NOVPUB
Chapter 559: Chapter 559: Flood 2
Tong Yao felt that Guo Jinnian made some sense, so she decided to ignore the situation outside and sat on the sofa with him to watch a comedy film.
The movie was an old classic she’d seen before, it felt good to relive it. When it was over, Guo Jinnian inserted another disc. He muttered under his breath, "Fu Yiheng sure spends lavishly on these movie discs, he must come from wealth, otherwise who would spend like this, huh!"
Being in a foreign land, devoid of one’s own wealth, could make one feel vulnerable. If Fu Yiheng could afford to spend so much on these trinkets, his family’s financial status was a nonissue.
Why bother studying medicine with such wealth!
Especially since Fu Yiheng didn’t seem all that attentive, Guo Jinnian even doubted if he can treat patients. Who have seen a doctor cracking jokes all the time? Personally, she would feel uneasy with such a doctor.
Tong Yao agreed with Guo Jinnian’s sentiments, "Did you notice Fu Yiheng’s wristwatch? It’s worth more than two thousand yuan, and the clothes he wore, no less than five hundred yuan." 𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒑𝒖𝙗.𝒄𝒐𝒎
Guo Jinnian was taken aback, "His brain must be defective. Who runs around in such expensive gear?"
Tong Yao chuckled, "There are many wealthy people here who, in the eyes of others, may not be so extravagant."
Guo Jinnian admired Tong Yao greatly, "Yaoyao, you’re like an encyclopedia. So knowledgeable, understanding everything, capable of anything. Even Doctor Si would feel insecure in front of you."
Tong Yao smiled softly, "Don’t just praise other people and forget your own merits. You’re quite excellent too."
Guo Jinnian huffed before she could reply, the movie they were about to watch suddenly blacked out. She thought she might have pressed a wrong button and gave a start, "Damn, I hope I didn’t wreck Fu Yiheng’s DVD player! It must be so expensive and you can’t even get it back home?"
She could afford to cover the cost, but it felt bad to damage something borrowed.
Tong Yao bent down to inspect the device, then said, "Jinnian, go see if the lights work."
At her words, Guo Jinnian hastily went over to flip the light switch. Seeing that it didn’t light up, she was flustered, "Yaoyao, the lights appear to be broken too."
Tong Yao frowned, "The lights aren’t broken. We’ve lost power."
As she said this, she walked over to the window to look down and see that the water level had risen a few centimeters. Many people were departing their houses to walk around outside. Guo Jinnian also spotted the situation beneath them, quite curious, "Yaoyao, it’s pouring rain outside. Why are people going out?"
Tong Yao shook her head, "Not sure."
Just as she finished talking, frantic knocking began outside. Guo Jinnian went to peer through the peephole, seeing a foreign man in a raincoat. She turned to Tong Yao, "There’s a heavily bearded foreign man out there. Kinda intimidating. Should I open the door?"
Tong Yao was about to say no, but then heard the man outside shouting in English for them to evacuate to a safer place. She frowned, "Open it."
Hearing this, Guo Jinnian opened the door, but put herself on high alert, ready to fight at a moment’s notice. The man, seeing Guo Jinnian, cautiously asked, "From China?"
Guo Jinnian was somewhat surprised, she didn’t think this foreigner could speak Chinese.
Seizing the opportunity, Tong Yao asked, "Can you tell us what’s going on? Why are people running around outside?"
The man, in unpracticed Chinese, urgently said, "There’s a flood occurring outside. This place could collapse, you need to evacuate to safety."
When she heard the building could collapse, Guo Jinnian almost fainted on spot. The ground below was already submerged, if the building collapsed and trapped them underneath, there would be no hope for survival!
"Yaoyao, what do we do now?"
Tong Yao, also aware of the severity of the situation, promptly decided, "We need to go downstairs."
The man urged them to hurry, then went upstairs to notify the other residents. Tong Yao told Guo Jinnian to take their money and an umbrella. Without taking anything else, they began to descend. Only when they reached the ground level did they realize the severity of the situation which far exceeded their expectations.
The water level had risen to waist height, some even to the chest, and the current was strong. It was difficult to stay upright. These conditions could easily undermine the building’s foundation. It was indeed unsafe upstairs.
Nor was it safe here. Their original plan to wait downstairs for Si Chen was now impractical. They had to move to safety along with the crowd.
Tong Yao, pulling Guo Jinnian, prepared to wade into the water, but Guo Jinnian stood frozen, her face pale, "Yaoyao, I can’t swim."
Not only that, she had almost drowned as a child, so she was terrified in the face of such a great flood.
Tong Yao patted Guo Jinnian’s shoulder to comfort her, "Jinnian, don’t be scared. We’ll hold hands and go together. I’m a good swimmer. If a real danger arises, I can protect you."
Under these circumstances, they must flee to safety as soon as possible. It was too dangerous to stay here.
Guo Jinnian understood that now was not the time to be scared. Steeling herself, she followed Tong Yao into the water. Soon their clothes were soaked and the umbrella was no longer of any use, but fortunately, the rain outside had eased somewhat.
The two slowly moved to the road and happened to see people coming from the academy. Tong Yao took the opportunity to inquire about the academy. The answer they received was that the school had already arranged for the students to evacuate to a safe place through another gate.
Guo Jinnian, hearing this, felt strange, "Why didn’t Dr. Si come back to find you?"
Tong Yao shook her head, "I don’t know. There must have been some delay. He will come for us, but it’s too dangerous here. We can’t just sit and wait for our deaths. Let’s go to a safe place. As long as he is okay."
Guo Jinnian staggered after Tong Yao, where the waters were a mix of high and low areas. They were helping each other along. The current was very fast, washing away cars and trees. In some places, the water came up to her neck. She lost her footing and swallowed two gulps of water. Luckily, Tong Yao pulled her back, taking her to a safer location.
All the while Guo Jinnian was silently cussing, what kind of luck was this! They had only been here for a couple of days, and now they were dealing with this terrifying situation.
She hoped she wouldn’t be left to die in this foreign land!
Seeing Tong Yao’s frail figure in front of her, Guo Jinnian felt down on herself, "Yaoyao, if it becomes really dangerous, think of yourself first. You’re carrying my godson and goddaughter in your belly."
Tong Yao hadn’t thought that Guo Jinnian would be still concerned about this, even now. She chuckled, "Don’t worry! I won’t let the children be without their godmother."
