The flood roared, charging toward the rice paddies. Village Chief Cheng watched the waves swallow the village he had guarded for decades. First, they crushed the paddies; fortunately, there were no crops left to destroy—the only silver lining.
Then, a thousand-pound stone mill from someone’s courtyard was swept up, spinning away like a child’s top.
Finally, the water hit the cottages. The thatched roofs were ripped off as if by an invisible giant, exposing the rafters and the household items hanging from them—dried reed mats and the "Bountiful Harvest" door talismans pasted on every lintel—all reduced to debris in the torrent.
Chapter 176