Chapter 98

Chapter 98

Having experienced similar situations before, Uncle Chen reflexively grabbed a weapon upon hearing the knock and asked nervously, “Who’s there?”

“Government officials. We're taking a census of the town's surviving residents.”

Uncle Chen peeked through the door crack and saw two men in official uniforms. “Please wait a moment, sirs. I'll get our master for you.”

Soon, Wang Ying came from the backyard and also looked through the gap. He saw they were actually acquaintances—Huang San, who had helped him before.

He asked everyone else to wait inside, then opened the door himself. “Third Master Huang? You're still alright?”

Huang San was also startled to see Wang Ying still alive. He cupped his hands and said, “I'm touched you'd ask after me, Shopkeeper Wang. I’m getting by.”

Wang Ying nodded, though the man's waxen complexion and unkempt beard suggested things were not alright at all.

Over half of Huang San’s family of more than ten had perished in the flood, leaving only him and two children alive.

Those left alive had to work. The county had sent orders for them to register the town’s survivors, so he had been out since early morning.

Huang San held a ledger, carefully recording the names, genders, and ages of the survivors from the Chen family.

“Your household came through relatively unscathed.”

“The house collapsed, and we’re just making do. We just happened to be out at our farmstead when the rain started, so we escaped to the mountains and survived the flood.”

Huang San suddenly lowered his voice. “Shopkeeper Wang, does your household still have grain?”

“A little, but not much. With so many mouths to feed, it won't last us many days. When will the government’s relief grain arrive?”

Huang San hesitated. “Just wait. Make sure to hide your grain well. If anyone knocks, don’t open the door. The people in this town... they're nearly mad with hunger…”

Wang Ying was startled by his grim expression and quickly nodded in agreement.

After the officials left, he immediately instructed Uncle Chen and the others to reinforce the main gate and thoroughly check the compound walls, repairing any damaged sections to prevent intruders from climbing over.

Qingshui Town originally had over 1,700 residents. After the flood, fewer than 300 survived. It was a devastating scene—nine out of ten homes stood empty.

After completing the registration, Huang San organized the men to clear the corpses from the streets.

Bodies of flood victims were everywhere. In the sweltering heat, the bodies putrefied beyond recognition after just two days in the sun, and the whole town was thick with a foul stench that made the eyes water.

By the third day of cleanup, people started coming down with the pestilence. It started with intensely itchy rashes that, within days, festered into sores with a piercing pain.

The most terrifying part was how contagious the sickness was. If one person caught it, the whole family would suffer.

With no doctors or medicine in town, there was no cure. Watching the living rot away to death, no one dared set foot outside anymore, and every household barricaded their doors.

Fortunately, Wang Ying had not registered Tian Daniu and the others, which spared them from being forced into the cleanup and the plague.

After a long day’s work, Huang San dragged his weary body home. He knocked on the door, and soon his two children opened it.

“Dad, you’re back! Do you have any food? My brother and I are starving…”

Huang San felt around inside his coat and pulled out a small bag of moldy millet. “Rinse it clean and make some gruel.”

“Yes!” The two brothers took the grain and happily went to start a fire and cook.

Huang San sat on the steps, feeling completely drained of strength. Ever since he'd been around those sick people days before, he hadn't been feeling right, unsure if he had contracted the disease.

He turned to look at his two young sons, thinking to himself how they would possibly survive if he died.

A piercing itch stabbed at his back. He scratched it and, to his horror, tore off a piece of festering skin!

Horror-struck, Huang San broke into loud, desperate sobs. He didn’t want to die—his sons were still young, and his hair wasn't even gray yet… How could he be dying?

Hearing their father’s cries, the children rushed over. “Dad, why are you crying?”

“Stay back! After this meal, you must leave!”

The elder son, Huang Baiguan, asked, “Dad, why are you sending us away? Did my brother and I do something wrong?”

“I can’t feed you anymore.”

The younger son, Huang Qianguan, whispered, “Brother and I won’t eat anymore… Please don’t send us away, Dad.”

Huang San’s heart wrenched, but he had no choice. If they stayed with him, they'd surely catch this cursed sickness too. He picked up a bamboo pole and swung it at them. “Get out! Leave now!”

“Dad…” The two boys dropped to their knees, wrapped their arms around each other, and wept. “You can’t send us away! We’ve already lost Grandpa, Grandma, and Mom... we can't be left with no father too!”

Huang San cried along with them, seeing no choice but to tell the truth. “I’ve contracted the pestilence. This sickness won’t let me live much longer. You'd have a better chance at finding a way to live if you leave me behind.”

The children shook their heads, crying. “We won’t leave. We’ll stay with you.”

“Don’t be foolish! Huang Baiguan, as the elder brother, take your brother and go to… to the Chen family in the east part of town. You’ll recognize their house by the paper lantern hanging at the door.”

Huang San took a deep breath and continued, “When you get there, use my name. Kneel at their gate and beg them to take you in. Shopkeeper Wang is a kind man. If he can help, he’ll take you in. If he doesn’t open the door, find your own way to survive…”

The children still refused to leave. Desperate, Huang San knelt. “Please, I'm begging you, alright? Don't let my line be cut off. I can't have no one to make offerings to me after I'm dead!”

Huang Baiguan, pulling his younger brother with him, kowtowed heavily three times to their father. He wiped the snot and tears from his face and said, “Dad… my brother and I are leaving.”

Seeing his sons leave, Huang San finally let a tearful smile show and turned to go inside.

He was exhausted. Since the flood began, every day had been filled with fear and dread. Watching his parents, wife, and brothers die before his eyes had left him choked by a feeling of utter powerlessness. Now, he could finally rest.

He covered himself with a blanket and fell asleep, and never woke up again.

Meanwhile, the two Huang boys found their way to the Chen residence. After giving their father’s name, they knelt at the door and waited.

Uncle Chen came and reported this to Wang Ying. “The two children are quite young—the older one is eleven or twelve, and the younger one looks to be about Mutou's age.”

Wang Ying hesitated. Taking in a few more people wasn’t an issue—the test fields yielded enough grain. But he feared the children might be carrying the pestilence, which could spread to others.

“Let them stay in the neighboring courtyard for now. Slide their food to them through the gap in the door these next few days, and avoid contact.”

The neighboring household was empty—whether dead or having fled to relatives—and anything useful had been taken, leaving only a few vacant rooms.

Uncle Chen relayed the message to the children, who obediently went to stay in the abandoned house next door.

Li Shi set down her needlework and sighed. “Who knows when this disaster will end? The flood barely stopped, and now this pestilence has everyone terrified.”

Wang Ying said, “Great disasters are always followed by great pestilence; the two are intertwined. But with so many dead in town, this pestilence should end soon.”

After all, without living hosts, how could it spread?

Chen Rong shook out the small clothes she had altered and handed them to Wang Ying. “Try these on Yuanbao later. With food and clothing scarce, adults can make do, but we can’t let the child suffer.”

Li Shi patted Chen Rong’s arm. “You truly care for the child. I wonder how Qiu Er and the others are doing now?”

Whenever Lin Qiu was mentioned, Chen Rong couldn't hold back her tears. Seeing Yuanbao reminded her of her own little grandson, and she regretted returning so early instead of staying longer in the county town to spend time with them.

Wang Ying comforted her, saying, "Your brother-in-law is a capable man; he will surely protect Lin Qiu and Xiaomai. Please don’t worry or grieve, Third Aunt. Perhaps they will arrive soon."

"I hope so..."

*

Perhaps due to the bond between mother and son, Lin Qiu, far away in the county town, was also thinking of his mother at that moment.

Although the county town had also suffered from flooding, the protective city walls had prevented major damage. Aside from a few dilapidated houses that collapsed when waterlogged, most households were relatively unscathed.

When the floodwaters rose, Cao Kun placed wooden planks across the beams to store their food and bedding. Lin Qiu and their son stayed up there for several days until the water receded, after which the family resumed their normal life.

A few days later, Cao Kun learned from the Porter Guild that Qingshui County had been severely affected, with nine out of ten households empty.

Upon hearing the news, Lin Qiu fainted on the spot.

Cao Kun was terrified, pinching above his upper lip and calling his name until he finally regained consciousness after a while.

Nearby, Xiaomai was crying loudly from fear. Dazed, Lin Qiu picked up his son and tried to leave immediately, saying, "I must go back to find my mother and brother."

Cao Kun quickly stopped him, saying, "A-Qiu, don’t panic. We can’t go on foot. Let me borrow a horse-drawn cart first—it’ll only take two or three days by cart. You stay here and pack our things."

"Alright!" Lin Qiu felt more settled and hurriedly began packing.

Cao Kun left home and first went to his mother’s old house to inform her.

Upon hearing the news, Old Mrs. Cao urged, "Go quickly, and take plenty of food. They're surely suffering terribly there and likely have nothing to eat!"

"Take care of yourself while we’re away."

"Don’t worry, I have Huiniang here to look after me."

Cao Kun went directly to the Porter Guild. Due to the floods, business had ground to a halt, so he borrowed a horse from the guild leader and returned home.

Lin Qiu had already packed their belongings, including four or five sets of clothing for all seasons, and over two hundred pounds of millet. Early the next morning, the husband and husband set off for the town with their child.

Just outside the city, they were horrified by the devastation. The base of the city wall was piled with hundreds or even thousands of corpses—some decayed to skeletons, others still with flesh, covered in flies and maggots, emitting a nauseating stench.

These bodies had been washed in by the flood from nearby towns and villages, accumulating where the city wall blocked them.

Lin Qiu retched at the ghastly sight, while Cao Kun broke out in a cold sweat, realizing the situation outside was far worse than he had imagined.

Their journey was slow and intermittent, with several close calls where people tried to stop their cart and steal their food.

Cao Kun, being battle-hardened, brandished a large machete from the cart. The sight alone was enough to scare the would-be robbers away.

The closer they got to Qingshui Town, the worse the conditions became. Scarcely a single house remained standing along the way, and even the courier stations had been washed away by the flood.

Lin Qiu’s heart sank. He feared that his mother and Aunt might have already met a tragic fate.

Cao Kun, stressed and anxious, broke out in painful mouth blisters, making it difficult even to drink water.

Only Xiaomai, too young to understand the sorrow, ate and slept contentedly. On the morning of the third day, they finally arrived in Qingshui Town.