Transmigrated as a Peasant Girl with Prophetic Dreams: Using My Space to Become the Richest Person - Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Dream Prophecy: Coal on the Mountain

Amidst everyone’s silent prayers, dawn broke.

Because of the ongoing gale and torrential rain, daybreak brought only a faint, glimmering light. Looking out, one could only make out the rough silhouettes of the trees.

The heavy rain persisted, but the villagers were too anxious about the situation at the foot of the mountain to stay seated. They began to filter out of the cave. Only a few elderly people and women remained behind to look after the children.

The Village Chief and several men walked toward the edge of the high slope. Looking down, their hearts were instantly filled with a mixture of shock and desolation.

The rain fell in sheets, pea-sized droplets smashing violently against the earth. The turbid floodwaters were like a beast off its leash, rampaging across the landscape.

The once quiet and peaceful scenery at the base of the mountain had vanished. Floodwaters were everywhere, ruthlessly scouring every inch of land they touched. In places where trees once stood, they had been knocked askew, and all sorts of debris tumbled and collided in the churning water.

The village was a fair distance from the mountain, but from this height, they could still see its general outline. The flood had already caused some of the older houses to collapse.

The entire village had long been submerged. From afar, it looked like a massive lake; if not for a few rooftops peeking out from the surface, one might truly believe it had always been a body of water.

Turning to the vast farmlands—once lush, green fields of crops—they had now become a world of water.

Watching this, tears welled in the villagers’ eyes. They were filled with a sense of despair and helplessness. However, even their tears were ruthlessly washed away by the driving rain.

The Village Chief watched silently for a long time before letting out a heavy sigh. “Let’s go. Let’s head back.”

Looking any longer would only make their hearts ache more.

The villagers followed the Chief back into the cave, each hanging their head in silence.

…

Over at Yang Xue’s side, they had managed to get some sleep during the night. When they woke up, Qian Yue’e had already prepared breakfast.

Yang Laosan stood at the cave entrance, looking out with a worried expression. “I wonder how my parents and the others are doing.”

Qian Yue’e replied crossly, “Why are you still worrying about them? Come and eat.”

Yang Laosan walked over and sat down. “It’s not that, I just…” He wanted to explain, but he didn’t know how to put it into words.

“Alright, just eat.”

Yang Xue and the others gathered around to eat. She was also quite curious about the situation below.

“Father, let’s go out and take a look after breakfast.”

Unexpectedly, the moment she spoke, Qian Yue’e immediately interjected, “No, Xue’er. Your body is weak, and it’s windy and rainy out there. You’ll get sick if you go out.”

Yang Laosan added, “Yes, your mother is right. Don’t go out. I’ll go check things out myself in a bit.”

Yang Xue didn’t insist. “Alright then.”

After breakfast, Yang Laosan went out to survey the situation. With nothing else to do, the others in the cave could only sit and daze.

Yang Xue actually had things to attend to, but since she had just woken up, saying she wanted to sleep again would be too strange. If Qian Yue’e suspected she was seriously ill and started hovering over her, it would be problematic. So, despite wanting to enter her Space to take a look, Yang Xue held back.

When Yang Laosan finally returned, they immediately crowded around him.

Qian Yue’e asked, “How is it?”

Yang Laosan’s face was grim. “I saw water everywhere at the foot of the mountain. The village and the fields are definitely ruined.”

Hearing this, Qian Yue’e’s expression also turned somber. Yang Shuang remained expressionless, while Yang Yu and Yang Tian didn’t quite grasp the gravity of it.

Yang Xue, ever the optimist, comforted her parents: “It’s okay, look on the bright side. We don’t have a house or land anyway, so it’s not like we lost anything.”

Yang Laosan: “…” Qian Yue’e: “…”

Thinking about it, she was right. They really hadn’t lost anything. Strictly speaking, they were actually the lucky ones. Because of their daughter’s dream, they had separated from the old Yang family and moved to the mountain just in time. The whole family was safe and sound.

With that thought, Yang Laosan and Qian Yue’e’s brows smoothed out. However, since the village had been flooded, they still felt a lingering worry for the rest of the community. A destroyed village meant a long, difficult process of rebuilding once the waters receded.

…

The storm lasted for seven consecutive days before the rain finally began to taper off.

The sky cleared up quickly; by the second day after the rain stopped, the sun began to peek through. But while the villagers breathed a sigh of relief, there was no joy. With their homes destroyed, how could they be happy?

Even though the weather was clear, they still couldn’t go down the mountain. They had to wait for the floodwaters to recede enough for them to walk back safely. Otherwise, everything was still soaked; even if they waded back, there was nothing they could do.

As soon as the rain stopped, the two brothers, Lin Zhijie and Lin Zhiyong, began leading groups down to check the water levels periodically.

After two days, the water finally subsided. The Village Chief immediately organized the able-bodied men to return to the village to see if any survivors needed help. The rest remained on the mountain.

Now that it was sunny, everyone came out of the caves to get some fresh air.

Yang Xue knew that after a major storm, many “treasures” often turned up. After informing Qian Yue’e, she took Yang Yu and Yang Tian to go foraging.

The wind and rain had been so strong that wild fruits were scattered all over the ground. Many children were already in the forest picking them up.

Yang Xue wanted to explore deeper into the woods but feared it might be dangerous for the younger ones. She told Yang Yu and Yang Tian to stay and pick fruit with the other kids while she went off to look elsewhere.

The reason Yang Xue wanted to explore this specific area was because she had another dream two days ago.

She dreamed that after this great storm, a hidden coal mine in the mountains had been washed clean and exposed. Later, a group of bandits discovered it and made a fortune from it.

Yang Xue wanted to find that coal mine now. After days of torrential rain, everything was damp and cold; a coal mine could solve a lot of problems for the people—especially for cooking and staying warm.

She trudged through the muddy mountain paths with difficulty. Her dream only gave her a general location, so finding the exact spot required a fair amount of effort.

After circling around for a long time, Yang Xue finally stopped to rest. Inadvertently, she caught a glimpse of a place nearby that glimmered with a dark, oily luster.

Her heart skipped a beat. Forgetting her exhaustion, she hurried toward it.

As she drew closer, she saw layers upon layers of black, blocky substances. Moistened by the rain, they stood out starkly against the earth.

It was coal!

Yang Xue was overjoyed. Her breathing quickened, and her eyes sparkled with excitement. She crouched down and reached out to touch the coal. The rough texture met her fingertips, confirming her find.

“I finally found it…”