One of the sorrows of being reborn:
Even knowing the flood wouldn't reach the community, Jing Shu still had to act frightened and evacuate with everyone. She couldn't very well claim she knew it would be fine and force the whole family to stay, then spend the final hours on edge, could she?
The community already sat at a relatively high ground. If the center of Wu City hadn't been swallowed before dawn, if the tallest buildings hadn't gone under and tens of thousands on high floors hadn't vanished, and if whole island nations hadn't drowned, everyone would've just stayed on the top floor of the community.
But those things had happened, and panic spread. Hearing the flood was spreading toward their side, people rushed to a higher refuge: the Hongshan Ecological Park.
Wu You'ai went to gather people for departure. As the community's visiting official, she had time on her hands now. In this community, only a bit over seventy people were left alive. Once the flood failed to recede and the government began searching for new settlements, they'd cram people into communities again. A place this size might end up holding tens of thousands.
That kind of crowding would be a nightmare.
Jing Shu's family packed fast. They shook Jing An awake and told him to drain the villa's cistern.
This was when buying the most expensive tents paid off. Lightweight, one-pull foolproof setup, and just as quick to pack. In minutes, every tent was down. Jing Shu hauled the luggage and bedding and stuffed it all into the roof rack.
Thank goodness Jing Shu had prepared early. Otherwise, they would have been scrambling.
She had prepacked down jackets, daily necessities, compact cookware, a gas stove, stews, a multifunctional kettle, a large barrel of bottled water, easy-to-carry prepared foods, braised meats, spicy jerky, pickles, a stack of disposable toilets, dry bath towels, hand warmers, medicated oil, and more.
Her family watched as bag after bag disappeared into the back of the car, then onto the oversized roof rack.
Finally, she laid plastic-wrapped planks across the rack and tied them down twice. The whole BYD Song sat two tiers taller.
Anyone who didn't know better would think they were moving house.
The whole family stared, feeling something was off but unable to say what. After a long beat, Jing An finally spoke. "Aren't we evacuating? Shouldn't we bring all the grain? This looks like a road trip."
Jing Shu couldn't say they'd be back in a few days. She said, "Relax. I've secured the grain in sealed bins in the basement. Even if the villa floods, I've got the submarine and diving gear. I can retrieve it. Bring too much food now and you'll draw eyes. What if a few dozen people jump us?"
That made sense. They already had a lot of food. Enough for half a month, easily.
Jing Lai added a needle to the heart. "But what you're bringing is still flashy. It'll draw hate."
No, when it comes to attracting hatred compared to some folks later, she would be modest. When the time comes, it will be really like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, much like whole parade of miracles by then. She'd see soon enough.
Grandma Jing originally wanted to bring all the poultry. In the end, it was impossible. After Jing Shu promised to check on them daily, Grandma Jing tied each bird and personally put life jackets on them, then took Xiao Dou along, with this reasoning:
"It lays twenty eggs a day. Anyone can die but not it."
Everyone pulled on rain boots and sealed raincoats. At last, the family set out in neat order.
Jing An drove. Grandma Jing, Grandpa Jing, Su Lanzhi, and Third Aunt took the seats, since two spots were filled with supplies.
Xiao Dou rode in Grandma Jing's arms, basking in special treatment.
Jing Shu ferried Wu You'ai on the shark submarine. It was more maneuverable, and she needed to keep an eye on the community convoy.
In ten minutes, Wu You'ai had gathered everyone. No one had much to bring. The only prep most made was wearing extra layers and wrapping themselves tight with plastic bags in every color. Those with better means wore a raincoat over that.
It would not help much. From Jing Shu's experience, if it wasn't a sealed raincoat, you were better off without it. Red nematodes loved burrowing. They'd slip in through any gap. The consequences… ha.
Everyone had a bicycle. The convoy rolled out in a roar. Jing Shu even spotted Zhang Bingbing with a big belly. She looked well. When they saw the shark submarine, envy flashed in their eyes.
People from the villas really were on another level. Another fancy toy.
Four days of downpour had left even the high ground with standing water. The overloaded BYD Song waded forward through wind and rain. The family ate breakfast on the move: flat naan Grandma Jing had made, with pickles and jerky, washed down with hot milk tea.
Jing Shu patrolled the flanks on the shark submarine with Wu You'ai, eating the same breakfast. The difference was that once Jing Shu started eating, she couldn't stop. She finished a whole tin of spicy beef jerky. Even Wu You'ai's eyelids twitched. Would their supplies be enough?
Jing An's car soon vanished from sight.
The road was a long climb. In some places they couldn't ride, only push. Because of the delay, the convoy took over two hours to reach the Hongshan Ecological Park. Jing Shu's feelings were complicated. She hadn't expected to come back to this place again.
Police and crowds packed the gate. Some barked orders through loudspeakers. Clusters of people waited for assignment. It was chaotic, but the weather was tolerable. After days of rain, people were used to being soaked. Hunger and thirst weren't immediate problems.
Wu You'ai moved like a tour guide buying tickets. She registered their headcount, then local staff led the whole group inside.
The park was truly huge. After another ten minutes, they reached the real entrance to Hongshan Cave, the famed Thousand-Cave Grotto. A staffer gave the two women covered in raincoats with a strange look, thought to himself they must have connections, pointed at a sector, and said:
"Your community gets all of Zone Z, Cave 5. It's marked inside. If you need anything, ping me in the big-data channel."
He left.
The Hongshan cave mouth was divided into twenty-six lettered zones. Each zone had dozens of numbered caves, usually from 1 to 50. The lower the number, the bigger the space.
"Zone Z, Cave 5 is a prime spot," Jing Shu murmured. She hadn't expected Officer Li Yuetian to play it so well.
Third Aunt had just called to say they'd been blocked at the entrance. It was Officer Li Yuetian who arranged for them to go in first.
Signs marked every cave. Steering the shark submarine, Jing Shu threaded the group through twists and turns and soon found Zone Z, Cave 5. Jing Shu hadn't even had a chance to look around when she saw the space jammed with people. Screams rang out.
"Murder! Murder! Help!"
At the same time, an eerie chicken call echoed.
"Cluck cluck cluck."
"Who else wants chicken, you bastards?"