Chapter 2

The harsh sound of the gong echoed through the dark night, awakening the sleeping village. Lights flickered on one after another, and Lüjiacun came to life!

Bang—bang—

Lü Dong continued to strike the gong with his worn-out shoe, pondering what to do next.

"Who's striking the gong!" A roar came from the southeast. "Who's striking the gong!"

Lüjiacun was situated by the river, and people from the north of the village and those on duty by the river had already rushed over.

Among them was Uncle Tie.

"Dongzi, why are you striking the gong!" Uncle Tie came along the riverbank. "This isn't a game!"

Seeing more people gathering, Lü Dong shouted loudly, "The embankment on the north side has collapsed, and I saw it with my own eyes, along with Wen Yue!"

He had not been paying attention to the time, so Lü Dong specifically asked an uncle from his family who was walking ahead. He learned it was not yet 10:30, which relieved him somewhat, as he remembered the dam had collapsed at 3:30 in the morning.

Two or three dozen farmers quickly gathered. Some were still half-asleep, and others were temporarily confused about what was happening, causing a bit of chaos on the dam.

Li Wen Yue's voice then rang out, "Grandpa San is here! Dongzi, Grandpa San is here!"

Everyone found their leader, and the circles of flashlight beams and their gazes turned to that direction.

Li Wen Yue ran alongside a short-haired old man, who was in good health, with a straight back and steady, powerful strides.

His most striking feature was his thick, sword-like eyebrows, which, despite being speckled with white, were still dense. Every time Lü Dong saw them, he couldn't help but think of Uncle Jiu from the movies.

The old man strode up the embankment, and everyone greeted him.

"Uncle San!"

"Uncle San!"

Lü Dong also called out, "Grandpa San."

"Uh-huh."

This was Lü Zhenlin, a high-ranking official in Lüjiacun, the third among his peers. Since Lü Dong could remember, he had helped his family a great deal.

"What's the situation?" Lü Zhenlin asked, and the others fell silent.

This was not the time for idle talk, so Lü Dong quickly responded, "About twenty meters north of the dam, a section of the embankment has collapsed. Wen Yue saw it too."

Lü Zhenlin turned his gaze to Li Wen Yue, who quickly added, "Dongzi and I saw it with our own eyes."

The atmosphere around them suddenly became tense.

Lü Dong was no longer an impulsive eighteen-year-old and did not mind that the others believed his childhood friend more.

After all, this was the result of his eighteen years of fighting and various irresponsible actions.

None of the people present, even the oldest, Lü Zhenlin, had any practical experience with flood control, but Lü Zhenlin had to stabilize the situation: "Those on duty, return to your posts and keep a sharp eye out!"

No one objected, including Uncle Tie, and they quickly returned to their positions.

Lü Dong whispered, "Should we keep Uncle Tie? His chicken farm is nearby, and he has many tools."

Lü Zhenlin glanced at Lü Dong, slightly surprised but not upset, and said, "Jianbin, you stay!"

Li Wen Yue looked at Lü Dong, wondering if he had changed. In the past, it was a miracle if he didn't cause trouble!

Lü Zhenlin continued, "The rest wait. Wen Yue, give me the flashlight. Dongzi, Jianbin, and Jian, you three come with me."

Lü Dong handed the gong to Li Wen Yue and took the lead.

When they reached the spot, Lü Dong shone the flashlight down and reminded, "Everyone stay far apart, don't gather in one place!"

Lü Zhenlin stopped a meter away from Lü Dong and said, "Follow Dongzi's instructions."

Uncle Tie quickened his pace and was two meters ahead of Lü Dong, while Lü Jian was at the back.

Under the flashlight beams, the embankment near the water's edge was dropping small pieces of three-part soil, like sparse raindrops falling into the river.

"It doesn't seem to be a big deal," Lü Jian muttered from the back.

Lü Dong quickly interjected, "The soil is falling, which means the water has already soaked through."

Of course, this was just a guess based on his memory.

Uncle Tie's chicken farm was nearby: "We can't take the risk."

Lü Zhenlin knew nothing about water management; the last time the river was repaired was in the 1950s, which was too long ago.

This time, at the town meeting, they were only told that water would be released upstream, and each village should focus on flood control. But how to do it, no one who hadn't experienced a flood in decades knew.

"We need to check it thoroughly!" Lü Zhenlin said. "There are over a thousand people in the village..."

Everyone knew that professionals should handle professional matters, but what to do without professionals?

Lü Dong had at least read some materials about the 1998 floods and had fought alongside the villagers and soldiers for several days to survive the 2019 Typhoon Lekima, though they ultimately lost to the flood-prone highway underpass. But among the short, he was still the tallest, so he had some experience.

This was not the time for modesty or hesitation!

"Grandpa San, I've been watching the news. The south is also experiencing major floods," Lü Dong found a plausible reason to increase his credibility. "The news mentioned the warning signs before a dam fails."

Lü Zhenlin didn't trust Lü Dong, who was unreliable, but he trusted the news. "Speak!"

He didn't understand, but he had good judgment.

Lü Dong pointed to the slope outside the embankment: "Experts say that before a dam fails, it usually leaks water or has a pipe burst."

Lü Zhenlin vaguely remembered seeing something like that on TV and ordered, "Jian, call a few people to check carefully."

Lü Jian responded and ran back.

Due to the gong, more people had gathered near the dam.

Lü Dong turned back to the river: "We need to go down and check if there are any holes in the embankment underwater, how big they are, and where they are..."

Although Lü Dong was not very reliable, Lü Zhenlin's rich life experience was enough to make a judgment.

Many rural clan relationships were complex, especially in conservative and traditional provinces like Taodong.

Not just anyone could become a leader in a village with complex clan relationships.

This required more than just seniority.

"Also," Lü Dong's speech was always very fast, "get the woven bags and sand and gravel delivered as soon as possible..."

Lü Zhenlin exhaled, paused for a moment, and made a decision: "Prepare for the worst." He turned back to the triangular dam and said, "Jianbin, take a few people to get tools from the farm, bring ropes and shovels."

These were things that could be returned, and Uncle Tie hesitated slightly: "Ah, okay, I'll go."

Lü Dong didn't pay attention to Uncle Tie, who had gone down the embankment, and followed Lü Zhenlin.

Lü Zhenlin wasted no time and shouted to the dozens of people on the riverbank: "Fellow villagers, the embankment is not safe! It concerns the safety of the entire village! Guozi, Hongxing, start your tractors and bring the gravel and sand from the south entrance of the village! Get some people to help! Those with woven bags, bring them! The more, the better! Those with sand and gravel, report to the accountant!"

"I brought a load of sand three days ago and haven't sold it yet. It's still on the truck," Hongxing, who understood the consequences of a breached embankment, said urgently, "I'll bring it over first."

Lü Dong silently watched a group of people head to the south of the village. Everyone knew that to save their homes, they couldn't be picky.

Lü Zhenlin continued to shout: "Wen Yue, Li Lin, Lü Kun, Gangzi, go around the village and strike the gong to gather all the able-bodied men, including those on duty tomorrow! When the trucks arrive, the women will fill the bags, and the men will carry them!"

In this era, there was no machinery to think about. The village had only a few trucks, and the tractors could be counted on one hand.

Not just in Lüjiacun, but in the south, where the floods were even larger, most of the work was done by human effort.

Compared to Lü Dong, Lü Zhenlin thought more and more maturely. He specifically told the gong strikers: "Call the children and the elderly in each street to come to the newest second-story buildings. Knock on the doors of the meat shop owner Cheng Lifeng and the banquet organizer Sun Qinghai, and ask them to prepare water and food, and charge it to the village account! No food, no work!"

As they left, Uncle Tie returned with a group of people carrying shovels and several bundles of ropes.

Lü Zhenlin glanced at the ropes and shouted, "Old Seven! Where's Old Seven? Hurry up, get ready to go underwater!"

Someone weakly replied, "Old Seven was drunk this afternoon and can't be woken up even by fireworks."

"This damn brat!" Lü Zhenlin gritted his teeth. "A good-for-nothing who always messes up!"

For some reason, Lü Dong felt that when Grandpa San said this, he seemed to look at him.

When it came to being a troublemaker, even two of him couldn't match one Uncle Seven, right?

Lü Dong's mind was a jumble, but his mouth didn't slow down: "Grandpa San, I'll go down."

Lü Zhenlin looked at him with increasing surprise: "You?"

"Besides Uncle Seven, who in the village has better swimming skills than me?" Lü Dong walked toward Uncle Tie. "And I'm young and strong..."

He had come to truly understand the importance of his hometown and the help his family had received from the Lü family over the years, especially after his father died in Lao Mountain.

Besides, with the rope, it wasn't that dangerous.

Lü Dong took the rope, tied it around his waist, and made a secure knot. He walked north and suddenly remembered something, turning back to say, "Uncle Tie, you guys hold the rope tight, let's try it first."

The people behind quickly tightened the rope, and Lü Dong pulled hard. With a snap, the rope... broke!

Lü Dong's face turned green. What old rope did Uncle Tie bring?

A relative behind Uncle Tie suddenly said, "Good thing it broke! Good thing it broke! Better to break now than underwater!"

Lü Dong was speechless for a moment, then took another bundle of rope, tested it, and prepared to go down.

Seven or eight people were distributed along the riverbank, holding the rope. The last person, to be safe, tied the end of the rope to a large tree on the riverbank.

Someone who worked in a mine provided a waterproof miner's helmet, which could be used for lighting and as a safety helmet.

Lü Dong put on the helmet, checked the knot around his waist again, grabbed the rope, and nodded to the people holding the rope.

"Lower me down!" the person in front acted as a temporary commander. "Slowly! Hold tight!"

Lü Zhenlin, standing by the embankment, reminded, "Be careful."

The rope was lowered in sections, and Lü Dong slid down the embankment, half his body in the water. The swift current pushed him north, nearly causing him to lose balance.

Fortunately, Lü Dong was mentally prepared and had excellent swimming skills. He used his feet to tread water, held the rope tightly, and used the pull to stay as close to the riverbank as possible.

"Ah—Spit—"

He had held his breath, but still got a mouthful of mud and sand.

Lü Dong maintained his balance, used one hand to push aside some water hyacinths hanging from the riverbank, and let himself sink a bit, reaching out to feel the embankment underwater.

When he touched it, the place that should have been the embankment was empty!

He continued to feel inward, and fortunately, he only had to extend his arm halfway before he felt the edge.

The riverbank had been eroded, but the hole was not deep.

Lü Dong needed to determine how long it was and asked those on the embankment to move north while he continued to feel the depth.

Suddenly, something slippery swam by, and a sharp object pricked his palm, causing him to cry out in pain.

The thing flipped in the water and was swept away.

"What's wrong?" a voice above him asked.

Lü Dong shook his bleeding hand, "Nothing, got pricked by a catfish!"

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