Chapter 387 - 381: Typhoon Warning

Yun Xiaowu’s ability to rally others wasn’t just because he knew how to show off.

"Wait here. I’ll go ask my dad and mom to freeze extra popsicles, and I’ll hand them out to you all tomorrow morning."

He truly shared whatever good things he had.

Whatever extra food, toys, or other items he had, he was always willing to share them. And he didn’t just hand them out randomly.

He’d give a little extra to anyone who helped him with chores like gathering pig feed or collecting firewood.

That’s why all the kids in the village were happy to do what he said.

The group of children cheered in delight.

Once he’d had his fill of showing off, Yun Xiaowu grabbed Yun Jiao’s hand and swaggered home as if he owned the place.

The next day, Yun Jiao went with her third brother to the local military garrison.

This wasn’t her first time here, so quite a few people at the garrison recognized her.

Yun Jiao went straight to find Vice Commander Lin.

She got right to the point, telling him she had discovered a shipwreck and needed a salvage permit.

Vice Commander Lin said, "Leave it to me."

Yun Jiao’s help with hosting those foreigners last time had been a huge favor to them.

Pulling a few strings to get the permit would be quite easy.

Of course, the main reason was that the country’s regulations for protecting and managing cultural artifacts weren’t that strict yet. After all, the nation’s primary focus was on development.

"Oh, right, Jiaojiao. Be careful when you’re out in the sea from now on. If you find anything... odd, feel free to come and tell us."

Yun Jiao nodded. "I know."

After leaving the garrison, Yun Jiao went back to her studies with her master.

The permit would take some time to be approved. In the meantime, Yun Xiao Ba left for the Capital with his master.

One morning, just after waking up, Yun Jiao felt a heavy tightness in her chest.

’It was an unpleasant feeling, as if something terrible was about to happen.’

She went downstairs, her brow furrowed in concern.

After washing her face and brushing her teeth, she sat by the door to eat her breakfast.

She stared blankly at the distant sea.

After a moment, she shot to her feet in a panic.

"Dad! Grandpa! This is bad! A powerful typhoon is going to pass through here in three days!"

That’s right. This was the source of Yun Jiao’s terrible premonition.

"What? Jiaojiao, this is no joking matter."

The Yun family was stunned by her words.

Yun Jiao’s voice was heavy. "I’ve felt unwell since I woke up this morning. Just now, while I was sitting by the door, I sensed it. A typhoon is coming. A massive, massive typhoon."

Hearing her words, Mr. Yun immediately lit a cigarette.

’It wasn’t that he didn’t believe her, but how were they supposed to tell the other villagers?’

’It wouldn’t just be their village. If what Jiaojiao said was true, then other parts of the coastal region would likely be in the typhoon’s path as well.’

"Dad, what are we going to do?"

Everyone grew worried. They only had three days, which was an incredibly short amount of time.

Mr. Yun stood up at once. "I’m going to find the village chief. This isn’t something we can handle on our own."

’Whether people believed it or not, the warning had to be sent out.’

’But it would be best to find a way that would convince everyone.’

The village chief had come to trust Yun Jiao’s abilities, so when he heard the news of a powerful, impending typhoon, he didn’t express any disbelief.

But he was at a loss for what to do.

’Even if he believed it, that didn’t mean everyone else would.’

Finally, the village chief’s son suggested an idea.

"Since we can’t make the decision ourselves, let’s gather the whole village and ask Mazu."

The villagers might not believe Yun Jiao, but they had absolute faith in Mazu.

The village chief still hesitated. "But..."

Their method of asking involved casting divination blocks. What if, when the time came...

"Let’s go discuss this with Daoist Qingfeng."

Daoist Qingfeng was known to have real skills; consulting him about this should be fine.

"Alright, we’ll go find Daoist Qingfeng."

Yun Chen Nan said, "Grandpa, you guys go ahead. Jiaojiao and I will make a trip to the garrison."

They could handle things in their own village, but the other coastal areas would need government and military intervention.

"Alright. You two should hurry. Leave the village to us."

Yun Jiao and Yun Chen Nan arrived at the garrison again and explained the situation with the typhoon.

Vice Commander Lin couldn’t sit still. He immediately went to report to his Group Leader and the Commissar.

They were skeptical, so they checked with the comrades at the weather station. The result they got back was that no typhoon had been detected for the day after tomorrow.

But with the meteorological observation technology of the time, there was a lot that couldn’t be detected.

Vice Commander Lin said, "Comrade, please check again, carefully. This is no laughing matter."

The staffer from the weather station looked annoyed. "This is the third time we’ve checked. Of course I know a typhoon is no laughing matter. But where did you even get this false report? We can’t detect a thing here at the weather station."

Vice Commander Lin and his superiors frowned. The situation had reached an impasse.

"Song Group Leader, Commissar, although Comrade Xiao Yun is young, she wouldn’t just make something like this up. You both know a little about her unusual abilities. We have to take this seriously."

Song Group Leader ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "But the problem is, it’s not enough for just us to believe it."

"If it’s real, then everyone in the coastal region will have to be evacuated. That’s no small undertaking. If the typhoon never comes, how are we supposed to explain ourselves to the public?"

The Commissar mulled it over for a moment. "Here’s a plan. Typhoons don’t form without any warning signs. Vice Commander Lin, take a few of the comrades from the weather station and young Comrade Yun Jiao out to sea to check on the conditions.

Song Group Leader, let’s go meet with the Division Commander. Either way, we must have the people in the coastal region evacuate first. It’s just for three days. People’s lives are more important than dealing with a few complaints."

Song Group Leader nodded. "Alright. Let’s do that."

When Yun Jiao heard they were going out to sea to investigate, she didn’t object.

’In fact, she could probably even point them in the right direction.’

’Yun Jiao had a feeling that once she was out on the water, she’d be able to vaguely sense where the weather was turning strange.’

Vice Commander Lin immediately went to make preparations. He brought along three staff members from the weather station, one of whom was an old professor.

One young man, however, started making snide remarks the moment he boarded the boat.

"I have no idea where you got this bogus tip," he said sarcastically, "but you must be even better than the professionals at our own weather station, being able to precisely predict a major typhoon three days out."

Vice Commander Lin couldn’t be bothered to engage with him. If the man hadn’t been the professor’s student, Lin wouldn’t have brought him along at all.

His displeasure peaked when he saw Yun Jiao boarding the boat.

"Are you kidding me? What’s the point of bringing a child along for something this important?"

"Why don’t you shut up? Can you just be quiet for a minute? Is there not enough room on this boat for you? Our job is to observe the weather. She brought a child on board; she didn’t ask you to look after her. You’re a grown man, stop whining. It’s so annoying."

The speaker was another staff member from the weather station, a sharp, no-nonsense-looking young woman.

"Why are you siding with an outsider!"

The woman said, "Watch your mouth. We’re not close."

She finished with a roll of her eyes.

"Professor, look at her..."

"That’s enough."

The old professor was holding a notebook, scribbling and sketching as if he were recording something.

"Young Yu has a point. Stop chattering."