"My God, what's going on?"
Just as Shiyue was staring blankly at the boulder, she heard Cui Yun's terrified voice from behind her.
Before she could reply, Cui Yun had already run past her and headed ahead.
Cui Yun helped out in the kitchen, and she knew better than Shi Yue how serious it was that the cave was blocked.
Yesterday, because rain was leaking through the windows of the mess hall, their squad leader was worried that the flour would get damp, so he had someone carry the five spare bags of flour into the cave.
Thinking about the food supplies currently in the mess hall, Cui Yun felt a chill run down his spine.
She was so frightened that her legs went weak, and ignoring the slippery ground, she plunged headfirst into the crowd.
While searching, they shouted, "Where is Political Commissar Qi? Where is Qi Feng? Has anyone seen Qi Feng?"
Hearing that Cui Yun was looking for Political Commissar Qi, Shi Yue quickly followed.
She also wanted to know what the current situation was.
Cui Yun and Shi Yue searched for Qi Feng in the crowd for a long time, but they couldn't find him.
Just as the two were about to go further inside, they suddenly heard a wailing sound coming from the side: "It's all my fault, it's all my fault! Battalion Commander, punish me!"
The two of them looked toward the source of the sound.
Then I saw the head of the mess hall, a veteran in his thirties, squatting on the ground and crying loudly.
The cries were filled with remorse and despair.
Shiyue's heart skipped a beat.
Cui Yun also stopped walking.
I don't know when He Lixuan came over, but when he saw Shiyue like this, he explained in a low voice: "The battalion commander said to blow up this big rock, but the engineering regiment doesn't agree."
They said the cave wasn't completely secured yet, and using explosives might cause a collapse.
If the cave collapses, that's a minor problem. But if it triggers a larger mudslide that destroys the other two warehouses that are almost finished, that would be a much bigger problem.
But this stone…
He Lixuan looked at the large rock through the heavy rain, and his mood became extremely heavy.
That huge rock was truly beyond human capability to move.
There is also no large machinery available on the island.
Even if they did, they couldn't drive up the mountain.
That cave should probably be abandoned.
What He Lixuan thought of, Shi Yue and Cui Yun could naturally think of as well.
The thought of having to feed the entire island for twenty days in caves terrified Cui Yun, turning her lips white.
On the other side, Wu He and Qi Feng also looked extremely solemn after hearing that the rations left outside were only enough to feed the entire island for five days.
Many people on the island did not sleep that night.
The engineers and the Sixth Iron Battalion were taking turns clearing the road in front of the cave.
They were trying to go around the boulder and dig out other passages to see if they could get into the cave.
Meanwhile, Shiyue and Cuiyun were not idle either. They knocked on the doors of every house on the island overnight and collected all the stored food from everyone's homes.
The soldiers were managed centrally, so naturally they had no stored food.
But the experts are different.
Today, there are more than 60 experts and staff members assisting them on the island, some of whom have brought their families with them.
There were couples, brothers like Qian Feiyue, and some even brought their children.
According to the island's regulations, the expert team members can eat at the small canteen on Shiyue's side, or they can take the food home and cook for themselves.
Ordinary staff could eat in the army's mess hall or take their food home and cook for themselves.
Therefore, many families on the island have food reserves.
At times like these, when the entire island has no more than five days' worth of food reserves, what difference is there between experts and ordinary people?
Naturally, all available grains should be collected and distributed in fixed quantities.
In such stormy weather, no one knows when the next supply ship will arrive.
As for when the grain can be dug up, there's no guarantee at all.
Therefore, the biggest problem on the island at this moment is how to ensure that everyone has food and can survive until the next supply ship arrives.
The noise had already woken everyone up.
After hearing Shiyue and the others' explanation, no one raised any questions.
Everyone conscientiously took out their family's food rations...
Shi Yue and Liang Yueming collected all the edible ingredients from the small kitchen and sent them to the dining hall.
She also brought the two bags of flour she had just received with her.
Even if all the grain were put together and each person were given one steamed bun per meal, it wouldn't be enough to feed the entire island for seven days.
After all, besides experts and staff, there are more than 300 soldiers on the island.
This was even with the personnel not at full strength, and half of them being unable to return to the island due to the heavy rain while staying near the regimental headquarters.
But one steamed bun per meal is simply not enough to fill the stomachs of these young soldiers.
Everyone present fell silent upon seeing these items.
"I'll take some people up the mountain to dig for wild vegetables tomorrow," Cui Yun said, wiping away her tears.
As a housewife, I understand the value of food better than anyone else.
The thought of so much food being wasted made Cui Yun's heart ache, and she couldn't stop crying.
"Let's split into groups. Besides wild vegetables, there are also fruits. Let's find as many people as possible to go up the mountain and divide into several groups. Let's pick as much as we can while we can."
"Otherwise, if this rain continues for a few more days, the fruit will all rot," Shiyue suggested.
Cao Dalin, the head of the cooking squad, was so remorseful about his serious mistake that he was on the verge of a breakdown.
The man in his thirties cried his heart out in front of so many people in the entire camp, almost banging his head on the ground.
But everyone knows that he can't be entirely blamed for this.
Who could have foreseen such a natural disaster?
At this moment, Cao Dalin was silently counting the amount of grain, and then directing the soldiers in his squad to carry it into the house.
After listening to what Shiyue and the other woman said, he turned to Wu He and said, "Battalion Commander, please assign two of us who know the terrain in the mountains to pick them now."
Wu He denied it without even looking up, saying, "Your task is to distribute the food properly and cook the meals. From now on, everyone on the island will be eating in the communal dining hall, so your task will be even more demanding."
"You don't need to find wild vegetables or pick fruit; you should focus on your regular jobs."
After saying that, he looked at Shiyue and Liang Yueming and said, "The small canteen will be closed for a while. You two can come and help out at the big canteen."
But there's one thing you must remember: although we're facing some difficulties right now, no matter how tough it gets, the experts' food quality cannot be lowered; we must ensure they're well-fed and satisfied.
Even if we have to eat less, we must save food. We absolutely cannot allow the experts to work on an empty stomach!
Wu He left, and Shi Yue and Liang Yueming both looked troubled.
Liang Yueming had no idea how to ensure that the experts were well-fed; even the most skilled cook can't make a meal without ingredients!
Shiyue wasn't worried about that.
She has a group-buying group, so making sure the experts are well-fed is no problem.
Her worry was how to get them to eat.
Given that everyone on the island has a fixed schedule and quotas, it would be strange if those veteran experts wanted to be treated differently.
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