Siheyuan (traditional courtyard house): Starting with the Korean War, returning home to take charge

He Yuzhu had just lain down when the phone rang.

In the pitch-black night outside the window, a few muffled claps of thunder echoed from afar, rolling across the rooftops and rattling the windowpanes. The air was so stifling it felt like water could be squeezed out, pressing down on his chest and making it hard to breathe. He grabbed the microphone; on the other end was Director Zhou's voice, tight and hoarse, as if it had been soaked in water.

"Director He, it's me, Old Zhou from the Water Resources Bureau. Something terrible has happened on the river..."

He Yuzhu sat up from the kang and put on his clothes.

"explain."

Director Zhou took a breath, and the sound of turning pages came through the microphone.

"There have been three days of torrential rain upstream, and the river is rising even faster than before. We've recalculated; the flood peak will arrive at 2 PM the day after tomorrow. At the current rate, those sections of our dikes..." He paused, "...won't hold."

He Yuzhu pressed the microphone button.

"Can the floodwaters be released ahead of schedule?"

Director Zhou remained silent for two seconds.

"There are three villages downstream, with more than 13,000 people. If the floodwaters are released, their land will be completely submerged. Their crops will be ruined."

He Yuzhu didn't say anything.

Director Zhou lowered his voice even further.

"The county...the county is hesitant. They said to wait and see, maybe the rain will stop."

He Yuzhu stood up and walked to the window. It was pitch black outside, and he couldn't see anything except the sound of raindrops hitting the glass.

I'll go tomorrow.

The next morning, He Yuzhu went to the Water Resources Bureau.

Director Zhou spread the data out on the table and pointed it out to him one by one: water level, flow velocity, rainfall, and the predicted peak flood height. His hands were trembling, and cigarette ash fell all over the table.

"We calculated it three times, and the result was the same each time."

He Yuzhu listened and observed, gradually gaining an understanding. He obtained the data and spent an entire afternoon calculating it alone in his room. Using the model in the system, he input the parameters one by one. The model ran three times, and the results were the same as those of Director Zhou and his team.

The flood peak will arrive at 2 PM the day after tomorrow.

The water level will exceed the dam by fifty centimeters.

He took the printed report to Director Zhou.

"Show this to the county."

The county meeting room was filled with smoke. Seven or eight people sat around a long table, and the ashtray was piled high with cigarette butts. The ceiling fan creaked overhead, and the hot air it stirred made the edges of the report on the table wiggle.

County Magistrate Liu sat in the main seat, reading the report for a long time. He was in his fifties, overweight, spoke slowly, and smoked heavily.

"Where does it grow? Is this information accurate?"

He Yuzhu nodded.

"allow."

County Chief Liu put down the report and tapped it with his finger.

"The experienced locals said the rain would last another two days, but not this heavy. Is your model wrong?"

He Yuzhu looked at him.

"You calculated it correctly."

County Chief Liu leaned back, and the chair creaked.

"The evacuation of more than 10,000 people is no small matter. Last year, the upstream also reported a flood peak, but it turned out to be a false alarm. The people scolded us for a year, saying we were making a fuss over nothing. This year's data..." He shook his head, "We believe it, but the people don't. They look at the sky, not the models."

Director Zhou was extremely anxious.

"County Chief Liu, if they really come and the dike collapses, it won't just be a matter of losses!"

County Chief Liu stubbed out his cigarette and didn't say anything.

He Yuzhu stood up.

"I can't wait."

County Chief Liu was taken aback for a moment, then looked up.

"What did you say?"

He Yuzhu looked at him.

"The flood peak will arrive at 2 PM the day after tomorrow. If you don't evacuate now, we'll start issuing notices tomorrow, and you'll have to leave the morning after tomorrow. Any later, and it will be too late."

County Magistrate Liu's face darkened.

"Director He, you're the one with the technical expertise; this isn't up to you."

He Yuzhu didn't speak again. He lowered his head, slowly rolled up the report on the table, and then looked up at County Chief Liu one last time. There was no anger in his eyes, only a deep weariness and helplessness.

He turned and walked away. His leather shoes clattered on the concrete, making a hollow, rhythmic sound.

That night, He Yuzhu went to his former boss's house.

The old leader's dining table was simple: a dish of peanuts, a plate of scrambled eggs, and a bowl of white rice. When He Yuzhu came in, the old leader paused with his chopsticks, chewed the mouthful of rice in his mouth, swallowed it, and then spoke.

"Xiao He? What brings you here so late? Have you eaten yet?"

He Yuzhu placed the report on the table.

"Boss, take a look at this."

The old leader put down his chopsticks, picked up the report, and read it through. After reading it, he looked up and stared at He Yuzhu for a few seconds.

"You believe this?"

He Yuzhu nodded.

"letter."

The old leader was silent for a moment, then stood up and walked to the phone. He dialed a number, spoke only a few words into the receiver in a very low voice, which He Yuzhu couldn't hear. After speaking, he hung up the phone and went back to sit down.

"The order will be issued tomorrow morning."

He looked at He Yuzhu.

"Go back and keep an eye on things. If anything happens, call me directly."

He Yuzhu nodded and turned to leave.

The old leader said from behind.

"Xiao He".

He Yuzhu turned around.

The old leader looked at him with a gaze that was different from usual.

"You take responsibility."

He Yuzhu didn't say anything, but pushed the door open and went out.

The order to release the floodwaters was issued at noon the following day.

When County Chief Liu answered the phone, his face turned pale. He put down the phone, looked at He Yuzhu, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he didn't.

He Yuzhu ignored him and turned to Director Zhou.

"Start releasing the floodwaters."

That afternoon, the floodgates slowly rose.

As the first torrent of water gushed forth, it let out a deep roar, like a giant beast being released. The turbid floodwaters, carrying branches and mud, surged downstream with overwhelming force, instantly turning low-lying farmland into a vast expanse of water in their wake.

He Yuzhu stood on the embankment, watching the water flow downstream, feeling a mix of emotions he couldn't quite describe.

More than 13,000 people downstream had already been evacuated to safety before the floodwaters were released. Some stayed in tents, some stayed with relatives and friends, and some crowded into temporary resettlement sites. Director Zhou was making phone calls, confirming details village by village.

The flood peak arrived at 2 PM on the third day.

It's a little higher than predicted.

The river water surged up, crashing against the embankment, the splashing water stinging people's faces. He Yuzhu stood there motionless, like a stone statue. His eyes were fixed on the most dangerous section of the embankment, watching the yellowish-brown water greedily climb upwards inch by inch.

Ten centimeters. Twenty centimeters. Thirty centimeters.

It grew to 40 centimeters and was still growing.

Director Zhou stopped shouting and just stared at the line, his face as white as paper.

45 centimeters.

48 centimeters.

It stopped growing when it reached 50 centimeters.

He Yuzhu stared at that line for a long time.

Director Zhou's legs went weak, and he squatted on the ground, covering his face, his shoulders shaking.

The people on the embankment began to cheer. Some hugged each other, some knelt on the ground, and some shouted to the sky.

He Yuzhu stood there, motionless. He looked at the section of the embankment, at the receding water, and at the cheers.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the clouds, shining on the water and making it shimmer.

A week later, He Yuzhu received a package.

Upon opening it, I found a brocade banner. It was red with yellow lettering that read "Lifesaver" in large characters. Below that was a line of smaller characters: "Respectfully presented by all the people downstream."

He Yuzhu stood in his office, holding the banner, unsure what to say. He rolled it up and put it in the cabinet.

The office was quiet, sunlight streaming in through the window and illuminating the pair of gloves on the desk. They were made of Qin Huairu woven fabric, old and worn, with frayed edges.

He had just sat down when the phone rang.

It was Old Sun on the other end, his voice very low.

"Old He, something's happened at the satellite launch site."

He Yuzhu tightened his grip on the microphone.

"What is it?"

Old Sun was silent for two seconds.

"Someone sneaked in, but our people caught them. The first interrogation revealed they were spies. They wanted to find out the launch time."

He Yuzhu didn't say anything.

Old Sun paused, then lowered his voice even further.

"The clues uncovered during the investigation point to one person."

He Yuzhu waited for him to continue.

The sun shone brightly outside the window, but the light in his eyes slowly dimmed.

"……housekeeper."

After Lao Sun finished saying those two words, only a hollow static sound remained on the phone.

He Yuzhu gripped the microphone, his knuckles turning white.