Chapter 417: Chapter 417: The Rainstorm Strikes Again (Part 3)
Right now, everyone was too busy trying to survive to worry about anyone else. Still, from what Evelyn Ford knew of Ethan Dawson, he was a capable man. He wouldn’t die that easily.
After dinner, Evelyn Ford returned to her bedroom and let out Mina, Blackie, Lola, and Red Bird.
"I’ve been so busy lately that I haven’t had time to let you out. But it looks like you’ve all been doing just fine in there. Mina, you’ve gotten a bit chubby."
Mina’s fur immediately bristled. It stared at Evelyn Ford with its round eyes, swatting at her with its fluffy tail until she caught it in her hand.
"Keep an eye on the other animals in there for me. If any of them act up, I want you to discipline them. Make sure they behave and don’t destroy anything. When I’m done with all this, anyone who misbehaved will be turned into Dried Meat."
Mina raised its paws in a clasping gesture. Evelyn Ford patted its head, then put them all back into her space.
Outside, the heavy rain continued to fall, and the thunder was deafening. Evelyn Ford felt her ears begin to ring. From the cabin next door, she could hear Zoe crying.
In the middle of the night, Officer Graham and Quincy went out to check the drainage ditches. They discovered the earth along two of the ditches had collapsed, blocking them completely. With nowhere to go, the water began to pool. Hearing the commotion, Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick quickly got up to help. Officer Graham went to wake the others. It was already midnight, but no one dared to fall into a deep sleep, fearing another emergency.
Evelyn Ford saw Wendy’s pale face and pulled her aside.
"Did you get your period?"
Wendy nodded. "It just started tonight. I’m fine, Miss Ford. I’ll come with you to clear the ditches."
Evelyn Ford frowned. "You’re not going. Go back to your room and rest. Get some brown sugar from the kitchen and make some brown sugar water to drink. Do you have any sanitary pads?"
Wendy lowered her head, avoiding Evelyn Ford’s gaze. "I’m out. I sewed some cloth pads that I can wash and reuse. I just feel a little weak, my stomach doesn’t hurt at all."
Evelyn Ford sighed in resignation. "I’m a doctor. Do you really think you can fool me?"
Evelyn Ford led her back to her room, then returned to her own bedroom. She retrieved the sanitary pads she had traded for back in Tarr City from her space and brought a large pack over to Wendy.
"Use these. Get some rest."
Wendy’s eyes reddened. Evelyn Ford patted her on the shoulder, then grabbed a hoe and charged back into the rain.
The collapsed section was quite large, and the mud, saturated with rainwater, was difficult to dig out. Evelyn Ford told Quincy to grab some stainless steel basins so they could just scoop the mud out, one basinful at a time.
"The ground over here is getting loose! This part looks like it’s about to collapse too!"
"There’s thunder again! Miss Ford, do we need to take cover?"
Evelyn Ford glanced over. The lightning struck a mountain more than ten kilometers away.
"No need to hide. Hurry up and clear the ditches."
Evelyn Ford stood right inside the drainage ditch, using a basin to scoop out mud and hand it up to the people on the bank. The others took the basins and carried them a fair distance away to dump the contents, preventing the rain from washing the mud right back into the ditch.
The night wind was cold. As a fierce gust swept by, Christina Thorne lost her balance while carrying a basin of mud and fell straight into the ditch. Evelyn Ford immediately pushed her back onto the bank.
Christina Thorne had twisted her ankle, but she didn’t make a sound. Gritting her teeth, she emptied the mud from her basin.
The hail had stopped, but the rain was only getting heavier. Her drenched clothes clung to her skin, and Evelyn Ford shivered from the cold. Wiping the muddy water from her face, she went back to clearing the mud from the ditch with a shovel.
In the face of an emergency like this, there were no distinctions between men and women, young and old. Everyone was in it together, fighting with all their might to protect their home.
Evelyn Ford accidentally swallowed a mouthful of muddy water. She coughed a few times, spitting out sand and dirt. Wiping the rain from her face, she continued to clear away the rocks and mud that were causing the blockage.
"There’s another collapse up ahead!"
Ronan Kendrick and Quincy arrived carrying unsplit logs, which they used to reinforce the sides of the ditch that looked like they were about to give way.
Miles Vaughn grabbed a large wooden mallet and vigorously pounded at the crumbling earth, trying to pack it down.
The storm had arrived too suddenly and with too much force, leaving the farm no time to prepare. They could only rely on their own bodies, not just to clear the blockages, but to hold back the overwhelming landslides.
At 3:30 a.m., the emergency effort was finally over. Ronan Kendrick pulled Evelyn Ford out of the ditch. She collapsed onto the ground, her body completely void of strength.
Clutching her shovel, Evelyn Ford looked up at everyone.
"Are all the ditches clear?"
Quincy nodded. "They’re clear." His voice was hoarse; he had clearly caught a cold from the chill.
Evelyn Ford sneezed. Ronan Kendrick supported her as she walked back to the cabin, where Wendy was waiting, watching them with tear-filled eyes.
"Miss Ford, I made ginger soup for everyone. I made two big pots, so there’s enough for all. I also boiled some hot water for washing up. The fire in the hearth is going strong, so hurry and get warm."
Evelyn Ford smiled and took off her tattered rain boots.
"Wendy, you’re amazing. You did all this by yourself."
Wendy wiped away her tears and brought out the ginger soup, ladling it out for everyone.
"I feel like my bones are about to fall apart. If this rain doesn’t let up, I don’t think my body can take much more."
"Good thing we set the foundations for our cabins so deep. They won’t be washed away. I was worried about the cabin the whole time."
Quincy nodded. "Me too. The last earthquake toppled our cabin. After all the trouble we went through to rebuild, I’d probably just give up if it fell again."
After finishing the ginger soup, everyone returned to their own cabins. Some washed up and warmed themselves by the fire, some had a late-night snack, and others ran out back to use the toilet, only to discover it was flooded—the pit of the squat toilet was completely full.
They now faced their biggest problem yet: the toilet was unusable. How were they going to solve this crisis?
"Why don’t we just place a couple of planks over one of the drainage ditches? The water will wash everything away." It had to be said, Quincy’s mind was sharp. Evelyn Ford immediately agreed.
"But... using the toilet out in the open... I don’t feel great about that."
"Is this really the time to be picky? Who’s going to be watching you? Tell you what, we’ll set it up over the ditch behind the cabins. Men to the left, women to the right. Don’t forget."
Wyatt Vaughn suddenly raised his hand. "Won’t the planks just get washed away? Besides, it’s still thundering out there. What happens if one of us gets struck by lightning?"
Everyone looked at each other. The question was simultaneously hilarious and tragic.
Evelyn Ford sighed. "Didn’t Mr. Lowell make a bunch of umbrellas? Go out with one of those. If you get struck by lightning, at least you’ll die with some dignity."
Everyone stared at Evelyn Ford. She shrugged. "Your other option is to hold it. Now, everyone back to your cabins. Stop blocking the doorway."
’At that moment, Evelyn Ford desperately wished her space would upgrade again, so that her physical body could enter it. Then she wouldn’t have to worry about this problem at all.’
’To be honest, she was also afraid of getting struck by lightning while on the toilet.’
Ronan Kendrick seemed to sense her worry and whispered, "Don’t worry. I’ll hold the umbrella for you."
Evelyn...
’That really won’t be necessary.’
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