The wind was strong and the rain was heavy all night.
Hua Zhi couldn't fall asleep. She stood in front of the window early in the morning, looking outside in silence. It seemed that the water route might be blocked, but she had to wait for the rain to stop if she wanted to go by land. In such heavy rain, her shoes would get wet if she went out.
"Morning, young lady." Bao Xia came in with water. Seeing the young lady's expression, he knew what she was worried about. He said in a gentle voice, "It just so happens that your injuries haven't healed yet. It would be good for you to stay here for two days to recuperate."
Hua Zhi shook her head gently, unable to express the worries in her heart.
After dinner, when the medicine was changed, Shaoyao disappeared. No one knew where she went. Xiaoliu circled the door a few times but she pretended not to notice. There is a huge difference between a person learning something on his own initiative and learning something by memory. She hoped Xiaoliu could be the proactive person.
After a while, Xiaoliu finally knocked on the door.
Hua Zhi closed the book and put it aside, looking towards the door, "Come in."
The Sixth Prince lowered his head in embarrassment and sat down next to Sister Hua, trying to find an excuse for himself in a soft tone, "It's raining so hard, Sister Hua, should we take the land route?"
Hua Zhi didn't expose him, "I do have this plan, but I have to wait until the rain stops or gets lighter."
"It's raining hard, so it won't last long."
"It's hard to say." Hua Zhi looked out the window. The rain had not stopped and was about to get heavier. "The south is different from the north. The north has little rain and when it stops, it rains quickly. The south is the opposite. Half or even more of the days in a year are rainy. There is a saying in the south that it rains twice a month, one for half a month."
The Sixth Prince opened his mouth, "So, so serious?"
Hua Zhi smiled, "The north is dry and the south is flooded. It has always been like this."
"Is there no way to solve this?"
How to solve it? Divert water from the south to the north? Hua Zhi shook her head, "I can't solve this problem. You can think about it carefully."
"Sister Hua, there's nothing you can do about it..."
"Xiao Liu, I'm not as good as you think." Hua Zhi interrupted him, "I'm good at business, so I'll accept your advice if you say I'm good at this. As for other things... when things are forced upon you and you can't back off, I won't."
Hua Zhi picked up the book and flipped through it, then looked at the child. "If one day you are forced to that point, you will also be that powerful, provided that you know as many things as possible. Life is so short that it is impossible to know everything, but it is not that difficult to have a little knowledge, which is better than wasting time."
"Yes, Cheng Qian will learn from you." It was Cheng Qian, not Xiaoliu, nor the general title of Sixth Prince. This was the attitude that Sixth Prince Gu Chengqian was willing to show in front of Hua Zhi.
Hua Zhi pretended not to notice the difference and lowered her head to open the book on military strategy.
The Sixth Prince stopped talking and picked up a book nearby to read.
There was no sign of the rain stopping until the evening. It became lighter at night, and the sounds on the roof seemed to be lighter while we were half asleep and half awake. Everyone in a daze felt relieved, thinking that maybe the sky would clear up tomorrow.
But this kind of relief did not last long. At dawn, heavy rain poured down again. The sound of rain hitting the roof seemed as if it was not rain outside, but icicles.
Hua Zhi woke up as soon as she heard the noise. She stood in front of the window with her coat on and a frown on her face. If such heavy rain continued for a long time, could Weihe withstand it
After daybreak, Hua Zhi asked Yu Tao to go to the dock to check the situation. Wearing a raincoat didn't help much. When Yu Tao came back, he was still soaked. He changed his clothes before reporting back.
"The water level has risen quite dramatically, about five feet higher than when we got off the boat."
It sounds like a small number, but this is just the beginning. This section belongs to the middle reaches of the Wei River. Water from the upper reaches will flow here, and water from the branches will also flow in. Coupled with the continuous heavy rain, I am afraid...
"Miss, I feel the situation is a little bad."
Hua Zhi looked at Yu Tao with a little surprise. This man was very useful and never said much, but today was unusual. "What do you mean?"
Yu Tao organized his words a little, "I am from Yangzhou. When I was young, I experienced a flood. It rained like this at the beginning, on and off continuously. When the rain was the lightest, you could hear the sound of it hitting the roof. At first, I watched the water gradually rise, and after a few days, it would rise sharply. It would rise half a foot in the time it took to drink a sip of water. My family suffered because of this, so I have a deep impression of it. If I have violated the rules, please punish me, young lady."
Hua Zhi was also afraid of this, but what could she do? Not to mention that she had no power or status, even if she had that power, she wouldn't dare to show off. Just like what she said to Xiao Liu yesterday, she was really good at doing business, and the rest was just half-baked. Now that she was forced into this situation, she had to bear it for the Hua family, but this matter... had nothing to do with her, and she couldn't bear the responsibility.
"Crap, why don't you go to the Xiangyang government office and tell them about this matter so they can make some preparations?"
"Got it. I'll go right away."
"Wait." Seeing Shaoyao turning around and about to leave, Hua Zhi hesitated for a moment but still stopped her, "See if you can get some maps, of Xiangyang, of the Weihe area, and maybe county annals or something like that."
Shaoyao turned around and grinned, "Even if you rob me, I'll give it to you."
Hua Zhi was feeling a little anxious. Being trapped here and unable to move was frustrating enough for her. Now when she encountered something like this again, she began to wonder if she had a disaster-prone constitution. Why did something go wrong wherever she went
"Sister Hua, will Xiangyang be hit by a flood?"
"It's hard to say whether it's a big disaster or a small one." Hua Zhi smiled bitterly, "But it may not be that serious. As long as the rain stops, nothing will happen."
But everyone knows that the rain won’t stop anytime soon.
"Yu Tao, is there any way to deliver a letter to Yan Xi for me? I don't have enough people around me, and none of you can leave."
"Yes, there is a Qisusi site in Xiangyang."
Hua Zhi immediately stood up and wrote a letter. She wrote four full pages before putting down her pen. She sealed the letter, wrapped it in oil paper, and handed it to Yu Tao, "Hurry up."
"yes."
Shaoyao was almost soaked when she came back, but the things in her arms were not stained by the rain at all. "It's all here, Huahua, take a look and see if it's what you want."
Hua Zhi felt bitter as she looked at the pile of things. Although she had lived in the south for many years and was troubled by the return of the south wind, she was neither a cadre nor a soldier. At most, she would see such news and take a look. What she knew was very one-sided, and her seemingly plausible experiences might not be applicable here.
But she was trapped here, and in order to be able to return alive, she also had to know more about the situation in Xiangyang and Weihe. As for whether to do something, she couldn't think that far ahead now, and she felt that she didn't have the ability to do so. She just hoped that she could survive safely until Qisusi arrived.
PS: I am filled with negative emotions and cannot write anything good. I will only update once today.