Chapter 446: Disaster

Chapter 446 Disaster

While Ye Xiaoxiao was gathering supplies, Gao Yanfei next door was doing the same.

Now that Lu Hanchuan had returned, Ye Xiaoxiao peered over the wall to talk to her neighbor.

"Is the typhoon on the island that severe?"

Gao Yanfei, who had experience, replied, "Depends on the strength. If the typhoon is strong, it could even tear houses apart. Stay away from the shoreline these days—it’s too dangerous."

Ye Xiaoxiao nodded. Their stone house looked solid enough.

The house they were assigned was decent, but the real concern was for the island’s poorer residents, whose homes were already rammed with gaps.

Two years ago, a typhoon had leveled entire homes, and now, newly rebuilt, they might be destroyed again.

Truly, impoverished areas not only suffer from remoteness but also endure the wrath of nature.

"Clear the yard completely. If things get blown around, they could hurt someone," Gao Yanfei reminded Xiao Xiao.

"Understood."

It wasn’t just Ye Xiaoxiao and her family who were tense—other islanders were also battening down against wind and rain. Fishermen had been mooring their boats recently.

Kong Xuelan returned later. The school had also announced that a typhoon was approaching Changjing Island.

Under the typhoon’s influence, the Changjing Island area would face torrential rains and gales.

"How should we prepare? I really don’t have any experience with this."

Though the school had outlined safety measures, written instructions were different from actual practice.

Ye Xiaoxiao explained what needed to be done. "Just hunker down inside when it happens. As long as the house holds up, we’ll be fine."

After speaking, she turned to Lu Hanchuan.

"Will there be flooding here?"

Lu Hanchuan reassured her, "Don’t worry. As long as the rainfall doesn’t exceed historical records, this area should be fine. Besides, Changjing Island graduates westward—if there’s a flood, we can evacuate westward."

Thankfully, the island boasted high ground, providing a refuge in case of flooding.

In a way, the terrain offered mercy to this land.

Ye Xiaoxiao asked, "What if I need to relieve myself during the storm?"

Lu Hanchuan: "..."

The two exchanged glances before Lu Hanchuan looked away first. "We’ll manage somehow."

Ye Xiaoxiao had a feeling it wouldn’t be a pleasant solution.

Changing the subject, she asked, "The military will stand down from drills during the typhoon, right?"

"Training might stop, but we’ll be at the ready for disaster relief."

Lu Hanchuan had already been notified. If communications were to go down, he would be in command of the troops on the island, meaning he might not be able to return home and would have to remain on post.

It was unavoidable. Lu Hanchuan reminded Xiao Xiao, "If the rain gets really heavy, just batten down the hatches. Don’t worry about me."

"Alright then, I'd better prepare more food. You be careful too."

If it rains, we can’t use the stove, and there will likely be a power outage.

Lu Hanchuan made sure Ye Xiaoxiao had everything she needed.

The compound had guards posted anyway, so in case of an emergency, there was no need to worry about lacking assistance.

Even so, Lu Hanchuan still worried.

Xiao Xiao, in turn, tried to reassure him, "Saves me the trouble of opening the door for you."

Lu Hanchuan: "..."

The weather report was spot-on. The weather had been gloomy for days, thick with the threat of a storm.

By the evening of the third day, a sudden clap of thunder seemed to signal the storm’s arrival. Rain crashed down like the sky was falling.

Ye Xiaoxiao had already locked the chickens in the woodshed and stuffed sandbags into the door cracks.

Upstairs, the windows and doors were tightly shut, with sacks stacked high to keep the rainwater out.

Within ten minutes of the downpour, the power went out.

Ye Xiaoxiao’s home had enough water and snacks to last. Aside from the eerie sounds outside, everything else was fine.

She hung a flashlight as a makeshift light. The dim environment wasn’t suitable for reading, so she could only lie there, staring into space.

Outside, lightning flashed and thunder roared, while inside, it was unnaturally still.

The dimness made her drowsy, and Ye Xiaoxiao pulled the blanket tight, closing her eyes.

Even with the thunder and rain pounding the windows, it didn’t stop her from falling asleep.

"Boom!"

Ye Xiaoxiao woke with a start at the deafening crash.

At first, she thought something had shattered the windows in her house.

But when she hurried to the living room, she found all the glass intact—the noise was from next door.

She hadn’t paid close attention earlier and couldn’t tell whose house it was.

Now, with the rain too heavy outside, there was no way to check.

Ye Xiaoxiao went back to bed, uneasy. Nervous, she shoved a handful of snacks into her mouth.

The heavy rain lasted over half an hour. Though it eventually lightened, Ye Xiaoxiao still couldn’t go outside.

The yard was a swamp—one step outside and she’d sink into the mud.

Before she could decide what to do, lightning flared again, thunder rolling closer.

She gave up and went back to sleep.

She woke to the house leaking.

The drip-drip of water echoed from the living room to the bedroom, some spots worse than others.

Ye Xiaoxiao set out basins on the floor to catch the dripping water.

She was now living through the kind of life where it's pouring outdoors while dripping indoors.

Fortunately, while the roof leaked, it wasn’t too severe.

Once the rain outside lightened, the inside stopped leaking.

Being her first year living there without any preparation, she knew she’d have to get up on the roof to fix it once the weather cleared.

By the time the rain stopped, it was already past nine in the evening. Ye Xiaoxiao was at home sipping hot water and nibbling on peach cookies when the housing complex guard went door-to-door doing safety checks.

Ye Xiaoxiao responded but didn't have time to offer him some hot water before he left.

“The typhoon has passed, so there shouldn’t be any more heavy rain. If the house isn’t badly damaged, Mrs. Ye, you can come out and check tomorrow.”

After leaving those words, he immediately turned to visit the next household.

Lu Hanchuan still hadn’t returned. Ye Xiaoxiao knew he must have things to do, so she locked the door and went to bed.

The next morning, Ye Xiaoxiao got up early.

It was no longer raining outside, but the sky remained overcast, leaving uncertainty about whether the typhoon would return.

The yard was muddy, with a layer of puddles.

Unable to leave, she could only shout across the yard, “Teacher Kong, are you alright? Was that your window that broke yesterday?”

Kong Xuelan stood at her doorway, looking worn out.

Ye Xiaoxiao recalled that she wasn't in good health, and now she seemed ill again.

“Yes, one of my windows shattered. Luckily, it wasn’t in the bedroom, so it’s not a big deal, but it did give me quite a scare.”

Kong Xuelan truly didn’t look well—her face was awfully pale.

Ye Xiaoxiao checked on her a few more times, “Teacher Kong, if you’ve caught a cold or fever, you should take medicine right away.”

Kong Xuelan replied, “I didn’t sleep well last night. I’ll be fine after some rest.”

“Then go get some rest. You still can't get through the yard for now,” Ye Xiaoxiao urged.