A moment later, a pair of hands picked up the stone and casually tossed it out of the rescue area.

The group froze for a couple of seconds, then immediately began carefully digging through the soil.

"Brother, look! There's hope! There's hope!"

"Hey bro, say something!"

They had witnessed this situation more than once that night, but even now, they couldn't help but choke up with tears.

"Brother, wait for us, we'll get you out of here and take you to a doctor,"

Jian Dan stood behind them, watching their hands, which were so swollen they were unrecognizable, mechanically digging at the dirt. Their faces were covered in snot, tears, and snow, and when they wiped their hands, another patch of dirt appeared.

Shifting our gaze away from here, the entire rescue site and the entire well area are filled with people like this: digging soil, excavating pits, carrying the wounded, all of them are extremely serious and careful, as if they are handling some rare treasure.

"Over here! There are people over here! Quick, a few people, come quick!"

"Slow down, slow down, don't peel it off, pinch it outwards, be careful not to touch the wound,"

"Quick, quick, hold that rock steady, let's carry the person out!"

"It's out, it's out. Hey, hey, be gentle, be gentle. Yes, hurry up, take it over there. The ward is over there. Tell the doctor not to touch the wound."

...

Similar sounds were heard almost constantly, giving Jian Dan the impression that she was on the front lines.

She wasn't a compassionate bodhisattva, but human life is always precious. Even someone who always said she wasn't a good person wanted to do something at that moment.

At times like these, reason seems to disappear without a trace.

After searching around, she finally spotted Zheng Aiguo carrying someone. She managed to squeeze in a few words of instruction.

"Brother Zheng, after you've taken the patient to the hospital, come find me in the kitchen."

Back in the kitchen, it was just dawn, and there was no one else there, so she simply took out a few burlap sacks.

The base has a large stockpile of supplies, especially these energy replenishers. After all, they might be on a mission and need to lie in wait for a long time. These are essential and always on hand. So, they are all mass-produced by the base. Apart from the name, there are no obvious trademarks or anything like that on the outer packaging, which makes it easy for her to take them out as a snack.

Energy bars, Snickers, sausages, compressed biscuits, jerky, electrolyte water—that's what Zheng Aiguo saw when he came in; several sacks were filled to the brim.

"Sister-in-law, are you cooking? I'll help."

Uh, what's this?

"Don't rush to eat breakfast, I'll call you when it's ready."

These things are small enough to fit in your pocket; you can take a bite when you're hungry.

These things, along with this water, are to replenish your energy. You're doing high-intensity work; three meals a day definitely won't be enough. Take these with you; if you need more, just come find me.

"...Sister-in-law, you,"

Zheng Aiguo had served in the army for many years and fought in many battles, but he had never received such considerate treatment before.

"Sister-in-law, these are all good things. If you give them to us, wouldn't that be a waste?"

You've been cooking delicious meals every day, noodles, steamed buns, and risking your life to hunt wild goats for us. Not only are the grains high-quality, but they're also very oily. The brothers are already very satisfied.

This is normal for us. Even though we eat in the cafeteria, there's not much oil or fat, and it only lasts for about half a morning. We're used to it.

Simple felt a tightness in her throat; she was used to hunger.

"What habits?"

"That's your rule, I don't care. But right now, the regimental commander isn't here, the political commissar isn't here, I'm the boss here. Since I'm in charge of logistics, you have to listen to me. I don't want any of you to fall ill from exhaustion halfway through the rescue."

"But, sister-in-law, this is too, too expensive?"

The main problem was that Zheng Aiguo had never seen these things before. Although the packaging didn't have many words, it was so exquisite that even the supply and marketing cooperative in the county had never seen anything like it. It was obviously rare. It might be fine to use it to appease children or wives, but it just didn't seem appropriate to give it to these roughnecks like them.

"Sister-in-law, this, this..."

"What are you saying? Hurry up and call me sister-in-law. You have to do as I say. Hurry up and take it away."

Jian Dan didn't have much patience either; she mainly felt that if she continued talking, he would start getting emotional, and she was a little resistant, so she could only put on this fierce look.

"Hurry up, stop dawdling, I need to start a fire to ward off evil spirits."

"Alright, Xiao Zheng, she's already gone this far, what are you still dawdling about? Can you even talk her out of it?"

If you care about your brothers, can't she care about the soldiers under her man's command as well?

These are all good stuff, you're in luck! Hurry up and take them, I have something to do with her!

Otherwise I'll confiscate them all in a bit.

After a few words from Doctor Qin, Zheng Aiguo finally stopped worrying. He stared at the sack for a few seconds, saluted, and quickly tied the opening and dragged it out.

"Why did you come here? Are you hungry?"

Doctor Qin didn't stand on ceremony; he found some wood, sat down in front of the stove to warm his hands.

"I'm hungry and cold,"

"There's still some meat broth in the pot, would you like a bowl?"

Qin Yinzhu paused for a moment,

"Do you still have that instant noodles from last night?"

A simple pause,

You know?

"What are you saying? I also made my way in big cities in the past. What good things haven't I seen? It's just that I haven't eaten this for many years. The flavor of yours is even richer than what I've ever had."

Everything was out, and Jian Dan had anticipated that someone would ask questions. Since it was all out in the open, she simply smiled and shifted the focus.

"Right? I also think this flavor tastes better. I'll cook it for you. Is one bag enough? Do you want some lamb? Do you want some ham? There's also some cabbage here, I'll tear some off and put it in too."

Perhaps because she had become more familiar with things, Qin Yinzhu no longer acted like she did in the office.

"I want it all, I want it all! I'm not picky, I'll eat anything."

"Why don't you cook me a few more packets? The kids in that other room are cold and hungry. Would it be really okay for me to cook for myself?"

"I didn't see any embarrassment from you. You seem quite honored to be eating this special meal."

Why don't you show this kind of attitude at work?

"Go away, go away, how is that the same as going to work? I finally have a chance to relax, why should I be polite with you?"

She simply shook her head. It seemed that they only became familiar with each other after Jian Wenxiu was exposed. Moreover, after interacting more, the two of them found that their personalities, interests, and temperaments were quite compatible.

However, at this age, we can barely be considered friends despite the age gap.

"Alright, alright, you're not being polite. After what you said, I can't be stingy, can I?"

"What, are you trying to hide something from me? What good stuff are you holding back from giving me?"