Chapter 392: Chapter 322: Yiwan, Giddy-up
Under the shed, Shen Xin got a towel from the homeowners and began drying Yi Wan off.
Today, Yi Wan had not only rendered a great service, but he’d also pulled Shen Xin back while they were coming down the mountain, saving him from injury.
What a good donkey.
Shen Xin’s original plan had been to sell Yi Wan after the case was over to recoup some of his money.
But now, Shen Xin wanted to keep him—even take him back to Nanjiang.
"Yi Wan, do you want to come with me?"
Yi Wan didn’t answer.
"No answer? I’ll take that as a yes, then?"
Shen Xin stroked Yi Wan’s mane and continued drying him off.
He turned his head and saw the lady of the house looking at him with a puzzled expression.
’She’s probably never seen someone talk to a donkey before.’
The woman asked curiously, "Young man, what were you all looking for on the mountain?"
There were so many people; of course they’d been seen.
Of course, Shen Xin couldn’t tell her the truth, so he changed the subject to the rain.
Muffled thunder continued to roll across the sky, punctuated by flashes of lightning. The rain was coming down in sheets, and in no time, water had already started to pool in the courtyard.
When Shen Xin asked if it often rained this hard in Huaiyi, the woman shook her head. She said it wasn’t like this in past years; they got rain, but never this much.
Shen Xin had never seen such a heavy downpour either.
He vaguely felt that something was wrong.
’This is a mountainous region. With a downpour this heavy, something bad is bound to happen, isn’t it?’
’Especially Ma Bao Gou.’
’As the name implies, the village is in a gully.’
’It’s like a basin—all the water will converge here. I just hope the village doesn’t flood.’
’And then there was the case.’
’I wonder if the forensics team can extract any key evidence from that plastic bag.’
’To top it all off, my phone got wet and shut itself off.’
Shen Xin gave Yi Wan a quick wipe-down, then let him shake the rest of the water off himself.
’Animals are supposed to know how to shake themselves dry.’
Yi Wan seemed to understand. He lay down on the ground and got ready to roll around.
Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, Shen Xin hauled him up. Then, right in front of the donkey, he began to vigorously shake his own head and body.
The motion was rather comical.
Yi Wan saw this and let out a series of jerky brays, laughing.
The woman nearby laughed as well, saying, "Young man, you’re really something else. That’s a donkey."
Annoyed, Shen Xin gave Yi Wan a light smack.
The donkey just brayed even harder, then shook his body, splashing droplets of water all over Shen Xin.
Shen Xin said, "Ma’am, donkeys are very smart, too."
The woman nodded in agreement, saying her family used to have a donkey that was also smart. As soon as it saw her grab the winnowing basket, it would walk right over to the stone mill on its own.
Just as she finished speaking, another deafening clap of thunder echoed.
A bolt of lightning, like a great dragon, snaked across the sky for a great distance.
The woman shivered and ushered Shen Xin inside, telling him to dry his clothes by the fire pit. She offered to let him wear her son’s clothes if his own were too wet.
He asked and learned that the elderly couple’s son worked out of town all year and had taken their grandson to the city for school, so they rarely returned.
Shen Xin warmed himself by the fire pit, making small talk with the old couple while he waited for the rain to subside.
The elderly couple rarely had anyone to talk to, so they were delighted by Shen Xin’s visit. They chatted idly about all sorts of things for a long time.
When it got to be dinnertime, the woman stood up and insisted Shen Xin stay for a meal.
She took down a strip of cured meat, wanting Shen Xin to have a taste.
The old man also invited Shen Xin for a drink, urging him to try his home-brewed liquor.
Shen Xin found it impossible to refuse, so he agreed.
He did, however, decline the alcohol.
The village had electricity, but the villagers still preferred to cook over the fire pit. The dancing flames, combined with the aroma of stir-frying food, created a cozy, domestic scene.
The only problem was the torrential rain.
It had been over an hour, and the rain showed no signs of stopping.
’How many millimeters of rain would a storm like this even be?’
As they were eating, someone in a raincoat appeared at the door.
It was a young, square-faced man wearing glasses.
He stepped in out of the rain, paused when he saw Shen Xin, and asked curiously who he was.
Upon hearing Shen Xin was a police officer, he quickly extended his hand to greet him.
His name was Dai Yaping. He was a university graduate who had become a village official and was now the party secretary for Ma Bao Gou Village.
After they’d exchanged greetings, he turned urgently to the elderly couple. "Sir, the town sent out a notice. This rain is getting too heavy. I heard we’ve gotten over a hundred millimeters in just one hour, and it’s not stopping."
"The town is ordering at-risk villages to evacuate, and that includes ours. You two should start gathering your things—cell phones, bank books, anything important. Put them in a plastic bag and tie it tightly."
"And put on your raincoats if you have them. I’ll be back to get you."
With that, he turned to leave and notify the other villagers.
Shen Xin was shocked by his words.
’Over a hundred millimeters in one hour? You’ve got to be kidding me.’
’Nanjiang is considered a rainy place, and it only gets a little over a thousand millimeters in an entire year.’
’Did they really just get a tenth of that in a single hour?’
’That’s terrifying.’
With that thought, Shen Xin hurried after him. "Secretary Dai, I’m not busy. I can help you notify everyone."
’I’m a police officer, after all.’
’It’s just like back at the station; whenever the community team went to inspect illegal rentals, they always needed officers to back them up. When you’re trying to evacuate people, there are always some who refuse to leave, no matter what you say. Having a police officer around should help.’
That’s exactly what Dai Yaping was thinking. He quickly said, "Don’t call me Secretary. It makes me sound like some high-and-mighty official. Just call me Old Dai. Here, wait a second. I’ll get you a raincoat."
With that, he ran back out into the rain.
Shen Xin turned back and urged the elderly couple to hurry and pack.
"Just grab the important stuff," he told them. "Don’t worry about anything else for now."
This was just a precaution.
The woman even asked if she could take her two ducks with her.
Seeing the hopeful look in her eyes, what could Shen Xin possibly say?
Before long, Dai Yaping returned.
Shen Xin put on the raincoat and immediately followed Dai Yaping to go notify the villagers, one house at a time.
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