Chapter 223

Chapter 223: Trapped The sky seemed to have split open, with torrential rain pouring down in sheets. Beneath the eaves, water droplets formed a continuous curtain, blurring the view. The village had no paved roads, and going out meant treading on muddy paths. Rainwater mixed with the soil, creating patches of slick, treacherous mud. Every step required immense effort to pull one's foot free, and taking another step forward was even more difficult. Yang Mengyuan's husband had gone to the town market in the morning. When he returned, he was soaked through, his feet caked with yellow mud. The man handed the fresh beef and pork ribs he'd bought to Yang Mengyuan, casually set his umbrella under the eaves, and walked over to the wall to change his shoes. Yang Mengyuan put the ingredients her husband had just bought into the kitchen, then walked over to Ruan Chutang and said, "Chutang, why don't you all stay at my place for a few more days? It's too dangerous to go out in this weather, and the roads are terrible." Chutang stood under the eaves, frowning at the vast curtain of rain. "I just received a text message—the flight has been canceled due to the severe weather." Yang Mengyuan said, "This is the rainy season now. Every year at this time, it pours for several days straight." Chutang gazed at the torrential rain, her heart heavy with worry. Yang Mengyuan reassured her, "Don't worry. My place isn't much to look at, but I promise you won't go hungry or uncomfortable. Wait here—I'll go cook you some ribs and spicy beef." Chutang smiled slightly. "Thank you, I appreciate it." "Oh, it's nothing to thank me for." Yang Mengyuan said with a smile. "I was worried I wouldn't be able to host you properly." The rain fell harder and harder, showing no sign of letting up. Soon, the weather bureau issued a red alert for heavy rain. The downpour continued for three days and three nights. On the third night, thunder crashed and lightning flashed as wind and rain raged. Chutang was woken by the thunder and heard a commotion of voices downstairs. Chutang and A Wen were sleeping in the guest room on the second floor. The first floor held the living room, kitchen, and storage room. Chutang put on her jacket and walked out of the room. Reaching the top of the stairs, she heard Yang Mengyuan and her husband's voices from below. "Hurry, the water's coming in! Stack that side higher!" "Did you turn off the main breaker? Don't want an electrical leak." "It's off, it's off. Come with me to the kitchen—we need to move everything on the floor up onto the tables before it gets ruined by the water." Chutang walked downstairs and saw that the first-floor living room was already flooded. Yang Mengyuan and her husband were busy moving things. Seeing Chutang, Yang Mengyuan paused. "Chutang, why did you come down?" Chutang asked, "Do you need any help?" "No, no, go back upstairs and rest. It's just rainwater getting in—nothing serious." Because of the risk of electrical leakage, the main breaker had been turned off, so the lights couldn't be used. They had to rely on flashlights for illumination. Chutang stood on the stairs, using the flashlight's beam to survey the situation in the house. Yang Mengyuan carried a box through the murky water, which had risen to her calves. Chutang frowned. "Has this happened before?" "There was a big flood five years ago that caused the same thing." Yang Mengyuan said. "I didn't expect it to happen again this year. I'm so sorry, Chutang, that you're trapped here because of this." "It's fine." Chutang said calmly. "Let me help you." Yang Mengyuan handed over what she was carrying and said, "Just put it in the guest room on the second floor for me." "Alright." Chutang bent down to take it. Plop. Chutang's phone slipped out of her jacket pocket and fell into the water. Yang Mengyuan let out an "Oh no!" and bent over to fish the phone out. Once the phone was retrieved, Chutang pressed the side lock button—nothing happened. She long-pressed the lock button to power it on—still nothing. "How is it? Does it still work?" Yang Mengyuan asked urgently. Chutang shook her head. Yang Mengyuan was frantic. "What are we going to do? There's a flood outside now, the roads are all submerged, courier services have stopped, trains and flights are suspended. We're trapped in here with no way out, and no one can get in. There's no way to buy a new phone in the next few days—you'll be cut off from the outside world." Chutang frowned and said, "I can use my friend's phone to call home and let them know I'm safe." Yang Mengyuan breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good. I'm really sorry, Chutang. I never expected a flood either, and now you're stuck here because of it." "It's fine. The rescue team should be here tomorrow." ... In the morning, as soon as A Wen woke up, Chutang asked to borrow her phone to make a call. A Wen picked up her phone and saw it had only one percent battery left. "What's going on? I charged it before I went to bed last night." A Wen frowned. "Hurry, it can still work. Let me make a quick call to let them know I'm safe." Chutang said urgently. "Okay." A Wen handed over the phone. Chutang found Ruan Shaodong in the contacts and dialed. Fortunately, Ruan Shaodong answered. Without wasting a single word, Chutang immediately reported her safety: "Dad, it's me, Tangtang. My phone fell in the water and won't work, so I'm borrowing A Wen's phone to let you know I'm safe. Don't worry about me—I'm fine." "Tangtang, you—" Before Ruan Shaodong could finish his sentence, his voice suddenly cut off. Chu Tang picked up her phone and looked at it—it was black. The battery had died and it had shut down automatically. "What's going on? Didn't it charge?" A Wen asked, utterly confused. Chu Tang said, "No, there was a flood, and water got into the house. Worried about the outlets leaking electricity, Mengyuan turned off the main breaker last night." A Wen said, "That's simple, just turn it back on and charge it." Chu Tang frowned deeply and walked to the window to look outside. There was water everywhere. And trees knocked down by the wind. It was this severe. She didn't know if the power lines had been damaged. As it turned out, Chu Tang's concern was justified. Yang Mengyuan knocked on the door and came in to tell them that the village's power lines had been damaged, and the entire village had lost power. "Luckily, we usually cook with firewood at home. Last night I moved some firewood upstairs, so we can still use it now. At least we still have food to eat." In the morning, Yang Mengyuan cooked a bowl of noodles and brought it up for Chu Tang to eat. After finishing the noodles, Chu Tang frowned and asked, "Hasn't the rescue team arrived yet?" Yang Mengyuan shook her head and sighed, "There are still several villages ahead of us. We're in a remote area here, so the rescue team probably won't arrive until tomorrow."