I traveled back to ancient times, but I was able to lie down and relax.

"Alas," Magistrate Qin was so anxious that he could no longer sit still, "Take me out and have a look too."

Madam Qin quickly grabbed him: "No, sir, it's too dangerous outside."

Song Chen also objected: "You should stay here and keep watch. It will be more troublesome if those people can't find you when they come back. What do you want to see? We'll go."

Magistrate Qin had been anxious because he hadn't received any news from the outside world for a long time, but he was quickly persuaded to calm down.

"Here's what you'd like to do: go check on the dam. It's just been repaired, and we don't know if it'll hold up. Also, check along the way to see if the men I sent out are doing their jobs. I'll give you my official seal, and you can give them full authority on my behalf. Tell them that those who do well will be rewarded, and those who slack off now will definitely be dealt with properly later."

Song Chen and Liu Yanxi agreed to all of them and discussed the details of the rescue with Magistrate Qin.

For example, where to send the rescued people, how to distribute food and water, etc.

Once Magistrate Qin calmed down, he proved to be quite reliable, identifying several locations as temporary resettlement sites.

Among them was Liu Nanjia's girls' academy, where any girls who were alone would be sent.

The other locations are all in relatively high-altitude areas of the county, or in high-rise buildings; Bai Yichen's clinic also occupies one of them.

On their way to inspect the dam, Song Chen and his companions encountered some government officials. Most of them were quite competent and were doing their best in the search and rescue operation. However, they were held up by various circumstances and had not yet returned to report.

Song Chen relayed the agreement he had just made with Magistrate Qin to them and asked them to pass it on to each other. With the official seal in hand, the process went relatively smoothly.

When they finally reached the vicinity of the dam and saw that the riverbank was safe and sound, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At least in the short term, there's not much to worry about here.

After that, everything gradually became more organized. There were search and rescue teams, people responsible for arranging food distribution at the resettlement sites, and people relaying messages back and forth.

In addition, the magistrate of Qin County had been working hard for the past two months to educate the people on how to prevent and cope with floods.

Most people followed the rules well, and the overall casualty situation in Changning County was not very serious.

However, the task remains arduous for the limited number of rescue personnel.

These past few days, Song Chen and the other two have been leaving early and returning late, only coming back to sleep for a while when they are absolutely exhausted.

Song Chen, in particular, had been back for much less time than Liu Yanxi and Liu Anhe. His cheeks were noticeably sunken, and he hadn't had time to groom himself, resulting in stubble.

The last time Liu Nanjia saw him in such a disheveled state was probably when he had just rescued someone, and it made her feel a little sorry for him.

That night, Liu Nanjia lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

Song Chen hasn't returned yet.

She got up and looked out the window. Every now and then, lightning flashed across the dark night sky.

With the sound of pouring rain and rumbling thunder, one feels even more acutely how insignificant human power is in the face of nature's might.

Then she heard a faint noise outside, followed by the sound of tiles being stepped on.

It was Song Chen who had returned. He easily climbed onto the roof and saw Liu Nanjia at the second-floor window, and paused for a moment.

She ran a few steps to the window: "Why aren't you asleep yet?"

"I can't sleep." Liu Nanjia looked Song Chen up and down in the dim light to make sure he wasn't injured.

"Would you care for something to eat?"

Song Chen actually wanted to go to sleep more at this moment. He had probably not closed his eyes for ten hours, but he also enjoyed Liu Nanjia's concern, so he nodded.

"Then go and change your wet clothes quickly, I'll make you a bowl of noodles."

To save time, Liu Nanjia quickly made herself a bowl of instant noodles, added some dried meat, and watched Song Chen eat heartily while resting her chin on her hand. Her earlier reflections on the ruthlessness of nature seemed to have faded somewhat.

While eating, Song Chen didn't forget to tell Liu Nanjia about what had happened outside these past few days.

A family thought their child was lost, only to find out that a neighbor had rescued and cared for them.

A family separated for a long time has been reunited at their resettlement site.

Bai Yichen's clinic is incredibly busy, and he looks even more disheveled than himself, as he prepares to start recruiting apprentices, and so on.

Many ordinary people like him also joined the rescue team.

They were talking about positive things, and even though Liu Nanjia knew Song Chen was only saying the good things, she still felt warm inside.

"There's also a constable who rescued a young lady. He's been bringing her food every day for the past few days. Maybe this will lead to something good."

As Song Chen spoke, he secretly glanced at Liu Nanjia.

"That's good. Go to sleep after you finish eating. There are only a few hours left until dawn. I'll take the dishes away."

Liu Nanjia very naturally took the bowl away.

Song Chen scratched his head, grinned, and finally couldn't resist his drooping eyelids, so he went to sleep.

When Liu Nanjia woke up the next day, Song Chen had already left again.

After a few days of this, the heavens finally opened their eyes, and the heavy rain that had shrouded Changning County for several days finally stopped.

It will take several more days for the floodwaters in the city to recede.

The people at the resettlement site gradually returned to their homes. At this point, most of the courtyards were single-story, and many pieces of furniture and clothing had been soaked in water and were unusable, resulting in significant losses.

The sounds of wailing and weeping could be heard everywhere in the city.

The clouds in the sky have dispersed, but people's hearts are still shrouded in gloom.

Liu Nanjia immediately approached Magistrate Qin: "Now is not the time to relax; there are still very important things to do."