The Xu family members exchanged glances after hearing Captain Long's words.
"Captain Long, thank you for braving the high temperature to deliver this reward to me. As for going to the safe base, I'll discuss it with my family first. If we want to go earlier, I'll call you!"
After seeing Captain Long off, Xu Lai and her family stayed in the air-conditioned room and discussed for a long time whether or not to go to the safe base ahead of schedule.
"We're living here just fine, and we really don't want to move now!"
Old Master Xu frowned and spoke first.
Xu Lai knew that her second great-uncle was reluctant to part with Grandpa Xiao who lived next door and Grandpa Lu who lived in the second unit.
Xu Haiguo and Song Qiu'e were also reluctant to move, since they had everything they needed here, while the base was only just starting construction and they knew that living there would be inconvenient for a long time.
"I'm really enjoying learning from Teacher Xia these days. I wonder if I'll ever find such a good teacher again if I go somewhere else?"
Well, here comes another one who doesn't want to leave.
Since neither of you wants to leave, Xu Lai, I won't force you.
Although going to the base in advance to participate in the construction can get priority in being allocated housing for free, working in such high temperatures also involves risking one's life.
Now that the family has enough to eat and drink, Xu Lai doesn't want her family to take any risks.
After deciding to stay in Jinxiu Community, the family returned to their monotonous but relatively stable life.
What no one expected was that these extreme heatwaves lasted for nearly five months.
Not only in City C, but also in inland cities across the country and even the entire world, the water in rivers and lakes has long been evaporated, and the world has entered an extreme drought and water shortage mode.
In Xu Lai's neighborhood, the water supply from the taps was initially reduced from two hours a day to one hour a day, and then to half an hour.
Finally, the water flow from the faucet decreased more and more during the water supply period until not a single drop of water could be released.
In the face of extreme heat and a lack of water, the one-third of the surviving residents of this community, who have survived the devastating rainstorm disaster for just one year and seven months, are beginning to despair.
"God, there's not even water now. Are we just supposed to wait to die?"
In the residential area, people who hadn't showered or washed their clothes in a long time, wearing dusty, smelly clothes and with greasy, messy hair, went in twos and threes to make a scene in front of the office of the person in charge of the residential area.
"I haven't had any water since last night. It's so hot, I'm going to die of thirst if I don't get some water soon!"
"My child has been crying and demanding water at home. Weren't we told that they would arrange for water to be delivered to us? When will the water arrive?"
The person in charge of the community is surnamed Feng, named Feng Chun, and is a retired soldier in his forties.
Before the torrential rain and floods, I worked for the municipal government. After the floods, I was assigned to manage this residential community.
Accompanying him were two young male assistants in their twenties.
As more and more people gathered around, the three of them, whose lips were already dry and pale, grew anxious.
With his hair disheveled and his mouth blistered from anxiety, Feng Chun saw that more and more people were coming to cause trouble.
So he reached out and pulled a chair out of the office, stepped onto it, cleared his somewhat hoarse throat, and tried to raise his voice as much as possible to say to everyone: "I have posted notices at the bottom of each building in the community that the government will be delivering water to everyone today. Please be patient and wait a little longer. There are so many communities in the whole city of C, it will take time to fill the water tanker!"
"When exactly will the water truck arrive? What if some people are too dehydrated to handle it if it doesn't come until the afternoon?"
One of Feng Chun's tall assistants, after listening to the crowd's complaints, couldn't help but say, "Yesterday afternoon, when our Section Chief Feng saw many people coming to him for help because they were dehydrated, he gave them all the water in his bucket. He himself has been thirsty ever since!"
After the tall assistant finished speaking, even this tough guy in his twenties couldn't help but get teary-eyed.
How did Earth suddenly become like this?
Just one year and seven months ago, the Earth was perfectly fine, without any other signs.
Is the Earth going mad and really trying to wipe out all of humanity?
Hearing the staff member's indignant words, the noisy crowd finally looked up at the man in his forties who had already turned mostly white hair in less than half a year since he became the person in charge of their community.
At this moment, he was unshaven, his face streaked with gray and black, covered in sweat and dry dust.
His white lips, indeed, looked like those of a fish that had been deprived of water for a long time; they were everted and peeling.
Yes, this person in charge has been dedicated to his work in this community ever since he started working here. He even often uses his own food and work points to help families in the community who are starving. Yesterday, he gave all of his life-saving water to those who were dying of dehydration.
How could they go against their conscience and make things difficult for others here?
If they don't cause trouble, what can they do?
"Ugh, why is living so hard? I might as well be dead..."
An elderly man in his fifties, thin as a skeleton and hunched over, shouted to the sky and then slammed his head against the wall next to him.
Within seconds, a spurt of blood gushed out.
Those who witnessed the old man's miserable state felt their already numb faces turn even more desperate.
Unable to bear witnessing this scene, Feng Chun closed his eyes with an extremely heavy heart.
Suddenly, his cell phone rang. He mechanically answered the call, and upon hearing the voice on the other end, he excitedly shouted to everyone, "Someone from above has sent water! Water's here! Open the gate quickly!"
These words were like a sacred chant entering the ears, instantly changing the previous somber and lifeless atmosphere of the crowd, making them boil like water.
This time, without waiting for Feng Chun's instructions, they moved the automatic guardrail barrier blocking the gate to the side, waiting for the water tanker carrying the life-saving water to come in.
Sure enough, within two minutes, five large water tankers drove into the community gate one after another.
"Start lining up to collect water. Two buckets per household, delivered every two days. Everyone should bring their own buckets, each about 20 liters!"
The water delivery team consisted of military personnel in uniform. In addition to the drivers in each vehicle, there were six armed soldiers and a second lieutenant with a star and a bar on his shoulder responsible for maintaining order.
After the tall, young lieutenant finished speaking, his sharp eyes swept over the crowd of people in front of him who were still too busy celebrating.
He cleared his throat and continued, "I also have some news to share: the government's team responsible for drilling deep wells in residential areas will be working on Jinxiu Residential Area tomorrow. If this drilling team can find a water-producing well in the community, it will alleviate everyone's water problem!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com