C19 The Earthquake

Gu Yingchu gazed at the pond in front of her, watching the fish swim in clusters near the surface. Her hand reached for the pendant on her wrist. "Qiuqiu, do you think something big is going to happen? I have a bad feeling."

But Qiuqiu remained unresponsive, like a phone that had run out of battery. No matter how she called, there was no answer.

Dung Qiu returned after a long while, looking dejected because no one believed her.

"Forget it, Mom. We've done all we can. Let's leave it to fate."

The two of them had little influence.

Dung Qiu asked, "Dear Ying, what do we do now? If this old house is gone, we won't even have a place to shelter from the storm."

"Mom, don't worry about that. There's always a way out." Gu Yingchu was never one to see things pessimistically.

Dung Qiu felt more confident because of Gu Yingchu's words.

"Let's just take care of ourselves for now," Gu Yingchu suggested.

Meanwhile, Lin Yan and Lin Manru were sitting in the living room.

Lin Manru sneered, "Aunt, I think those two are really losing it. They're just trying to stir up trouble in the village. Maybe they're just trying to get attention. But you can't joke about things like this."

Gu Chengwang sat silently on the side, not saying a word.

Lin Yan snorted and looked at Gu Chengwang. "If she's not your daughter, why bring that woman back?"

Gu Chengwang remained silent, his face tense.

Lin Yan still looked upset.

"If I had known earlier, I would never have let them stay in our house," she fumed.

Lin Manru's lips curled slightly. As long as Gu Yingchu didn't come back, her daughter could have Gu Yingchu's room.

Gu Chengwang stood up.

"Where are you going?" the old lady immediately asked.

"I can't just sit around here all day with you," he replied and left.

Lin Yan's face was cold as ice.

Lin Manru said, "Aunt, let Cousin go. Let's not get worked up over that mother and daughter."

"Manru, I'm glad you're here," the old lady said. She had no daughters, only two sons, and she truly treated Lin Manru like her own daughter.

...

No one believed Gu Yingchu.

But some things happen whether you believe them or not.

The disaster struck anyway.

"Mom... Mom... it's an earthquake..." Gu Yingchu shouted to Dung Qiu while putting on her coat.

The two of them ran out of the dilapidated house into the rain.

Outside, it was pitch black, and chaotic noises filled the village.

A sudden 5.6 magnitude earthquake hit in the early morning, creating a breach in the weakest part of the dam.

Water from the creek rushed out, flooding the fields.

More than half of the village's houses were submerged, leaving the entire area covered in a white mist.

"Dear Ying, what do we do now?" Dung Qiu and Gu Yingchu were perched in a tree, having been there for two days. After the earthquake stopped, the floodwaters came, forcing them to climb up.

Thankfully, Gu Yingchu had the foresight to prepare food and store it in the tree, or they wouldn't have lasted this long. As she looked down at the water below, her stomach growled. She reached for a rice ball with fish and took a bite.

The flood had caused severe damage, and rescue teams were out helping. However, no one mentioned Gu Yingchu's location, so the main efforts were focused on the village, leaving this area unattended. Gu Yingchu and her mother were in such a remote spot that no one remembered them. If Gu Yingchu hadn't prepared in advance, they might have fainted from hunger waiting for help.