"Oh dear, what kind of weather is this!" Old Man Yun slapped his thigh and quickly stood up. "It was clear and sunny just a moment ago, how did it suddenly get so overcast..."
Yun Daman and Yun Erman also looked anxious. Rain in the mountains was the most troublesome. Without paved roads, the ground would be covered in mud. Stepping on it would be slippery, and one might easily fall. In difficult spots, a foot could sink halfway in, which was an unpleasant experience.
"Dad, should we wait for the rain to stop before we go, or head down the mountain immediately!" Yun Daman took off his outer shirt and wrapped it around Little Xi Tian.
Old Man Yun looked up at the sky, narrowing his eyes. "Judging by the look of it, the rain is going to be heavy. We should hurry down the mountain. Getting stuck here would be troublesome..."
So, Madam Gu quickly tidied their belongings and instructed the two girls, "You two don't run around, just follow behind. Jin Shan, Jin He, you keep an eye on your aunt and Xiao Ran!"
"Understood, Grandma!"
Today, the Yun family had harvested ten sacks of mushrooms, wood ear fungus, and monkey head mushrooms. Including the dandelion roots and sowthistle they had dug up earlier, they had a total of eleven sacks... Jin Shan and Jin He carried one each, the two hidden guards each carried two, Daman and Erman also carried two sacks, and Old Man Yun carried one himself. The remaining sack of wild vegetables was carried by Kong Xing Zhuo.
After distributing the load, the group hurried down the mountain. Xiao Jin Heng led Chen Xiao Ran and Little Xi Tian at the very back of the group. This was to prevent them from rolling down the mountain if they accidentally fell, and the people in front could also catch them...
"Rumble!" A muffled thunderclap exploded in the distance. The dark, gloomy clouds were like a giant black tarp, covering the entire sky. Even though it was only past noon, the sky had turned as dark as dusk.
Before the group had traveled half a mile, raindrops as large as beans began to 'pitter-patter' down... Birds and beasts in the forest flew away with chirping sounds, and the entire Camel Peak Mountain was covered by the downpour. Visibility dropped to its lowest, and the undergrowth seemed to be covered in a thin mist, ethereal as if they were traversing through clouds.
Everyone's clothes were soon soaked through, and the mountain path underfoot became muddy and impassable. Madam Jin had already fallen several times, her skirt covered in slippery mud...
"Oh dear, if I had known, I would have brought a few umbrellas when we left. What time is this, we're so unlucky!" Yun Erman grumbled. He walked forward with two large sacks on his back, which were heavy, and the ground was slippery. If he wasn't careful, he could fall into a ditch.
Old Man Yun glared at him. "Stop dawdling. Who could have predicted such heavy rain today? This wretched weather can change its mind in an instant, even fortune tellers can't predict it..."
"Second son, tie the mouth of that sack tighter, the mushrooms are spilling out like a fart!" Old Man Yun shouted. This idiot would lose all the mushrooms before they even got home.
Yun Erman stopped and put the sack on the ground, wiping the water droplets from his face. "Haha, Dad, at a time like this, you're still worried about mushrooms..."
"How can I not be worried?" Old Man Yun also put down his sack and walked over to help him tie it. "We worked so hard to come up the mountain, and we've gathered quite a lot of wild goods. If we don't bring anything back, wouldn't all our effort be in vain?"
Madam Gu looked back at her little daughter, seeing her soaked to the bone, and felt heartbroken... "Daughter, how about I carry you down the mountain!" Madam Gu walked over and took out a handkerchief to wipe the rainwater from her daughter's face.
"No need, Mother, I can walk myself!" Little Xi Tian smiled and shook her head.
There were no umbrellas in the space, so she couldn't shelter her family from the rain. Even if there were umbrellas, everyone was carrying sacks and couldn't free their hands to hold them. Raincoats would be the most reliable in this situation... However, there were no raincoats in the space either, which made Little Xi Tian very troubled.
"Xiao Ran, tie your headscarf!" Madam Gu untied her own headscarf and handed it to Chen Xiao Ran. This girl's hair was too long, and she didn't know where her hair tie had gone. Her jet-black hair was scattered, damply hanging down her back.
"Thank... thank you, Aunt Gu, it's s-so cold!" Chen Xiao Ran was almost dazed by the rain, shivering all over. She had never been caught in the rain like this before, nor had she ever trekked through the mountains. Today, she truly experienced farm life. Although it was cold, it felt exhilarating. She couldn't find this feeling in the county town. If she dared to run around wildly in the heavy rain, her parents would surely spank her...
Chen Xiao Ran tied her headscarf and, trembling, ran to the front of the group.
Xiao Jin Heng was also in a bad state. His elegant brocade robe was covered in mud, and the jade hairpin on his head was askew, about to fall off. He held Little Xi Tian's hand and asked with concern, "Are you cold?"
"Yes, yes!" It was indeed quite cold. The rainwater felt cool on their skin. The whole family was drenched; it would be strange if they didn't catch a cold after this...
"If you're cold, bear with it a little longer. Once we cross three more mountains, we'll reach the village!" Xiao Jin Heng comforted her. The Yun family had really gone far this time to collect wild goods. Camel Peak Mountain was vast, with more than ten ridges and gullies, and the mountain was covered in dense forest, making it cold and damp. Villagers without experience could easily get lost...
After Yun Erman secured the sack, the group resumed their journey. The downpour grew heavier, and Little Xi Tian faintly heard the sound of water rushing from the direction of the mountain peak. With such heavy rain, wouldn't it cause a mountain flood? A bad premonition welled up in her heart.
"Old man, the rain is too heavy, why don't we find a place to take shelter..." Madam Gu suggested.
Old Man Yun looked around. "Oh dear, where is there any shelter here? There are gullies washed out everywhere!" If they didn't descend the mountain quickly, and a flood came down, they would lose their lives.
Kong Xing Zhuo, panting, turned his head and said, "Uncle Yun, why don't we go further up the mountain?" Even with heavy rain, it shouldn't reach the mountaintop...
Before Old Man Yun could answer, Madam Jin said, "We've finally made it this far. If we have to climb up again carrying sacks, wouldn't we be exhausted to death!"
Old Man Yun sighed and picked up his sack. "We have no choice, let's go, let's go. It's thundering and windy up the mountain, don't get struck by lightning!" Last year, the village chief had almost been struck in the arm when he went up the mountain... The higher the place, the more likely it was to be struck by lightning.
"Jin Shan, Jin He, if you can't carry them, just leave the sacks!" Madam Gu said. Survival was the most important thing at this moment.
"It's okay, Grandma, we can carry them!" Yun Jin He said with a smile.
Chen Xiao Ran, not wanting Jin He to suffer, awkwardly walked over. "Brother Jin He, I'll help you carry it..."
"Forget it, it's better if you don't fall than anything else!" Yun Jin He didn't want her to be burdened.
Just then, a 'rumbling' sound of rushing water came from the mountaintop. The force of the flood was so strong that half the mountain trembled slightly. Little Xi Tian looked back. It was over...