The morning sun pierced through the clouds and shone on the ravaged land.
Bai Yajing stood in front of the temporary medical tent, gazing at the rising sun in the distance, and took a deep breath with her arms outstretched.
The air still smelled of dust and disinfectant, but it was much better than the suffocating, deathly atmosphere it had a month ago.
"Driver, our car will be here in half an hour."
Zhou Lin, who had lost weight, walked over and handed her a cup of steaming water. "Drink something to warm yourself up; it's still a bit chilly in the morning."
"Thank you." Bai Yajing took the cup, lowered her head and took a sip. The warm water relieved her fatigue from working non-stop.
A large crowd had gathered around the medical station, spontaneously coming to bid farewell to the medical staff who had lent a helping hand in this time of crisis.
Bai Yajing's eyes searched for that small figure in the crowd, but she couldn't find it.
"Where's Liu Liu?" she asked Zhou Lin, turning to him.
"I don't know, I just saw her helping to pack up the medicine." Zhou Lin looked around but couldn't see the small figure. "She probably went to say goodbye to the other children."
Bai Yajing nodded, a feeling of reluctance welling up in her heart.
Ever since she treated that sensible little girl, she has inexplicably felt a deep connection to this orphan who had lost both parents.
She later learned that the child's parents were both teachers. When the earthquake struck, many children were asleep. The teachers ran around trying to wake the children and help them escape, but they themselves perished in the disaster.
The school is located in the town, and many children from nearby rural areas live at the school because it is inconvenient for them to travel back and forth.
She remembered that ever since Liu Liu recovered from her injury, she always followed silently behind her, like a little tail, busy with everything.
I remembered checking on the patients late at night and finding the little girl curled up on the hospital bed, sobbing, but she immediately wiped away her tears and pretended to be asleep when I approached; I remembered yesterday the little girl carefully cleaned the red flower she had picked up, blushing as she put it on my head...
"Zhou Lin, how are situations like Liu Liu's usually handled?" Bai Yajing felt sorry for her, having become an orphan at such a young age.
"I've inquired; the procedure is to first send them to an orphanage, and then wait for relatives to claim them or for them to be adopted by the community."
Zhou Lin was also feeling down. He sighed softly, "But given the current situation in the disaster area, the surrounding orphanages are also operating beyond capacity..."
Bai Yajing's heart clenched suddenly.
She had to leave today, and the closer it got to her departure, the more uneasy and anxious she became.
Whenever she thought about that well-behaved and sensible little girl being sent to a crowded orphanage and facing an unknown future, her heart would clench.
"Aunt Bai!" A soft, familiar voice came from behind.
Bai Yajing turned around and saw Liu Liu running towards her with a bunch of wildflowers in her arms. Her little face was covered in mud, but her eyes were bright and full of joy.
"Look, I found so many more flowers!" Liu Liu proudly displayed the wildflowers that had tenaciously grown amidst the ruins. "They're even prettier than yesterday's!"
She only found this much after searching for it early this morning.
Today, Aunt Bai is leaving, and she wants to give her a gift as a token of her gratitude for taking care of her for so long.
Bai Yajing's eyes reddened. Silly girl, yesterday's flowers were fake, of course they weren't as pretty as real flowers.
She knelt down and gently wiped the dirt from the little girl's face: "So pretty, thank you, Liu Liu." She took the flowers, lowered her head, and sniffed them lightly. "They smell so good..."
"Liu Liu," Bai Yajing began hesitantly, "do you know we're leaving today?"
The little girl's sweet smile froze for a moment. She lowered her head hesitantly, shuffling her toes on the ground: "I know... Aunt Ma told me."
"Do you know where you're going next?" She felt bad asking herself this question.
Liu Liu shook her head, her voice barely audible: "Aunt Ma said someone would take care of me..."
She looked up, her big eyes brimming with tears, "I... Aunt Bai, can I go with you?"
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