Chinese Literature
live on our grain and do nothing but think of ways to harm us. Every single one of them... .”
“T feel like tearing them to pieces. One of these days Tm just TOME tO eee
Most of the people who had suffered at the hands of the Security Bureau men cursed silently after letting them by. Even after they had gone quite a distance, Li-chiu was still making faces at them behind their backs.
The water was still rising, and at places it had already spilt over the dyke. The yellow muddy water, which more than once had robbed the peasants of their lives, was regarded by them with great fear and dread. They watched the overflowing water with the deepest of hatred and aversion.
“As long as the south stream doesn’t rush down, it'll be all right,” people tried to comfort each other, as they continued to work with hoes and shovels.
The water stopped spilling over.
Suddenly the stream seemed to flow backwards in a few places. As soon as this was noticed a great commotion spread among the people.
“Where does it start flowing the other way?”
“At the mouth of the Lanchi rivulet!”
“Oh dear! None of us will live through this.”
“Qh Heaven, is this the end of us all?”
“Kuan Ti, if this year is going to be like last year... .
The water in the south stream was swelling. The west stream encountering a heavier flow from the south stream, was unable to accommodate it, and the result was a continuous rise in both streams.
The beating of the gong became more frantic. Peal upon peal, it rent the air, awakening again in people’s minds the terror and misery of previous disasters. Even the women and children went to the dyke and helped by piling up earth with their hands. Most of the older people like Uncle Yun-pu were already on their knees: “Heaven and the all-forgiving Goddess of Mercy! Please, please, let us not have a flood this year.”
“Buddha, if you protect us against this flood, we’ll act ten plays in _ your honour.”
“Heaven is punishing us!”
After two days and nights of desperate struggle, everybody’s eyes were bloodshot and their bodies felt like flabby cotton wool, they were so tired. The west stream, however, was no longer at the peak of its
turbulence, and with the influx of water from the south stream, it flowed backwards and retreated a long distance. The south stream flowed down ,and met with no resistance.
The water level dropped.
Thousands of hearts which had been beating apprehensively for
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