Although she listened to her cousin, she quickly finished the whole glass of milk.
No one rushed her; they let her rest properly.
Meanwhile, the third grandmother had recovered and was lying on her side in bed, holding her daughter's hands tightly. Looking at her thin and bony daughter, she couldn't stop her tears.
The other elderly people couldn't help but wipe away tears when they saw their children in this state.
"I haven't eaten for two days." Liu Yuqing, who had recovered a little, then told everyone about her experience during this period.
It turned out that when the earthquake struck, the Liu family, who lived in the school's staff housing, took refuge on the playground like everyone else. Unexpectedly, the elderly woman next door ran home to get her belongings. It wasn't their business, but the old woman's daughter-in-law held her husband back, preventing him from going with her. Teacher Liu knew the old woman was usually a kind person and helpful in the building.
Seeing that the other party's son and daughter-in-law didn't care, he was worried that the old lady would be in danger. Ignoring his wife and daughter's objections, he insisted on running in to find the old lady. As a result, when the earthquake struck, he was unable to escape and was buried in the rubble with the old lady.
After the incident, the couple not only showed no gratitude but also accused Teacher Liu of meddling. The mother and daughter were left with no choice but to scavenge through the rubble themselves, hoping to rescue someone.
Fortunately, most people were still compassionate at this point, and since they were all teachers from the same school, people gradually came to help. However, by the time they dug the body, it was already crushed beyond recognition. The body was recovered, but then the problem of burial arose. Due to various reasons, many people had died in the county. Cremation was not an option, there was no place for burial, and it was impossible to leave the body lying there indefinitely. Eventually, the school leaders, unable to bear the sight, allowed them to secretly find a secluded spot near the original teaching building and bury the body under cover of night.
At first, everyone had some supplies, so they lived a simple life on the school playground after they dug them out. But as supplies became increasingly scarce, and even with money, they couldn't buy anything, the town's security deteriorated.
At first, they were just petty thieves, but gradually, seeing that no one was doing anything about it, they became bolder and started to rob people outright.
At first, everyone worked together, and these people didn't dare to go too far. Later, they gradually formed gangs, and these people began to act with impunity.
They committed all sorts of crimes, including rape and plunder, and later, when things didn't go their way, they even started killing people.
Those who were able tried to cross the river to the city, but the boats leading to the city were controlled by a few people. Unless they offered a price that satisfied them, they wouldn't let you board the boat.
Yun Qifang lived in constant fear, taking her daughter with her wherever she went, and even deliberately trying to vilify the two of them.
Later, these people went crazy for some reason, sweeping through area after area, taking away all the supplies they could, leaving no way for these people to survive.
Their school wasn't spared either; people were driven to the brink, and they gritted their teeth and did things they wouldn't have dared to do before.
The mother and daughter collected some foam and, taking advantage of the people's inattention, secretly slipped away to the riverbank and swam to the other side.
They had originally hoped to seek help from the village in Lüjia Village, but to their surprise, they weren't even allowed to enter the village. It was the villagers who were guarding the village who told them that Yunjia Village was safe now.
The mother and daughter trudged back to their hometown, drinking whatever water they could find by the roadside when thirsty, and having no other choice when hungry. Yun Qifang could only rely on her limited memory to find some non-poisonous, edible wild vegetables. Even so, she saved most of what was edible for her daughter.
What made them most desperate was that when they reached the deep pit, they couldn't cross it.
Since the village had removed all the wooden bridges, anyone wanting to cross had to build a new one themselves.
The two of them struggled to pull a tree down the hillside, carried it across to the other side, and then crawled across inch by inch, lying on the log.
They finally saw the village, and that's when they met Sun Zhimiao's father-in-law and his family. You can imagine what happened next.
Everyone who heard this felt a chill run down their spine. What's wrong with this world? Will Yunjia Village still be able to live peacefully in its corner of the world?
At this time, Yun Qifang also woke up after being stimulated by Yunnan medicinal silver needles.
Seeing her loved ones before her, all her grievances and strength turned into tears. You see, when she was raising her daughter alone, she didn't even dare to shed a tear, afraid of showing her weakness.
At this moment, Zhang Tao brought in a bowl of well-cooked noodles and said, "Come on, eat the noodles first. Once your stomachs are soothed, I'll cook you something delicious later."
Yun Qifang sat on the bed, wiped away her tears, carefully took the bowl and chopsticks, and said to Zhang Tao, "Thank you for your trouble, sister-in-law."
"It's only right. I cooked it until it was very soft and used less oil. Qifang, please don't mind."
Grandma San quickly added, "Yes, let's eat something light first. Let's eat first and then talk about it."
The two of them were so hungry that they finished the noodles in no time.
While they were eating noodles, Third Grandfather had already led everyone outside to discuss things.
"It seems our village also needs to strengthen its defenses. During this period, everyone should try to put down what they are doing and go to the village entrance to build the wall as soon as possible, and also raise it higher than it was before." The second grandfather can only think of reinforcing the wall now.
The rather soft-hearted grandfather raised a practical question: "Qifang and her friend, two frail women, managed to reach the village entrance, but we don't know if other people might find their way here. If they're relatives, it's fine, we know them well. But what if they're outsiders? In this situation, should we help them or not?"
"Let's go, let's discuss a solution together. Even if we all want to help, we need to have the ability to do so." After saying this, the elderly people sighed deeply again. They felt that since the earthquake, the frequency of sighs had been increasing.
Meanwhile, the Sun family gathered together to listen to the Chen father and son recount their experiences in the county town. At the end, Chen Qinghua said apologetically to Sun Shiguang, "In-law, we're afraid we'll have to bother you here; we really have nowhere else to go. But don't worry, we'll help with the work and lighten the burden on our son-in-law and his family today."
Sun Shiguang said, "How can you say that? Please feel at ease and stay here with them for now. It's just that they only built two rooms in the house, so you'll have to squeeze in."
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