Chapter 92

Chapter 92

Upon hearing this, both sighed deeply. While the estate could waive rent if the crops failed, the common folk would face severe hardship without grain.

Chen Rong recalled, "This rain reminds me of a flood over thirty years ago, also around this time. It rained incessantly for seven days and nights, with water rising above the tabletops."

"I remember my parents rigging planks on the roof beams, where they sheltered us children. Back then, I was too young to grasp the gravity of it and even found it somewhat amusing. But looking back, that flood claimed many lives, and numerous families in town were wiped out."

Qing Yun asked anxiously, "What should we do now?"

Wang Ying pondered for a moment. "For now, we observe and wait. Our land is on higher ground, so the water won't reach us immediately. If this rain persists, we'll have to seek refuge in the mountains."

Fortunately, the nearby mountains were densely forested, mitigating the risk of mudslides or landslides from the heavy rain.

No one at the meal had much appetite except for Yuan Bao. After eating, Wang Ying returned to his study to continue writing that afternoon.

He had already completed five pages of the first volume on seeds, which would eventually detail the morphology and identification methods of over sixty plant species. The second volume would focus on breeding, followed by the third, fourth, and fifth volumes. The entire book would span approximately four to five hundred pages—a significant undertaking. Wang Ying was in no rush to finish it all at once, planning to revise as he wrote, aiming to complete it within a year or two.

He had thought he'd forgotten most of what he'd learned, but as he systematically reviewed it while writing, he found he remembered almost everything. Youth, after all, meant a sharp memory.

The incessant drizzle outside continued, its end nowhere in sight, grating on everyone's nerves.

The gloomy weather made it too dark to read without a lamp, so Wang Ying bolted the door and headed to the experimental field to write.

Inside the experimental field, it was bright and calm. The rose bushes Chen Qingyan had brought in a while ago were now in bloom.

They had roses back in his hometown, too, but only in deep and light pink. They weren’t as varied as those at Laizhou Prefectural School, where a large patch of roses grew beside the secluded woods at the back, displaying orange, yellow, white, and double-petaled varieties.

He'd heard these flowers were remarkably easy to grow—just by snipping a few tender tips and planting them, they would take root. So Chen Qingyan had taken the time to select several beautiful ones and secretly placed them in the experimental field.

Wang Ying planted them all next to the peach tree, where they wouldn’t take up much space.

There was a new note in the experimental field. Wang Ying picked it up and glanced at it—it was probably from the night before. He was relieved to see that Qing Yan and the others had enrolled in Laizhou Prefectural School.

He left a note of his own, informing them that the hometown had been experiencing continuous rain these days, which was really getting on everyone's nerves. He worried the heavy rainfall might flood the crops. Everyone at home was safe, and Yuan Bao had been well-behaved lately without any mischief. "Don't worry," he wrote.

After leaving the note, Wang Ying lost himself in his writing. Perhaps as he grew older, things were starting to make more sense. Many concepts that had once eluded him now suddenly clicked into place after a systematic review.

This delighted Wang Ying immensely, fueling his enthusiasm for writing.

After writing for two hours, he got up to stretch his legs. He couldn’t use the remaining time in the experimental field, as they had agreed to leave at least half an hour for each other daily, just in case.

Returning to the bedroom, Wang Ying rubbed his eyes, struggling to adjust to the dim light outside. The damp air hit him. He threw on an outer coat, opened the door, and stood under the corridor for a while.

The rain showed no signs of stopping. Dark clouds rolled like ink, occasionally accompanied by deep rolls of thunder that rumbled like a dragon's roar. It was unclear how many more days this rain would last.

Walking through the corridor to the backyard, he found Yuan Bao, who had just woken from his nap, and the nanny was giving him some water.

"Father..." The little boy came running over to Wang Ying as soon as he saw him.

Wang Ying picked him up and smoothed his messy little topknot. "What’s wrong?"

The nanny said, "The young master might have had a nightmare. He was crying earlier, so I woke him up."

Wang Ying gave a slight smile, surprised that such a young child could already have dreams. "What did you dream about?"

Yuan Bao’s lip trembled, and tears streamed down his face as he buried his face in Wang Ying’s neck and sobbed.

"Shhh, don't cry. Daddy won't ask anymore."

"Dream... dreamed of water... so much water. Yuan Bao couldn’t... find Father..." The child managed between sobs, startling Wang Ying. He figured it was likely due to the continuous rain these days, giving the child nightmares.

"Don’t be afraid. Dreams aren’t real. Father will protect you; nothing will happen."

"Wah... Yuan Bao is scared of water..."

Wang Ying patted his back to comfort him, and it took a while for the child to calm down. Children forget easily, and when Mu Tou and Chun Sheng came over, Yuan Bao was soon bouncing around playfully again.

Wang Ying, however, did not forget. He couldn't shake a nagging worry. If the rain continued like this, and if the river upstream burst its banks, the whole of Qingshui Town would be in trouble.

Although the Yellow River was called the Mother River, she was undoubtedly a temperamental mother, who ruled the people along her banks with a rod of iron. Throughout history, there had been countless floods.

Qingshui Town was about 270 li from the nearest branch of the Yellow River. County records documented that thirty-two years ago, a Yellow River flood had submerged the entire town, destroying houses, wiping out crops, and leaving people homeless and starving, with dead bodies everywhere!

He quickly called for Uncle Chen and Dun Zi. "Round up all the rain gear in the house and prepare more wooden planks and ropes. If the rain hasn’t stopped by tomorrow, we’ll prepare to take refuge in the mountains."

Dun Zi immediately nodded and ran off to make preparations. Uncle Chen, however, looked puzzled. "Sir, the water isn’t that deep yet. Are we really going to the mountains now?"

"Just to be safe. Also, go to Chen Xi’s house and inform them. If anyone wants to join us in taking refuge in the mountains tomorrow, they can come with us."

Uncle Chen hesitated, feeling that the young master was overreacting. There had been periods of continuous rain in previous years, and the water went down pretty fast once the rain let up.

But as a servant, he didn’t dare argue. Since the young master had given the order, he'd just do as he was told. "I’ll go right away."

Uncle Chen pulled on his rain hat and stepped out the gate. After just a few steps, he was startled. The flood barrier they had built that morning had already been breached by the rushing river water. The fields were completely flooded, with only the tips of the millet seedlings visible above the water.

He didn’t dare delay any longer, slogging through the muddy water to Chen Xi’s house.

Manor Head Chen’s family lived on the eastern end of the village. Because the terrain was relatively low, water had already gotten into their house. The adults and children sat on the bed, worried, wondering when the rain would ever stop.

Seeing Uncle Chen, Chen Xi quickly came forward. "Brother Chen, what brings you here?"

Uncle Chen wiped the rain from his face. "The rain is too heavy. The young master plans to take his family to the mountains for refuge and asked if anyone in the village wants to join. We should all stick together so we can help each other out."

Chen Xi hesitated for a moment before saying, "We’ll go! I know of a cave in the mountains where we can shelter from the wind and rain."

Most people knew about that cave. In the past, when herding cattle in the mountains, they would often use it to get out of the heat.

This was something Uncle Chen hadn’t considered. "I’ll go back and inform the young master. You spread the word in the village. If the rain hasn’t stopped by tomorrow morning, tell everyone to bring clothes and provisions. Those who can leave should go, and we can return once the rain stops."

"Alright, I’ll go right away!"

Chen Xi took his eldest son and went door to door spreading the news. Hearing that the message came from the manor owner, everyone quickly packed their belongings, ready to leave together.

Of course, some were unwilling to go, figuring the manor owner was blowing things out of proportion. With the water only up to their ankles, they felt running for the mountains was just cowardly.

At the manor, Li Shi was also instructing the servants to pack clothes and food. Flour was inconvenient to carry, so Aunt Chen filled sacks with rice and beans.

Wang Ying said, "Don’t bring too much food. Just enough provisions for the whole family for a week." If the rain hadn’t stopped after a week... he would find a way to retrieve food from the experimental field.

Qing Yun and Lin Sui were responsible for packing clothes. They took three or four sets for each adult and child, including both light and heavy clothing. With the weather unpredictable, it wouldn’t do to suddenly turn cold without warm clothes.

Li Shi and Chen Rong packed their valuables. They wrapped banknotes in oilpaper and carried them close to their bodies to prevent them from being ruined by water. Gold and silver jewelry were placed in wooden boxes. As for the cloth, it was too heavy to carry, so they stored it in the attic of the storeroom to keep it dry.

By the time they finished packing, it was already late. After dinner, Wang Ying quietly went to the storeroom, moved everything that could be taken into the experimental field, locked the door, and planned to return everything later.

That night, Wang Ying slept with Yuan Bao. Around dusk, he entered the experimental field and saw that the note he had left was still there, indicating that Chen Qingyan hadn’t been in. He spent some time playing with his son inside.

After waiting about a quarter of an hour, Chen Qingyan finally came in.

Little Yuanbao excitedly rushed over to him as soon as he saw him, "Dad!"

"Hey!" Chen Qingyan hoisted him onto his shoulders.

Wang Ying said, "I thought you wouldn't make it today either."

"Song and Huai have fallen asleep, so I snuck in."

"They’re asleep this early?"

"The prefectural school has a curfew at night and doesn't allow students to use lights, so everyone goes to bed early to rest."

"Are you settling in okay at Laizhou Prefectural School?"

"My classmates are quite friendly, and Qing Huai’s friends are here too. I’ve already gotten to know most of them."

"That’s good."

Little Yuanbao sat on Chen Qingyan’s shoulders, tilting his head and listening to their conversation with a smile, not interrupting.

Chen Qingyan set his son down and pinched his chubby little hand, saying, "Has Yuanbao been well-behaved these past few days?"

"Yes!" Little Yuanbao answered brightly.

Wang Ying laughed, "He’s been quite obedient these days. Mainly because it’s been raining out, so he can’t go out and can only play indoors."

"Is the rain heavy?"

Wang Ying said casually, "It’s alright, it’s just that it never stops, which is a bit annoying."

"On our way to Laizhou, it rained the whole way. Our clothes were never once dry. Master even caught a cold and had a fever midway, so we rested in a nearby town for a few days before continuing the journey."

Chen Qingyan omitted the incident where he was nearly struck. Both of them only reported the good news, afraid of worrying the other.

"No wonder it took so long to get to Laizhou."

"You should be careful too. Drink more ginger soup to keep the cold away and avoid catching a chill."

Wang Ying said, "Don’t worry, no need to fret about things here at home. I might not have time to enter the test field these next few days. If you have anything to say, just leave a note."

Chen Qingyan didn’t give it much thought, "Alright, I’ll leave a note when I have time." Not daring to delay any longer, he kissed Wang Ying’s forehead, "I'd better get back now."

Little Yuanbao lifted his little face and said, "Yuanbao wants a kiss too."

Chen Qingyan chuckled and planted a big kiss on his son's cheek, his stubble making the boy yelp.

After Chen Qingyan left, Wang Ying took Little Yuanbao back to the room. The heavy rain didn't let up throughout the night.

Before dawn, the lights in the compound were already lit. Everyone packed things that might get damaged by moisture into wooden boxes and sealed them tightly.

Yesterday, Uncle Chen brought back news that there was a natural cave halfway up the mountain where everyone could take shelter from the rain, so being on the mountain won't be too bad.

Around 3-5 AM (Yin hour), the compound’s gate was knocked on. Chen Xi arrived with the villagers, young and old, ready to head up the mountain together.