Then amidst desperate cries for help, all was forgotten for survival, and it was just an instinctual sprint uphill.
The Qi family was no different. The three brothers frantically pulled along their sons and daughters-in-law, racing forward. Their aging parents lagged behind, shouting until their voices were hoarse, but the sons paid them no mind.
Clearly, the sons ignored them, yet they self-deceptively blad it on their eldest daughter.
If they hadn’t fallen out with her, their lives wouldn’t be so tight, and their health would be better.
They attempted to nd relations with the daughter, but no matter how many tis they tried, they were never allowed in, not even gaining the slightest advantage.
But every ti they returned, they not only couldn’t enter, but halfway through, their heads felt heavy and feet light, and upon returning ho, they suffered from diarrhea for several days.
This happened each ti, leaving little doubt they were drugged, causing Qi’s wife to curse whenever she thought of it, uttering unspeakable words.
Neighbors around frowned upon hearing it, often whispering that this wasn’t a daughter but an enemy.
With empty stomachs, the two elders of the Qi family lacked strength, watching their desperately fleeing sons and daughters-in-law, not seeing elders shielded by their running families. In that mont, the Qi elders felt unspeakable emotions.
Even so, they tightly clung to the food strapped to their backs, unlike so who abandoned food for survival, striving to run uphill.
Luckily, their fortune held, and before the flood subrged the mountain base, the old couple narrowly reached the summit, witnessing familiar figures behind them swallowed rcilessly by the flood, disappearing in a massive wave.
Faced with death so closely, the old couple was terrified, and even when safe, it took a while for their sons and daughters-in-law to bring them back to their senses.
Once aware, Qi’s wife burst into tears, hitting her sons and daughters-in-law.
At that mont, she was genuinely furious, never expecting that in danger, her sons wouldn’t think of the old couple at all.
No matter how self-deceptive, her heart was overwheld with sadness, crying even harder.
In regular tis, Qi’s wife wouldn’t even touch her son’s finger, let alone beat him.
Watching her sons cower away, after hitting them a few tis, Qi’s wife couldn’t bring herself to continue, sitting down and crying incessantly.
The good part was, after such a venting, much of the fear vanished, and she finally cald down.
Urgently, the imminent issue was addressed: beyond the food tightly strapped to the old couple, the second son’s crate and belongings of the first and third sons were lost; possessions like bedding on the second daughter-in-law were gone too. Fortunately, the children’s small bundles containing pre-made flatcakes remained, sustaining them for a while.
Qi’s old man thought of the packages abandoned during the frantic escape, and once clear-headed, he dragged his two sons downhill. Feeling guilty, the Qi brothers dared not resist, and surprisingly, they found so food, usable items, and bedding.
Many shared the sa thought, as nurous belongings were abandoned midway while fleeing, and soon everything on the mountain, aside from what the flood consud, was equally collected.
Next, they continued climbing uphill; with such relentless rain and water’s rise, none dared stay low.
Eventually, they stopped near the mountaintop. Most villages people gathered here, finally settling under a sowhat lush willow, erecting a simple tent for temporary shelter.
Daily, they pick wild vegetables, complenting with a bit of grain, managing to get by. But misfortune follows, and once so people’s food ran out, chaos ensued.
Initially, most villagers survived, banding together, nobody daring to provoke them. But as the rain prolonged and the temperature dropped, cold and hungry people no longer maintained appearances, robbing even in broad daylight.
One incident led to another, and as robbery increased, those robbed, to survive, joined the cycle, perpetuating a vicious circle that victimized more. In the end, Little River Village couldn’t escape doom, leaving most robbed.
The Qi family wasn’t spared, despite having three sons.
Most of their food was seized, save for so hidden on their bodies, fearing accidents.
But using this scant food, even with wild vegetables, edible mushrooms, and wild fruit, how long could they last? Moreover, such things had beco hard to find; having hid on the mountain for nearly a month left the family exhausted, perpetually terrified, especially when corpses appeared on the mountain, intensifying the feeling.
The eldest of the Qi family was the first to succumb, as they barely t hunger survival by eating wild vegetable soup, just filling their stomachs with water.
Yet, every day couldn’t be idle; besides the ho-tending parents, even the kids searched wild vegetables all across the mountain, rely to get another bite.
Watching their emaciated bodies, even this wouldn’t sustain much longer.
The eldest son of Qi was on the verge of breakdown.
"Dad, Mom, we can’t continue like this. We need to find a way to leave."
Qi’s old man weakly replied, "Leave? The land is flooded everywhere. Where can we possibly go?"
This damned heavens gave no chance for the living; Qi’s old man barely ate, leaving much for sons and grandsons, making him dizzy and faint from hunger daily. If it continued, he couldn’t last much longer.
He wanted to leave but questioned where to go.
"Father, if we don’t leave, we might starve here. Haven’t you noticed food’s beco harder to find?"
"But eldest, your dad is right, flooded all around, even if we want, there’s no path." Qi’s wife wanted to cry but dared not, as crying took effort, making even speaking exhausting.
Qi’s second and third sons looked at their elder brother, preferring leaving if possible.
Rain showed no signs of stopping, endlessly pouring, making a wait for cessation unknown.
Even if the rain halted, with the land subrged so long, no place remained unhard, leading back to hunger. Conversely, on the mountain, food is attainable, provided there aren’t crazed starving people.
Those frenzied folks bore terrifying gazes as they looked at them.
"Mom, Dad, while we still have so food and strength, let’s build a raft to find our sister. Otherwise, when food runs out, we won’t even muster a raft, leaving us to await death."
Qi’s eldest rubbed rainwater from his face, speaking fiercely, thinking they might as well risk it, given impending death either way.
The three lazy Qi brothers relied on sisters’ aid, neglecting even basic farming, making them no match for hardened, aggressive people.
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