My 1995 Small Farm.

Many people don't know this.

The great flood of 1998 began in mid-June.

The abnormal weather in Chenwangzhuang occurred in the fifth month of the lunar calendar.

The timing all matches up.

As for the period after July in the Gregorian calendar, continuous heavy rainfall has caused flooding.

By then, the disaster had already occurred.

But this is still before the disaster began.

It's not too late.

The rain stopped and started again, then started again and stopped again.

Intermittently, the sky remained overcast.

The following afternoon, the sound of car engines could be heard again from the reservoir dam.

Five large trucks were seen lined up in a long queue, driving in from the road outside the village.

A red banner hung on the truck. Although it was soaked by the rain, the words on it were still legible: “Donation from the Hong Kong Island Chow Family Charitable Foundation” and “United as One, Fighting the Floods Together”.

"They're here!" Chen Ling's spirits lifted.

The convoy stopped in the open space below the dam, and a man in his thirties, wearing a suit but with muddy feet, jumped out of the passenger seat of the first car.

He glanced around, his gaze settling on Chen Ling, and strode over.

"You must be Mr. Chen Ling?"

The man extended his hand and spoke in Mandarin with a slight Cantonese accent.

“I am Zheng, the project manager of the Zhou Foundation. Mr. Li Lianjie contacted us, saying that you urgently needed flood control supplies. Our first batch of 5,000 life jackets, 20,000 woven bags, and 1,500 tents have all arrived!”

Chen Ling shook hands with him: "Manager Zheng, thank you for your hard work, traveling in such heavy rain."

"It should."

Manager Zheng said seriously, "Mr. Zhou gave instructions. Mr. Chen is a man of action. He is relieved that the supplies have arrived. There will be generators, water pumps, and medicines following, which will arrive by noon tomorrow at the latest."

At this moment, the driver of the third truck also came over. He was a man in his forties with dark skin and a northern accent: "Boss Chen, we were sent by Boss Xu Yingguang. Twenty diesel water pumps and emergency food are all on the truck. Boss Xu said that we'll get more if needed!"

The entire dam area was silent. Everyone was staring at the eight large trucks, at the high piles of supplies on them, and at the brightly colored banners.

Someone shouted first, "Long live wealth and honor!"

Immediately, cheers erupted like a tidal wave:

"We're saved! We're saved!"

"So much stuff! So much stuff!"

"Our fellow Hong Kong residents, come and help us!"

"Mr. Xu is a true friend!"

Wang Laishun wiped his face, unsure whether it was rain or tears. He walked to Chen Ling's side, his voice choked with emotion, "Fugui, I've lived for over fifty years and never seen anything like this... What have we, Chenwangzhuang, done to deserve this..."

Chen Ling patted his shoulder: "Fifth Uncle, this is not due to the virtue and ability of Chenwangzhuang, but the result of everyone thinking in the same direction and working together. Only when we take action first will others be willing to help us."

Wang Lixian and Wang Jusheng have already organized the villagers to start unloading the goods.

Young and able-bodied men lined up in a long queue, passing boxes and bags of supplies to the temporary warehouse.

The women boiled water and cooked ginger soup, serving bowls to the drivers and staff who had come from afar.

Manager Zheng, holding a bowl of hot ginger soup, looked at the orderly scene before him and exclaimed, "Mr. Chen, before I came, I was worried that the distribution of supplies might be chaotic, but now it seems that I was overthinking it. The organization here is even better than that of a professional rescue team."

Chen Ling smiled and said, "The villagers are honest and know that these things can save lives, so they dare not be careless."

Not long after, it started raining again, and it was even heavier than it had been in the morning.

But this time, people were more confident.

The warehouse was filled with supplies, twenty brand-new diesel water pumps were set up on the dam, and cement and sand materials had also found a dry storage place.

In the evening, Zhao Yubao and Professor Zhong returned from the county town.

The two elderly professors were stunned by the sight before them as soon as they entered the village.

“Fugui, where did all of these come from?” Zhao Yubao pointed to the mountain of life jackets piled up in the warehouse.

Chen Ling explained the situation. After listening, Professor Zhong sighed deeply: "Those who act justly gain much support, while those who act unjustly find little. The ancients were truly right!"

Zhao Yubao thought even deeper: "Fugui, this external assistance is both a good thing and a pressure. Now the eyes of the whole county and the whole city are on Chenwangzhuang. We can only succeed, we cannot fail."

“I understand.” Chen Ling nodded. “That’s why we need to be even more cautious and take each step carefully.”

Just then, Lynx rushed over: "Fugui, news came from Kinmen Village that the seepage point has been brought under control, but the water level upstream is still rising, and they are worried that there may be danger tonight."

Chen Ling's eyes narrowed: "Let's go take a look."

He took Zhao Dahai and several young men with him, and drove a tractor to Kinmen Village.

Jinmen Village is less than three miles from Chenwangzhuang, but the road is in terrible condition.

The tractor bumped and jolted as it struggled through the mud.

Along the way, it can be seen that the river water has overflowed the riverbank and submerged some low-lying farmland.

Some wheat stalks in the fields had only their tips sticking out, swaying in the muddy yellow water.

The river embankment in Kinmen Village was brightly lit. Village Chief Jin Laowu was leading the villagers in reinforcing the embankment with sandbags. When Chen Ling arrived, they looked at him as if he were their savior.

"Brother Fugui! You've finally arrived!" Jin Laowu was covered in mud and water, his voice hoarse. "Look at this water! It rose another forty centimeters this afternoon! If this continues, the dikes will overflow by tomorrow morning at the latest!"

Chen Ling crouched down and carefully examined the embankment.

The earthen embankment had been softened by the water, and several tiny cracks had appeared, from which water was seeping out.

"Uncle Jin, you did the right thing. Use sandbags to block it first."

Chen Ling stood up. “I brought twenty water pumps. Give five to you. Set them up now and drain water out of the dike to relieve the pressure. The cement will arrive tomorrow. Reinforce the dike as soon as it arrives.”

"Five water pumps?" Jin Laowu's eyes lit up. "That's great! Our village only has two old, outdated ones that can't keep up with the water flow."

Chen Ling turned to Zhao Dahai and said, "Dahai, take some men back and bring over three water pumps, and two truckloads of sandbags. Shanmao, you stay here and help Uncle Jin and the others set up the machines."

"Okay!" the two replied and left.

Chen Ling walked along the riverbank for a while and found that Jinmen Village's flood prevention preparations were indeed not as good as Chenwangzhuang's.

With shortages of supplies and manpower, many villagers still harbored wishful thinking, believing that the rain would stop.

“Uncle Jin, you need to make it clear to the villagers that this is not a joke.”

Chen Ling said sternly, "The elderly and children who need to be evacuated should be moved to higher ground now. Move any valuables you can, and be prepared for them to be flooded if you can't move them."

Jin Laowu nodded emphatically: "I know! I'll call a meeting as soon as the water pump is set up!"

At 11 p.m., five diesel water pumps roared up on the river embankment in Kinmen Village. Thick water pipes sprayed out white jets of water, vigorously draining the accumulated water inside the embankment to the outside.

Seeing this, the villagers' worried expressions finally eased a little.

Chen Ling did not return to the village, but stayed at the temporary command post in Kinmen Village.

He lay down fully clothed in an empty room in the village brigade.

The rain pattered outside the window, and the water pump roared, but at this moment, he felt a long-lost sense of peace.

At midnight, Li Lianjie called: "Mr. Chen, the second batch of supplies has been dispatched, including generators, medicine, and food. Also, the TV crew is leaving tomorrow morning; my friend is leading them, and we will respect your arrangements. Take care."

Chen Ling replied with "thank you," chatted briefly for a few more minutes, then put down her phone and went to sleep.

……

The next morning, the rescue boat and rescue vehicles arrived together.

Various flood control materials have gradually been put into use, making the flood control work less tense.

only……

It was Chen Ling who organized it in the first place.

They all started building dikes around the Chenwangzhuang reservoir.

Other river embankments, such as those near Jinmen Village and Yangtougou, are not as well-maintained as those near Chenwangzhuang.

It's getting more attention now.

Chen Ling also led the people of Chenwangzhuang to contribute every day.

Gradually, all the sections of the river embankment were stabilized.

At this time, the foreigners trapped in Fenglei Town also called.

Of course, saying they were trapped is not entirely accurate.

It can only be said that they willingly stayed there to continue their search for the Purple Qilin.

They first called the county government.

After learning that Chen Ling had a cell phone, he called Chen Ling again.

They said they had also received aid from their own country.

This surprised Chen Ling.

The continuous rain finally changed from a torrential downpour to a fine, long curtain of rain characteristic of mountainous areas.

Sunlight pierced through the thick clouds, casting a meager, grayish-white glow, but it was still much more reassuring than the previous oppressive darkness.

At the farm, the tense atmosphere of the past few days gradually eased as supplies from all sides arrived one after another.

The animals are the most obvious examples.

Inside the cowshed, the "Bull Demon King" and his companions from the Hong Kong Island coast were no longer as agitated as they had been a few days ago, banging against the bars and snorting heavily.

They stood quietly on the dry grass mats, slowly ruminating, occasionally looking up at the misty rain outside the shed, their eyes regaining their usual docility and a hint of bewilderment.

Only when those enormous ears unconsciously twitch, trying to catch the muffled sound, different from the sound of rain, faintly coming from the direction of the distant reservoir, can one glimpse a trace of lingering vigilance.

"It seems we've truly stabilized."

Wearing high-top rain boots, Chen Ling stepped onto the slightly muddy ground beside the cowshed and patted the Bull Demon King's thick, wet neck.

The water buffalo gently nuzzled his arm with its head, a completely different gesture from its previous agitation.

Wang Susu came over carrying half a bucket of concentrated feed mixed with soybean dregs. Seeing the situation, she breathed a sigh of relief: "Ah Ling, are they alright? I was so scared a few days ago, afraid that they would break free of their enclosure and run away."

"never mind."

Chen Ling took the feed bucket and evenly distributed the feed into the trough.

“Animals are more perceptive than humans. Once they sensed the most dangerous moment had passed, they calmed down on their own. But it’s good, their behavior a few days ago served as a reminder to everyone.”

Heiwa and Xiaojin, these two highly decorated mountain guard dogs, still have a heavy workload.

They no longer bark aimlessly in circles around the yard, but have a clear "role".

Heiwa is mainly responsible for patrolling the perimeter of the farm, especially the area near the back mountain and orchard. It walks steadily, has sharp eyes, and its rain-soaked black fur clings tightly to its sturdy body, making it look like a moving iron sculpture.

Xiao Jin spends most of its time in the yard, keeping company with the children and acting as a watchdog. Its ears are always perked up, and it can detect any unusual noise.

Little Iron Egg is still young and impatient.

But it followed suit, closely following Heiwa or Xiaojin, trying to puff out its increasingly strong little chest and attempting to look majestic. Occasionally, it would let out a childish cry at the particularly large water birds flying through the rain, which often made Rui Rui and Xiao Ming, who were playing games under the eaves, giggle.

Speaking of the two children, Kang Kang and Lele were not bored during this period of continuous rain; on the contrary, they discovered many new ways to play indoors and in the corridor.

They walked more steadily, and could even jog a few steps without falling. Their speech also became clearer.

What worried and amused the adults the most was that these two little ones somehow convinced Afu and Ashou.

Or perhaps there's no need to persuade them at all; the two big cats have always been indulgent towards them.

It managed to wobble and climb onto the big cat's broad, warm back, grabbing the thick fur on its neck and making excited "giggle" sounds.

Ah Fu and Ah Shou were exceptionally good-natured, and they would really stroll slowly in the spacious living room or corridor, as steady as two moving hills, making sure that the little baby on their backs would never fall off.

"Oh my little darling, come down quickly!"

When Gao Xiulan first saw it, she was so frightened that she dropped her needlework and rushed to hug it.

Wang Susu stopped her, laughing, "Mother, it's alright. Afu and Ashou know their limits. Look how steadily they walk. Didn't Rui Rui often play like this when he was little?"

Even so, her eyes never left her two children, always ready to help.

Chen Ling happened to see this scene when he returned from Bashang.

Kang Kang rode on A Fu, and Lele rode on Ashou. They lined up in the corridor and waddled toward him, mumbling "Daddy, horse!"

He couldn't help but laugh, so he squatted down, picked them up in each arm, and kissed them both: "Good boy, good girl, you really rode the big cat like a horse? When the weather clears up, Daddy will take you to ride real ponies."

The two little ones hugged his neck and giggled, their bodies carrying the warm scent of the big cat's fur and a hint of wild, fishy smell, creating a unique aroma that belonged to children of the mountains.

Wang Cunye, puffing on his pipe, watched this scene with a contented smile on his wrinkled face: "These two kids are just like their father, they've been close to livestock since they were little."

Besides riding the big cat, another great joy for the kids is watching the dogs.

Especially when Heiwa or Xiaojin come back from a patrol and lie on the porch licking their fur to rest, Ruirui and Xiaoming will come over and carefully touch their wet fur, or break up their own biscuits that they are reluctant to eat and feed them.

Little Iron Egg always seizes the opportunity to squeeze in, wagging its tail and begging for food, which often triggers a new round of laughter and commotion among the children.

In the kitchen, the stove fire never went out.

Besides cooking for the family, Wang Susu and Gao Xiulan also had to boil a lot of hot water for Chen Ling and the village cadres and craftsmen who often came to discuss matters to wash and ward off the cold.

Ginger soup was always on hand, simmering in a large earthenware pot by the stove, so anyone who came in could have a hot bowl. (End of Chapter)