Chapter 73 He Mingzhou's suitors?
Upon hearing this voice, everyone turned their heads in unison.
"Commander?"
"Commander! What brings you here!"
Upon seeing the familiar man, the islanders all stood up.
Some people even lowered their heads, looking somewhat flustered, carefully recalling whether they had said anything inappropriate.
The standard of living on the island had never been very good, and it only improved significantly after the division commander and his legion moved in.
In their daily lives, these People's Liberation Army soldiers have helped them a great deal.
In any emergency, these people are always at the forefront, truly the guardians of their islanders.
They saw firsthand how much these soldiers helped them during this typhoon.
Leaving aside things like repairing houses and cleaning roads, the fact that He Mingzhou and his wife gave them their own stored grain free of charge, ensuring they had three meals a day, made them extremely grateful to the People's Liberation Army.
Now that the island's top leader has arrived, everyone feels both grateful and apprehensive.
They were afraid that the big boss would announce some bad news that would make things even worse, but they also hoped that the big boss would bring some good news that would cheer them up.
"Hello everyone."
A square-faced man with a kind yet resolute expression strode into the crowd.
"I should have come and chatted with my fellow villagers after the typhoon ended, but I've been too busy lately, so I can only take this opportunity to come and talk to everyone."
Please forgive me.
Everyone was flattered and surprised: "Commander, what are you saying!"
"We saw how much you helped us during this typhoon. Please don't say that, or we'll be ashamed."
The division commander smiled and patted the older village chief on the shoulder: "With the army and the people working together, these are things we should do."
"Natural disasters are unavoidable, but people's hearts can be united. We are all from the same island. We were born and raised here, and we all have feelings for this place. When something like this happens, everyone should do their part."
Those who had a deep affection for this island couldn't help but wipe away tears upon hearing this.
"Commander, we are truly moved to hear your words."
"It's such a blessing to have people like you on our island!"
Some people felt moved, while others were indignant.
Uncle Shi's voice stood out abruptly amidst the sobbing of the crowd: "Let's put aside the question of whether it's a blessing or not for now, leader. Now that you're here, can we give you a definite answer?"
"Although this typhoon lasted less than usual, it was very powerful. Many people have run out of food and supplies. What are we going to do if we starve to death?"
"Since you say we're all family, can you at least give us something to eat?"
Upon hearing Uncle Shi's words, the village chief's pupils dilated in shock. He rushed over and pulled Uncle Shi up, asking incredulously, "Are you alright?!"
"Didn't they help us enough during this typhoon? How can you talk like that! Apologize to the higher-ups right now!"
Uncle Shi looked displeased: "Will I get something to eat for apologizing?"
"People are starving to death, why bother with those other things?"
"I'll put it this way: I'll thank whoever gives me food."
"Otherwise, don't even think about making me bow down!"
The village chief was so angry that his eyes turned red.
Seeing this, the others couldn't help but glare angrily at Uncle Shi.
But no one stood up to stop it.
Although what Uncle Shi said was harsh, it wasn't entirely unreasonable.
Everyone has reached a dead end, so who would care about those things now?
All they wanted to know was whether they could survive; nothing else mattered.
"It's your problem if you don't have food, why should you hold the entire island hostage to pay for our food?"
“I’m telling you, don’t go too far. The People’s Liberation Army comrades not only have to build houses and pave roads for us, but they also have to take care of you. Don’t forget who it was who braved the storm to sail out and rescue people when the typhoon came.”
“We’ve lived on this island for generations. Don’t tell me this is the first time you’ve heard about typhoons on our island. Knowing this would happen, why didn’t you prepare in advance? Are you just waiting to take advantage of others? Do you think others owe you anything?”
Aunt Yang had always disliked Uncle Shi, and just now he had pointed at her and called her a jinx. She had long been unable to hold back her emotions. Seeing that Uncle Shi dared to speak so arrogantly in front of his superiors, she finally couldn't help but blurt out her true feelings.
A ruthless glint flashed across Uncle Shi's face, and the others stopped pretending and stood up in unison beside him.
"Commander, please tell me what we should do about this."
A third of the people on the island are on Uncle Shi's side.
Xin Li noticed that these were the same people who had tried to get grain from others without paying, and couldn't help but narrow her eyes.
If it were a post-apocalyptic world, and there was such a rotten apple in the team, she would just throw the person into a zombie-infested area and let them fend for themselves.
But that won't work here.
Xin Li couldn't help but look at He Mingzhou's superior.
What would they do in such a situation?
"I came here today to talk to everyone about this."
The division commander was, after all, an experienced leader. Faced with the blatant moral blackmail by Uncle Shi and his ilk, he showed not a trace of anger on his face.
He remained very calm throughout.
But he doesn't come across as weak or easy to bully.
Instead, it gave the impression that he was calm and collected, effortlessly handling the situation.
"say what?"
Uncle Shi is still being aggressive.
The village chief wanted to cover Old Shi's mouth, but with so many people around, he refrained from doing so.
"The provincial leaders also know about the typhoon hitting our island."
"Our leaders were deeply saddened by what happened to us and made arrangements immediately."
"I have received news that the deputy commander of the provincial military region has sent his daughter, Miss Xie Shuangshuang, to personally deliver supplies to the island. She should arrive in about three days."
"The food issue will be resolved soon, so there's no need to worry."
"These three days everyone should tighten their belts and make do with what they can. Once the supplies arrive, everyone's predicament will be resolved."
Is this true?
Everyone was overjoyed to hear that the supplies would arrive in three days.
Aunt Yang's eyes welled up with tears: "It seems that no one has forgotten us."
"Everyone still remembers our island."
Xin Li handed Aunt Yang a handkerchief and asked in a low voice, "Who is the deputy commander of the provincial military region?"
Aunt Yang said, "The deputy commander of the provincial military region is named Xie Lin. He is over fifty years old this year. I heard that he was a brave and valiant soldier in his early years and was highly respected."
Xinli nodded in understanding: "Did his daughter also join the army? What position does she hold?"
Aunt Yang paused for a moment, then looked troubled and said, "I really don't know about that. You should ask Xiao He. He should know a lot about it. He even went to the provincial military region for training back then. I heard that there was someone in the military region who was relentlessly pursuing him. He should know a lot about what happened there."
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