NOVEL NEXT Chapter 474: Earthquake
Clutching her pounding chest and putting on her clothes, the room became empty as everything was stored in a space.
"Dad, Mom, Grandma, get up quickly." Regardless of whether it was real or not, this tense feeling of impending danger made Hua Jin shout out in the courtyard.
Never before had she shouted so loudly in her life, really straining her voice.
The several large dogs in the yard also started barking frantically, and the livestock in the backyard sensed something and began to make agitated noises, followed by the cries of all the animals in the village.
Such a commotion suddenly woke many people up.
"What's wrong, what's happening?" Many people heard Hua Jin's panicked voice, and then the uneasy cries of the livestock, opening their eyes and getting out of bed without hesitation.
At this moment, Hua Jin was already knocking on her two brothers' room doors. Her parents had already responded and came out of their room as soon as she called.
"What's wrong?"
"Daddy, big brother... quickly go inform the aunts and the villagers to get everyone to the open area. I have a strong feeling something is going to happen."
The faces of the family were filled with shock, especially Hua Chengtian, who immediately understood. Without time to tie his clothes, he grabbed a gong from the room and, along with his three sons, spread out in the village, shouting loudly.
Meanwhile, the old man Hua also packed a few bags of grain, wrapped in a large piece of oilcloth, and gathered some umbrellas from home.
After the fathers and brothers left, Hua Jin quickly went to the backyard to store the family's livestock and poultry into the space, calling the large dogs to follow her. Then she quickly ran to the rooms of her two sisters-in-law and helped her mother and grandmother pack up the two children, especially their belongings.
The villagers, already woken by the noise, almost without thinking, trusted the village chief's house and quickly woke their families, grabbed some essentials, and ran to the open area.
Hua Jin was already done here, and her mother, grandmother, and two sisters-in-law each protected the three children. She and her grandfather carried the packed items and guided the family towards the grain drying ground, the most open space in Hua Village, without a single tree.
Just as they were about to reach the open area, there was a sudden muffled roar from the sky, and streaks of light flashed across the sky, turning night into day.
"Everyone run faster..."
Hua Jin, who had stopped for a moment, widened her eyes and shouted. As everyone reached the drying ground, a brilliant array of colorful lights appeared in the sky, followed by another loud bang.
"Get down..." Following the old man Hua's shout, the earth began to tremble.
"It's an earthquake... get down..."
Someone shouted in fear.
Everyone in Hua Jin's family instinctively rushed towards the three children, tightly protecting them. Even the usually lively youngest was the same.
Even with his face as pale as a sheet, he showed no sign of retreat despite the shaking ground.
As the lights in the sky intensified, the ground shook violently. Behind the village, Qinggu Mountain kept rumbling. Even lying on the ground, it was impossible to maintain one's posture, as if on a roller coaster, being tossed up and down, internal organs twisting into a mess. Gripping the ground tightly, yet still tossed around, at this point, not even adults could withstand it, and the sound of retching was constant.
The quake was too powerful, and seeing her sisters-in-law still rolling on the ground despite being protected by her brothers, Hua Jin struggled over and without hesitation took the children from their arms.
"Don't worry, I have the kids here. Big Brother, Second Brother, protect the sisters-in-law," she said urgently, placing the three children into the space.
They were too young to withstand such violent shaking. Although her brothers and sisters-in-law were doing their best to protect them, at that moment, it was beyond human control. When she heard her little nephews' "whimpers," Hua Jin had no choice but to act, especially since no one noticed her, with the sky alternately bright and dark. Once the quake subsided, she could bring the children back to her sisters-in-law immediately.
Next, Hua Jin also brought her grandmother into the space. Although the three children were safe inside, someone needed to look after them. Furthermore, seeing the elderly woman being tossed around despite her grandfather's protection, Hua Jin felt terribly distressed.
If there weren't so many people around, worried about being discovered, Hua Jin would have wanted to bring her grandfather and mother into the space as well.
Meanwhile, the loud noise before the earthquake woke up many people. As the whole world suddenly brightened, people who had survived countless calamities immediately realized what was happening and almost instantly got up, shouting for their families to run outside.
Those who were quick managed to gather some grain and clothing, cover the grain at home with oilcloth, while those slower could only pack a few essentials, and the more timid ones just ran outside instinctively.
Fortunately, after these years of training, everyone had a strong sense of survival, and grain, vital for survival, was extremely treasured, often stored in home cellars and wrapped tightly.
Of course, some managed to escape, while others were too slow, finding themselves thrown out of bed as the earth shook, under the collapsing roof, the colorful lights in the sky being the last thing they saw.
In short, whether in Guyan or Beicang Nanman, countries across the entire continent were caught off guard by this sudden earthquake. Those nations only just beginning to recover were once again devastated, cries of anguish everywhere.
The earthquake lasted less than the time to drink half a cup of tea, but for everyone, it felt like it lasted a century. It seemed as if at any moment, they would be making acquaintances with King Yan.
The grain drying ground in Hua Village was filled with the sound of retching, some people barely able to stand, while others could only lie on the ground with their eyes closed, even as lightning flashed and thunder roared in the sky, and rain poured on their bodies.
Hua Jin, tormented by the earthquake, finally couldn't help but vomit out all the food she'd eaten for dinner, feeling somewhat better afterward.
Feeling the rain battering her body and looking at the lightning in the sky, Hua Jin quickly lifted her nearby grandfather to sit up. She dragged a tilted bamboo basket from the not-too-distant ground. Even though its mouth was tightly bound with an oilcloth, many items had spilled out.
Had there not been so many people on the drying ground, with the shaking of the earth, these things might have rolled who knows where.
"Grandpa, use an umbrella."
Regardless of whether there was an umbrella in the basket or not, she had one at hand.
Then she stood up and handed others to her brothers and father, holding one herself, and immediately brought her grandmother out from the space under her umbrella, bringing out the three kids, who were making little noises.
She brought Daba and Erbao out of the space, wrapped them in a layer of waterproof oilcloth, and handed them to their parents, who had now regained their composure. Her mother took one in her arms, while her father and brothers looked at the dizzy, nauseous villagers approaching them.