Chinese Literature

melted to nothing by the rain drops. Then immediately a storm broke out. Loudly rumbling thunder and blinding flashes of lightning lashed out at the world.

- The rain lasted only twenty-four hours or so, but it was enough to save the crops. The fields were again replete with water, and the shriveled blades of the rice plants straightened out once more. They swayed and danced in the wind like young maidens in fluttering gowns. The plants were going through their period of most rapid growth. There was a silent prayer on every lip for at least twenty more days of good luck. Then the golden grain would appear and only then could it be considered wealth in hand.

The rain was heaviest in the southwest; there, the sky remained dark and overcast. Dread welled up again in the people’s hearts. Too much rain in the southwest made people again apprehensive of flood. The peasants had no peace of mind whatsoever.

The water in the west stream was gradually swelling as it flowed downward. The Dyke Administration only sent a few people to patrol the dykes. There was no need to worry about the west stream as long as there was no added trouble from the south stream. It could just go ahead and rise. “One day, two days passed and the water continued to rise. Slowly it became nearly level with the dykes. Uncle Yun-pu began to worry like everyone else.

“What! How could the west stream alone rise to such a height!”

All the people started to clamour: “Hurry, we had better do something about it! What happened last year must not happen again.”

The bitter experience of the previous year had taught them that they must take precautionary measures against flood early. Again the gongs sounded stridently. Crowds upon crowds of people carrying hoes and cotton bedding ran towards the dykes.

“Any one who doesn’t come out to work on the dyke deserves to be dragged out and given a good beating,’ fumed Uncle Yun-pu, so busy that he was sweating all over.

“ven the women must come out. If it turns out like last year, none of us will survive... .”

“Come, everybody must come and reinforce the dykes!”

Gongs sounded in every village.

In the night, torches and lanterns lit up the dyke, making it look like a long coiling snake. During the day, noisy groups of people gathered here and there in great confusion. The officers from the Security Bureau and their deputies rode around on their horses patrolling the locality. They were, after all, charged with the heavy responsibility of maintaining order. They were afraid that there might be hoodlums mixed up in the crowd—something they must guard against.

“Those low-down dogs! Acting like lords and bullying people! They

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