Carrying a Jurassic on me
Chapter 1029 - 542: Boss Yan before the Flood Comes

Chapter 1029: Chapter 542: Boss Yan before the Flood Comes

The wind fills the building as the mountain rain is about to come.

It was already clear that the rising floodwaters were inevitable, and Wancheng City was fully mobilized from top to bottom.

At this point, meetings were just a waste of time. When the county’s instructions came through to Sancha River Town via a phone call, it was concise, "Defend at all costs, rescue whatever you can, and minimize the losses!"

The other order was, "Report any emergencies immediately!"

It wasn’t just one place busying itself with the flooding; most areas were either engaged in flood relief or preparing for it. In such circumstances, it’s pointless to talk about anything else. Solve the minor issues on your own, and if you really can’t cope, report them early and request support!

However, the situation in Sancha River Town made the second directive from the higher-ups... quite troublesome.

Since mid-June, when the water levels surged suddenly, everyone in the town started to get anxious—the Sancha River Town gets its name from the abundance of rivers suitable for building docks. With just a bit of heavy rain each year, the water levels rise sharply. Especially now with reservoirs upstream, releasing water during the summer causes both the east and west rivers to swell, albeit to varying extents.

But as everyone tensed day after day, the water level seemed to be playing with their nerves, just staying put. Measurements showed it was rising steadily, a little each day, but it had not risen by much.

It had yet to reach the roots of the Gingko tree where Yan Fei squatted.

The most severe situation was on the road from the town to the county city. Passing over the West Bridge and heading west, there was a stretch of road with a bit of overflow, but it didn’t affect traffic—it just reached the surface of the road.

At the town’s entrance, the water on both sides was in plain sight, at the foot of the stockade wall one stood on, immersing the low-lying farmland around it. But that was all; it simply refused to rise further.

This feeling of having a knife hanging over one’s neck without ever falling, is truly irksome just to think about.

Households with multi-story buildings moved their belongings to the second floor and had also moved upstairs to sleep. Those without multi-story homes stored their items at neighbors or relatives who did. In short, all the preparations were done, just waiting for the waters to rise!

But it stubbornly refused to rise, leaving everyone feeling simultaneously anxious and immensely relieved.

In reality, the rising waters were both feared and not feared by the people of Sancha River Town.

These years were unlike the past. Over twenty years ago, the floodwaters rose, and back then, there wasn’t enough food at home. A little emergency could mean running out of food at any time. But now, with another flood, the people of Sancha River Town didn’t need to be so scared.

As long as no one is starving, what’s there to be afraid of?

The key point was that the town was surrounded by stockade walls, which had sluices beneath them. With ample preparations, the problem wasn’t considered serious—of course, losses were inevitable, but since this town had stood for hundreds of years, there was a reason for it. The water may rise swiftly, but the actual danger wasn’t that great.

However, all this pertains to the situation when the waters do rise. After all, even if it’s just broken bricks and tiles, it’s still one’s homestead, and it would be better if it wasn’t washed away. Many villages along the river had already mobilized their entire population. Organizing manpower to preempt the flood was essential, especially since many of the village earthen houses could become dangerous once soaked.

If a new leader who wasn’t familiar with the locale took charge, they would’ve already made distress calls at this juncture.

But anyone who learns the history of Sancha River Town knows that except for the flooding over twenty years ago—which was caused by the dam break upstream, an emergency—other years have been largely uneventful.

Whether this year will remain uneventful is anyone’s guess. The water level at the town’s entrance has been high not just for a day or two; it has been persistently high without further rise. How do you report such a situation? Maybe the water level would drop as soon as you finish the call.

So, for now, the town could only focus on prevention and self-rescue. Mayor Chen had spent the past few days with the team, seated on the stockade wall at the town’s entrance, overseeing the tumultuous river and also listening to updates from all over the town, ready to dispatch manpower for emergency relief at any moment.

But there are always instances that come across as ’mildly painful.’

Early one morning, Mayor Chen, with his eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep, had just checked the prepared sandbags and was taking a breather with a cup of Water Pine when he turned his head toward the west and casually asked, "How come Boss Yan isn’t playing the ’Moon Reflected on the Erquan Spring’ today? Where is he?"

A few people who were also drinking water almost sprayed it out, and the others around them wanted to laugh but didn’t dare to, squeezing out uncomfortable smiles.

When Boss Yan was building his greenhouse, there was no shortage of people advising against it, telling him that the location he chose was prone to flooding. But he insisted he was right and that there would be no problems.

The reality turned ironic in less than two years, and now the river water was level with the ground of his greenhouse. Even a slight rise would spell the end for it.

Everyone speculated that he must feel quite embarrassed, as he hadn’t shown his face for days, squatting like a monkey in the tree next to his greenhouse, gazing bleakly at the water from all directions.

They were initially concerned he might do something drastic, but then, after squatting there for two days, he found entertainment for himself—he got an Erhu and started playing it while perched in the tree.