The rain outside poured incessantly, with the colorful hues of memory assisting. Unsure of what would happen next, he quickly sat up and quietly moved the blanket to the innermost corner of the cave. This spot was dark and damp, a place others were unwilling to frequent, a stark contrast to where he had just been sitting.
His son, his grandson, and his daughter-in-law, Xia He, stood at the entrance, looking at the rain with worried faces before entering the cave. Upon reaching where his mother had been, they discovered someone else had taken her place. Fearing something had happened to his mother, they immediately searched for her.
Wu Caiwei had already noticed them. She waved her hand to catch their attention. The two approached their mother, their brows furrowing unconsciously. He said, "That spot was where I asked your elder brother to help find. He arrived earlier and secured a good position. If Mother has moved here, it will be difficult to find such a place again."
"That spot is good, but have you considered one thing? It's right in the center of the cave. If something were to happen to someone in the cave, they would be the first to be affected. This place, though dark and damp, has a large rock behind it. If something were to happen in the cave, our family could quickly hide behind it, and it would be less likely to be affected, making it safer," Wu Caiwei explained patiently.
The couple did not agree with their mother's view. Every household was facing hardship, and everyone was worried about the rising water and heavy rain, with no mood for trouble. However, their mother had already moved, and it was an unchangeable fact. As long as she was happy, that was all that mattered.
Upon arriving at the mountain, there was no firewood and no water. Furthermore, the people were not in the mood to cook, so most of them went without food. Although Wu Caiwei wanted to eat something, seeing that the conditions were not met, she had no choice but to endure.
He Shen left the two children with Wu Caiwei and followed the Chinese among them to the cave entrance. In truth, he couldn't see anything, but he was filled with uncertainty about the future. Only by watching the outside, observing the changes in the land, did he feel a sense of reality.
Today, he had already lost count of how many times he had heard his daughter-in-law sigh. In fact, the original owner was not very satisfied with her. When their first two sons got married, Zhang Dashan had spent a considerable amount of effort and money to bring them into the family. When it was their son's turn, the previous daughters-in-law and sons were no longer willing to spend money. To save expenses, they simply bought a woman from the town and had them marry simply. The original owner had always harbored resentment over this, and thus showed no pleasant expression when meeting her.
Furthermore, after many years of marriage, she had only given birth to two granddaughters for herself. Life had been quite difficult in the past. In truth, she was also a pitiable person. Her maternal family in the north had suffered a drought that was rarely seen in a century. The entire family fled south. By the time they reached here, only she remained. Many people had successively fallen on the road. As a woman, she couldn't survive alone and had no choice but to marry someone.
The original owner couldn't see through her, but Wu Caiwei felt she was extraordinary. Although she usually tolerated the original owner's pickiness with forbearance, she never suffered any loss when dealing with those two daughters-in-law. Indeed, people who could survive from the north to the south were not simple. It was a pity her fate was so bitter. Just when life was getting better, she encountered floods, and in the end, she even lost her life.
Xia He sat quietly in front of Wu Caiwei, calmly observing her surroundings. She had encountered similar situations before, feeling lost and helpless at that time. Unfortunately, heaven had not favored her, and in the end, only she remained. This time, she was also unsure of herself, wondering if she could get through it safely like last time. Moreover, she now had two daughters she cared deeply about and didn't want anything to happen to them. However, in the face of natural disasters, humans were very small and could only take things one step at a time, with no way to predict the outcome.
"Xia He, go and call Hesheng here. I need to see him." Wu Caiwei saw the sky gradually darken, and her foolish son was still standing there looking out. The rain outside had begun to fall again, so she quickly instructed her daughter-in-law to call him.
A moment later, Hesheng came before her, looking at his mother with a hint of confusion. "Mother, what is your command?"
"Why are you always standing at the cave entrance? Although I know you are worried, things will work out in the end. You haven't rested properly since last night. You have time for this, why not get some sleep? Besides, I told you today is a time of great change, and unexpected situations may arise. By then, you won't have time to hide. Believe me, I have eaten more salt than you have eaten rice," Wu Caiwei said meaningfully. If she had given such clear hints, and this foolish son still insisted on putting himself in danger, she would truly be speechless.
Mother always said something would happen tonight. Looking at everyone around with their worried faces, Hesheng was somewhat disbelieving. However, he couldn't ignore his mother's words. He could only suppress his worries and reluctantly sit beside her.
"Crack!" Suddenly, the ground shook and the mountains trembled. Everyone sitting in the cave swayed for a moment, and even small stones fell from the ceiling, hitting people and causing minor injuries.
"What's happening?" They looked at each other, their eyes filled with panic.
No one answered his question. They all listened intently. Suddenly, someone reacted, saying uncertainly, "Could it be that the river dam upstream has burst?"
Hearing this, everyone's hearts sank. They felt a sense of relief, thinking that those who insisted on staying in the village were fortunate. Fortunately, they had fled quickly. Some elderly people who were unwilling to leave their homes thought that floods had occurred in previous years, but they were not so severe, and the water receded quickly. They thought it might be the same this year. However, some people clearly sensed that something was wrong. The water was rising rapidly, and the rain had not stopped. If it continued like this, they dared not imagine the consequences and quickly evacuated.
However, some elderly people with mobility issues or who were bedridden simply resigned themselves to fate, believing that heaven would not treat them so harshly.
Without needing to guess, everyone knew their fate. At the same time, they felt a sense of bewilderment. With such a large flood, it would definitely destroy houses and inundate farmland. Not only would they have no harvest this year, but they would also be homeless. Were they going to learn from others and flee? Although they had never experienced it in their lives, they had heard that one should not flee unless absolutely necessary. The journey was full of unknowns, and often only one or two out of ten people could survive. No one dared to gamble, fearing they wouldn't be the lucky one. Besides, they were also afraid of their homes being destroyed and their families being torn apart.
Just as everyone was lost in thought, suddenly, over a dozen people in black clothing rushed in. Their expressions clearly indicated ill intentions.
Everyone instinctively moved away from them. Wu Caiwei knew that what was coming would eventually come. It wasn't that she didn't want to save certain people, but that she had just arrived in this world and was a powerless farm woman with no ability. All she could do was protect her own family.