Chapter 400 (End)
4:00 AM on July 29th
The sky was foggy, and Gu Yihan opened her eyes amidst the noisy commotion.
By the dim candlelight, I sat up and glanced at the empty tent.
Lu Huailin had gotten up and gone out at some point.
Temporary Supplies Distribution Act
Zhang Mei and the director of the Revolutionary Committee of Tang City were organizing women to cook porridge when they saw Gu Yihan coming over. They quickly wiped their hands on their aprons.
He walked towards her with a worried look on his face: "Xiao Han, there are too many people who need help. I'm afraid our supplies won't last long."
The entire city of Tang is now in ruins, with 2 million people affected. Housing is still manageable, as it's late July and not cold yet.
You can find any place to curl up and take a nap.
But with so many people, the supplies prepared in advance were simply a drop in the ocean.
Gu Yihan was about to say that the relief supplies would arrive soon.
At that moment, a woman in the crowd was holding a crying child.
They craned their necks and shouted, "Comrade, when are you going to distribute grain to us? Our children are crying from hunger!"
Several young men spent the whole day searching yesterday and didn't return until midnight. They woke up hungry before dawn.
They hurriedly pushed aside the crowd that was blocking their way.
They squeezed right in front of Zhang Mei and Gu Yihan, almost knocking over the grain bags next to them.
The militiamen responsible for maintaining order shouted urgently, "Don't push! Line up for food!"
With more people than food, some people worried that they wouldn't get any, and everyone wanted to rush forward.
Gu Yihan was worried about a stampede.
He quickly grabbed a large iron ladle and started banging it hard against the large iron pot.
He shouted, "Everyone, quiet down! There's plenty of food, but you must take it in order!"
"The elderly, children, and the wounded should receive food first; others should line up according to their families, with one representative from each family!"
At this moment, a woman raised her voice and retorted, "Don't try to fool us. The elderly and children go first."
What if we run out of them?!
"There are so many people, not just one or two. Aren't we going to go hungry!"
Hearing the woman's words, people in the crowd immediately became dissatisfied with Gu Yihan's arrangements.
Twenty-four hours have passed since the earthquake struck; their homes, their means of survival, are gone, and their food is gone too.
August is almost here, and the weather is getting colder and colder.
Without a home, without a job, and even if they don't have enough to eat, they will either starve to death or freeze to death in the cold winter, even if they don't die in the earthquake.
Thinking of this, chaos instantly erupted in the crowd, with someone taking the lead and everyone pushing and shoving each other forward, each unwilling to yield to the other.
Gu Yihan frowned as she looked at the dozen or so young men who were causing trouble and looked like hooligans.
He immediately ordered the militiamen and soldiers who were trying to maintain order at the resettlement site: "Tie up the troublemakers first."
Upon hearing this, the militiamen and soldiers stationed at the resettlement site immediately tied up the dozen or so troublemakers and sent them away.
The remaining people immediately fell silent.
Gu Yihan looked at them expressionlessly and said loudly, "I know you have all lost your homes and are terrified."
"However, we must trust the country and the organization."
"The nation will never abandon any Chinese citizen in distress!"
"The organization will do its utmost to build the safest and warmest home for everyone."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried a calming power, gradually causing the chaotic crowd to form a long queue.
The sun has not yet risen
People from every corner of the city, and even from remote villages, flocked towards Tang City.
Some walked, some rode bicycles, and some rode oxcarts that were about to fall apart.
These people came from different backgrounds, but they all shared a firm destination.
Go to Tang City
Participating in rescue
Natural disasters are merciless and beyond human control.
People are compassionate; they brave mountains and rivers, undeterred by difficulties, to help their fellow Chinese compatriots.
With the sound of the truck braking sharply
The first to arrive were hundreds of thousands of People's Liberation Army soldiers and engineering corps soldiers working on infrastructure projects.
Their mission was to participate in rescue and infrastructure construction, including the railway troops and the infrastructure engineering troops, who were responsible for clearing away waste.
Temporary housing was built for 2 million disaster-stricken people to ensure they could safely get through the winter.
The people at the resettlement site watched as more and more People's Liberation Army soldiers disembarked from the trucks carrying supplies.
The anxiety in their hearts finally subsided, and many women no longer suppressed their fear.
Unable to hold back her tears, she cried out, "The organization hasn't abandoned us! The organization has sent people to help us rebuild our homes!"
"We no longer have to worry about having nowhere to live, and we no longer have to worry about our children going hungry or cold!"
Looking at the people crying loudly, Gu Yihan felt a lump in her throat and her eyes welled up with tears.
She immediately raised her voice and said reassuring words: "Aunties, our China is the most united country in the world."
"So don't worry about a lack of supplies. Even if the whole country has to work together, the organization will not let us go hungry!"
Upon hearing Gu Yihan's shouts, the elderly and women wiped away their tears and cried out, "Long live China!"
Then more and more people shouted "Long live the Chinese people!"
Zhang Mei and the other military spouses who came to help felt a surge of pride upon hearing the shouts of the crowd.
Looking at the endless rows of trucks loaded with supplies and soldiers not far away.
Some military wives covered their eyes, unable to hold back their tears.
She choked up as she said, "The thing I regret least is marrying my rough-and-tumble husband and becoming a military wife!"
Upon hearing this, Gu Yihan and Zhang Mei exchanged a glance and smiled faintly.
Hundreds of thousands of construction workers from all over the country rushed to the scene.
Together with 200,000 local construction workers, they formed the main force of construction, clearing away debris amidst aftershocks.
Find suitable building materials for reuse and carry out large-scale housing construction.
Two days later
Those who came spontaneously to help also gradually arrived.
Some of them were carrying pickaxes, while others had baskets on their backs.
Some carried loads on their shoulders, looking travel-worn.
There was a man driving an old tractor loaded with dried wild vegetables, dried bamboo shoots, and dried sweet potatoes donated by villagers.
They remained silent and uncomplaining, joining the cleanup of the ruins without a word.
Many overseas countries, led by the United States, monitored the earthquake in China in advance.
I was extremely surprised to see that Beijing remained calm and composed.
Did the Chinese people abandon the rescue efforts?
According to their monitoring results, this earthquake should be of a very high magnitude.
The destruction of the city and the loss of life were inevitable.
How come there's been no news?
When they learned that the cities in China that had been hit by the earthquake were destroyed, but that there were no casualties, they were shocked.
I can hardly believe my eyes
The earthquake monitoring experts in the United States were instantly unsettled.
They firmly believe that China's earthquake detection technology has surpassed theirs, which is why they were able to avoid such a terrible natural disaster.
Therefore, they all sent requests to the Chinese government for cultural exchange.
They wanted to steal knowledge from the monitoring centers of the Geological Bureau and the Seismological Bureau.
As a result, their attempt to steal the technology failed, and they were instead tricked by experts from China's Geological Bureau and Seismological Bureau into learning all of the U.S.'s technology.
This provided a wealth of experimental data for later earthquake monitoring and prevention in Wenchuan.
When the Ugly Kingdom and Japan learned they had been deceived, they were so angry they almost ground their teeth to powder.
at the same time
Tang City
In just three months, 1.879 million temporary houses were built, solving the housing problem for 2 million people during the winter.
Mid-November 1976
Lu Huailin received the evacuation notice, and Gu Yihan packed her belongings.
She glanced deeply at the rows of makeshift houses not far away, then turned and got into the military jeep.
After driving for half an hour, He Shengli suddenly slammed on the brakes.
Lu Huailin pulled Gu Yihan, who was leaning forward, into his arms and looked up ahead.
There were densely packed villagers, some carrying chickens, some carrying baskets, and some carrying sacks.
Several children suddenly appeared from both sides and blocked the jeep.
The little girl cried out in her childish voice, "Sister Gu, are you leaving?"
Upon seeing this, Gu Yihan quickly got out of the car and went over to touch the little girl who was crying with tears and snot mixed with her nose.
She said softly, "Don't cry. I'll come back to see you when Sister Gu is less busy, okay?"
The little girl with pigtails looked up with her bright, sparkling eyes.
She choked back tears and said, "Really?"
"real!"
"Sister Gu, you can't lie to me!"
A little boy squeezed in front of Gu Yihan and grabbed her hand.
"Okay, I won't lie to you!"
"Let's make a pinky promise!"
The little girl raised her pinky.
Gu Yihan looked at her tenderly and hooked her little finger around hers.
"Pinky promise, a hundred years from now, never to be broken!"
"I want to pinky swear too!"
"I want one too..."
"Okay, okay, okay, everyone's here!"
Gu Yihan patiently made pinkies with each of the children.
Turning around, I saw villagers stuffing things into the arms of soldiers in the army; some were eggs, some were sesame cakes.
There were also young girls from the family who would ask the young soldiers if they had wives.
The young soldier, his neck flushed, waved his hands repeatedly and ran away as if fleeing.
Half an hour later
After settling the enthusiastic villagers, Gu Yihan and Lu Huailin got into the car.
He waved goodbye to the villagers on both sides of the road.
Gu Yihan looked at the children, who were smiling broadly and chasing after the car, and tears welled up in her eyes.
That's wonderful, their biological parents are both around.
No need to experience the pain of losing a loved one
You don't have to worry about becoming an orphan or being bullied.
Lu Huailin sensed his wife's mood and held her small hand tightly with his rough hands.
"Wife, you still have me, and you still have Hao Hao."
"Haohao and I love you very much. Honey, please never leave us, okay?"
Lu Huailin was still a little uneasy; he wanted to keep this mysterious wife within his sight forever.
Gu Yihan nodded and leaned on Lu Huailin's shoulder.
Tears silently streamed down my face as I looked into the bright eyes of those innocent and lively children.
If she could preserve the smiles on their faces, she felt the journey was worthwhile.
She herself has found a lifelong partner and a lively, adorable child.
The End
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