Xu Bai said, "It's all fine. You stay here with the older sisters and don't wander around. I'll go check over there."
Chen Zhaoci said, "Take several people with you, and make sure there are always people around to serve you."
The more chaotic the situation, the more likely problems are to arise. Who knows if everyone in this town is trustworthy?
Because of her leg injury, Qingqing had been lying on the bedding spread on the ground. In the dim light of the tent, which was swaying slightly, she saw Chen Zhaoci standing at the tent entrance, and her heart ached even more. At just ten years old, she naturally did not know what the heart-pounding shaking had been, but she knew very well that this was another disaster that could kill someone.
Seeing that Qingqing had calmed down, Chen Zhaoci breathed a long sigh of relief and said, "Qingqing, don't be afraid. We have made full preparations, and there won't be any major problems."
That being said, Chen Zhaoci didn't know where the epicenter was or how damaging it would be. What worried him most was that Xu Rao had just taken office and was already facing such a situation. If this got into the mouths of those with ulterior motives, they might fabricate some kind of dramatic story.
Chen Zhaoci gently patted Qingqing's back, then looked up and saw that it was pitch black outside the tent flap. He had no idea what time it was.
Bai Wei and Bai Mi had already gone outside with Xu Bai. Qingqing tightly gripped Chen Zhaoci's sleeve and asked in a trembling voice, "Madam, is it all over?"
Chen Zhaoci said softly, "Qingqing, it's all over. Things will get better from here on out, so don't worry."
Thinking of the girl's unstable emotions, Chen Zhaoci thought for a moment and said, "Qingqing, have you always lived here with your family?"
When Qingqing heard Chen Zhaoci ask her, she nodded and said, "Yes, my mother gave birth to me here. My grandmother said that when my grandfather had an accident, the whole family was exiled here. My father married my mother here. Unfortunately, after my father passed away, my mother died after giving birth to me."
Hearing Qingqing's somewhat downcast tone, Chen Zhaoci quickly changed the subject, asking, "Qingqing, is there anywhere you'd like to go?"
Qingqing thought of the hometown her grandmother had mentioned to her and said with some longing, "Yes, I want to go to Qiantang to see it. My grandmother said that's our hometown. I'm a child of the Chen family, so I should know where I came from. Originally, my grandmother was thinking of taking me back to see it once we had saved enough money."
Thinking that she was now separated from her grandmother forever, Qingqing couldn't help but shed tears again. Chen Zhaoci sighed inwardly as he watched the little girl unable to avoid her grandmother. He said, "The old man who came with me to see you this afternoon was the same age as your grandfather and had known him for many years. However, he lost contact with your grandfather and your family. It was a coincidence that he met you here. He wants to adopt you and let you live with him from now on."
Qingqing thought about how she was all alone, and she was a girl. Even the small house she could live in was buried under rocks. If she continued to stay here, she would surely die. But she was not sure if she could just follow someone she had only met a few times. The main reason was that she had never heard her grandparents talk about the old man from that afternoon.
Chen Zhaoci naturally noticed Qingqing's hesitation. In fact, this was only natural. No one would feel at ease following someone they had just met to a distant place, not knowing where they would end up in the future.
Chen Zhaoci didn't continue to persuade her, but simply pulled the blanket covering Qingqing up a little more. Bai Wei ran in from outside and said, "Madam, there are a few injured people over there. Please go and take a look."
Upon hearing Bai Wei's words, Chen Zhaoci exclaimed in surprise, "Haven't they already been moved out of the house?"
Bai Wei said, "The village head said that some households were worried about their belongings, so they went back to sleep and didn't run out when the earthquake struck."
Chen Zhaoci was speechless. He sighed and said, "They really value things more than their lives."
As she spoke, she stood up from the ground, tucked the blanket around Qingqing, and said, "Qingqing, get some rest. I'll go check on things over there."
Bai Wei carried Chen Zhaoci's medicine box on her back, and Chen Zhaoci hurriedly headed towards the place where the injured were being cared for.
Many people were injured, mostly with external injuries. There had been warnings, and most people obediently came out of their homes. Only a few families scoffed at the village head's arrangements and insisted on taking their families back home to sleep. Who could have imagined that the earthquake would strike in the middle of the night? Fortunately, most of them were outside and were not injured, which allowed manpower to rescue those trapped inside after the houses collapsed.
The whole town was ablaze with torches. The houses on both sides of the main road, being wooden structures, were not damaged much. Some of the houses, which were made of adobe and were quite old, collapsed. After the people were rescued, some people carried torches to check on their homes.
Bai Wei and Bai Mi, along with a few others, have already treated some of the mild cases. However, there are a few more serious cases that are waiting for Chen Zhaoci to come and handle.
It wasn't until dawn that Chen Zhaoci finished dealing with the last matter and carefully explained the follow-up care arrangements. Chen Zhaoci then walked back to his tent, rubbing his lower back.
Wu Muyue hadn't slept all night either. When he saw Chen Zhaoci return, he called out to her and said, "Zhaoci, the most severe earthquake occurred in the mountains twenty miles away from here."
Upon hearing this, Chen Zhaoci exclaimed in surprise, "Uncle, you found out so quickly!"
Wu Muyue said, "It was the village head who said that after the earthquake, people ran outside, saying that the whole mountain had collapsed. Fortunately, the village head sent people over in the afternoon. The village chief and the villagers were all outside, so there should be no casualties."
Chen Zhaoci chanted a Buddhist prayer and said, "It was also a stroke of luck. Such a powerful earthquake happened in the middle of the night. If we hadn't been prepared, who knows how many people would have been injured."
Wu Muyue said, "I have already sent someone by fast horse to Liaodong. The letter should arrive there by noon at the earliest. My idea is that we should just wait here for the next few days. A'rao might not be able to come back."
Thinking of her husband, Chen Zhaoci felt that he would definitely come, so she nodded and said, "I will follow my uncle's arrangements."
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