1959Siheyuan, a Turnaround

Thanks to Zhang Jianguo's usual rowing skills, he was able to keep the direction steadily in the water.

The wooden board in his hands seemed to have eyes, and he went straight towards the tree with the wooden basin.

Li Weiguo was very strong, and he paddled vigorously. Each stroke made the wooden basin jump forward a long distance. The two of them worked together and soon arrived under the big tree.

The boy on the tree just cried at first, and he could hardly open his eyes.

When he heard some noise below, he looked down with a sob, and saw Li Weiguo and another man sitting in the wooden basin. His eyes suddenly lit up.

It was as if he had seen light in the darkness, and he immediately shouted excitedly: "Please save me! I am almost dying of fear hanging on this tree, I am afraid I will fall down and be washed away by the water!"

The voice was filled with tears and the throat was a little hoarse from shouting.

Li Weiguo raised his head and was about to open his mouth to comfort the young man, but as soon as he opened his mouth, the heavy rain "crackled" into his mouth. He could not speak clearly and could only use actions instead of words.

He quickly raised his hand and made a gesture to the boy, which meant that the boy should quickly slide down the tree. He moved in a hurry, fearing that if he delayed any longer, the child would be in danger again.

The boy understood what Li Weiguo meant, nodded hurriedly, and even said in a crying voice: "Yes, I understand, I'll come down right away."

As he spoke, he hugged the tree tightly with both hands and slowly lowered his legs, carefully moving them down bit by bit. He looked so nervous that it seemed as if he would fall into the abyss if he let go even a little.

After finally sitting down in the big wooden tub, the boy's taut tension suddenly broke. He couldn't hold back any longer and burst into tears with a loud "wow".

She cried and said, "Thank you. I really thought I was going to die just now... I was staying on the tree, looking at the flood, and I was very scared. I thought no one would come to save me..."

The crying sound echoed in the wooden basin, which was very sad to hear.

Li Weiguo looked at the crying boy and felt uncomfortable, as if something had pinched him.

I quickly reached out and gently patted his shoulder, looking at him with eyes full of comfort, as if to say, "Don't be afraid, child, you are safe now, everything is fine."

Although he didn't say anything, his meaning was to tell the boy to be stronger.

At this time, Li Weiguo and Zhang Jianguo didn't bother to ask where the boy was from. They just thought that it was important to send him to a crowded and safe place first. What if there was any danger again?

So, the two of them paddled the tub again and headed for the crowded place. Along the way, they did not forget to comfort the boy and said to him, "Don't be afraid, we will be in a safe place soon. We are here for you."

After settling the boy, they turned around and plunged into the rain without hesitation. Their backs looked determined.

There must be a lot of people waiting for rescue in the rain, so they can't rest.

They went back and forth like this, and Li Weiguo and Zhang Jianguo didn't know how many times they had rescued people, but in total they rescued more than twenty people.

Among these people, there were little children who were crying loudly because of fear. Their little faces were red from crying and their faces were covered with snot and tears. They kept shouting, "Mom and Dad, I want Mom and Dad..." It was heartbreaking to see them.

There was also an old man who was trembling and unable to walk. When he was rescued, he kept muttering: "Thank you, good people. If it weren't for you, I would have died here..." His voice was trembling.

There were even people trapped on the roof, and the whole family hugged each other tightly, eagerly waiting for rescue.

In that family, the adults held their children tightly in their arms, their eyes fixed on the surroundings, hoping that someone would come and rescue them. The despair and expectation in their eyes were intertwined, it was so heartbreaking.

When everyone was in panic and despair, they suddenly saw the figures of Li Weiguo and Zhang Jianguo appear. It was like seeing the dawn of light in the darkness, and hope suddenly ignited in their hearts.

After being rescued, many people had no time to see the appearance of their saviors before the two of them had already rushed into the rain again.

Those who were rescued looked at their receding backs, their eyes were wet and their hearts were warm. They were deeply moved and grateful to the two and prayed silently.

"They are good people and must be safe. In this day and age, it is thanks to such kind people who come to their aid. I hope God blesses them."

The heavy rain, as if under a curse, poured down day after day without beginning or end, with no sign of stopping.

The sky seemed to be held down by a huge lead plate; it was gloomy and gray, making people feel depressed.

From morning to night, the only sound in my ears is the "rustling" rain. The raindrops hit the roof and the road, splashing high water. The whole world seems to be isolated from the rain.

At first, people were still hoping for the best, thinking that the rain might stop after a while and at most it would just cause some inconvenience in travel.

Occasionally, you can hear a few complaints on the streets: "Why doesn't the rain stop? It's hard to even have a meal at home now."

But as time went on, the rainwater accumulated more and more, the drainage outlets on the street began to be overwhelmed, water gurgled out, and the road soon became a vast ocean.

But some children seemed to have found new games. They played and laughed in the shallow water, chasing floating debris, completely unaware that danger was approaching.

By August 8, the rain was getting heavier. Regional leaders realized the seriousness of the situation and issued an emergency alert.

The sirens pierced the sky, sharp and rapid, echoing in every corner of the city, like an order that could not be disobeyed, awakening the people who were still in confusion.

Notices were broadcasted one after another on the radio: "Dear citizens, please note that there have been heavy rains recently. To protect the safety of everyone's life and property, please make preparations for flood prevention and drainage as soon as possible. Be sure to be prepared!"

Community workers also took quick action, knocking on doors and shouting, "Everyone, hurry up and prepare tarpaulins, sandbags, and buckets, and move your valuables to higher places!"

For a moment, the whole city seemed to have been injected with a shot of adrenaline and became busy.

The men carried sandbags and shuttled through the rain, reinforcing the river embankments and door thresholds again and again. Sweat mixed with rain flowed down their foreheads. Their eyes were blurry and they couldn't open them, but they didn't bother to wipe them.

The women were busy packing clothes and bedding, carefully wrapping important documents and passbooks, and putting them in waterproof bags. They kept reminding their families, "Don't leave anything behind. The rain is so strong. Put everything away!"

The old people sat at the door with worried eyes, looking at the rain curtain in the sky, muttering to themselves: "I have lived for most of my life, and I have never seen such evil rain. I hope nothing will happen."

However, despite everyone's efforts, this once-in-a-century rainstorm still came quietly like a ferocious beast, taking advantage of the night and with the momentum to destroy everything.