An oxcart was driving hard in the dark night. The rain was falling and the curtains of the cart were already soaked. The feeling of the wind blowing, even if it is a summer night, whoever enjoys it knows.
Sitting inside without a jacket to protect you from wind and rain is not as warm as someone wearing a raincoat outside.
But even though she was shivering from the cold, Mrs. Zhou, who was protecting the food basket in her arms, ignored her. She was anxious now and just wanted to see her husband Qi Hongxin as soon as possible.
"It rained so heavily just now. The old man just went out. Doesn't he know how to cherish himself?"
"Even if we need to be in charge of the flood, why can't we stay in the government office? Do we have to come in? Master Su and the other adults are not here?"
"What does your body look like after being comatose for so long? The old man didn't notice it himself?"
"If he has a problem, what will happen to us, mother and son?"
Husband and wife have been together for many years. After so many years, Mrs. Zhou and Qi Hongxin naturally have a deep relationship. At this time, no matter how docile a woman is, she will be angry.
But no matter how uneasy she felt, Mrs. Zhou did not dare to urge the coachman to speed up.
The section of road we are traveling now is not far from the front of the dam. Because of this, even though it is along a slope and the water rushing down is not so fast, it is only as deep as the middle of the wheel. It is still feasible and quite feasible.
Effortless.
When the wheels ran over it, muddy water splashed everywhere. A layer of water spread on the road, with slippery mud underneath. If you were going fast, you were in danger of rolling over at any time.
The coachman was an experienced driver, and it was precisely because of this that he dared to take over the job of escorting Mrs. Zhou. If it were someone else, he would have refused at that time.
But even so, after walking for a while, the wheels of the ox cart accidentally got stuck in the mud. By chance, they got stuck and couldn't move for the time being.
"Why did it stop?" When she found that the bullock cart had stopped before it arrived, Mrs. Zhou felt anxious and immediately opened the curtain and asked.
The driver jumped out of the car and looked at the situation. He wiped the rain off his face and explained with a bitter look on his face: "Madam, the wheel is stuck in a pit. Let me see if I can lift it out!"
That's what he said, but since he was alone, I was afraid he would have to stay here for a while.
Mrs. Zhou glanced at the embankment that was already in front of her, with torches flickering on it, and she lifted up her skirt and jumped down.
Ignoring the coachman's exclamation, she said "Wait here" and ran towards the embankment.
The cold rain mixed with mud made Mrs. Zhou's feet very cold.
But these are not as anxious as her worries about her husband.
The rain has become much lighter than before. The person holding the torch is wearing a raincoat. The raindrops pour on the torch, making the flames rise and fall.
Just as Mrs. Zhou had rushed to the dam, she was suddenly stopped. When she was about to explain her identity, a burst of cheers suddenly sounded in front of her.
"Close it! Close it!"
"Haha, we succeeded, we succeeded!"
The dam is blocked or closed?
When Mrs. Zhou heard the cheers, she was stunned for a moment, and then she also showed surprise.
The biggest problem has been solved. The old man can finally go home and rest. He no longer has to be busy in the rain when he just woke up, right?
Who can understand the uneasiness and panic that suddenly rose in her heart when she learned that her old man went out in the rain?
Mrs. Zhou came to her senses and immediately said to the two county soldiers who stopped her: "I am the wife of Magistrate Qi, and I came here to bring him food..."
The two county soldiers looked at her and checked the basket. It was indeed ordinary food, but it was completely cold. They didn't dare to stop her anymore. There was even a county soldier who led her to where Magistrate Qi was staying.
After getting on the dam, Mrs. Zhou saw that the dam was closed again. The water was originally rushing downstream. After the dam was closed, the overflowing water became less and less until there was no more water flowing out.
Several officials had rushed over when it was closed. When they saw this scene, they were all pleasantly surprised. In the blink of an eye, they saw Mrs. Zhou. Officials who had seen Mrs. Zhou before immediately saluted her: "Mrs. Zhou?
Why are you here?"
This outfit, this appearance, is really a bit embarrassing.
Even when she was on the road to transfer, Mrs. Zhou could take care of herself neatly and cleanly. This is a habit developed by a woman who has lived in an official family since she was a child, and it is difficult to change even in difficult situations.
But now, her hair was wet, and her face, body, and legs were all covered in mud. Only the basket in front of her looked the cleanest.
Of course, among the people present now, there is no need to laugh at anyone. Every one of them looks like they have rolled in the water and mud.
Mrs. Zhou suppressed her uneasiness: "I'm here to see your Magistrate Qi, is he here?"
It’s not that you are here, why can’t you see Lao Qi in the crowd?
She searched the crowd with her eyes and knew that there was no one she was looking for.
In fact, several officials had just arrived. When they heard what was said, they quickly looked at the county soldiers who had been guarding nearby and asked: "Is Mr. Qi here?"
A county soldier immediately replied: "Master Qi just went to rest in the oxcart because he was tired."
"Oh, that car?"
Looking at the bullock cart parked in the corner about dozens of meters away, several officials breathed a sigh of relief, as long as there was no accident that happened without their knowledge.
At this time, another clerk came over and reported: "Sir, all the places where the embankment broke have been filled in!"
An official who was not a water management yamen and usually only heard about dam construction and was not very clear about the matter, was a little surprised when he heard the clerk's reply and asked: "Everything has been filled in? Are you sure?"
"Sir, Sir, Mr. Su led us to build the dam. The blueprint design is excellent. It was built according to the terrain. There is a plan to deal with the breach of the embankment, so that the water that rushes out will not expand the gap."
"Furthermore, several breaches of the embankments were actually caused by artificial explosions. As long as the gaps are filled, it will be completed."
While he was talking, the rain falling from the sky became much smaller visible to the naked eye. It was still pouring heavily before going out, but now it is just a light drizzle.
With such rainfall, it is almost impossible to accumulate enough water to cover the gap.
Mrs. Zhou breathed a sigh of relief. Only at this moment did she feel relieved.
The biggest trouble has been solved. The rain has lightened up and looks like it will stop, which gives people a chance to breathe. As long as we don't blow up the dams again, there won't be any bigger floods.
Although the raging flood may affect the achievements of the old man, the old man has already broken off his son and begged for his body. As long as the subsequent impact is not serious, the couple should still be able to return to their hometown safely with their son.
Just then, someone in the distance suddenly shouted: "The imperial envoy is here!"
"The imperial envoy is here! The imperial envoy is here!" More than one person shouted.
Only then did all the officials remember, yes, they had heard earlier that the imperial envoy had been sent over. Due to the sudden embankment collapse and heavy rains causing floods, they had all focused their attention on plugging the gap and reported the imperial envoy's arrival.