Villager Fan Xingmin of Nanhe County, Hebei, proves a good neighbor in the flood
□ Correspondent Wang Le, Hebei Daily reporter Zhang Yongli
"If it weren't for Xingmin coming in time, my daughter-in-law and grandson would have been in danger." On the morning of July 30, in Xifantun Village, Jiasong Town, Nanhe County, 54-year-old Zhang Junping, recalling how the neighbor across the street came to her aid when the flood struck that day, was still deeply moved.
At 3 a.m. on July 20, floodwater from the Qili River overtopped the levee and burst through, surging toward Xifantun Village. In the south of Xifantun Village, right at the edge of the village, the homes of Zhang Junping and Fan Xingmin bore the brunt.
"Shengyun, take your medicine, hurry and take the children upstairs, I'm going to Uncle Junping's house across the street!" Fan Xingmin's home is a two-story house. His wife has heart disease; there was no time to say more to her before he ran toward the home of his neighbor across the street, Zhang Junping.
Zhang Junping's daughter-in-law Zhang Rui had just given birth and could not get out of bed to leave on her own; the baby was only 8 days old. When the floodwater rushed in, the whole family was panicked and anxious.
Rushing into Zhang Junping's home, Fan Xingmin found the floodwater just above the ankles. While telling Zhang Rui to gather things up, he scooped up the baby and headed out. By the time he reached the door, the water had risen to 1 chi high. Back home, he handed the baby to his wife, then ran downstairs again to help carry Zhang Rui.
After getting Zhang Rui settled, Fan Xingmin and Zhang Junping headed to the home of their neighbor to the north, Kong Tao. Kong Tao's husband was not at home, and there were still children aged 11 and 4 in the house. Fan Xingmin and Zhang Junping each carried a child on their backs, and in waist-deep water, the group supported one another as they made their way to Fan Xingmin's two-story house.
Fan Xingmin's own family of four and the two neighboring households were crowded into the second-floor room. At noon, Fan Xingmin had his wife boil some eggs to stave off everyone's hunger. They stayed until past 4 p.m., when the water gradually subsided and the level dropped a little. Worried about another release of floodwater, Zhang Junping's family decided to return to their old house in the center of the village - the terrain there is higher and relatively safer. Wading through waist-deep muddy water, dodging floating debris and carefully avoiding whirlpools in the water, moving one step at a time, they walked for more than 20 minutes before Fan Xingmin finally delivered Zhang Junping's family to their old house 300 m away. After 7 p.m., Kong Tao's family also moved to the safe area in the center of the village.