Chapter 66

Mr. Huang temporarily interrupted his lecture, went out for a while, and when he came back, he told everyone that there was nothing serious, just that a wutong tree had been struck by lightning.

After class, everyone crowded out to see the commotion. They saw that on one side of a wutong tree by the playground, there was a blackened area. A branch as thick as an adult's fist had been broken off and fell onto the playground. Of course, no one dared to pick it up at that moment.

Some students, who had probably just read a fantasy novel, joked, "This tree must be about to become a spirit, that's why it was struck by lightning!"

Another student added seriously, "It's not the tree becoming a spirit, but something inside the tree is about to become a spirit!"

Such incidents of trees being struck by lightning are common in the countryside. Whenever such things happen, the elderly in the village would say, "There must be some spirit inside the tree."

So when they heard these two students, everyone smiled knowingly.

The heavy rain continued all day, and it seemed to have not stopped at night. After such a day of rain, the temperature dropped, and it was particularly comfortable to sleep at night.

The situation on Thursday was the same. According to Lin Hui, several reservoirs upstream were releasing water, so the river water had risen significantly, and no one could cross to the other side.

However, there was some good news. It was said that someone had caught several large fish by the river with a pole the day before. Now, many people were wearing straw hats and raincoats, holding sticks, and wandering around the river.

On Thursday evening, the TV forecast predicted that the heavy rain would continue for the next two days. The school leaders became quite anxious. Apart from other concerns, the student dormitories were on a hillside, and behind them was the villagers' farmland, which was all soil. If the rain became heavier and more intense, it could wash away the farmland, and the mud brick walls of the dormitories, which had been built over ten years, would definitely not withstand it.

Therefore, during the evening study session, the school held an emergency meeting. It was decided that during the day, the school leaders would take turns patrolling, and at night, male teachers would work in pairs, forming six groups, each on duty for two hours, from 7 PM to 7 AM, with a focus on the row of dormitories on the hillside.

The students could not fully appreciate the teachers' anxiety. It had been raining since June, and everyone was already used to it. Hearing that many people had caught large fish in the river, many students were eager to try.

On Saturday, the heavy rain continued, and the sky remained dark and gloomy.

From the small courtyard, the school leaders could clearly see the river in front of the school, which had changed dramatically.

The river water had overflowed the original embankment, flooding a large area of the fields on both sides. The fields near the school were completely submerged, and the road had become an embankment. The river was now over 300 meters wide in some places. Even with such a wide river, there were still large waves. Vehicles and people on the road tried to stay as close to the inner side as possible because the waves often splashed up on the side near the river.

According to the elderly nearby, such a situation had not been seen for decades.

Crossing the river now, let alone swimming across, was not an easy task even with a small boat.

Therefore, during the second class in the morning, the teachers held another emergency meeting. Given the situation, they could not afford to be careless and dared not let the students go home, especially those who had to cross the river to get home.

In the principal's house, the leaders and class advisors discussed for over half an hour and finally decided that the weekend would not be a break. Since the final exams were next week, all students would stay at school to review.

The life teachers and cafeteria staff went to the finance office to get money and immediately went to the town to buy vegetables, oil, and salt. They also bought several large jars of pickled vegetables from the village. The teachers would also eat from the large pots, and the small cafeteria would be used for stir-frying dishes.

From the third class onward, the school leaders, accompanied by the class advisors, went from class to class to notify the students. When they reached one class, the students groaned upon hearing that there would be no weekend break.

This was expected, and the situation was the same in the previous classes. The principal smiled and said, "You are not children anymore, and you understand the school's concerns. This is all for your safety. In such weather, letting you go home would be irresponsible to you and all the parents! If any student has a problem, we cannot explain it to your parents, and no one can bear such responsibility. Also, during your stay at school, as long as you have enough meal tickets, you can get as much food as you want. Additionally, the school will provide free vegetables. Today's lunch is stir-fried eggplant with chili, and tonight, you will have a rib and winter melon soup."

Hearing about the food, the students finally showed some enthusiasm. The principal added, "In the evening, the school has made arrangements. All the TVs from the teachers' homes will be moved to the classrooms, and everyone can watch TV together."

"Oh!" The students were delighted. The principal raised his hands to calm them down and changed his expression, "Finally, I want to emphasize one more point: anyone who leaves the school without permission during these two days will be expelled!"

After the principal finished, the head of the education department added, "Class leaders must take responsibility and assist the teachers in managing the students. At the same time, the duty teachers and the student council will conduct random checks on the classes, counting the number of students. Any student found absent without a valid reason will be given a major demerit."

After the school leaders left, the class advisor emphasized the rules again with a teaching rod. Under the layers of pressure, the students' dissatisfaction had to be suppressed.

Moreover, even if there was a break, for students like Feng Wen, the two rivers on the way home were still a problem. It was impossible to swim across like last time.

Taking a detour was also not an option. There was a simple arch bridge about ten miles upstream, but it was likely submerged in the water during such weather. Since it was difficult to go home even if there was a break, it was better to stay at school where there was food and entertainment.

The students who truly had objections were those who lived near the road. Their way home was still clear, but when they asked for leave, it was denied. They could go home if their parents came to the school to sign and take them.

Now, only some units and individual stores had telephones, and it was not easy to contact parents. Even if they managed to contact them, asking them to come to the school in such weather and then return the next afternoon was too much trouble.

The only ones who were happy were the third-year students. They usually did not go home on weekends, and now, not only did they have their younger classmates staying with them, but the cafeteria also provided free fresh vegetables, which was a pleasant surprise.

At lunchtime, everyone queued up with umbrellas to get their meals. Smelling the aroma from the front, many who were initially reluctant became a bit excited.

After all, they were just children, carefree and easily swayed. Their happiness or unhappiness was fleeting.

The cafeteria staff were also new to cooking such large pots of food and had no experience. The only commendable thing about the dishes they cooked was that they were cooked through!

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