Shen Xiaobei met some PLA soldiers and medical staff along the way, but none of them were from the same unit as Duan Xichuan.
A PLA soldier told him that there were probably still tens of thousands of PLA soldiers left in the disaster area.
Hearing this number, Shen Xiaobei felt safe, but also felt that finding Duan Xichuan in a short period of time would be like looking for a needle in a haystack, so she immediately changed her plan.
I decided not to look for him for the time being, and instead to join these PLA soldiers in the construction of temporary housing for the disaster victims.
She stayed in a larger resettlement site that was under preliminary construction.
This resettlement site is temporarily named Ankang District Resettlement Site, implying that the victims living here will be safe and healthy.
There are many PLA soldiers living in Ankang District. Together with some disaster victims, they are responsible for clearing roads and sites every day.
Then, materials are collected from the ruins of the damaged buildings and the available building materials are moved to the resettlement site to build temporary housing.
They also need to build a few classrooms here so that the surviving students can start classes as soon as possible.
These post-disaster tasks are tedious and hard, and everyone works very hard.
However, Shen Xiaobei stayed here and saw so many soldiers in uniform every day. She felt very fulfilled, and sometimes she felt as if she was fighting side by side with Duan Xichuan.
Every day we clean the site under the scorching sun, moving various construction materials back and forth, and are busy all day long.
In just a few days, Shen Xiaobei became tanned, and the skin on his face, neck and arms turned a healthy wheat color.
A person in charge of Ankang District is a native of Yan City and a surviving disaster victim. Everyone calls him Director Cheng.
Director Cheng is in his forties and is a refined man. However, in the period after the disaster, his temperament has been honed to become more like a rough and tough guy.
Director Cheng organizes the disaster victims here to cooperate with the work of the People's Liberation Army every day, and is also responsible for taking care of the lives of the disaster victims. Of course, he also works hard with everyone.
In early September, it suddenly rained one afternoon. It was quite heavy and everyone stopped working and rested in the shed.
Shen Xiaobei felt bored staying in the shed, so he took out the collection of essays he had published from his luggage bag to read to pass the time.
When Director Cheng came to inspect, he saw that other victims were either gathered together chatting or sleeping, but Shen Xiaobei was reading a book alone, and he immediately admired her.
Then he walked over and greeted her, "Comrade Xiao Shen, are you reading a book?"
"Haha, hello Director Cheng, just browsing."
Seeing Director Cheng coming over, Shen Xiaobei closed the book casually with some embarrassment.
When she closed the book, Director Cheng accidentally noticed the author's name and said casually, "The author of this book is Shen Xiaobei? I think I've seen this name in the newspaper before."
"Haha, yes, Director Cheng, this author has indeed published some articles in newspapers."
"Oh, I was thinking! It seems Comrade Xiao Shen is really a good comrade who loves reading books and newspapers. He's so familiar with this writer's works. Oh, by the way, I never had the chance to ask Comrade Xiao Shen, where did you work before?"
"Director Cheng, you're too kind! Uh... I didn't have a job before. If I had to say I had one, it would be writing."
"Writing? Comrade Xiao Shen is good at writing?"
"Director Cheng, I...I won't hide it from you! The author of this book is actually me, and my full name is Shen Xiaobei."
“Ah? You are Shen Xiaobei, and you are actually a female writer?”
"Haha, yes, Director Cheng, I am indeed a female writer. Is it that my current appearance doesn't seem like someone who works in this profession?"
After introducing himself, seeing Director Cheng so surprised, Shen Xiaobei smiled and asked with a hint of humor.
"Oh, Comrade Xiao Shen, no, Writer Shen, I'm so careless. You've been working here for a few days, and I didn't even ask for your full name."
"I've always called you Comrade Xiao Shen, Comrade Xiao Shen, and I thought you were just an ordinary volunteer. I never thought you were such a talented person!"
"Writer Shen——"
"Director Cheng, please don't call me Writer Shen. Just call me Comrade Xiao Shen, or call me Xiao Shen, which is more intimate."
"Oh, that's fine too. From now on, I'll just call Writer Shen Xiao Shen."
"Xiao Shen, you are a young girl, and a young girl who works in the literature. You are willing to come here to support the reconstruction work in the disaster area and do physical work with us every day without fear of hardship. On behalf of all the disaster victims, I sincerely thank you!"
"Director Cheng, please don't say that. I'm just an ordinary person like the other volunteers, doing my ordinary work."
"Compared to these PLA soldiers, our work isn't hard at all. Look at them, they don't even take a break even on rainy days, they're still working in their raincoats!"
Shen Xiaobei looked outside the shed and saw several PLA soldiers passing by in raincoats, still busy moving bricks.
The rain hit their faces and they could hardly open their eyes, but their expressions were still so resolute, as if they were not afraid of the wind and rain at all.
"Ah, these PLA soldiers are indeed the hardest-working and the most able to endure hardships. Without them, these days for us disaster victims would be even more difficult."
"Yes, they are the greatest and cutest people in the world!"
While sincerely admiring these PLA soldiers, Shen Xiaobei also thought of Duan Xichuan.
She also admired him sincerely.
She thought that Duan Xichuan should be wearing a raincoat at this moment, moving back and forth outside a resettlement site to carry construction materials, or building the frame of a resettlement house.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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