As the villagers carried everything from their flat carts into the mountain cave, the rain had already turned into a downpour.
The cave was situated at a high elevation, and fortunately, the path leading up was relatively gentle. Jiang Wan's family and the village chief's horses and old ox were all brought in and settled at the cave entrance. Otherwise, letting them endure a night of rain outside would likely have caused them serious harm.
Many villagers were soaked and shivering from the cold.
Jiang Pan cut the remaining large oilcloth into several smaller pieces and distributed them among a few strong men to wear. He then went with them to chop a considerable amount of firewood.
The rain had only just begun, so although the firewood was wet, it hadn't been thoroughly soaked and could still be used to start a fire. However, wet firewood produced a lot of smoke and was particularly choking.
The villagers covered their mouths and noses with handkerchiefs and endured for a long time before the smoke gradually dispersed.
As the flames grew stronger, the temperature inside the cave gradually increased. The soaked villagers quickly gathered around the fire, took off their clothes, and warmed themselves.
The cave was quite large; all four hundred or so villagers could fit inside without feeling crowded.
Jiang Pan led a group to thoroughly inspect the cave, and after confirming there were no dangers, he finally felt at ease.
The rain intensified, and the sound of the rain entering the cave was rather conducive to sleep.
Jiang Wan, being young, closed her eyes to the sound of the rain after a short while.
Having grown accustomed to sleeping in the carriage, she found it extremely uncomfortable to suddenly sleep on the uneven ground of the cave. She kept shifting her position, but no matter how she slept, she felt uncomfortable, waking and sleeping intermittently throughout the night, tossing and turning countless times.
Finally, dawn arrived, but the rain outside had not abated in the slightest. The scene ten meters away was completely obscured.
The villagers had not slept well. Sitting in the cave and looking out at the heavy rain, someone couldn't help but sigh, "If this rain had come a month earlier, we wouldn't have had to come out."
The old village chief said, "It may have rained in Tongzhou, but that doesn't mean it rained where we came from. Who can predict the ways of heaven?"
The villagers thought about it and realized he was right.
The rain was too heavy, and it didn't look like it would stop anytime soon. The villagers simply tidied up the cave, gathered around, and chatted.
The women gathered at the cave entrance to do needlework, while the children huddled around the fire, asking the adults to roast dried snake meat for them.
The atmosphere was quite good. No one was anxious about being delayed by the heavy rain; instead, they felt it was quite nice to be able to stop and rest for a day or two.
Just as everyone was talking and laughing, a sudden tremor came from underground, and several stones fell from the cave ceiling with a rustling sound.
"Rumble—"
A loud noise echoed from a distance, startling the old ox and horses at the cave entrance, causing them to bolt in panic.
The villagers also screamed in terror. Jiang Pan even picked up Jiang Wan, ready to rush out of the cave.
Jiang Wan quickly said, "Dad, don't panic. It's very safe here, it's okay."
After a while, the tremor subsided, and the rumbling noise also disappeared.
Jiang Pan quickly called Da Lang and Er Lang to chase after the horses, and several other strong men from the village rushed to help.
The horses hadn't run far, and they were caught without much effort. However, when the men returned, their faces were grim.
"What's wrong? What happened outside? Where did that loud noise come from?"
Jiang Pan's expression was solemn, "A mountain ahead collapsed, burying the road we were supposed to take."
Everyone looked at each other, somewhat at a loss.
Jiang Pan reassured them, "Perhaps only a small section is buried. When the rain stops, we'll send people to check the situation. Don't panic, it's not a big deal."
The villagers trusted his abilities implicitly. Hearing his words, they indeed felt less panicked.
The heavy rain continued for two consecutive days. On the morning of the third day, it finally cleared up.
However, after two days of continuous heavy rain, the roads outside were soaked and very soft. Setting off to travel at this time was not a wise decision.
Jiang Pan asked the villagers to wait patiently in the cave, while he took some men to check the road conditions ahead.
Jiang Wan wanted to go, but Jiang Pan absolutely refused to take her.
With no other choice, Jiang Wan had to ask her little pony to make a trip.
The little pony's efficiency was far greater than Jiang Pan's group. It flew out and returned in less than half an hour.
The situation was not good.
The little pony reported that not only one mountain had collapsed ahead, but many roads had also been washed away by flash floods, making at least several dozen li of road impassable.
Detouring was inevitable.
Jiang Wan felt a pang of worry. The transportation conditions in ancient times were extremely poor; even the official roads were full of potholes. As for other roads, one could imagine what they would be like.
The scouts returned only after dark.
The news they brought back was more detailed than what the little pony had reported.
"We traveled about twenty li, all of it steep mountain paths. Further ahead, there was no road; it was a cliff with a waterfall. We couldn't get past it. So, we have to take a detour."
The villagers became agitated, "A detour? How far would that be? We're unfamiliar with the terrain, is there a road for us to detour?"
"Besides, the road ahead was washed out. The road back might also have problems."
This made the villagers even more despairing, "If that's the case, what should we do? We can't just be trapped here, can we?"
"We're in the middle of nowhere. Aren't we all going to die here?"
Seeing that everyone's emotions were about to collapse, Jiang Pan quickly said, "Heaven never closes all doors. Everyone, calm down first. Tomorrow morning, I'll take some people back to check the situation and ask if there are any other roads we can take."
"If even the road we came on is impassable, we'll climb over the mountains! As long as we have legs, there's no mountain we can't climb! At worst, we'll go slower, but we won't let everyone die here!"
Jiang Pan's words were very reassuring. The villagers were appeased. Although they still felt uncertain, thinking of Jiang Pan's words made it seem like not a big deal.
Only Jiang Lao Er hid in a corner and sneered, "I'd like to see where he can lead so many people if the road is truly gone!"
Jiang Lao Tai also whispered, "Let's just wait and see. He's about to run out of steam."
Liu Shi couldn't help but roll her eyes when she heard that.
This mother and son were truly extremely wicked and foolish. Had they forgotten that they were also part of this group?
If Jiang Pan didn't fare well, would they be able to benefit?
The next morning, Jiang Pan untied his family's three horses, called Er Lang and another man from the village who knew how to ride, and they set off together to check the road conditions.
Jiang Wan asked her little pony to accompany them. The little pony returned and said that the road back had also been washed out.
However, Jiang Pan and his group were fortunate enough to meet an old hunter.
"That old hunter said there's a road that's closer than the official road. Passing through it, we won't be too far from Huainan Prefecture. Moreover, the mountains on both sides of the road are quite gentle, and they haven't collapsed due to heavy rain for many years. He can lead us on that road."
This news brought by Jiang Pan invigorated the villagers. Entering Huainan Prefecture meant entering Jiangnan.
"But."
Jiang Pan took a deep breath, "That road is not easy to travel. The old hunter said it has been abandoned for many years, and there might be dangers along the way. I've come back to ask for everyone's opinion, whether to follow the old hunter on that road or find a way to climb over the mountains."
The villagers were stunned. Both options sounded less than ideal, how could they choose?
Jiang Pan knew that this choice was too difficult for everyone, and he couldn't make the decision for them.
Just as everyone was worrying, the old village chief made a suggestion, "Since no one knows how to choose, let's draw lots. Each family will send one person out to draw lots of different lengths. Those who draw the long sticks will climb the mountains, and those who draw the short sticks will follow the hunter. Each family draws one lot. We'll count them up, and whichever option has more votes, that's the one we'll take!"
This method was undoubtedly the fairest, and the villagers had no objections.
So, Jiang Pan quickly prepared the drawing sticks himself.
There were seventy-three households in the village. Jiang Pan prepared seventy-three long sticks and seventy-three short sticks. After everyone had seen them, they were all placed into a bag.
Each family sent a representative to reach into the bag and draw a stick.
Before long, everyone had a small stick in their hand. Jiang Pan asked them to hand over the sticks and then counted them in front of everyone.
In the end, there were ten more short sticks than long sticks.
Jiang Pan announced, "According to the results of the lot drawing, we will follow the abandoned road with the hunter."
The villagers had no objections, as it was the result they had drawn themselves.
Jiang Pan said, "Since the result is decided, everyone should rest well tonight. Tomorrow morning, we will set off. We don't know what situations we'll encounter on this road, so I hope that no matter what happens on the way, no one will complain. Our small mountain village, united as one, will surely reach Jiangnan successfully!"