Transmigrated as a Peasant Girl with Prophetic Dreams: Using My Space to Become the Richest Person - Chapter 19

Chapter 19: A Terrifying Night

The villagers who had hidden on the mountain in time were all safe and sound, but those left in the village were not so fortunate.

When they discovered the howling winds and the torrential rain beginning to fall, they rose from their beds. Thinking back to the talk of an impending flood, they couldn’t help but feel a wave of anxiety.

Some even scrambled up immediately, preparing to flee to the mountain before the floodwaters could arrive.

However, the moment they stepped out of their houses, they were nearly swept away by the gale. The rain lashed against their bodies, stinging like a whip.

Movement was nearly impossible. Furthermore, several households had elderly members and young children; even if the able-bodied could crawl and stumble their way toward the mountain, what would happen to the old and the young?

It was at this moment that regret began to gnaw at them.

They should have listened to the Village Chief. Why hadn’t they believed him?

…

Over at the old Yang family residence, Sun Qiuping had been unable to sleep since witnessing those people heading up the mountain in the middle of the night.

When the wind first picked up, she was the first to notice. She woke Yang Er (the second son) and shared her fears, but he simply thought she was overthinking and scaring herself.

He told her to go to sleep quickly, as there was work to be done tomorrow.

Now that Yang San’s (the third son) family had been kicked out, Wang Dani’s blatant favoritism toward Yang Da (the eldest) meant that most of the household chores would likely fall on their shoulders.

Yang Er was already irritable. Being woken up caused his temper to flare; he roared at Sun Qiuping to go to sleep immediately—and if she wouldn’t, she could “get the hell out.”

Sun Qiuping gnashed her teeth in anger. With the wind howling like ghosts and wolves outside, how could she possibly sleep?

Knowing she couldn’t rely on her husband, she thought it over and woke her four children.

Since she usually looked after them, the children were quite obedient. When she told them to leave, they followed her without question.

Just as the mother and her four children stepped out of the village, the storm broke. The rain poured down so hard it was impossible to keep one’s eyes open.

Panic surged through Sun Qiuping. She urged the children to move faster.

“Mother, is the flood coming?” the children asked, terrified.

“Yes. Let’s move faster. We’ll be safe once we’re hiding on the mountain.”

The five of them struggled toward the mountainside, slipping and falling repeatedly. By the time they reached the foot of the mountain, they were utterly exhausted.

However, Sun Qiuping knew they couldn’t stop. Along the path they had just traveled, the rainwater had already risen nearly to their knees.

Sun Qiuping didn’t realize just how lucky they were; by now, those left in the village couldn’t leave even if they wanted to.

“Children, we have to climb faster!”

Sun Qiuping’s eldest daughter, Yang Shui, was sixteen—the same age as Yang Xue. Her second son, Yang Chunshan, was fourteen. The third daughter, Yang He, and the fourth, Yang Hua, were twelve and eleven respectively. They were old enough to understand the gravity of the situation.

Knowing their mother was right, they scrambled up the slope.

They had barely climbed two or three meters when Yang Shui suddenly widened her eyes and screamed: “Ah!!”

In the roar of the storm, the others couldn’t hear her clearly.

Yang Shui grew frantic: “Run! Run! Run!”

Though they couldn’t hear her words, they saw her panicked, desperate scramble toward higher ground.

Sun Qiuping suddenly saw a dark, looming mass rising in the distance. It was too dark to see exactly what it was.

The thing was like a giant monster, pressing down upon the farmlands and the village with incredible speed.

Sun Qiuping panicked as well.

She grabbed the children and ran. Her exhausted body suddenly exploded with a surge of adrenaline.

By the time they stopped, nearly suffocating from the effort, they turned around to see a vast, dark expanse at the foot of the mountain.

The four children were crying from fear, and Sun Qiuping was filled with a sense of narrow escape.

Yang Shui pointed a trembling finger at the black mass below, her voice shaking: “Mother, what is that?”

The wind and rain were too loud for Sun Qiuping to hear her. After taking a moment to catch her breath, she continued to pull the children toward higher ground.

…

Meanwhile, Niaoer Village was a scene of total chaos.

“The flood is here! Run! Run!!”

However, in such extreme weather, no one could hear such cries.

The floodwaters smashed through dilapidated houses and collided with those attempting to flee. Some tried to climb onto their roofs, but they were too late; they were swept away by the current.

The rest of the Yang family had been woken by the storm and began to panic. But how could they prepare?

Their house was quite run-down and offered no protection against the onslaught of the flood.

The family tried to climb onto the roof, but the gale had already ripped the tiles away.

When the flood hit, the Yang family—young and old—had nowhere to hide. The water instantly scattered them.

The sounds of wind and rain were joined by the wails and pleas for help. This night was destined to be one of terrifying upheaval.

…

The people who had moved to the mountain early weren’t sleeping soundly either; there wasn’t enough space for everyone to lie down anyway.

Throughout the night, everyone sat around the fires, filled with anxiety. At this moment, the fire in front of them was the only thing providing a sliver of warmth.

Suddenly, several figures appeared at the cave entrance, terrifying those inside. Some thought they were seeing ghosts.

“Ah! Ghosts!” the more timid ones shrieked.

It was no wonder they were frightened; the bedraggled state of Sun Qiuping and her five children made them look truly spectral.

“It’s us! I’m Sun Qiuping, Chunshan’s mother!”

The crowd looked closer and realized they were humans, not ghosts. They breathed a sigh of relief and quickly ushered them into the cave.

Amidst the raging weather, Sun Qiuping and her children felt as though they had finally returned to the land of the living.

The villagers were surprised to see them: “Your whole family made it up? Where is your father-in-law and the others? Are they behind you?”

Sun Qiuping shook her head. Her eyes turned red and her voice began to tremble: “Only I brought the children up. My father-in-law and the others didn’t come.”

She couldn’t continue because it was too horrific.

She could not erase the memory of that dark mass in the night, rushing forward like a monster.

The four children were also shivering uncontrollably. The villagers immediately sat them by the fire to warm up.

Since they had fled in a hurry and brought no clothes, some kind villagers lent them clean garments.

The Village Chief stood at the cave entrance. From within the woods, they couldn’t see the situation below.

However, he could feel the immense change in the air.

Looking out into the pitch-black night and listening to the terrifying wind, the Village Chief prayed in his heart for the storm to pass quickly.

Like him, all the villagers were silently offering their own prayers.