r18novel Chapter 418 - 416: Natural Disaster 2
Chapter 418 - 416: Natural Disaster 2
Captain Zhou breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, good, good. I told you the government wouldn’t abandon us." He happily patted his grandson. "Dashu, go back, wash up, and get something to eat."
Zhou Dashu said to the crowd, "It’s a good thing we were in the drying hut roasting mushrooms. The main part of the village below was hit by a landslide. A few families still had people inside who couldn’t escape in time—they were buried."
Everyone who heard this was overcome with relief. Their possessions were gone, but their families—young and old—were all safe.
Another agonizing day passed before the rain finally stopped. Captain Zhou organized everyone to dig for ginger taro and wild vegetables.
Someone suggested digging for their buried supplies, but Captain Zhou stopped them. "The rain just stopped. The mud and gravel that washed down are still very loose. The slightest disturbance could trigger another collapse. What’s the point of getting your things if you lose your life?"
A man said with a pained expression, "Captain, our blankets, spare clothes, pots, bowls, and farm tools are all buried down there. We don’t have any money. What are we supposed to use to buy new things?"
Captain Zhou looked at him. "Then you choose. Is your life more important, or are your things?" Seeing that no one said a word, he waved his hand. "Dismissed. It’s still better than being buried down there."
The dispirited villagers followed him to look for food.
On the third day after Zhou Dashu and the others had returned, two commune officials finally arrived, leading a team of about ten people with mules carrying grain, oil, and salt.
The group surveyed their washed-out houses and fields and took photographs.
After seeing the devastation caused by the mudslide, the two officials and the commune members who delivered the grain were relieved there had been no casualties. They explained that just the day before, they had delivered grain to another disaster-stricken village up ahead.
Things were even worse over there. One family was left with only a ten-year-old child, and he only survived because he’d been playing and had snuck out to catch fish.
In the face of disaster, humans are as insignificant as ants.
One of them said to Captain Zhou, "We’ve already reported this to our superiors. Now that we’ve inspected the site in person, we will submit another report on the situation. We’ll do our best to request some aid for you."
"Good," Captain Zhou replied. "We don’t want to be a burden on the government, but we’re truly at a loss right now. The villagers don’t even have a place to live, no spare clothes, no bedding..."
One of the officials frowned at him and said, "As we said, we’ve already reported this. You need to call on everyone to demonstrate a spirit of resilience and endurance. House some of them in the brigade building, and arrange for the others to squeeze in with unaffected commune members."
Hearing this, Captain Zhou could only nod. With this rice, flour, oil, and salt, supplemented by the wild vegetables and ginger taro everyone was digging up, they could hold out for a while.
The group left without even staying for a meal. Not that there was anything decent to serve them.
Captain Zhou and his grandson saw them off.
Once Captain Zhou had left, Aunt Zhou thought about her own house. It was on a lower slope and hadn’t been completely buried. Ignoring everyone’s warnings, she grabbed a hoe and went down the mountain, hoping to dig some of her belongings out.
But she had only dug a few times when a patch of loose earth collapsed with a RUMBLE. The scare left Aunt Zhou’s legs so weak she could barely stand, and she was nearly buried alive.
Everyone scrambled to drag the terrified, limp Aunt Zhou back up the mountain. Seeing her pathetic state, those who had also been planning to dig for their belongings lost their nerve.
When Captain Zhou returned and heard what had happened, he knew this couldn’t go on. He gathered everyone together and announced:
"I’m going to distribute the grain to everyone. Those of you with relatives or friends should go and stay with them for a while. Those with nowhere to go, start chopping down trees to build temporary shelters on the flat ground in front of the drying field."
The villagers’ faces fell. "Captain, our relatives are all poor, too," one said. "It wouldn’t be right to impose on any of them. Every family is short on food; how could we have the nerve to be a burden?"
A woman nodded in agreement. "Exactly. If I stay at my own parents’ house for more than a few days, I have to put up with sour looks from my brothers and their wives. I’m not thick-skinned enough to impose on other relatives."
"Captain, there’s only so much grain," another person chimed in. "If we all forage for wild vegetables, ginger taro, and yams to supplement it, we can make it last for a while. Distributing it now and sending people to relatives isn’t a long-term solution."
A man who had once helped Zhou Shitou transport pumpkins out of the mountains spoke up. "Captain, my family will stay and build a shelter! I think we should take advantage of all the mushrooms and Sichuan peppers that are out now. We should all go pick peppers and gather mushrooms, dry them, and then sell them for money to buy clothes and shoes."
Captain Zhou thought it was a good idea. "Shi Tou, take the mushrooms we’ve collected to your cousin and ask her to help us buy some cloth and cotton to bring back."
Zhou Shitou looked troubled. "Granduncle, our family’s mule was buried in the slide, too. I have no way to transport anything out!"
"Take my family’s mule," Captain Zhou said. "I’ll have Dashu go with you."
"Alright." Zhou Shitou agreed with a nod.
"I’ll go get the mule." Captain Zhou then addressed the crowd. "Able-bodied men, go cut wood and bamboo for the shelters. The rest of you, grab your baskets and go pick Sichuan peppers and find mushrooms. Our food for the year depends on this season’s mountain harvest."
"Alright!" they shouted. With a clear goal, everyone’s spirits lifted considerably.
Wu Shufang said to Zhou Shitou, "You should send your wife and children out of here. Go to Shilian first and see if your uncle and cousin are still there."
Zhou Shitou nodded. "Yes. Hong Ju and the children will have to stay with Second Brother for a while."
Wu Shufang advised her, "Hong Ju, when you get to Shi Song’s place, be diligent and learn from them." ’If worse comes to worst,’ she thought, ’we can do what Second Son’s family did: find a place in East Market and start a small business.’
Xu Hongju nodded eagerly, a thrill of excitement running through her at the thought of living in East Market. But then a thought occurred to her. "Ma, was Little Feng’s family affected by the disaster?" She was worried that if Li Xiaofeng’s parents also fled to East Market, there wouldn’t be any room for them to stay.
Wu Shufang shook her head. "Dashu said they weren’t."
Zhou Dashan said to his wife, "Why don’t you go to East Market with Hong Ju and the kids? Shi Tou and I can stay here and wait for the relief aid."
Xu Hongju nodded. "Yes, Ma. Little Feng and I don’t know each other very well. It would be easier for us if you were there."
"Alright." Wu Shufang thought for a moment before nodding in agreement.
Captain Zhou came to the drying hut, leading two mules and carrying fodder. When he learned that Wu Shufang was planning to go with her daughter-in-law and grandchildren, he happily agreed.
’That’s five fewer mouths to feed,’ he thought. ’It will help save some grain.’
He gave some rice and flour to Wu Shufang and her daughter-in-law, telling them to make some flatbreads for the journey. He also gave ten yuan and a few grain ration coupons to Dashu; after all, the round trip by ferry and bus, not to mention food, would cost money.
While Wu Shufang and her daughter-in-law fried the flatbreads, Captain Zhou and the others finished packing the mushrooms. They loaded them onto the pack saddles and, worried about rain, covered the bundles with an oilcloth.
After a quick meal, they set off. Carrying bamboo canteens on their backs and baskets in their hands, they herded the mules up the mountain path.
The mountain path, already treacherous, had collapsed in several places where it had been washed out by the rain, leaving only a narrow trail. The slightest pressure on the path sent loose stones and dirt tumbling into the chasm below.
The group looked down at the sheer drop with their hearts in their throats. Even the two mules refused to cross the narrow ledge.
Zhou Shitou and Zhou Dashu took out their machetes and hacked a new trail through the nearby undergrowth. The small group continued their difficult journey through the mountains.