newbobooks Chapter 209 Typhoon
Chapter 209 Typhoon
This whole process took a whole day. Zhou Dayong and the others were arranged to stay in the small courtyard next door, while the women were all in the main courtyard on this side. There was no need to worry about any danger, since the two courtyards were not far apart and could be heard if someone called out.
Song Jiaojiao lay in the rocking chair outside, watching the sun slowly sink into the sea in the distance. The orange-red sunset shone on the earth, creating a seamless blend of sea and sky. It was just the time of low tide, and the beach was filled with water after the tide receded. When the sun shone on it, it looked like a mirror reflecting the sky.
Song Jiaojiao didn't go beachcombing with Tang Yu, but Mu Xue was very interested and went along. Zhou Dayong and his group also went with them. They lived in a place surrounded by mountains and had long yearned for the sea.
Only Song Jiaojiao and Zhang Li remained in the two courtyards. Song Jiaojiao was too tired to go, while Zhang Li had no interest.
"Mom, Mom! Look, I've collected so many seashells and conches!" Before even seeing her, Song Jiaojiao heard Mu Xue's voice from afar. By this time, the sun had mostly set, leaving only a wisp of twilight on the distant horizon.
Mu Xue arrived in the twilight, carrying her small basket on her back, her melodious laughter echoing throughout the courtyard.
Song Jiaojiao got up from the recliner and looked at the fresh shellfish and sand crabs with their small pincers in the small basket in front of her.
Most of them were empty seashells, in various shapes, which were quite beautiful.
"Wow! They're so pretty! Mu Xue collected so many; she can make seashell wind chimes," Song Jiaojiao said with a smile.
"Wind chimes? Is it the seashells strung together with a rope that I saw at the inn?" Mu Xue recalled the wind chimes she saw at the inn when she first arrived in Quanzhou County. When the wind blew, the seashells collided together and made a pleasant sound.
"Yes, that's it. Mu Xue can make more and send it back to her sister!" Song Jiaojiao said, rubbing Mu Xue's head.
"Then I'll go pick more tomorrow and make a few for Xiaohua and Tiezhu too," Mu Xue said with a grin.
Song Jiaojiao just smiled at her without saying a word.
Dinner consisted of seafood that Zhou Dayong and his friends had caught while fishing. It must be said that the marine resources here are truly abundant. Without the mechanical fishing methods of the past, any family that is diligent can have a bountiful harvest.
"Madam, Tang Yu said that beyond the mountain on the other side of the bay, there's a mudflat area where not only are there delicious mudflat fish, but also a very large blue crab!" Zhou Dayong said with a simple smile, mainly because he had never seen it before and really wanted to go and see it.
Song Jiaojiao knew he was the type who couldn't sit still, and said helplessly, "You want to go?"
"It's true that nothing can be hidden from Madam." Zhou Dayong chuckled.
“You can go, but you and Tang Yu should agree on a strategy to find an experienced person in the village. Don’t let a small gain lead to a big loss. I’ve heard that many people have been trapped and died in the mudflats because of a good harvest.”
Song Jiaojiao, remembering how many people from other places had lost their lives while going to the beach to collect seafood in her previous life, gave her some words of advice out of concern.
"I know, don't worry, Madam," Zhou Dayong said excitedly when he heard Song Jiaojiao agree.
Watching Zhou Dayong's departing figure, Shang Xiaoxiao smiled and said,
"Madam truly indulges her subordinates."
“You have followed me far from home, traveling east and west, and the journey has been treacherous. Without you, I could not have come to this place on my own, and I would not have been able to find this beautiful place. You can make any reasonable request.”
As the sun slowly sank into the sea, the orange-red sunlight shone on Song Jiaojiao's peaceful face.
Time flies, and Song Jiaojiao has been staying at Moon Bay for half a month.
Early in the morning, the sky suddenly changed dramatically. Dark clouds instantly covered the entire Quanzhou County. Coconut trees by the sea were blown about by the strong wind, and fishing boats docked in the harbor were blown together by the waves.
A hurried shout was carried on the wind.
"Madam Song, Madam Song!" Tang Yu braved the strong wind and arrived at the small courtyard rented by Song Jiaojiao.
Shang Xiaoxiao had just gotten up when she heard Tang Yu's voice. The strong wind made it hard for her to open her eyes. Yesterday it was sunny and bright, how come the wind is so strong today!
Tang Yu happened to see Shang Xiaoxiao and quickly called out loudly, "Miss Xiaoxiao, Miss Xiaoxiao!"
Shang Xiaoxiao finally recognized who it was and quickly opened the courtyard gate. "Tang Yu, what brings you here?"
"Miss Xiaoxiao, is Madam getting up?" Tang Yu asked anxiously.
“Madam should get up quickly! How could you…” Before Shang Xiaoxiao could finish speaking, a gust of wind blew by, and Shang Xiaoxiao staggered. If Tang Yu hadn’t caught her, she would have been blown to the ground.
"Xiaoxiao, are you alright?" Tang Yu looked at Shang Xiaoxiao with concern.
"It's okay, it's too windy outside, let's go inside and talk."
The two went inside and closed the doors and windows, finally settling down. The wind howled outside, rustling the coconut leaves.
"Tang Yu, what brings you here?" Shang Xiaoxiao asked again after calming down.
"Yes, the weather has changed drastically today, it looks like a typhoon is coming." Tang Yu thought that Song Jiaojiao was from out of town and might have experienced a typhoon before. She didn't know what was going on. In addition, the courtyard was too close to the sea and was very easy to be hit by the waves. Originally, the village chief was also going to come over, but when he saw Tang Yu arrive, he went to inform the other tenants.
"Typhoon? What's that?" Shang Xiaoxiao was a native of the inland, and since her parents had never traveled far from home, she had been taking care of the second young lady and the madam during this trip and hadn't been out much. She really didn't know what a typhoon was.
"It's like this, with strong winds and rain. When the wind is strong, it can snap trees in half and blow people away without a doubt."
The two looked toward the source of the sound and saw Song Jiaojiao standing at the door. They didn't know how long she had been standing there, as the wind was too strong outside, and they hadn't even heard her open the door.
"Madam, you're awake." Shang Xiaoxiao quickly came to Song Jiaojiao's side.
“Hmm, the wind outside is too loud and has woken them up. Xiaoxiao, go and tell them to get up and pack some clothes. We can’t stay here for now. We’re going to Quanzhou County.”
Song Jiaojiao looked around worriedly. It was still too close to the sea. Judging from the current situation, the typhoon was probably quite strong. Thinking about what she had experienced in her previous life, she felt a wave of fear. Even reinforced concrete buildings in her previous life could not escape the power of natural disasters. Many windows were blown off, and people were even blown off the buildings.
This row of small courtyards was built later and is very close to the sea. This was done for two reasons: first, to be close to the sea, and second, because this is the only place with a continuous stretch of open land. Although the terrain is low, the scenery is indeed quite nice.
Upon hearing Song Jiaojiao's arrangements, Tang Yu knew that Song Jiaojiao understood the destructive power of the typhoon, but there was still a distance to the county town, and she didn't know if the road was safe.
"Madam, it may not be safe to go to Quanzhou County at this time. Why don't you stay at my house for a few days and return to the courtyard after the typhoon has passed?"
"We don't know how many more days this typhoon will last. Given the large number of us, we shouldn't disturb them too much. Judging from the current situation, the typhoon won't come anytime soon, so we should have enough time to get to the prefectural government."
Song Jiaojiao knew the typhoon wouldn't arrive immediately; judging by the current wind force, there should still be time.