Chapter 56

Because Jian Chu's place also has electricity, although he can't power large appliances like air conditioners, he can still power some small appliances, such as boiling water and cooking. Yesterday, there was no electricity, so he brought flour over to eat with Qin Huai and the others. But tonight, there was no gain in the evening, so he was busy rescuing people. It was almost dawn when he finished rescuing people. On the way back, he was racing against time with the sun and had no time to search along the way, and he didn't find anything to eat. Now there are only instant noodles and Zi Hai pots left at home, so there is no need for him to come over to eat together.

Without a mobile phone, communication was not convenient at all. Afraid that Qin Huai and the others were waiting for them to have dinner together, Yu Zibai came over and told them that they could eat at home by themselves. They agreed to meet in the corridor at a certain time and then go down together.

Mu Nan said: "This is a good time to use a walkie-talkie."

Qin Huai bought this thing, but it's not easy to take it out. He can't give others the impression that their family has everything. In his previous life, Mu Nan was alone and didn't need to keep in touch with anyone. When he later arrived at the base rebuilt by the government, there was already an internal LAN, but he was not sure when the internal LAN was available. At that time, the LAN did not cover those private refuge bases. His was an advanced private refuge base, and the base was destroyed due to various reasons such as food supply, so he followed others to the government's refuge base. Anyway, it would take less than a year to restore local communications.

Qin Huai said: "If you want to take it out, you can pretend to dig it out from the ruins tonight. There is a set box. Let's go to the cooling point tonight. If we can successfully get the solar panel, we can wait. If not, we will go to the mall to look for it. Then you can put some dust on the box and pretend to dig it out from the ruins."

Mu Nan said quickly, "I'm just sighing. There's no rush. We'll see when the time comes. It doesn't matter whether we take it out or not. We live close to each other anyway, so it's just a matter of running errands. If you really think it's troublesome to run out, we can agree on a signal to knock on the wall. I wonder if they can hear us knocking on the wall."

Qin Huai smiled and said, "You can hear me if you shout twice."

After making sure Jian Chu and the others would not come to eat together, Mu Nan began to look through the menu: "Let me see what we are going to eat today. We can't eat anything with a strong smell, or it will be smelled. We can't eat steamed buns or steamed buns, or they will be a bit greasy. We can't eat noodles or rice noodles either, or soups and watery dishes won't satisfy our hunger."

Seeing that he passed one by one after turning a page, Qin Huai said directly: "Let's eat. Bring out some appetizers, pickled beans, pickled mustard greens and minced meat, fish-flavored eggplant, what else do you want to eat?"

Mu Nan flipped through the menu and said, "Then add a stir-fried seasonal vegetable and a stir-fried king oyster mushroom. Do you want to drink the soup?"

Qin Huai shook his head: "No need for soup. It's not easy to solve personal problems after drinking the soup." Although many people are not very particular about where to go because there are piles of ruins everywhere, both Mu Nan and he are very careful. Who knows if there are people or corpses under the ruins? They would rather use cat litter at home and take it out in a bag and throw it away.

Mu Nan took out dish after dish. Although he hadn't eaten rice for a few days, he still felt that rice was the most delicious. When paired with the dishes, his appetite instantly increased.

He took a bite of vegetable and then a bite of rice, and his mouth was filled with satisfaction. The salty fragrance of eggplant and the sourness of snow vegetable were perfect for eating with rice. Mu Nan said while eating, "Brother, I suddenly feel a sense of crisis."

Qin Huai: "What's wrong?"

Mu Nan: "If we keep eating like this, won't the dishes we prepared be enough?" There would definitely be enough rice, as his brother bought rice by the ton, but the dishes felt like they couldn't hold up after eating like this.

Qin Huai smiled when he heard that: "Don't worry, it will be enough for at least the next few years. As for a few years later, if life is still not stable, we can only eat the compressed meals prepared. They can only fill us up, and we won't be able to take care of our appetites." However, when that time really comes, if people still cannot recover from the natural disaster, and the situation is so bad that they cannot eat a bite of vegetables or meat for several years, in such a difficult situation, staying alive will probably become the most difficult thing, and how can they take care of their appetites.

Mu Nan, who had eaten his fill, sat on the floor by the end of the bed and burped. Qin Huai was cleaning up and poured the remaining fish-flavored eggplant along with its soup into the rice and mixed them together. He ate it all in a few bites. Several empty boxes and bowls were left together. Mu Nan took out the garbage bag that had not been filled in the space before. After putting today's garbage in the bag, the bag was full. He tied a knot and put it back into the space, waiting for another opportunity to throw it out.

Seeing that it was still early to gather, Mu Nan took out a digestive ball from the space and put it in his mouth. This was something Qin Huai had someone buy specially. It was developed by a very famous Chinese medicine hospital in City B. The main ingredient was hawthorn. Although it was mixed with some other Chinese medicines, it tasted sour and sweet and was especially helpful for digestion.

While chewing the digestive ball in his mouth, Mu Nan sighed: "When others can't eat enough, I still have to eat digestive tablets. This is too much."

Qin Huai walked over and touched his stomach. It was bulging, and he had indeed eaten too much: "Eat less next time. You eat so much, aren't you afraid of feeling uncomfortable if you are full?" It was also his fault. He thought it was normal for him to eat more due to the great physical exertion, but he forgot that he was a person who could not control himself.

Mu Nan burped when Qin Huai touched her: "I haven't eaten rice for a long time, and the food tasted delicious, so I couldn't help it."

Qin Huai stretched out his hand and pulled him up from the ground: "Walk around, or you might vomit if you go out and get too hot."

Mu Nan walked around the house to digest the food: "We must not do this, what a waste."

It was almost eight o'clock, the time we agreed to go out. It was still bright outside, but the heat from the sun had faded. At first, people couldn't go out at this time. Even the residual heat from the sun was unbearable. They hid during the day and went out at night. Now, I don't know if it's not that hot, or if people have adapted to the heat after these months. Now they can see a little bit of daylight, and while they can still see clearly, they are rescuing people and searching for things.

The process of going downstairs today was more torturous than yesterday. Mu Nan even doubted whether he could climb to the 17th floor today with his willpower. But the most difficult days would only be these few days. Once he had completely adapted, things would be much better.

Jian Chu was rummaging along the road with a stick he had picked up from somewhere, probably hoping to find something. Yu Zibai said with a smile, "That's definitely not going to work. Most of the things on the roadside have been picked up by others."

Jian Chu said, "Just take a look. It won't delay anything."

The group quickly reached the cooling station. The soldier who was in charge of registration at the cooling station today was the one they had worked with yesterday. When he saw them coming, he smiled and said hello: "Today they are all in the back area, that is, at the North Pavilion door. The survivors who were rescued from inside yesterday said that during the chaos, some people ran towards the North Pavilion exit."

Qin Huai thanked him and said, "Is the captain there too?"

The soldier nodded: "Yes."

When they climbed over the pile of ruins and found the North Hall, they saw the captain giving orders. This captain should be the squad leader of those soldiers. His surname was Yuan, but they didn't know his specific name. They only heard them call him Ban Yuan, so Qin Huai and the others followed suit and called him Captain Yuan.

Looking at the young men who looked refreshed and energetic, Captain Yuan had a rough idea in his mind. It was too late and dark yesterday. When he noticed them, they had already helped with the rescue for a while. They were covered in dust and did not look as clean as today. They were still able to clean themselves up at this time, which showed that they had a lot of reserve resources at home. No wonder they were looking for solar panels. At this time, most people’s goal was to find water and food. It would be useless to find solar panels if there was no generator at home. Most people would not even think about this.

Seeing them coming, Captain Yuan waved at them and asked directly: "Do you have any plans for today? Are you going to stay here to help with the rescue or something?"

Qin Huai said: "Stay here, but I will leave early today. I left too late yesterday and couldn't get food from the cafeteria."

Captain Yuan smiled and said, "Okay, go and help first, and come find me when you're done. I can give you some solar panels, just like the ones buried in the rubble that haven't been found, but the quantity may not be too much."

Qin Huai said: "Just a little is enough, thank you Captain Yuan."

Getting the solar panels was really an unexpected gain. After all, they didn’t think so much about it when they were rescuing people before. Seeing that the soldiers over there were busy, Yu Zibai put the small trailer aside. Most of the people here were soldiers doing the rescue, and there were not many ordinary people, so the small trailer was placed in an inconspicuous place and no one would move it, so there was no need to worry about it being lost.

The North Pavilion was hit very hard, unlike yesterday when it was blocked by a large steel roof and left a gap for people to breathe. Now they have gained experience in rescue. When they turn over the top, they can probably guess the situation below, whether it is hollow or hit hard. They have an idea in mind. For example, there are probably no survivors in the North Pavilion. What they need to do now is to remove the bodies. The weather is too hot. If the bodies are not removed, with so many people in the city, the outbreak of plague is only a matter of time. However, even if they continue to clean up, with the scale of this earthquake and the number of deaths, the plague will soon break out.

Before the body was found, Jian Chu seemed to have found something. He looked around and saw that the person closest to him was Mu Nan, so he shouted to him, "Mu Nan, come here."

Mu Nan was sweating profusely. When he heard Jian Chu calling him, he crawled over with difficulty and sat down on the pile of rocks. "What's wrong?"

Jian Chu was pulling something out with all his strength. Mu Nan helped lift the big rock that was pressing on him. Jian Chu pulled and a compressed flat object came out. "Is this a duvet?"

Mu Nan used the flashlight to take a look. It should be a quilt, the kind that was packed in a vacuum and compressed very tightly. The quilt was not small and it felt a bit heavy when held in the hand. "Not bad, it can be considered a harvest."

Jian Chu sighed: "It's good enough if it's just water. Why do we need a quilt at this time?"

Mu Nan said: "It is still necessary. It is so hot now. Maybe when the weather turns cold, it will be very cold, so cold that it will be covered with snow."

Jian Chu said, "It's already February, how can there be winter? I'm afraid that when summer comes, the temperature will exceed 60 or 70 degrees. The Flaming Mountain in Journey to the West is probably no more than this."

Mu Nan rubbed his arm to relax himself: "Maybe the seasons have been reversed. The current climate can no longer be divided into four seasons. Drag it back. If you wait until it gets cold before looking for a quilt, you won't be able to find it."

Seeing that the two of them had been sitting here for a long time without moving, Qin Huai walked over and asked, "What's wrong?"

Mu Nan pointed at the quilt: "Jian Chu found it."

Qin Huai said, "Then you might have found the warehouse." Mu Nan was stunned: "Warehouse? The cold storage point has been cleared out long ago, so how can there be a warehouse?"

Qin Huai explained: "The warehouse has been moved to the top floor. What has been cleared out are the cabinets of various brands, but some items cannot be moved away by those merchants. Those that cannot be moved are placed in the warehouse on the top floor. I guess they are bedding or some things that cannot be eaten or drunk. You can just look around here and take whatever you can find."

He just specifically asked someone about the environment here and wanted to have a basic understanding of the terrain. Otherwise, after moving for a long time, he would end up moving to an empty place, which would be a waste of effort.

Knowing that there might be a warehouse below, Jian Chu and Mu Nan immediately perked up. Although there was no shortage of things in Mu Nan's space, they certainly couldn't let go of anything they could stockpile. Stockpiling made people happy and was addictive.

There really was a place to store things underneath. After a while, the two men dug out a compressed quilt. Some soldiers saw that they had found something, so they hurried over to help. They tried their best to save people and collect as much supplies as possible.

After working for most of the night, I cleaned out a pile of bedding and clothes, as well as a lot of daily chemical products. However, the daily chemical products were not toiletries, but skin care products, such as face cream and hand cream. Those in porcelain bottles were basically broken, but some with colloidal plastic packaging could still be used.

Mu Nan and the others didn't ask for too much. They sorted out some bedding, quilts, sheets and other things, and took some thick clothes according to their body shapes. The clothes were all long and short down jackets. They didn't have any summer wear. They were probably cleared out at that time. They also packed a box of genuine daily necessities and samples, and took a few steel bowls. The cart was already full, as they would put solar panels there later. They didn't ask for too much. Anyway, they weren't eatable or drinkable, and those quilts and clothes could last for a few years. They only needed to take some for their own use, and let the soldiers take the rest.

Because they had to go back early and visit the medical team to check on Xu Ming, they went to see Team Yuan at about three o'clock. They didn't give them too many solar panels, only seven. Although they rushed to collect a lot of them, some were broken, and some were broken but seemed to be repairable. However, they couldn't find anyone who knew how to do it, so they could only put them aside for the time being. These seven panels were found by Team Yuan and were intact and could be used directly. Seven panels should be enough to supply the basic electricity needs of a family.

Several people thanked him again and placed the solar panel between the quilt and other things. It is better not to expose such things, so as not to be too conspicuous. After taking their canteen coupons for today, several people set off on their way home with a full load.

Mu Nan looked at the full car and worried: "Should we move it up later?" The solar panels alone were heavy enough. If it were just him and Qin Huai, it would be very easy to put the things into the space. But now, they might have to rely on manpower to carry them up.

Yu Zibai said, "You and Qin Huai take your things. Jian Chu waits downstairs. I should be able to move everything in two trips."

Qin Huai said, "The vacuum bags outside the quilts are still very thick. We'll tie a few quilts together with a rope. Nannan, just pull the rope and go upstairs. Put the quilts on the ground and drag them up. This way, it won't take much effort. The three of us will use a trailer to carry the other things, layer by layer. It's easier to take a rest on the first floor than to run two trips."

Mu Nan felt that it was a challenge for him to climb to the 17th floor, and it was not easy for him to help them share the weight of the quilt. He did not argue about other things. One should do things within one's ability. He planned to give Qin Huai a good massage in the evening. No survivors were found today, but no bodies were found either. He would ask Qin Huai if he had an appetite for meat in the evening. He felt tired and thin these days, and he needed some soup to replenish his body.

There were a lot of people in the cafeteria, and it would be too distracting for them to drag so many things over there, so Qin Huai found them an inconspicuous corner and asked Jian Chu and Mu Nan to stay there: "There will be soldiers patrolling here from time to time, so you stay here and be alert. If you encounter someone with bad intentions, shout loudly. If you can't shout anyone, run away. If the things are gone, they are gone. Do you hear me?"

Mu Nan nodded: "Got it, you guys go quickly and come back soon."

Qin Huai took Mu Nan's backpack, which contained the meal ticket and lunch box. Yu Zibai also took out a few steel bowls that he had just found. He didn't know if Xu Ming needed them, but he took them with him and asked him anyway.

This was the first time they had come to the medical team. The team had already generated electricity and supplied air conditioners. There were too many injured people, and one or two tents could no longer accommodate them. So they temporarily dug out some partitions from the ruins, pressed thick insulation cloth with stones, and pieced together a roof on top. There was also a large roof outside the roof. Several air conditioners were placed in different corners to provide cooling and air supply, and several large electric fans in the middle were constantly shaking their heads to supply air. They had done everything they could to cool down the area.

Almost all the people in the tent were lying on the ground as there were not enough beds for them to lie down. Some of them were in a slightly better condition and were conscious, but they just stared at the ceiling with numb eyes and did not respond to any movement around them. Some of them were either asleep or unconscious, with blood-red gauze wrapped around their bodies. There were too many broken legs and arms, and with limited water resources, there was no way to wash the bodies of the wounded. Just as they arrived, someone carried a wounded person away from the shed, saying that the wound had festering, and in the absence of anesthesia, they had to cut off the rotten flesh and reapply medicine. If they could endure it, they would, otherwise they would not.

The scene was too tragic, with cries of pain ringing incessantly. This was the reason why Qin Huai didn't let Mu Nan come over. He was afraid that after seeing this scene, Mu Nan wouldn't be able to eat today.

There were relatively few people on the medical team. Even though the army rescued the hospital immediately, not many medical staff came out, so they quickly asked about Xu Ming's condition. At this moment, Xu Ming was on his shift and was in the doctor's tent. When the two of them went over, Xu Ming had just come back from getting his meal. When he saw them coming over, he smiled and said, "I thought you would come to see me in the next two days. Is everything going well at home?"

Yu Zibai nodded: "It's OK, you're not going up?"

Xu Ming shook his head: "Not going up, we can't leave here alone." Although it was a rotation, there was actually no way for him to rest for too long. At most he could sleep for an hour or so before he had to get up to help. This was the first time he had to work around the clock to save people since he started working.

Yu Zibai said, "We found some quilts and the like today. Do you want any? If you do, I'll leave one for you."

Xu Ming nodded: "Then leave one bed for me." He handed the key to his house to Yu Zibai and said: "If you come down tomorrow, please bring all the medicines from home down for me. All the medicines are in the refrigerator. If you don't take them out, they will get hot if you leave them there."

Yu Zibai took the key and nodded: "Do you want me to bring your own hot pot down with you?"

Xu Ming shook his head. Seeing that there were no people around, he whispered to them, "Don't rush to rescue people. After a few days, we can't save many people with human power. In the next two days, you should quickly find some food to take back and store it. If you can avoid going out, don't go out anymore."

Yu Zibai: "What happened?"

Qin Huai said: "It should be a plague." There will be a major epidemic after a major disaster. With such a high temperature and so many deaths, it is almost impossible that there will be no plague.

Xu Ming sighed, "It would be best if we could leave here, but we really don't have the conditions to leave. The earthquake may not only affect our city. I've heard a lot of news in the past two days. Communications are down, but satellites can connect. All requests for help have not been responded to. The situation outside may be even worse. The most important thing now is food. We live on a high floor. You must wash and disinfect when you get home. It's better to drink less water and wash your body. Seal the doors and windows tightly. Although I've learned a lot in theory, no one knows how terrible the plague will be after so many people died."

Xu Ming said, and sighed: "It would be best if we could leave here. It might be safer if we could find a mountain cave to hide in. Unfortunately, there are no mountains here. If we walk out of this city, I'm afraid the plague will break out before we get out of the third ring road. I will pay more attention to the news here and notify you if there is any new situation."

This was the only way for now. The two looked at each other with heavy expressions. They asked Xu Ming for directions and found the canteen. Usually, the canteen was busiest at 5 or 6 o'clock. That was when the rescue work for the day was almost over. People would take the food and go back to their tents. After eating, they would go to sleep. It was only 4 o'clock and there were not many people, but the big pot of rice was already on the stove.

Maybe they are also trying to prevent the spread of the plague. In such hot weather, the chefs in the cafeteria are still wearing masks. People are not allowed to get close to the dining table and have to stay at least half a meter away. They put their lunch boxes on the table. After giving their meal ticket, the chef will prepare what you want to eat and then put it in the food pick-up area, trying to prevent the dirty people who have been rescued from getting close to the food.

Yu Zibai and his friends hadn't eaten for a long time, so they went straight to the food area. Although the meal seemed to be rice mixed with coarse grains, there was only one kind of dish, a big pot dish, which contained potatoes, mushrooms, and black fungus. It looked like some dried vegetables were rehydrated and fried. In addition, there were corn cakes with sugar added, and fist-sized steamed buns.

One meal ticket can only be used to redeem one staple dish and one dish, or two staple dishes. Those dishes are not what Mu Nan likes to eat, and the taste of this kind of stir-fry in a big pot is probably just average, so Qin Huai directly exchanged all the meal tickets for steamed buns. He had never eaten corn tortillas, so he exchanged them for one too.

The two people waiting outside sat on the ground, fanning themselves and shooing away mosquitoes. After waiting for a long time, they became a little impatient: "What are they doing taking so long?"

Mu Nan said: "Maybe there are more people in the cafeteria."

Jian Chu sighed: "I don't know what to eat in the cafeteria."

Mu Nan, who knew what was going on, also sighed: "They should be some not-so-delicious food." He hoped that his brother would not cook food that had no taste except a little salt. He would rather eat steamed buns.