The Yun family members paused their eating, their hands trembling slightly. After a moment of stunned silence, they all scrambled under the table.
Gu Shi, holding Xiao Xi Tian, covered her daughter’s head, fearing the house would collapse and crush her.
Liu Cui Rong, holding Yun Xiao Bao, occupied the most central position under the dining table.
Liu Cui Rong was pregnant and found it difficult to move. Yun Da Man simply held her entirely in his arms, his gaze fixed vigilantly on the door.
Yun Er Man protected his parents, while Hu Xi Er and Jin Huai Hua crouched at the outermost edge of the table, trembling and pale.
“What’s happening outside? Why is there so much noise?” Yun Da Man asked.
“What else could it be? It must be an earthquake,” Old Man Yun said, tucking his pipe into his waist.
No matter the time, the pipe his youngest daughter gave him was his most treasured possession.
“That’s impossible! Our Dashui Village has never had an earthquake!” Yun Er Man was bewildered.
Moreover, according to the village chief, the older generation had lived in the village for so many years without experiencing any earthquakes.
Old Man Yun snorted, “According to you, natural disasters have to pick a propitious date and time?”
Yun Er Man choked and shot a disgruntled glance at his father.
Wasn’t that just arguing?
Xiao Xi Tian covered her mouth and giggled.
Why did she find this family so amusing?
A torrential rain had fallen last night, and the retaining wall on the mountainside must have given way, causing the mud and rocks to slide down.
It was also fortunate that her father and brothers had worked efficiently, moving out the old bricks, tiles, and wood early in the morning.
Otherwise, those items would have been buried by half the mountain.
Liu Cui Rong poked Yun Er Man, “Er Man, you go out and take a look. Hiding under the table like a man, don’t you feel ashamed?”
Gu Shi: “……”
Old Man Yun: “……”
If Yun Er Man hiding under the table was shameful for a man, wouldn’t the elderly couple be ashamed enough to crash into a wall?
“Why don’t you go?” Yun Er Man glared at her.
What if the house collapsed when he went out?
Liu Cui Rong rubbed her belly and pouted, “I’m pregnant, aren’t I? If you don’t want twin daughters, then I’ll go out now. If I get crushed, don’t you regret it……”
After speaking, Liu Cui Rong shoved Yun Xiao Bao to Jin Huai Hua and slowly crawled out.
The entire family watched her in silence.
Seeing that no one stopped her or showed concern, Liu Cui Rong crawled halfway back and returned, “Hmph, whoever wants to go can go. My stomach hurts!”
The entire family: “……”
If you’re not embarrassed, then others will be.
She didn’t care.
In this day and age, how could one get by without a thick skin?
Xiao Xi Tian grinned happily and said crisply, “It’s not an earthquake, Daddy, Mommy. It’s a landslide. Let’s go take a look together……”
A large amount of mud and rocks had accumulated on the mountainside early on. This landslide must have caused considerable damage.
Fortunately, the few families at the foot of the mountain had already moved away.
“Right, if Sister hadn’t said anything, I would have forgotten about this!” Yun Da Man slapped his forehead and crawled out from under the table.
He helped Zhao Gui Hua walk out with a smile.
Liu Cui Rong also crawled out calmly, dusting the dirt off her skirt. “Look at you all, making a fuss as if the sky was falling!”
If she had known, she should have sat on the stool and mocked everyone for being cowards.
Xiao Xi Tian: “……”
Second Sister-in-law, just save it.
When danger strikes, isn’t human instinct to flee or seek shelter?
If you have the ability, don’t hide under the dining table!
At the foot of the mountain, a large area was covered with mud and alluvial deposits.
Many trees had been uprooted and lay askew amidst the debris.
The former large residence of the Yun family and the adjacent courtyard were completely buried.
Not a trace could be found.
Villagers gathered around, sighing with emotion.
“Oh my, it’s a good thing the Old Yun family and Young Master Xiao moved early. Otherwise, with half the mountain collapsing, we wouldn’t even find a single strand of hair!”
“You have to admire the Old Yun family for that. If they hadn’t built the retaining wall on the mountain, they wouldn’t have been able to move out those old bricks.”
“Yes, yes, I heard that the idea for the retaining wall was thought of by Little Sweet Treasure. Look at that girl, she’s so young and already thinking about the family’s concerns. My two girls are seven years old and still haven’t been weaned, it’s driving me crazy!”
“Your girls are sensible and obedient. It’s fine if they’re not weaned, but my little rascal set the haystack on fire a few days ago, almost burning down the house!”
“……”
By the time the Yun family arrived, most of the villagers had already left.
Gu Shi held her daughter’s small hand and gazed at the entire collapsed mountainside.
It seemed that Sweet Treasure was right; it was indeed a landslide.
“Father, our family’s escape is all thanks to Sister……” Yun Er Man said with a smile.
This contribution was immense.
If Sister hadn’t urged Father and Mother to move quickly, their consequences would have been unimaginable.
Sister also led the whole family to build the retaining wall, sorting out so many bricks and tiles, saving a large sum of money.
“Of course! If you dare to bully Sweet Treasure in the future, I’ll rip your heads off!”
Old Man Yun puffed out his chest, as proud as a rooster.
Xiao Xi Tian covered her mouth and chuckled, tilting her head to look at her mother, “Mommy, are my elder nephew and second nephew coming back today?”
If she remembered correctly, today was Yun Jin Shan’s birthday.
Gu Shi stroked her daughter’s head and smiled, “They should be back. Your eldest brother sent a letter to the academy this morning, and they’ll be brought back this afternoon!”
Xiao Xi Tian was very happy to hear this.
It had been a while since she had seen her two nephews.
“Da Man, Er Man, you two go help Young Master Xiao build his house. I’ll go check the fields,” Old Man Yun said.
Last night’s rain might have caused more water to accumulate in the fields.
He had woken up late this morning and hadn’t had time to check the fields yet.
“Understood, Father!”
Du Lao San’s residence.
Xiao Jin Heng frowned slightly as he looked at the gifts on the table.
He was officially invited to dinner next door tonight and couldn’t go empty-handed.
So, he had prepared gifts for everyone in the Yun family.
“Commander Kong, who are these two jade pendants for?” Xiao Jin Heng asked.
Kong Xing Zhu looked down. “They are for Jin Shan and Jin He!”
“And this fan?”
It was so colorful and dazzling, making him dizzy.
“This is for Sister-in-law Cui Rong!”
This fan seemed quite fitting for Liu Cui Rong’s personality.
Xiao Jin Heng said “Oh” and looked at the other gifts, which were nothing more than silver hairpins, red hairpins, and wine pots, etc.
Not a single one was something a village child would like.
“No, buy them all again!” Xiao Jin Heng said with a stern face.
The gifts were bought by Kong Xing Zhu in the county town.
Xiao Jin Heng was very dissatisfied.
He really couldn’t pick things out.
“Prepare the carriage, we’re going to the county town!”
“Oh, okay……”