The wind came fast and left just as quickly, lasting only about half an hour.
But its destructive power was not to be underestimated, leaving a trail of chaos in its wake.
Once the wind stopped, everyone’s curiosity got the better of them, and they went out to take a look.
What they saw was almost unrecognizable.
The greenery and flowerbeds were shredded and scattered, and the neatly lined rose trees had been completely sheared, lying haphazardly on the ground.
The row of fruit trees planted next to the villas had several branches broken.
Those trees had been growing for years; each trunk was thicker than Shen Cong’s arm, yet under the fury of the storm, they proved shockingly fragile.
A huge advertising billboard next to the small square had been torn down as well.
The metal sheet was twisted at a strange angle, half of it falling into the fountain, the other half still on the ground.
This billboard had been enormous, essentially a landmark for the community.
From far away, it was visible to anyone coming toward the neighborhood, a recognizable symbol.
And now, it was reduced to nothing more than a mangled heap of debris.
Seeing it, everyone’s expressions grew serious.
They finally grasped the full power of that storm.
Their neighborhood was new, the buildings modern, so the visible damage didn’t look too severe.
But other areas?
They didn’t dare even imagine.
“Why haven’t Dad and the others come back yet?” Shen Xi asked anxiously, tilting her head to peer toward the main gate.
“They’ll be later. I just called Gu Kai, he said a few trees had fallen onto the road, and several signboards had crashed onto cars.
The road is blocked for several kilometers. Sanitation workers are clearing the trees and making way for ambulances, so who knows when it’ll be passable,” Shen Cong replied.
Speaking of which, those two were really lucky.
On the way back after buying gasoline, Shen Jianyi suddenly got a craving for a cigarette.
There were none in the car, and he couldn’t bear it, insisting they get off the highway to find a small shop on a side street.
He said Gu Kai could go ahead, but would anyone really leave an old man alone just over something like this?
Gu Kai used thirst as an excuse and went along with him to look for a supermarket.
Since it was a rural highway with few people around, finding a store wasn’t easy.
After much searching, they finally found one. Shen Jianyi satisfied his craving, Gu Kai drank some water, and they were about to leave when a call came through to the house.
The supermarket had air conditioning, and neither of them wanted to stand in the sun during the late morning, so they stopped to take the call inside.
By the time they finished and tried to leave, the wind hit.
So really, they were incredibly lucky.
If they hadn’t gone to the supermarket, they would have been on the road when the wind struck.
If they hadn’t delayed those few minutes to take the call, they would have been back in the car and on the road again.
Just look at how terrible the cars on the highway were from suddenly fallen road barriers and blown-over billboards, and you’ll understand how fortunate they were.
Keep in mind, both of their cars were carrying gasoline!
If something had happened, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Even though they were parked outside the supermarket, Gu Kai’s car got a small dent from stones blown by the wind, but compared to the other cars, that was nothing!
By the time they got home, it was almost three o’clock, and they hadn’t even eaten lunch.
They wolfed down their food while recounting the experience to the family, still feeling a bit shaken themselves.
“Last time, seriously, no more going out from now on. We should have listened to Congcong from the start, this was terrifying!” Cheng Ru said, clutching her chest, growing more frightened as she thought about it.
“Not going, not going. Don’t worry, I won’t go out again even if you beg me. My god, that wind… it was terrifying, just like in the movies,” Shen Jianyi said repeatedly, still shaking his head.
Old Shen talked animatedly, but Gu Kai stayed silent, pursing his lips.
He finished his meal in a few bites and then scooted over next to Shen Cong to help her tidy up.
Maybe it was because his wife had been unusually calm, or maybe he was worried that his stubbornness that morning had upset her. As he worked, he kept sneaking glances at her, trying to read her expression.
Shen Cong showed no reaction at all, looking completely unfazed, but Shen Xi nearby couldn’t stand it.
She clicked her tongue and complained to their mother: “Mom, my sister is bullying Xiao Kai again. Look at him, he’s so scared he can’t even speak.”
Then she teased her brother-in-law: “Xiao Kai, you’re already grown, and you’re still so spineless? Ever since you were little you’ve been watching her every move, and after all these years, you still do? She’s not a tigress, how could she possibly eat you alive?”
Everyone burst out laughing at that, and Gu Kai’s face instantly turned bright red.
Shen Cong had actually been lost in thought, completely unaware of her husband’s cautious glances.
It wasn’t until her sister reminded her that she realized what was happening.
Seeing Gu Kai so embarrassed he could practically crawl into a hole, Shen Cong laughed.
She reached out, hugged him, and on tiptoe planted a kiss on his cheek in front of everyone.
Then she turned to glare at her sister and retorted: “How am I bullying him? We get along, and he willingly lets me have my way. You’re the one still tattling to Mom at your age! Does that seem like a big sister to you?”
Without waiting for anyone’s reaction, she leaned close to her husband’s ear and whispered: “Don’t overthink it, I’m not angry.”
This only made Gu Kai’s face even redder.
Perhaps this was their way of finding joy in a difficult situation. After all, there was no use worrying about what had happened, might as well take things as they come and go with the flow.
At that moment, everyone felt calm.
After the strong wind, the neighborhood loudspeakers didn’t sound again.
Text notifications shifted from “Leave the building, stay away from structures, find open space to take cover” to “Keep doors and windows tightly closed, beware of dust, do not stay under buildings.”
Obviously, this sudden gust had even left the government a little uncertain, not sure whether the windstorm or the earthquake posed the greater danger.
About an hour later, around four in the afternoon, rain began to fall.
It came suddenly, with large drops striking the windowpanes in a sharp, rattling patter.
Because of the earlier strong wind, people had already gone back inside, and there was hardly anyone outdoors.
But precisely because of this, the sound of the raindrops hitting was strikingly clear, each drop seeming to fall directly into one’s heart.
The rain grew heavier and heavier.
At first, it was just drops, then they began to streak together, and in the blink of an eye, it turned into a curtain of rain that blocked out the sky. Everything was gray and hazy; it was almost impossible to see anyone across the room.
Tongtong and Shanshan had already woken up.
The little girl’s fever had indeed subsided, but she was still weak, clinging to her mother’s neck and leaning against her shoulder in a listless way.
At first, Tongtong was a little excited at the sight of such heavy rain.
But as the rain intensified, thunder rumbled and lightning flashed, and the little ones became scared.
They pressed against their mother’s legs, not daring to move an inch.
The room was very quiet; everyone stared at the rain, lost in thought, unable even to pinpoint what exactly was on their minds.
It felt as if they were just waiting, ready to accept whatever fate had in store.
Until suddenly, footsteps pounded outside, accompanied by loud shouting, and the people inside finally snapped out of their daze.
Listening carefully, it was clear they were the property management staff, organizing security guards to move sandbags.
From their words, it was meant to reinforce the defenses at the entrance of the underground parking garage.
“Let’s go help out. There aren’t many security guards in our neighborhood, they definitely don’t have enough hands,” Shen Jianyi sighed and started toward the door.
“Dad, I’ll go with you,” Gu Kai said quickly.
“I’ll go too,” Gu Zhengchu stood up as well.
“Wait, don’t rush. I’ll go check first,” Shen Cong said, darting out first.
And she really darted, like a monkey, incredibly fast.
Before any of the men inside could object, she had already shot from the living room into the courtyard.
In less than a minute, she had even pulled out a raincoat and covered herself thoroughly.
Everyone inside the house stared wide-eyed.
“Is she part monkey or what?” Shen Xi looked shocked.
“Congcong’s physique has really improved,” Gu Zhengchu said, ignoring Shen Xi’s question, watching his daughter-in-law’s back and letting out a sigh of admiration.
“Mm,” Gu Kai quietly agreed.
No one knew better than him, not only had her physique grown stronger, but her skin was also improving, becoming more supple and resilient, though he had no idea by how much.
It made him a little anxious, constantly thinking about how to enhance his own abilities so the gap between him and his wife wouldn’t keep widening.
All of this, Shen Cong had no clue about.
The moment she opened the door, she saw several security guards pushing sandbags toward the basement on small carts.
The carts were too small to carry many bags, so the rest had to be carried manually on shoulders or by hand.
The rain came suddenly and heavily; the property management clearly hadn’t had time to prepare.
At this moment, they had no choice but to work in the pouring rain.
Shen Cong glanced at them but didn’t approach.
Instead, she went back into the courtyard, took out a newly purchased tricycle from the spatial pocket, and pushed it out the door toward the group.
“Use this. It’ll save you a couple of trips,” she said, handing the tricycle to the security team leader.
The team leader was a young man in his early twenties.
Plain-looking, with dark skin, but his eyes were strikingly clear and bright.
Even in the pouring rain, a glance at him gave the impression, this kid is really energetic!
Seeing the tricycle, he was thrilled.
He quickly took it, wiped the rain from his face, and said with a smile, “Thanks, sis! You guys actually have one of these? I thought city folks didn’t need tricycles. If I’d known, I’d have borrowed one from you sooner.”
Then he gave a goofy grin and added, “You’ve really helped us a lot! This will save us several trips! Don’t worry, sis, we’ll clean it thoroughly and return it to you when we’re done.”
The things she had sent over were useful, so Shen Cong naturally felt pleased.
She smiled at the young man: “No rush. You use it first, and return it when you’re done. By the way, do you have enough people? My husband and I can come help move things.”
“No, no,” the security team leader waved his hands repeatedly. “We have enough people. You and your husband should stay home. It’s pouring rain, don’t come out.”
He seemed worried that Shen Cong wouldn’t believe him, so he added, “The basement drainage is fine. Even if water gets in, it won’t flood. We’re just being cautious. Don’t worry, sis, we’re only blocking the main entrance for a bit. It’ll be done soon.”
Shen Cong’s heart skipped a beat as she heard him say that; there was something about it that felt a little unsettling.
But she didn’t pay it much attention.
Since her help wasn’t needed, she returned inside.
To Shen Cong, it was nothing more than lending out a tricycle. Once the property staff finished using it and returned it, that would be the end of it.
She never imagined that when the young security captain said “it’ll be done soon,” he wasn’t talking about stacking sandbags, he was talking about his life.
And indeed, it ended soon.
The Shen family didn’t hear about it until it was fully dark.
The news came from a neighbor they had just added on WeChat yesterday.
The neighbor’s husband worked in the city and had been stuck on the road all day.
When they finally reached home, before even entering the community, they saw an ambulance at the gate and an elderly man lying outside, crying.
After asking around, they learned that the incident involved the community’s security team leader.
At the height of the rain, he had been moving sandbags to the garage with his team.
Somehow, he stepped on a live electric wire and was electrocuted instantly.
People later guessed that someone had left a charging wire for an electric vehicle out, and the sudden storm soaked it, causing a fatal short circuit.
The neighbors shook their heads in grief and disbelief.
Her intention in sending the WeChat message was to urge everyone to organize and talk to the property management, to get them to come up with a plan to control this kind of private wiring, it was far too dangerous!
But when Shen Cong heard the news, all she could see in her mind were the young man’s dark face and his smile, and the words: “Sis, don’t worry. We’re just blocking the main entrance, it’ll be done soon.”
Her heart ached terribly.
She couldn’t even tell if it was for the young man, or—
Because people were already dying this early, and a chill settled in her heart.
That night was very quiet.
The rain didn’t stop, and it poured heavily.
Although the courtyard drainage had been cleared and the ditches widened, the rain was so heavy that a shallow layer of water still accumulated.
With such a serious incident at the property management, they had no time to look after the residents.
Moreover, the government no longer sent notifications to gather everyone in open spaces, so that night, everyone stayed indoors.
Because of the phone call from Cheng Ran, the Shen family couldn’t settle down at all.
That night, no one went upstairs, they all huddled together on the sofa and mats, making do as best they could.
The earthquake struck around four or five in the early morning.
Shen Cong was the first to feel it.
She shot upright from the floor and shouted, “Earthquake!”
Then she jumped onto the bed, grabbed the still half-asleep Tongtong, and ran for the door.
Because they had prepared in advance, no one was undressed, and they had already planned who would do what and how to escape if an earthquake occurred.
So the whole family moved with lightning speed, even the old and the young, all eight of them, didn’t falter.
From sensing the earthquake to everyone being outside the house took just over a minute.
Shen Cong held Tongtong, running and shouting loudly, “Earthquake! Everyone get up! Earthquake! Run, hurry!”
Shen Jianyi grabbed a spatula in one hand and an enamel basin in the other, banging them together and shouting, “Earthquake! Don’t sleep! Get up and escape!”
The noise they made was so loud that lights began flickering on in the windows of neighboring houses, followed by the sounds of crying and shouting coming from all around.
By this time, the Shen family had almost reached the square. This area was open and surrounded by no tall buildings.
If there was anywhere in the community that could be considered relatively safe, it was here.
They were the quickest to react and ran the fastest.
When they reached the square, there wasn’t a single person there yet.
Standing there, gasping for air, they finally had the energy to look around, and noticed that the wall of a nearby villa had collapsed.
The fallen wall had crushed a streetlamp, and now the pole lay across the road, the wires exposed.
Having just experienced the electrocution accident, everyone was extremely alert.
“I’m going to the property management office!” Gu Kai immediately said.
“I’ll check the electrical room to see if anyone’s there,” Shen Jianyi said, turning to leave.
“Dad, I’ll go,” Shen Cong grabbed her father.
She shoved the first aid kit she had on her back into his hands and instructed, “Take out the raincoats and make sure everyone puts them on.”
Then she sprinted off.
At a time like this, she dared not let an elderly person take risks.
Just last night there had been an accident in the community, and the property staff were taking safety extremely seriously.
Upon hearing that a utility pole had fallen, the electrician raced ahead even faster than Shen Cong, moving like lightning to shut off the main switch first.
When she returned to the square, she found everything dark, the streetlights were gone.
Fortunately, quite a few people were already gathered in the open space; it was clear that neighbors had all made it out in time.
Over the next hour, several more earthquakes occurred.
The last one was of considerable magnitude.
Everyone just stood there, watching in disbelief as several storefronts on the edge of the square collapsed with a deafening roar.
The violent shaking tossed everyone about, knocking many to the ground, and it seemed that some people were injured.
Several children began crying loudly, and even some of the more timid adults started sobbing.
Everyone was terrified.
Some ran chaotically; some frantically tried to make phone calls; others attempted to rush back home to rescue belongings, only to be firmly stopped by their family members.
Although there weren’t many people in the square, chaos reigned.
The heavy rain continued, each raindrop striking painfully against faces and bodies.
The Shen family was well-prepared: both children were wrapped tightly in raincoats, and adults held umbrellas over them to shield them from the rain.
The adults themselves didn’t use umbrellas to avoid standing out too much.
Instead, they wore raincoats or waterproof jackets, looking a bit messy, but at least they weren’t cold.
Other neighbors weren’t so fortunate.
Being suddenly woken from sleep, few had even managed to dress properly before running outside, and fewer still had umbrellas.
Now everyone stood drenched in the rain.
Because aftershocks continued, no one dared seek shelter, shivering from the cold.
Shen Cong took off her own jacket and handed it to the mother of the little boy who had come to play with Tongtong yesterday, gesturing for her to wrap it around her child.
The woman gratefully nodded in thanks. Shen Cong pressed a finger to her lips in a “be quiet” gesture before returning to her family.
Gu Kai immediately pulled her close, shielding her under the umbrella, placing her safely between himself and the rain.
At the same time, Gu Zhengchu kept redialing his phone repeatedly.
He was trying to reach his nephew, Gu Jiashu.
The old man’s hands were trembling so much he could barely see the keys, yet he kept pressing the redial button again and again.
That morning, after receiving Cheng Ran’s warning call, Shen Cong told her father-in-law to bring Jiashu and his mother over to the villa.
Although this lifetime he hadn’t traveled to Xishan and thus avoided that disaster, nobody knew what would happen next.
Her cousin was straightforward, and his mother was the father-in-law’s only sister, Shen Cong didn’t want anything to happen to them.
But when the call was made, that guy flat-out refused to come.
He insisted his house was new and solid, so there was no danger.
When further persuaded, he said his mother didn’t want to move; it was too hot, and she didn’t want the trouble.
This angered the old man so much that he hung up the phone.
Shen Cong called again, and after some hemming and hawing, Gu Jiashu finally admitted the truth.
He was now living with his girlfriend, and she didn’t want to move to someone else’s house, she felt it would be inconvenient.
Given that, there was nothing more to be done.
Shen Cong could only repeatedly urge them over the phone to stay alert, not to sleep too deeply at night, and to take every precaution.
The instructions were given, but when the earthquake actually hit, not being able to reach them was nerve-wracking.
Gu Zhengchu and Gu Kai both tried calling, but no matter how long they dialed, they couldn’t get through.
At first, it was just busy signals, and later it became a constant engaged tone.
It wasn’t just them; so many people in the square were calling, and hardly anyone seemed to get through.
After more than an hour, daylight finally came, though the rain was still falling.
Gradually, people in the square began to leave; many couldn’t bear the damp cold and chose to go home.
The Shen family followed suit and left the square as well.
For the rest of the day, everyone remained on edge, like a bird startled by an arrow, unable to tolerate the slightest noise.
Even a gust of wind or a tree that had been weakened by the quake falling would send people running out of their homes.
But from that point until evening, no further earthquakes occurred.
But the phone lines were still down, and there was no way to contact the outside world. No one knew what was happening outside the community.
They also had no idea how Jiashu’s family was doing.
By the afternoon, the rain gradually lessened, and by five or six o’clock, it finally stopped.
The property management staff picked up loudspeakers and went around the community again, announcing that, according to higher authorities, there might still be aftershocks. They urged everyone to stay in the square and not remain indoors.
Fortunately, this time the residents were prepared.
Several households had brought camping tents, whether they already had them or bought them specifically after the previous night’s discussion was unclear.
By now, they were all set up early in the square, claiming their spots.
Even families without tents were no longer in as much disarray as they had been that morning.
The management had somehow arranged a dozen large sun umbrellas in the center of the square, roughly one for each household.
People were bundled up in thick clothing, and some had even brought thin quilts.
Each family settled in its own spot, and by seven o’clock, nearly all the residents had arrived.
Although there were many people, it was very quiet, far from the lively chaos of the first gathering.
Even the usually most active children were unusually obedient, clearly frightened, staying close to adults and not daring to move around.
The sky gradually darkened.
Due to the weather, the electrical system could not be repaired, and the streetlights still wouldn’t turn on.
Fortunately, some residents had brought emergency lamps, and others had lit candles.
In the square, families clustered together, with tiny points of light flickering here and there, yet there was still little sound.
Everyone instinctively lowered their voices, as if afraid that any loud noise might mask a warning of danger.
By nine o’clock, the square had fallen completely silent.
Except for a few large emergency lights placed around by the property staff, all other lights had gradually gone out.
Exhausted from the day, people slowly drifted off to sleep.
But at that moment, a flurry of footsteps came from the road connecting the community to the main gate, followed by voices, several people talking, mixed with the cries of small children.
Some of the more alert residents immediately stood up and looked toward the main road.
Others turned on the lights they had brought with them.
As the sounds drew closer, a group of people gradually appeared before everyone.