Chapter 52

How should we respond when disaster strikes?

Hu Zhenzhen gave a unique yet distinctive answer to this question.

Let's work together to overcome this difficult time.

This is an experience that people have summarized long ago.

Human life is fragile, and when disaster strikes, it is already difficult enough to lend a helping hand with material assistance.

There are always few people at the disaster relief and rescue site.

Because it's dangerous, and also because there's no way to get there.

Even if someone wants to go to the front lines of the disaster area to help them, they will be stopped outside the wall because of these two difficulties.

Hu Zhenzhen didn't do much, but she made the most crucial step.

Solve the difficulties of those who are eager to help, and protect the safety of all those involved in the rescue.

Life jackets and swimming rings are just standard equipment.

Emergency physicians and professional medical teams are also on standby.

The bamboo rafts were produced under expedited production, and several hundred rafts were made within two days.

One of the largest shipments even started from the border and went as far as another town in H city to deliver supplies.

Even with an oil-fired propeller, going back and forth is still not easy.

But none of the people who did these things complained.

After working for five or six hours, everyone is reminded to take a break.

It's the same picture that Baiyou posted.

Hu Zhenzhen provided the same benefits to everyone who came to the disaster relief area.

Eating well and living well are the basic standards.

I work five or six hours a day, feeling tired but fulfilled. When I get back to the rest stop, I have a good meal, lie in bed, and sleep soundly through the night without any dreams.

During these two days of support, I even helped many people suffering from mental exhaustion to cure their insomnia.

After the news spread online, even more people were willing to come.

However, most of the people who came this time were suffering from insomnia and came voluntarily to be tired so they could fall asleep.

Hu Zhenzhen treats everyone equally, regardless of their purpose in coming. As long as they come to help and with good intentions, she accepts them all.

With dedicated personnel cleaning up the accumulated garbage in the sewers and rainwater having sufficient outlets, the city's floodwater levels have gradually decreased.

On the 5th day, the rain finally stopped briefly.

This is a good sign, indicating that the heavy rain is about to end.

For those three hours when the sun was shining, the people of H City were even happier than during the Lunar New Year.

Even the light drizzle that followed couldn't dampen their excitement.

Everyone knew they were close to pulling through.

On the 6th day, the rain stopped completely.

The water level has receded to the height of an adult's calves, and it's finally possible to walk in the city without relying on bamboo rafts.

However, the situation in the water was unclear, with branches and trash mixed together, and one could slip and fall at any moment by stepping on something.

For safety reasons, relief supplies are still being transported using bamboo rafts.

Large plastic basins that have been unsold in supermarkets for years have finally found a use.

At this time, they are the best means of water transport.

A large batch of fishing nets was transported from City S. These nets are perfect for catching debris in the water.

Hu Zhenzhen arranged a special team to handle only the trash at the bottom of the water.

Removing all the trash will prevent clogged drains and allow the water level to recede more quickly.

After the rain stopped, more problems began to surface.

People started getting sick one after another, some catching colds, others getting diarrhea.

One or two cases are fine, but when such cases occur in large groups, it makes one wonder about the existence of infectious diseases.

In the midst of a disaster, not everyone has the patience to wait for rescue.

Before Hu Zhenzhen brought the food and water, someone had already collected rainwater to drink.

The rain brought branches and trash, as well as many unopened fast food products.

When someone caught these, they naturally chose to eat them due to a lack of food.

These can all lead to illness.

Fortunately, Hu Zhenzhen had the support of an entire hospital.

Xijingmen Hospital only kept five doctors on duty in the emergency room; the rest of the staff were transferred to the disaster area.

In addition to the doctors she arranged, hospitals in several nearby cities also sent doctors to provide support.

Everything is moving in a positive direction.

"Drink hot water, eat hot food, and it's better to sweat than to be exposed to cold."

This is the most frequently circulated statement after the disaster: to prevent bacteria from growing in the water from causing a major epidemic, hot water is the fastest, most common, and simplest way to prevent it.

But Bishui Township has a new problem.

The water here is deep, making it the most severely affected area. Even now, half of the first floor of the buildings is still submerged, making it uninhabitable.

The natural gas pipeline wasn't broken, but the water supply was still interrupted.

The distributed purified water can only meet people's drinking needs, far from meeting the water requirements for cooking.

Life remains difficult, but people's spirits have been lifted.

Young people who had been stuck at home for many days stepped forward and joined the bamboo raft transport team.

When Hu Zhenzhen heard Chen Kai report this, she smiled with relief.

People influence each other. In an environment where people help each other, even egoists will occasionally lend a hand.

"Have you contacted the water conservancy company yet? What did they say?"

Chen Kai opened his notebook and began to report, "Boss, the situation is not good."

"The equipment of the Water Conservancy Corporation was damaged in the heavy rain and is still under repair. It is estimated that the water supply will not be restored until the day after tomorrow."

Hu Zhenzhen pondered for a moment, then asked him, "What did the vegetable station say?"

"We've already made contact with them, and they can get one ton of vegetables from S City and the four surrounding cities, but transportation still has to rely on bamboo rafts."

Speaking of this, Chen Kai was somewhat worried.

"Boss, it's already difficult enough for us to deliver clean water and instant noodles. If we add the task of delivering vegetables, the workload of those volunteers will probably double."

This is also what Hu Zhenzhen is worried about.

Ensuring that everyone in H City has access to clean water, instant noodles, and biscuits has already consumed all their manpower.

If you add vegetables, rice, noodles, oil, and other similar items, things will become complicated even if she wants to give them away for free.

Will there be any abuse of power for personal gain or underreporting of benefits? How can elderly people with limited mobility obtain necessities and cook for themselves?

There are too many things to consider, including the interests of merchants currently selling vegetables at high prices in the disaster area, making it less convenient than when the disaster first occurred.

After all, they are taking risks to do business here.

Hu Zhenzhen couldn't just cut off their path by saying she was doing a good deed.

This matter requires further consideration.

Jiang Chen was writing his calligraphy homework in his notebook when Hu Zhenzhen, lost in thought, glanced at him casually.

"Mom, did I write it wrong?"

Jiang Chen turned around and saw Hu Zhenzhen staring at his homework. He thought she had noticed a mistake and asked nervously.

"Oh, I didn't write it wrong," Hu Zhenzhen finally came to her senses.

"Xiao Chen's handwriting is getting better and better. In a while, it will be even better than her mother's."

Hu Zhenzhen prefers encouragement-based education.

At first, Jiang Chen was not used to it. Every time she heard her praise him, he would blush shyly for a while.

It took him a while to get used to Hu Zhenzhen.

Now, Jiang Chen can accept his mother's praise with equanimity.

He was happy inside, but he still said, "Mom's handwriting is beautiful too. It will be a long time before Xiao Chen catches up."

Hu Zhenzhen has been busy with things in H City lately and hasn't had time to give Jiang Chen a spelling test these past two days.

She didn't have time, so the child obediently went to find the nanny.

Today, when she pulled him to her side to do his homework, Jiang Chen heard about the situation in H City.

The child is too young to understand the surface meaning of the flood.

Hearing Hu Zhenzhen's concern about food, he took his mother's hand.

"Everything will be alright, it's stopped raining now!"

Hu Zhenzhen was surprised that Jiang Chen would suddenly interrupt, and said with some surprise, "Yes, it's starting to get better now."

Jiang Chen nodded vigorously and said to her, "When there's no more water, I'll help everyone with Mom!"

He's so young, yet he already has such thoughts. Hu Zhenzhen was extremely surprised, and the corners of her lips couldn't help but curl up.

How do you plan to help everyone?

Jiang Chen must have thought about it long ago. When Hu Zhenzhen asked him, he didn't even have time to think before blurting it out.

"I can empty the piglets' bellies and use the money to treat them to fried sausages!"

Jiang Chen put most of the pocket money Hu Zhenzhen gave him into his piggy bank.

Hearing this, she couldn't help but chuckle. "Could Xiao Chen give his mother a hundred yuan first?"

Hu Zhenzhen was enlightened by Jiang Chen's words and suddenly understood.

There are other ways to ensure that residents of H City can have hot meals than just delivering vegetables.

Jiang Chen was very fast; he jogged back to his room, took the money, and then jogged back again.

"Mom, one hundred yuan!"

Jiang Chen stuffed the money into Hu Zhenzhen's hand.

"Okay, now that Xiao Chen has contributed, Mom will treat everyone to fried sausages!"

Jiang Chen's eyes lit up. "Can we do it now?"

"It's possible right now. Xiao Chen's hundred yuan was a huge help!"

Hu Zhenzhen smiled broadly and praised Jiang Chen.

The child's lips pursed up, as if he wanted to laugh but was holding it back, which made Hu Zhenzhen smile even more.

"Chen Kai, help me make arrangements. I need to hold a meeting with all the businesses that are participating in the food festival for free."

Within Bishui Township.

Jia Taotao is haggling with the vegetable vendor.

"Seriously? You're charging eighty for a carrot? That's practically robbery!"

The scalper wouldn't even look at people directly, his face full of impatience.

"At this price, do you know how difficult it is for me to move my stuff in? There are plenty of people waiting to buy, take it or leave it."

After being rebuffed by him, Jia Taotao's face turned ugly, and she angrily put down the carrot in her hand.

"Everyone has instant noodles to eat, let's see who you sell them to!"

“What good are instant noodles?” the scalper laughed. “Everyone has been eating instant noodles for days. Who doesn’t want to get some nutrition? Even if adults don’t care, can we let the kids go hungry?”

He said with a mocking expression, "That's why I said, if you're not going to buy, then leave. There are plenty of other people who want to buy."

After being mocked twice in a row, even Jia Taotao, who was usually mild-mannered, couldn't take it anymore and turned to leave.

The scalper behind her spat without any attempt to hide it, "You're broke and you want to eat vegetables at a time like this? Dream on."

There are indeed very few vegetable vendors between buildings, but they are not entirely nonexistent.

Everyone's equipment was similar: waterproof rubber clothes for fishermen, and two large tubs of vegetables.

Just like the scalpers said, people haven't seen fresh vegetables for far too long.

Even after Jia Taotao left, people continued to come and ask about the price.

Even though most of them thought it was too expensive and didn't buy it, the scalpers still sold four or five copies and made over a thousand yuan.

"There aren't many rich people around here, how about we go to the neighborhood next door?"

A fellow scalper next door called out to him, and without hesitation, the scalper replied, "Let's go!"

The two had just pushed the bathtub full of vegetables to the entrance of the community when they bumped into a bamboo raft coming from the opposite direction.

The bamboo raft stopped on its own initiative to let them pass first.

The two scalpers didn't stand on ceremony and left with the bathtub.

As he passed by, he glanced casually at the bamboo raft and noticed that besides water, it carried many other things, and there was even an elderly woman sitting on it.

After the bamboo raft had gone, he discussed it with his companions in surprise.

"What's going on? They're using aunties for delivery now?"

"I don't think so," another scalper, who had seen a bit more, said hesitantly. "They seem to have brought gas; surely they can't be having the aunt cook on the spot, can they?"

“How could that be?” he denied instinctively. “What kind of fool would hire a chef to cook for them? How long would that take?”

The other scalper also found it absurd. The two exchanged a few laughs and continued walking towards another high-rise building.

Holidays are more expensive in this neighborhood, and there are more people there, so vegetables are sure to sell well in places like this.

This is what they thought before they came.

But when they actually arrived, they were dumbfounded.

The windows on the second floor were crowded with people, queuing up and waiting for the food to be served downstairs.

Yes, that's right, it's serving lunch.

The two people who just passed by had already set up their bamboo rafts in this neighborhood, and there was probably more than one.

Three bamboo rafts were working simultaneously under the three buildings, providing food for those who couldn't get a hot meal.

A small cart has been added to the bamboo raft that was originally used to transport supplies, and the uncle and aunt on it are working hard.

You can still hear the shouts from afar.

"The three bowls of curry rice for the three residents of apartment 501 have been delivered to the stairwell. Please come and sign to collect them."

The containers for food are also very common; they are the round cardboard boxes that often appear at roadside stalls.

In pursuit of speed, the meals were served without lids, covered with clean trays, and carried directly to the stairwell by staff in waterproof clothing.

The water in the stairwell has receded considerably.

Some people are impatient and simply wait in the stairwell with their calves bare, just so they can have a hot meal as soon as possible.

The two scalpers panicked when they saw this.

"What should we do? They've all eaten, how can they still buy our groceries?"

The answer to this question is obvious: the two of them have been at the door for so long, and no one has ever invited them in.

The ox felt a chill in his heart, knowing that there was no hope of selling vegetables here, and immediately said to his companion next to him.

"Quick, let's go back to the neighborhood we just left. We might be able to sell it for more money while not many people know about it yet."

Those who act as scalpers exploit a time difference.

The two of them were twice as fast as when they came, and quickly returned to the neighborhood they had just been in.

The bamboo raft had just arrived at its location, and the eye-catching red banner hadn't even been unfurled yet.

Upon seeing this, the two were immediately delighted. "Let's go to those buildings in the back; they definitely don't know yet!"

After going around in circles, the scalper returned to the place where he had driven Jia Taotao away.

The power had just been restored, and Jia Taotao's phone had just been turned on when she was so shocked by the news that it almost crashed.

She glanced at the message, quickly replied to a few messages of concern from important people, and then entered the community's property management group.

The property management group hasn't been this lively in a long time; a notification of over 300 new members appeared in the upper right corner.

Fearing there might be some new disaster relief arrangements, Jia Taotao quickly clicked on it.

[Good news! Mr. Hu's team has contacted the property management, and they will soon be distributing free soup and rice downstairs in the community. Like other supplies, people can come and collect them individually.]

The bamboo raft will pass by each building; please be patient until it arrives.

The bamboo raft is currently at Building 3. Residents of Building 3 can come downstairs to order.

After reading the message, Jia Taotao was so excited that she jumped out of bed.

She pressed her face against the window and, through the gaps between the buildings, she indeed saw the silhouette of a bamboo raft.

She works with takeout and never cooked at home before this happened.

They were really stuck at home. Jia Taotao's family didn't even have a pot to cook with. They had to boil all the instant noodles they had in the supply packs using a kettle.

During the power outage, she couldn't even use the kettle and had to eat instant noodles instead.

Having finally gotten the chance to have a hot meal, Jia Taotao's eyes lit up with excitement, wishing she could paddle the bamboo raft to Building 6 right now.

She swallowed hard, suddenly not wanting to do anything but wait by the window for the bamboo raft to arrive.

However, Jia Taotao soon spotted the figure downstairs that made her uncomfortable.

Why haven't those two scalpers left yet?

The call just came in, and many people haven't even turned on their phones yet, so they don't know about the call.

Even though there was free food nearby, and all you had to do was wait, quite a few people were still asking scalpers about vegetables.

Jia Taotao saw her landlady downstairs.

The auntie was in her fifties and was a bit stingy, but she was a very nice person. She was hesitating as she held a cabbage, clearly considering whether to buy it or not.

Jia Taotao opened the window, and the conversation below became clear instantly.

"150 is really not expensive. I went through a lot of trouble to get these vegetables in. You're only buying this once, so why are you reluctant to spend a little more money? At this time of year, it's harder than climbing to heaven to get some leafy greens."

The scalper was quick-witted and eloquent; he managed to sway the landlady with just a few words.

Seeing her chance, and fearing that the landlady might be tricked, Jia Taotao opened the window and shouted, "Auntie, don't buy his stuff! You'll get free food soon!"

She put in all her strength, startling the landlady, who dropped the cabbage she was holding back into the bowl.

When the landlady looked up and saw that it was Jia Taotao who was speaking, she immediately changed her mind.

"This cabbage is too expensive, I don't want it."

She turned and left after she finished speaking.

Since there are free vegetables available, why be a sucker and spend money to buy vegetables from scalpers?

"Xiao Tao, where is the free food you mentioned earlier?"

"It's on the bamboo raft, Auntie, please wait a little longer, I'll come and get you when it arrives!"

Jia Taotao deliberately shouted loudly so that her neighbors, who were unaware of the news, would not be fooled into buying the scalper's overpriced vegetables.

The menu was posted in the property management group. There are two types of soup rice: one is beef curry, and the other is mushroom and vegetable soup rice.

The food on the bamboo raft had all been cooked beforehand and was all semi-finished products.

Once you're in the neighborhood, all you need to do is adjust the seasoning, simmer it in the pot for five or six minutes, and you can make a whole pot of food.

In case everyone is waiting too long, in addition to the cooks, there are also assistants who serve and deliver the food.

Jia Taotao watched as the bamboo raft had already reached Building 4 in just half an hour, and it wouldn't be long before it reached their building.

The scalper downstairs was furious and cursed a few times.

Jia Taotao listened upstairs, but didn't care at all.

"Didn't you say there were plenty of buyers? Go sell to them then!"

She threw back what the scalper had told her an hour earlier: "There are plenty of people who want to buy them, go ahead and sell them!"

With free food trucks available, who would be willing to sell their high-priced items?

The scalper knew perfectly well what was going on, and was even more furious.

Jia Taotao's words were clearly stabbing them in the back.

But unfortunately, he had said those words before, so there was no way to refute them.

Seeing that the two grown men were about to get angry, and fearing that Jia Taotao would suffer a loss if a conflict broke out, the landlady quickly went upstairs and knocked on her door.

"Xiao Tao, don't argue with them."

Jia Taotao then pulled her head back and closed the window. "Auntie, don't worry, I won't say anything more."

She knew the landlady meant well, and after venting her anger, she quickly turned back.

The scalper was still downstairs, and it would take an hour for the bamboo raft to get to this building. Jia Taotao had nothing to do, so she turned on her phone again.

I haven't used my phone for several days, and when I suddenly turned it on, I had no idea what to do.

Jia Taotao poked around aimlessly for a while, and finally plunged into Weibo.

Clicking into the trending topics in H City, the story of delivering food by bamboo rafts is trending in the local area.

Perhaps because of the prior delivery of supplies, the food delivery did not climb to the top of the trending topics.

Jia Taotao, the person involved, was very interested in what the food was like and immediately clicked on it.

As soon as she entered, she saw the lunch that people from the neighboring community were sharing.

Yellow curry isn't usually very appealing, but after being hungry for days, everything looked delicious to Jia Taotao.

Just seeing the large chunks of beef and potatoes in the curry made her mouth water.

When will it arrive?

She wasn't starving, but the cravings in her stomach were irresistible.

"It looks so delicious!"

That's how carnivores are. After seeing the large chunks of beef, Jia Taotao couldn't even bear to look at the mushroom and vegetable rice that followed. All she wanted was for the bamboo raft to arrive quickly.

To avoid getting cravings during the hour-long wait, Jia Taotao quickly switched to other trending topics.

This switch led her to a particularly trending topic.

Five hundred stall owners cross the Yangtze River

The title left Jia Taotao completely bewildered; she couldn't guess that it contained content about God's infamy.

Out of curiosity, she clicked on it and took a look.

"Yes, we're about to set off."

The video on the trending topics list played automatically, and an old woman's face appeared.

"When Mrs. Zhenzhen proposed this plan, I was the first to sign up. At my age, I have never done anything so meaningful."

One by one, uncles and aunties passed by in the scene, carrying their kitchen utensils, chatting as they boarded the bamboo raft.

Seeing this, Jia Taotao finally understood their identities.

They are the owners on the bamboo raft, the people responsible for cooking the food.

Five hundred people, each with a bamboo raft, set off with the morning sun.

There weren't many people in the picture, but the sight of them boarding the bamboo raft brought tears to Jia Taotao's eyes.

"Being able to provide everyone with a hot meal is probably another pursuit for those of us who run snack businesses, besides making money."

"President Hu is giving us an opportunity. What's that phrase again? To realize the meaning of life."

"It's not hard work, we're used to it. In this line of work, we often have to get up early and work late."

"It's my turn. You can interview other people. I'll be going now."

The aunt being interviewed also boarded the bamboo raft, and when she saw the camera filming, she waved in their direction.

With a sway, the bamboo raft followed behind the other rafts, drifting towards the buildings.

For some reason, Jia Taotao was moved by this ordinary scene of leaving.

She sniffed and quickly opened the comments section, but the first comment made her hold back her tears.

[My mom's on TV! Hahaha, my mom's on TV!]

It's clear that the person who left the comment was genuinely happy and proud.

She smiled slightly and continued reading.

After this experience, I vowed never to waste food again.

God knows what I've been through these past few days. All I want to do right now is give that version of myself from a week ago who didn't even bother to take the leftovers home after eating out.

Our predecessors crossed the river for the people, and the stall owners are crossing the river for the people too. Indeed, I can always trust my compatriots!

My 40-year-old auntie has already gone to realize her life's value, and I'm only 20. I'm no longer going to be so down! There are still so many things I can do in the future!

Jia Taotao felt like crying again.

She whimpered twice, but before she could cry, she heard the landlady call out, "Xiao Tao, come downstairs, it's time to get your food!"

That sentence immediately dispelled all my emotions.

Jia Taotao scrambled to her feet in a panic, "Coming! I want curry beef rice!"

She casually posted the comment.

[I'm going to be a huge fan of Sister Hu now! At a time like this, she actually sent 500 people just so we could have a meal. My mom never thought of me like that!]

Two minutes later, Jia Taotao, holding the bowl, couldn't help but post another message.

[Anyone know what I mean? The curry beef is so delicious!]