Knowing the Warmth of Southern Tea (GL) - Chapter 35

Chapter 35

When Rongrong woke up in the carriage, it was already evening.

A light rain was still falling. Rongrong lifted the curtain; she wasn’t particularly surprised by her surroundings. After all, Gu Zhuang was a bastard.

“Where are we going?” Rongrong asked. An Shi, who was driving the carriage, hesitated for a moment. She hadn’t expected Rongrong to be this calm; in her imagination, Rongrong might have woken up screaming, crying, or even threatening her own life.

“Reporting to Madam, I am taking you away from Qingzhou,” An Shi replied. At this moment, Rongrong had completely composed herself. Even the most steady person would feel a flicker of panic waking up in a strange environment, and Rongrong was, after all, just a physically weak woman.

Rongrong considered the situation carefully: to be brought out so smoothly under Gu Zhuang’s nose meant he must have permitted it. Furthermore, it was already night, and Zhuang had not come after them. He was clearly in on it. It seemed she had been double-teamed by Nan Nuan and Gu Zhuang. She understood their concerns—Wen Cha had excellent martial arts, and her best skill was escaping; Nan Nuan was more than capable of protecting herself; and Xiao Zhuang went without saying.

She was indeed a liability there. If the levees failed to hold the flood, they would have to divert people just to look after her. But she was still furious—couldn’t they have discussed it with her? Though, even if they had, Rongrong knew she wouldn’t have agreed to leave. Still… she felt resentful.

Gu Zhuang, what am I to you exactly? The first time you called it “protection,” and now the second time? Why do you tell me nothing? Sometimes, I feel like I’m not even as important as your friends. Do you truly care about me?

As she thought, tears began to fall drop by drop. Rongrong told herself this was just pregnancy-induced overthinking and she shouldn’t dwell on such nonsense. She was already in her thirties, nearly forty—why was she acting like a sixteen-year-old girl, worrying about whether her lover truly had her in his heart?

Stop thinking about it, stop it.

“We are going to Daishan near Qingzhou. If the levees hold, we will head back to rejoin them. If they don’t, it will be no problem to hide there for a while.” Rongrong didn’t want to leave Qingzhou entirely; staying nearby meant she might still be of help. An Shi thought it over and eventually changed the direction of the carriage. Before the mission, Nan Nuan had specifically instructed An Shi to follow Rongrong’s orders in everything except returning. Rongrong led An Shi to an abandoned hut on the mountainside of Daishan to wait for the conclusion of the disaster.

For ten consecutive days, the rain never stopped. While it was only a light drizzle in Daishan, it was a torrential downpour in Qingzhou.

…

In Daishan, the rain pitter-pattered incessantly; in Qingzhou, it was a deluge.

Initially, the water level rose slowly, but in recent days it had surged rapidly, repeatedly crossing the danger line. Nan Nuan, Wen Cha, and Gu Zhuang were all on the front lines of the levees, measuring the water level, arranging for reinforcements, and filling the riverbeds with silt and sand. They used every possible method to stop the water from rising. But the rain wouldn’t stop, and the water kept climbing. If it overtopped the levee, everything on this side would be swept away.

“Cha-cha, are you afraid?” Nan Nuan asked, looking at the raging river. Wen Cha, holding an umbrella for her, smiled. “What is there to be afraid of? I believe that man can triumph over nature.”

Man can triumph over nature. In the face of natural forces, that phrase was often a joke. Nan Nuan smiled. “Yes, man can triumph over nature.”

Wen Cha looked at Nan Nuan as Nan Nuan gazed at the waves. Wen Cha felt she couldn’t quite grasp this version of Nan Nuan. Panicked, she suddenly blurted out: “Nuan Nuan, will you marry the Crown Prince?”

The question was finally out. She thought she would feel relieved, but instead, her heart was in her throat. Nan Nuan didn’t answer. Coincidentally, Gu Zhuang walked toward them along the levee.

“Don’t stand at the very edge; you’ll be swept away by the surge,” Gu Zhuang reminded them. Though he knew Wen Cha’s lightness skills were superb and Nan Nuan was strong, he still felt a soft spot for these girls who were about the same age as his daughter.

“Mr. Zhuang is truly gentle. I was just telling Cha-cha that man can triumph over nature; what do you think, sir?”

Gu Zhuang looked at their umbrella. The pattern on it was the orchid his daughter Xingyue loved most. He had bought this umbrella specifically because of that pattern; having not seen Xingyue for a long time, he missed her.

A mother worries when a child travels a thousand miles, but a child worries little when a mother travels ten thousand. This was a true reflection of Xingyue, and indeed of all children under heaven. Being a father is simply watching your daughter walk toward someone else.

Because of this umbrella, many of the strong men by the river thought Gu Zhuang was a refined man of great talent, overlooking his figure as he worked on the front lines filling sandbags. Unfortunately, under the lashing rain, the pattern had faded significantly, and the umbrella even showed tiny cracks.

“Do your best, and leave the rest to fate,” Gu Zhuang replied. He had no intention of getting involved in their drama or being used as a pawn for Nan Nuan to test Wen Cha. He hoped these two women would stay as far away from him as possible. He turned and left to continue inspecting the levees.

“Yes, do your best and leave the rest to fate. Cha-cha, what do you think?” Nan Nuan looked at Wen Cha. Wen Cha considered Nan Nuan’s meaning—leave it to fate?

My fate is mine to control, not heaven’s!

“The flood has broken through the south side!” A panicked cry suddenly rang out. People scattered in all directions. Someone was swept into the torrent and disappeared instantly.

“The north side is failing too!”

Wen Cha shoved the umbrella into Nan Nuan’s hand and ran toward the nearest breach in the south. “Why are you retreating? Do you have anywhere to retreat to? Use the sandbags to block it! If there are no sandbags, use human bodies! We must plug this gap. If you back down today, everything behind you is finished!”

Hearing Wen Cha’s words, the people immediately threw themselves into stacking sandbags, trying every possible way to block the breach. Wen Cha worked alongside the young men…

Nan Nuan stood dazed, looking at the umbrella in her hand and then at the desperate Wen Cha… She turned to see Gu Zhuang organizing a human chain to deliver sandbags. No one gave up; no one fled.

How wonderful! God bless Qingzhou.

Through the relentless efforts of Gu Zhuang and the others, the breach was plugged. Everyone continued to reinforce the levees. They understood that behind them were their homes; they had no way out. In the face of the flood, they could only charge forward. When those in front fell, those behind stepped up.

This continued for over ten days—one wave of people after another. Gradually, the rain eased, turning from a downpour into a drizzle. The water level finally receded back below the safety line. As long as the rain didn’t intensify again, this calamity for Qingzhou would be considered over.

Years later, Nan Nuan would still remember this moment—the instant where what was thought to be despair turned into hope.

Mr. Gu, thank you. Wen Cha, thank you too.

Even though the water had receded to the safety line, Gu Zhuang did not relax, urging them to continue reinforcing the levee. Wen Cha now had quite a reputation; everyone felt this young girl could handle anything—she was someone destined for great things!