan Qiuxing had their parents around, and even the relatives they cared about were nearby, all safe and sound, which gave them peace of mind during the heavy rains.

Ling Ran was alone.

His maternal uncles were in the northern capital, far away and not affected by the rain.

His biological father and stepmother were in the south, where the floods might be even worse than in Shanshui Village. Yet, he wasn’t worried about them at all—in fact, he almost hoped something bad would happen to them!

With a stepmother, his father treated him worse than a stranger, who at least wouldn’t hurt him as much.

Ling Ran pressed his lips together and looked at Bai Ziqian.

Uncle Shan and Aunt Hu Yu were good parents, unlike his own. He could understand Bai Ziqian’s worry.

If his father had cared for him even half as much as Uncle Shan did for Bai Ziqian, he wouldn’t…

Taking a deep breath, he snapped out of his thoughts and reassured Bai Ziqian, “Your family is well-established in the southern capital, with many servants. Uncle Shan and Aunt Hu Yu will be fine.”

Butcher Hu, unsure how to comfort him, brightened up at Ling Ran’s words and said cheerfully, “The young one is right!

If your family is in trouble, then the entire southern capital would be in chaos!”

Aunt Hu rolled her eyes at her husband and whispered, “Don’t say such ominous things.”

Then, she gently said to Bai Ziqian, “Your house is sturdy, not afraid of the rain. The floods likely won’t reach the southern capital. Rest assured, when the rain stops and the floods recede, your parents will come to see you.”

She couldn’t imagine what it would be like if they were in Niutou Town, separated from Qing’er by this flood. How worried they would be for Qing’er, and Qing’er for them.

Their family was together, but Ziqian was separated from his parents by mountains and rivers.

Bai Ziqian’s mind had been haunted by last night’s nightmare all day.

In the dream, his father was swept off his horse by the flood, drifting in the water, unable to make a sound. The floodwaters were everywhere, and no one came to rescue him, nor was there anything to cling to.

In the dream, he watched his father slowly sink to the bottom, silent.

His body trembled, and he mumbled anxiously, “I don’t know if Father can come to see me.”

He wondered if he would ever see his father again.

For a moment, he felt his father was at a loss having a child like him.

He couldn’t bring honor to his father, nor give him peace of mind, always making him worry.

Yet, his father was always planning and paving the way for him, ensuring his future would be smooth.

Aunt Hu quickly intervened, “Spit those words out! Don’t say such unlucky things!”

Bai Ziqian, usually dismissive of such superstitions, obediently followed her instructions, afraid that not doing so might make the nightmare come true.

Shuiqing, seeing Bai Ziqian so distraught, guessed, “Did you have a nightmare?”

Bai Ziqian nodded.

“Don’t worry, dreams are the opposite of reality,” Shuiqing said, pretending to be an expert.

No matter what was happening with Bai Manshan, Bai Ziqian couldn’t do anything from here. He needed to stay healthy and wait for the floods to recede before returning to the southern capital.

Bai Ziqian suddenly looked up at Shuiqing, seriously asking, “Really?”

Shuiqing nodded confidently, “More real than gold and silver! Don’t worry, parents are most concerned about their children. For their children, they will fight to survive.”

Realizing that Zhao Di was listening, Shuiqing turned to her, ready to offer comfort. But Zhao Di, understanding and mature beyond her years, whispered, “Auntie, I understand, you don’t need to worry about me.”

People were different, and so were parents. Her parents just didn’t love her as others did.

Bai Ziqian looked at Shuiqing, feeling slightly better.

He glanced around the table at the people who cared for him, managing a smile and saying more to himself than to them, “Dreams are the opposite. My father will be fine.”

When the floods recede, he will go to the southern capital and see his parents!

The next day.

The torrential rain had continued for three days and two nights.

Whether it was due to the dike built along the riverbank yesterday or the clearing of the river channels, the floodwaters did not spread into Shanshui Village but instead flowed downstream along the river.

The floodwaters constantly crashed against the bulging burlap sacks filled with soil, creating dirty splashes.

Standing on the dike made of burlap sacks, one could see nothing but a vast expanse of floodwaters, with no clear distinction between fields, lakes, or roads.

“Ahhhh!”

“Someone, someone!”

Fan Dazhu and Fan Erzhu, who were passing the sacks up the dike, screamed and stepped back in fright.

Xu Laosan teased, “What do you mean, someone? We’re all here, aren’t we?”

Fan Dazhu’s face had turned ashen. Pointing a trembling finger towards the water’s edge, he stammered, “Not someone, a body!”

Xu Laosan and the others’ expressions also changed.

Among them, Uncle Ding was the oldest, his agility and bravery honed from years of herbal medicine gathering. He immediately volunteered, “I’ll go up and take a look!”

Fan Dazhu and Fan Erzhu quickly jumped down, letting someone else take their place.

Uncle Ding looked at the figure in the water, face down. It was no wonder they thought it was a body; anyone lying face down in the water could not possibly survive.

The person’s clothing was still in good condition, suggesting they had accidentally fallen into the water.

“Ding Shu, is this person drowned?” Wang Gousheng wiped the water from his face and asked.

Zhang Jinniu, in a daze, suggested, “Should we dig a hole and bury them?”

He thought simply: a person should be buried properly.

Wu Laoqi considered the practical implications, “What if the authorities come to inquire after the flood?

If we bury the body and it decomposes, we won’t be able to explain it.”

The others began to talk among themselves:

“It’s only been a few days, how can there already be a body floating here?”

“There might be more coming.”

“Heavens, how many people must be affected by this flood?”

For the past few days, they had been digging trenches, filling sacks, and building dikes to stop the floodwaters, complaining and lamenting their plight.

But seeing a dead body made them realize their suffering was nothing.

Being alive, having the whole family alive and together, was more important than anything!

“Ding Shu, what should we do?” Instinctively, everyone looked to the bravest among them for a decision.

Uncle Ding looked out over the endless water, pondering for a moment before gritting his teeth and saying, “We can’t bury it in our village!

We don’t know if there are more bodies to come or how many. We know nothing about the situation outside. After the flood, there’s a high risk of plague; we have to be cautious!”

At the mention of a plague, the men’s mouths opened, their eyes wide with fear.

The most they had seen before were domestic squabbles or marital disputes, and at worst, the natural death of an elderly villager. But now, after days of flooding, to witness…

A plague?

Uncle Ding, who dealt with medicinal herbs daily and was practically a barefoot doctor, had seen and knew more than they did. He wouldn’t joke about something like this.

The joy of having stopped the flood was now overshadowed by a new layer of dread.