Li Lianyu stared at the words Su Qing wrote on the ground, stunned for a good while.
Finally, she looked up in confusion.
"Um... Xiao Qing, I can't read!"
Although Li Lianyu's family was somewhat well-off, they were far from being able to send a child to school, let alone a girl.
The only thing she knew how to write was her own name.
And that was only because the young lady she served had taught her after she became a handmaiden.
Upon hearing this, Su Qing flicked her tongue, clearly taken aback as well.
She had almost forgotten that this was ancient times.
Most people in this era were illiterate...
It would be a miracle if they could recognize what she had written.
Fortunately, although Li Lianyu couldn't read, the young lady and the guard could.
Although Su Qing's writing was crooked and misshapen, as if pecked out by a chicken, it was at least recognizable.
"Water disaster?"
The young lady, Zheng Yu, looked at the two words, lost in thought, not knowing what Su Qing was trying to express.
But after a moment of consideration, the guard was greatly alarmed.
"Young Lady... this is bad. If this rain keeps up, I'm afraid there will be a flood," the guard said gravely.
"Why? Since my father took office these past few years, he has been diligent in building waterworks... a flood should be impossible."
"Under normal circumstances, it would be. But do you remember the termite infestation at the dike on the fifteenth of last month? Although His Lordship hired people to deal with the termites, the river dike has not yet been repaired!
At the time, it hadn't rained for more than half a month, and everyone thought a great drought was coming. We were busy preparing for the drought and never expected this sudden downpour. The dike was only hastily reinforced!
If this rain continues... the dike will surely break! And Huai County is located downstream... if the upstream dike breaks, Huai County will be in peril!"
With the guard's reminder, the young lady immediately understood.
"What should we do? This won't do, Uncle Liu, we must hurry back and warn Father! If the dike breaks, won't the people of Huai County be in danger?"
The young lady panicked at the thought...
She hastily started to head out!
"Don't panic, Young Lady. The dike hasn't broken yet. There is still time for repairs."
The guard was also anxious, but he did not forget who had warned them.
After a moment's thought, he bowed deeply to Su Qing.
Su Qing must have been aware of his previous hostility, yet she did not hold it against him and instead warned them of the danger of a flood.
This was returning malice with virtue!
"Thank you for the warning, Immortal! I was offensive earlier and will certainly return with gifts to atone for my transgression."
He knew his master's personality well... His Lordship was most likely still happy about the rain and would never have imagined the danger of a broken dike.
If no one had warned them, the outcome was predictable.
The young lady, seeing this, also bowed and said, "Senior Willow Immortal's great kindness will never be forgotten!"
As for Li Lianyu, she stood blankly to the side, still unable to grasp the situation.
Su Qing flicked her tongue at the two of them, making no move.
She was also somewhat surprised by their reaction.
In truth, her warning had just been a casual mention, but she hadn't expected their reaction to be so dramatic.
However, after hearing their words, it wasn't hard to guess the reason for their strong reaction.
Su Qing flicked her tongue, letting the three of them leave in the heavy rain.
What would become of the county town, Su Qing didn't know.
But Su Qing didn't care either...
She was just an ordinary green snake... there was a limit to what she could do.
And now that she had done what she could, it had nothing to do with her even if everyone in that county town died...
It's not like she killed them!
After the three left, the ruined temple fell silent again.
Feeling a little lonely, Su Qing closed her eyes for a short rest.
What could she do about being lonely? She was a snake. Could she really run into the county town? She'd probably scare a whole bunch of people silly!
Time passed slowly.
After the young lady's group left, they braved the storm and returned to the county town, finding her father without a moment's delay.
"Why did you come back in this rain? Couldn't you have waited for it to stop? And you two, why didn't you stop this girl?" The County Magistrate, worried about his daughter, said, "Someone, quickly take the Young Lady to change her clothes!"
Li Lianyu and the guard stood by respectfully, not moving.
The task of persuasion could not be done by them. With their humble status, the County Magistrate probably wouldn't listen even if they spoke.
This had to be done by the Young Lady.
The Young Lady naturally understood this. Though timid, she was clever.
In just a few words, she made her father understand the possibility.
A man who could become a county magistrate was naturally no fool.
Previously, the County Magistrate and his advisors had all believed that based on the weather patterns, a great drought was inevitable.
So all their thoughts were on preventing the drought.
They hadn't paid any attention to flooding at all! After all, if it wasn't raining, how could there be a flood?
But now, listening to his daughter's words and looking at the weather outside...
The County Magistrate felt it was extremely possible! Especially when he thought of that termite-eaten river dike!
"This won't do!" The County Magistrate stood up abruptly and said, "Men, summon the craftsmen to repair the river dike! It absolutely must not be allowed to break!"
With the County Magistrate's order, everyone moved quickly.
The people of this era were relatively simple, but most were also honest.
For the double wages the County Magistrate was offering, they worked with all their might to repair the river dike, even in the pouring rain.
The heavy rain lasted for a long time. It poured for three days and drizzled for four more before finally stopping.
Su Qing was quite gloomy because of the downpour...
Unable to go out hunting for seven days, Su Qing had been hungry for seven whole days.
However, for a snake, not eating for seven days was not a big deal.
What truly made Su Qing feel gloomy was that the heavy rain had made her ruined temple even more ruined.
The temple was already in disrepair from age. After being washed out by the heavy rain, the foundation was exposed, and the already rotten roof beam had completely broken after seven consecutive days.
The current ruined temple was about half its previous size. Because the beam had collapsed, half the building had caved in.
If it weren't for the tattered divine statue holding things up, it was possible the entire building would have collapsed.
Su Qing looked at the ruined temple and couldn't help but flick her tongue...
Su Qing thought speechlessly, "But never mind, at least the temple isn't completely destroyed. It can still provide shelter from the wind and rain... Besides, having a nest is better than having none."
Actually, the main reason was that she had grown attached to this place...
After all, this was a home for her!
Su Qing had always been a rather sentimental person... This home was broken, but it wasn't like she couldn't live in it!
"A pity I only have a tail, otherwise I would definitely fix you up," Su Qing flicked her tongue, a hint of sadness in her heart.
She shook her head and turned to leave. She planned to take advantage of the good weather to hunt for some food...
After all, she had been hungry for seven days.
The rain stopped.
In the county town, the County Magistrate let out a long sigh of relief as he looked at the clearing sky.
"Nannan, it's all thanks to you this time... If not for your timely warning, your father would have likely caused a great disaster!" the County Magistrate said, relieved, turning to his daughter who was doing embroidery.
Zheng Yu paused upon hearing this.
She did not claim it was her idea. She was too thin-skinned to take credit for someone else's work.
So she said honestly, "Father, the credit is not mine."
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