"And you, didn't you also bring a first-aid kit?"
"I brought it, but there was no medicine inside."
Under Shen Yanming's questioning gaze, Li Gangtie explained, "It's mostly alcohol-soaked gauze, very little cold medicine or fever medicine. I even used it on those two idiots a couple of days ago."
"You didn't add anything?"
"Medicine is in short supply everywhere now; it's not something you can just replenish whenever you want." Then he murmured, "Do you think you can produce your own?"
Shen Yanming heard this and whispered in Li Gangtie's ear, "When we get back, I'll prepare one for you too. Keep this safe; it could save your life in a pinch."
Li Gangtie's eyes lit up, and he quickly nodded, lowering his voice to say, "Don't worry, I'll keep it for myself, I won't give it to anyone!"
Shen Yanming didn't believe he could do it, but he still decided to prepare some effective medicine for him. Whether he kept it for himself or gave it to someone in need, it would be a good deed for him.
Seeing that no one from this family had come out yet, Shen Yanming said, "Let's clear the way and check on the other houses. If there are similar cases, we can send them to the hospital together."
They discovered that there were others who needed emergency care, but the car had already disappeared.
Li Gangtie nodded and made the arrangements.
One person stayed behind to help, while the rest cleared a path through the house.
Every time I passed a house, I would knock on the door to see if anyone was still alive and if they needed any help, and I would also tell them about the peculiarities of these ice cubes.
"I knew it! Why did it suddenly get so cold? It's all because of this nasty thing!" After hearing what the guard said, the old man bent down, picked up a lump of ice from the snow at the door, and threw it into the distance.
His expression was one of utter hatred, as if he wanted to devour someone.
"Hey, sir, don't get so agitated! Even if you throw away the ice, it will still sublimate, and the temperature here will continue to drop."
"Then what should we do?" The old man didn't understand what sublimation was, but from the guard's tone, he knew he had done more harm than good.
"Is anyone still at home? Let's all come out and look for ice blocks. If you find them, give them to us and we'll take them back and seal them up."
The old man's eyes darted around: "From what you're saying, this thing is actually a good one?"
Li Gangtie coughed lightly, unsure of what to say.
Shen Yanming smiled and said, "Whether this ice is a good thing or not, no one can say for sure. As it stands, it's a bad thing because sublimation absorbs heat, which leads to a drop in ambient temperature, causing people to catch a cold and plants and animals to freeze."
However, it can be put to good use; for example, it can be used as a refrigerator in the summer, which is energy-efficient and hassle-free.
Sublimation doesn't leave any water stains.
"Also, the research institute is stepping up its research, and who knows, this ice might be useful in other fields as well. After all, it fell from the sky, so it can't be that simple."
Shen Yanming's words were actually quite moderate, but to the old man, they made him feel as if he had a fortune in front of him and he absolutely couldn't miss it.
People are naturally inclined to listen to things that benefit them. Even words without any particular meaning can carry a hint of seduction.
The old man was delighted and asked, "Then how do we store this thing after we take it home? We can't let it make the house even colder, can we?" They burn coal and charcoal anyway, and taking it home would only increase their coal consumption.
"We just sealed them in bottles and jars. We didn't think that everyone might not have enough containers, so we brought the supply trucks out."
"The ice we collected will need to be transported back and processed again. Otherwise, the temperature in Haishi will drop too low and freeze the wheat seedlings, and there probably won't be much of a harvest next year," Li Gangtie said.
"Sigh, yes, I was worried before you came. It's ten degrees colder than last year. I was afraid that people would survive, but the food wouldn't. In the end, wouldn't everyone just die?"
As the old man spoke, his expression turned sorrowful, which saddened the guards present.
"Let's not think about these things now, it's useless anyway. Let's hurry up and collect the ice blocks to control the temperature."
"If you're worried this thing might be useful in the future, you can keep some for yourself. If you don't want to keep it, that's fine too. Our guard team will keep it safe. If there's any problem in the future, we can always use it for everyone, right?" Shen Yanming said with a smile, changing the subject.
"Yes, yes, young man, you're right. Alright, I'll go tell my old buddies to come out and pick up ice blocks if they're not busy."
"Okay, make sure you wear something warm, it's cold outside. And tell your friend too, it's all snow outside, it's not easy for us to go to the hospital now," Li Gangtie instructed.
"Okay, I understand. You guys go ahead and get busy. Don't worry about this, leave it to me!" The old man readily took on all the responsibilities.
"Well, let our little soldier accompany you. He can help if needed."
Li Gangtie was genuinely worried about the old man. He didn't want him to get carried away and make something out of nothing; they couldn't afford the responsibility of "spreading rumors." It was better to have one of their own keep an eye on things so they could correct any mistakes.
While we're at it, let's also check on the other places. We don't want anyone freezing to death without them even knowing.
Li Gangtie spoke politely, and the old man didn't refuse. He happily led his guards towards the homes of his old buddies.
However, before they could even open up the road, the two of them were trudging through the snow.
The security guards are fine; they've gotten used to it over the past few days. But the old man is a different story; he's been shivering from the cold for just a few steps.
The guard couldn't bear it and asked, "Why don't you go home and wait, I'll go."
Not wanting to lose face, the old man waved his hand and said, "I said I'd take care of it, and I won't pass it on to you! When we get to my old buddy's house, I'll have a couple of drinks with him, and I'll feel better. Young man, don't worry!"
"Alright, then be careful. If you can't hold on any longer, just let me know and I'll take you home."
The old man rolled his eyes at him and walked away. He thought to himself, "Who does he think he is? Doesn't he remember that when I was young, you were still wearing open-crotch pants?"
If the guard knew what the old man was thinking, he would definitely burst out laughing three times.
In the end, it all comes down to age and seniority; I haven't seen you demonstrate any advantage in physical condition.
Even saying something like, "Your grandpa is strong and healthy, and I've been climbing mountains and wading through rivers since I was young," is more convincing than wearing open-crotch pants!
Shen Yanming and Li Gangtie were unaware of what was happening here; they led their men to shovel snow and clear a path.
Several households I passed by had elderly people or children with fevers.
Shen Yanming didn't hesitate and gave each of them two antipyretics to take first to control their condition.
Li Gangtie knew that others had it, so he didn't react. His other colleagues, however, looked surprised, wondering how Old Shen could be so capable.
Seeing everyone's confusion, Shen Yanming had no choice but to bite the bullet and explain.
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