Chapter 8: Finding Shelter in a Ruined House

Finally, the two of them pulled her up and saw Shen Qingquan, her whole body drenched and frozen, her lips turning purple; Ning Shi quickly grasped her, rubbing her hands and blowing warm air.

Mother... I'm okay...

She shivered from the cold, her face turned ashen. Especially her lower body, as if immersed in icy water.

Mother! Qinger, are you alright? How are you all?

From across, Shen Juancheng's worried voice came.

We're fine...

Shen Qingquan shakily produced a water bladder, which had been snatched from the soldiers earlier and filled with pre‑boiled hot water, and said, "Mother, Younger Sister, you all drink some..."

"Mother, I'm fine, you drink." She kept rubbing his frozen body, and Shen Qingci stripped her clothes and draped them over her!

Younger Sister, your body is weak; keep your clothes on. Listen, Elder Sister is fine; she'll recover after a while.

The hot water went down, and her icy body finally gained a little warmth.

At this moment, a torrential downpour hammered the sky, and the surroundings turned into a vast sea. Everyone was drenched through, almost indistinguishable from her.

Besides them, there were people on other trees; those people had seen Shen Qingquan's family climb a tree for shelter and had followed.

But most were strong men, with few elderly, weak, women or children.

They huddled on the tree, exhaling cold breath, trembling.

Suddenly, Snap! A tree fell!

Help!

Perhaps because too many people were on the tree, it could not bear the load, or perhaps the flood's scour caused it to split, and the tree suddenly cracked, sending the three people atop it plummeting down!

They couldn't swim, but they were instantly swept away, disappearing from sight.

A hush fell over the tree.

Fear, despair, and numbness enveloped them.

…

As the rain intensified, the current grew ever more rapid.

Their tree also began to sway, on the verge of collapse.

Although the woman's weight was much lighter, the recent incident still damaged the trunk.

Bang! A cracking sound reached Shen Qingquan's ears, and she suddenly realized that the trunk beneath them had begun to fissure!

Bad!

Snap!

The next second, the tree split cleanly down the middle! The three, like kites with broken strings, fell into the water!

Mother! Qinger! Qingci!

Plop!

The panicked Shen Juancheng and Shen Yuhuan over there, without a second thought, leapt down as well!

The people on the tree stared expressionlessly at the scene, their faces showing no hint of emotion.

The water was very cold.

It was also murky.

It was full of silt.

If it accidentally entered the mouth or nose, it could choke a person to the point of coughing up their throat!

Splash!

Shen Qingquan surfaced from the water, coughing repeatedly, unable to tell whether mud or sand clung to her face; she tugged hard on the rope at her waist and kept shouting Mother and Sixth Sister's names!

Qinger!

Elder Sister!

At that moment, she saw her father and Brother!

Just as she was about to speak, a wave broke open and swept her back in!

Ugh!

The turbid water surged into her nose; she groped frantically underwater, and suddenly a hand seized her! The next second, she was pulled up!

Elder Sister!

It was Shen Yuhuan!

Elder Sister, what's wrong with you?

I'm fine... Mother! Sixth Sister!

At that moment, she saw her father, cradling Mother and Sixth Sister, also rising from the water. Their faces were pale, but fortunately they were unharmed.

Fortunately, when I was young, my maternal grandfather taught me how to swim, and my father's water skills are also superb; see, now they're finally useful!

He grinned foolishly, and Shen Qingquan, seeing the family safe, relaxed, saying, "Alright, you earn a merit."

Fortunately, everyone had ropes tied to them; otherwise, even if they didn't die, they'd be swept apart.

They clutched each other, bobbing in the water. The flood's force was too great; when they tried to grab something, they were swept away before they could reach it.

Be careful!

Suddenly, Shen Qingquan saw a wooden board hurled toward Mother, and she instinctively reached out and grabbed it!

The sharp board sliced a bloody gash across the back of her hand!

Elder Sister!

It's okay... quickly,

We grab this board...

She endured the pain; the most urgent thing now was to get out of the current predicament.

Fortunately they were somewhat lucky; the plank was large enough, like a house door panel, and the five of them clutched it, drifting downwards all the way…

…

The temperature kept dropping.

The rain in the sky had somehow turned into snow.

Heavy snow swirled down from the heavens.

The water was bone‑chillingly cold.

The family of five could barely feel the cold now, and Shen Qingci's face was pale, lying motionless on the plank.

No, if this continues, the whole family will freeze to death here.

At that moment, she suddenly saw a stretch of rooftops ahead over the water.

"Father, little brother…"

She hurriedly called out to her family, and Shen Juancheng also saw it!

"There should be a village ahead; let's find a way up!"

They seemed to regain their strength, and soon the five of them floated into the village, where floating corpses could be seen everywhere on the water—old and young, men and women.

Some were swollen beyond recognition from soaking, their features indistinct…

Ning Shi and Shen Qingci's faces turned ashen, and even Shen Yuhuan looked extremely grim.

At that moment they once again felt the cruelty of the world.

"There's a pillar ahead!"

Shen Qingquan also saw it and said, "Father, Mother, Sixth sister, Brother, listen as I count to three; when I say 'let go', we release at the same time!"

"Alright!"

"Three, two, one!"

They let go simultaneously!

Having gauged the distance, she grabbed the stone pillar, and Shen Yuhuan and Shen Juancheng grabbed the side as well! The ropes on the five of them wound perfectly around the pillar!

Next to the pillar was a house roof. Though battered by the flood and in ruins, it was still usable for footing.

A quarter of an hour later.

The family of five finally climbed up.

They collapsed onto the roof, panting, feeling as if they had survived a disaster.

At this point, even Shen Qingquan had exhausted all his strength, lying there for half a day without moving.

But no.

She knew this place was still unsafe; they had to find a way ashore quickly.

But for now, the whole family needed rest.

She observed that the house was relatively sturdy; judging by the flood depth, it seemed to be a two‑story building. Blue bricks and stone pillars set it apart from the thatched structures, making it one of the few decent houses in the village.

"Qinger, quickly let Mother see your wound…"

Ning Shi gently grasped her injured hand, and the wound, having soaked in water too long, was swollen and mottled green‑red, looking frightening.

"I'm fine. Mother, your hand…"

"Just a slight scrape, nothing serious."

Ning Shi had once seemed frail, but after enduring so much with her family, she was no longer the delicate lady of a noble household who never lifted a finger.

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