Chapter 33
When the agreed date arrived, everyone went back to their houses early and no one dared to hang around outside.
Everyone is nervous and curious about the upcoming large-scale disinfection.
Just after eight o'clock, a familiar roar was heard outside, but this time it was louder than before. There were more than three helicopters that could be heard.
Soon, the loudspeakers in the sky sounded again, asking people who were still outside to return to their homes immediately. They were told to close the doors and windows, not to ventilate the room at will, and not to go out.
Not long after, the horn sounded, and then a blanket of disinfectant-powder fell from the sky.
The white powder, like snow and flour, covered the sky almost in an instant, and the whole world seemed to be shrouded in them.
Even the sunlight could not penetrate, and everything became hazy.
There was no one outside at this time, and everything was quiet except for the roar of the helicopter and the rustling sound of powder falling to the ground.
This scene is quite touching.
People stayed in their houses, unable to see the scene outside and unable to feel the shock.
But the smell of the medicine powder penetrated every hole, and seeped in through the gaps that everyone thought were tightly blocked.
Even after so many layers of filtering, the smell is still very pungent.
After smelling it, the mucous membranes such as eyes, nose and throat will feel uncomfortable.
This feeling is very frightening, and everyone is trying their best to seal all the gaps in the house as tightly as possible.
The situation of the Shen family was better because before the disinfection began, the whole family moved to the basement that had been built earlier.
Because of the thick ground and the colorful cloth wrapped around the outside of the house, there was no smell at all.
When Gu Zhengchu first proposed to dig a basement, the purpose was very simple. It was because Shen Cong's space was too small at that time, so he dug it out for storage.
But before the excavation officially started, her space was upgraded.
It just so happened that the construction team they found, Lao Zheng, had experience in building underground wine cellars, so creating an underground residence was a piece of cake.
So, they simply upgraded the originally planned simple cellar into a three-bedroom, one-living-room underground apartment.
The layout and area occupied are exactly the same as the steel frame house above, including the kitchen and bathroom.
Water, electricity, solar energy, air conditioning, fresh air system, sewage modification and even food waste disposer are all installed in place, so there is no problem at all living here.
And according to everyone's original plan, there was a steel frame house built above the basement, and the entrance and exit were located indoors, completely blocked by the steel frame house.
If it's not intentional, ordinary people won't be able to find it.
Even if the environment becomes worse in the future, if there are any special circumstances, it will be an extra barrier for both the Tibetans and the objects they have.
When it was first built, who could have imagined that the earthquake would actually start in Bac Ninh?
It also directly caused the steel frame house above to collapse.
Fortunately, the location of the ground crack was some distance away from the backyard, so the basement was finally saved.
Another reason why we put so much effort into this was because Shen Cong said that there would be a long period of drought after the earthquake.
Not only will it not rain, but it will also be very, very hot.
It seems like summer will never pass.
That period of time lasted for more than a year, almost two years.
Upon hearing this, Cheng Ru was almost scared to death.
Both she and Shen Jianyi were a little fat, with a plump figure, and they were both most afraid of heat.
So, the two of them immediately suggested that the basement should be renovated so that the whole family could move downstairs when drought came.
No one expected that their family would move in before the drought period even started.
It's very quiet here.
Unless you get close to the ventilation vent, you can't even hear the roar of the helicopter outside.
Chen Cong and his family did install several cameras on the outer wall of their home, but there was no internet and no way to monitor it.
But this also saves us a lot of worry. At least the family can have a good rest in peace for the next few days.
Since the earthquake, everyone has been busy every day and has not had a good rest.
We said we were going to rest, but in fact no one really rested.
Because they didn't have to worry about someone coming over unexpectedly, nor were they afraid of the smell of cooking fumes spreading out and being discovered, Cheng Ru and Shen Xi, mother and daughter, directly set up an oil pan in the basement and set up a big show in this small kitchen.
Cheng Ru doesn’t know how to cook Western food. Although she has fried a lot of meatballs, lotus root dumplings, egg dumplings, etc. before, she is not very good at cooking chicken chops and pork chops.
But Tongtong and Shanshan grew up abroad after all, so their living habits are still somewhat Westernized.
Sometimes they want to eat something like hamburgers and hot dogs.
Although Chen Cong bought a lot of them as backup, the taste was still a little different from what they liked.
Now that he has time and it is convenient, Chen Xi naturally wants to do more for his children.
Chen Xi is a very good cook. In addition to Western fast food, she also makes first-rate snacks and bread.
Ever since she confirmed that the electricity stored by solar energy could power the oven, the house has become more fragrant.
All kinds of bread, cakes, pizza...
The rich fragrance filled the whole room.
Tongtong and Shanshan have never been so happy since the earthquake.
Bright lights, familiar smells, all the loved ones around, even -
My aunt also set up a screen and played cartoons for them.
This made them feel the long-lost happiness.
Gu Kai and his father were studying the ancient book in another room.
At this time, he put his major into practice.
Shen Cong and Shen Jianyi spread a piece of plastic sheet in a corner of the living room, and then one on each side filled the seedling tray with soil, preparing to start planting vegetables.
During this period, Old Man Shen had nothing to do so he used his tablet to read the popular science tutorials on growing crops and vegetables that his daughter bought for him. After reading for a long time, he became eager to try his hand at it.
Now that I have time, I naturally have to give it a try.
He used to grow vegetables at home.
I also opened a small vegetable garden in the backyard, and planted some onions, garlic sprouts and other things when I have nothing to do.
Not for food, just as a pastime.
But because he had too many hobbies, he didn't put much effort into vegetables, and the ones he grew were pretty average.
So even though his whole family thought he was very experienced in growing crops and vegetables, he knew in his heart that he was just a show-off and had no real ability.
Fortunately, the tutorials my youngest daughter bought are very detailed and cover everything.
After watching for a few days, Shen Jianyi felt that his previous experience in growing vegetables was nothing. There was a reason why the vegetables did not grow well!
So, this time he wanted to give it a try according to what was taught in the course.
"Dad, what is this root vegetable? How come I have never heard of it before? Is it delicious?"
Chen Cong picked up a small paper bag, looked at the seed names specially marked on it, and asked curiously.
"It's not delicious or not, it just tastes like ordinary vegetables. People in the village eat a lot of it, but it's rarely sold in the city, so you haven't eaten it much.
This thing is easy to grow, grows fast, has a high yield, and both the stems and leaves are edible. It doesn’t have many insects and doesn’t require much care, so it’s a good choice for training.”
Shen Jianyi said as he pressed nutrient soil into the seedling tray.
Knowing that his father had already studied it, Chen Cong didn't say anything more and just followed him and learned how to do it.
"I was thinking, we can't just stay down here for the next few days, so tomorrow when the smell has dissipated a little, we'll go up together and clean up the third and fourth floors.
Plant all the vegetables that can be grown, especially those that can grow in summer and are heat-resistant, such as macaroni, amaranth, and pakchoy. Let's try planting some of them.
I still say the same thing, even if we have stored food, we still have to be cautious and not get too cocky.
Two fists are no match for four hands.
Even though he has some skills, it would not be a good thing if he made everyone in the community jealous.
Let's plant the seedlings early. When Gu Kai and I go out to work, let your mother and sister take care of them at home.
After it grows out and I'm sure the weather and soil are suitable for planting, I'll talk to Shi Lei and others. It would be best if we could promote it in our community.
If everyone can grow vegetables, it will provide people with another way to make a living.
Even if we eat something in the future, it will make us look better and we will have something to say about it.”
Chen Cong nodded: "Well, everyone in our courtyard knows that you used to like to tinker with these things at home, and it's not surprising that we have seeds stored at home. I think this method is feasible."
"Besides, in addition to vegetables, we can actually try to grow some food."
She looked up and asked, "Dad, what crops can be grown in summer? It would be best if they have high yields, are heat and drought resistant, and can be grown in a small area like the yard."
"Where can you grow food in the summer?" Shen Jianyi looked at his daughter helplessly. "In this season, you can only grow some vegetables. Even if you want to grow corn, it's a bit late now."
"But what if the high temperature doesn't subside and it's summer for a long time in the future? What should we do then?" Chen Cong continued to ask.
Shen Jianyi's expression became serious.
My daughter had actually told them before that the high temperature would continue.
You can listen to it, but after all, the time has not come yet, so people will always choose to ignore it.
When she brought it up again at this moment, Shen Jianyi finally realized the seriousness of the matter.
The earthquake must have dealt a devastating blow to agriculture across the country. I don't know how many places have run out of food reserves.
If the weather continues to be so hot that autumn crops cannot be planted, I can’t imagine what the situation will be like in the future!
If there is another drought...
Shen Jianyi couldn't help but shiver.
But he also knew that his daughter couldn't be talking nonsense.
She must have a basis for saying this.
Trying hard to control his thoughts, Shen Jianyi said calmly, "I'm really not good at farming. Why don't we plant some peanuts and corn first? It may not work, but we'll give it a try."
Seeing that his father was in a bad mood, Chen Cong comforted him: "You don't have to think too much. The country will definitely pay great attention to the issue of food. Maybe they have already started to think of ways to solve this problem.
Our country is so big, and there are countless experts in agriculture. They will definitely be able to find suitable crops to grow.
Let’s think of a solution ourselves first. If it doesn’t work, we’ll just try our best to cooperate with the country’s requirements.
There is always a way out. "
After hearing what his daughter said, Shen Jianyi sighed deeply, said nothing more, and increased the strength of his hands.
After talking about growing vegetables, Chen Cong talked about the next plan: "Dad, after the disinfection is over, Gu Kai and I discussed going back to the city. One is to check on our Fulin's house, and the other is that we want to go back to look for Jiashu and Xiaogu."
When Shen Jianyi heard about Gu Jiashu and his son, he stopped what he was doing, subconsciously looked towards the inner room, and then asked in a low voice: "Is Xiaokai's father going too?"
"If he doesn't go, it's just the two of us." Chen Cong replied.
"Yeah." Shen Jianyi nodded in agreement: "Don't let him go with you, you guys go first. If there is anything, come back and discuss it. He is old, don't make him feel uncomfortable."
Although Shen Jianyi didn't say it explicitly, Shen Cong knew that he was talking about Jiashu.
When the earthquake hit, Jiashu was accompanying his girlfriend home, as her brother lived on a high floor.
It is hard to say whether people can be saved after this disaster.
And my aunt, when the earthquake happened, even Jiashu was not by her side.
Whether she was in a shelter or had returned home was simply unknown.
If I were in a shelter, it might be better. If I were back home...
Therefore, even without Dad’s suggestion, Chen Cong and his wife would not allow Father-in-law to go back with them.
This trip back to the city is imperative.
If it weren't for the various things happening here, they would have gone there long ago.
Although everyone knows that the road there is difficult to travel, so many people have made it there, so they must have no problem.
In addition to looking for Jiashu and his mother, Fulin's house is also a matter that we can't just ignore.
When Chen Cong decided to keep the house, he meant it as a backup.
I want to wait until the insect plague comes in three or four years and then have the whole family move back.
At that time, the city was safer than the countryside.
Before that, the house can be used to grow crops. At most, you can just run back and forth, which is not too hard.
One more choice means more security for a family’s life.
But who knew that the ground would crack?
I wonder if the house will be as lucky as it was in the previous life and survive the earthquake.
But no matter what, I have to take a look, at least to know the result.
-
But no one expected that Jiashu would come to them before Chen Cong and his wife even set out for the city!
That was the fifth day after the disinfection.
For the first three days, everyone stayed at home and couldn't go out. Chen Cong and the others helped Old Man Shen build a small vegetable garden upstairs.
On the fourth day, the whole family worked together to remove the colorful striped cloth wrapped around the outside.
On the fifth day, when I was about to clean the house inside and outside, Gu Jiashu came running over.
As soon as he entered the door, he rushed directly to Gu Zhengchu and knelt down before his uncle.
Then he kowtowed three times and finally cried, "Uncle, I deserve to die. I didn't take good care of my mom! She's gone!"
Everyone then realized that he had come to announce a death.
Even though the family was more or less prepared, everyone was still stunned when Gu Jiashu suddenly did this.
Old Man Gu sat there, not saying a word for a long while, only his hands on the table were shaking uncontrollably.
The room was very quiet, with only the sound of Gu Jiashu crying.
I don’t know how long it took, but Mr. Gu knocked on the table and said, “Get up, this is not your fault.”
His voice was exhausted.
At this moment, Chen Cong actually felt as if he had seen his father-in-law from his previous life. He felt the suppressed pain and the tired look on his face as if his energy was about to fade away...
This suddenly made her feel an indescribable sense of panic!
She wanted to find something quickly to cheer the old man up.
She looked at Gu Jiashu who was still kneeling on the ground and said quickly, "Dad, please help Jiashu check his legs first."
After saying that, she took the initiative to step forward and supported her cousin, and asked: "Jiashu, what happened to your leg? Where is it injured? Why are you limping?"
Hearing her say this, the family's attention immediately focused on Gu Jiashu's legs, and Gu Kai also stepped forward and pulled him up from the ground.
After Gu Jiashu stood up, everyone saw that his calves, which were exposed when his trouser legs were pulled up, were still wrapped in gauze.
The wound must be very large, and the gauze almost covered his entire calf.
The gauze was dirty, black and yellow, and no one knew how long it had been wrapped on his leg.
Seeing his nephew injured, Gu Zhengchu no longer cared about being sad. He stood up from his chair, pointed to the sofa next to him and said, "Go sit over there, let me take a look."
Chen Cong ran to another room and got his medical box.
Gu Jiashu's leg was injured in the earthquake.
In his words, when the earthquake struck, he and his girlfriend Tingting were on their way to her brother's house.
Then, while he was on the phone, he suddenly felt dizzy.
Then he watched Tingting, who was walking in front of him, fall down and was crushed under a collapsed wall!
At that time, Jiashu was thrown far away by the huge force and fell to the ground, unable to move.
When he desperately climbed up and wanted to go over to pull Tingting out, a metal billboard on the side of the road fell down, burying him and his girlfriend who was pinned under the wall.
Jiashu was knocked unconscious on the spot, and when he woke up it was already the next day.
At that time, he had already been sent to the first aid station by volunteers.
Gu Jiashu was hit by the billboard and suffered a concussion, dizziness, and vomiting for several days. He was so dizzy that he couldn't even open his eyes.
There's nothing I can do.
In addition, the torn iron sheet of the billboard had penetrated deeply into the muscles of his calf, leaving a gash of more than ten centimeters in his calf and cutting off a large piece of flesh!
The city was in chaos at that time. There were not enough doctors and nurses, and there was not enough medicine.
His injuries were not worth mentioning at the first aid station at the time, and he couldn't even find someone who could suture his wound.
All they could do was bandage him, give him two antibiotics, and then let him lie in the tent and wait for it.
Gu Jiashu himself couldn't remember how he managed to get through it.
Later, order in the city was restored a little, and doctors finally came to treat the wounds of the wounded.
After Jiashu and the others recovered a little and were able to stand up, they left the first aid station.
"I went home right after I came out of the emergency room. But home..."
At this point, the big man started to sob.
The tremendous pain was too much for him to bear. He covered his stomach with his hands and sobbed so hard that he was unable to raise his head.
"Uncle, brother, my house is gone. The whole building has fallen into the cracks in the ground! My mom, my mom..."
He was crying so hard that he couldn't speak any more.
In fact, there is no need to say more, everyone understands what he is not saying.
His mother must have returned home after the aftershock, and when the real earthquake came, she had no chance to escape.
Gu Zhengchu was completely unable to check his nephew's wound. He sat on a small stool, covering his face with his hands, tears slowly flowing out through his fingers.
The old man didn't cry out loud, but his silent crying made people feel even more sad.
"Tingting is gone too."
Gu Jiashu took a long time to calm down before he continued speaking with a sob.
"I found the volunteers who took me to the emergency center. They told me that they also dug Tingting out, but she was dead when she was dug out."
Gu Jiashu couldn't continue speaking, his whole body shaking like a sapling struggling in a storm.
"Stop talking, take a rest first. Let your sister-in-law re-bandage your wound." Gu Kai interrupted him.
Chen Cong quickly opened the medical kit and squatted beside Gu Jiashu to help him treat his wounds.
Gu Zhengchu did not help. He sat aside and tried to calm down. He looked pale and tired.
It seemed as if the whole person was holding on by just one breath.
Afraid that the children would be frightened by what they heard, Shen Xi quietly took her children back to the small room.
Cheng Ru ran to make a cup of tea for the uncle and nephew.
The drink given to Gu Zhengchu was the calming tea he had prepared himself, and the drink given to Gu Jiashu was a cup of hot black tea with a lot of honey added to it.
"You just came back from outside and you've been sweating a lot. Don't drink anything cold yet. Drink a cup of hot water to slow down your sweat."
"Thank you, Auntie." Gu Jiashu took it and said gratefully.
Then he drank the cup of tea almost in one breath, not even caring that it was still a little hot.
Seeing him like this, Cheng Ru quickly poured him another glass of boiled water.
Gu Jiashu drank it all in one gulp again.
Chen Cong untied the gauze on his leg and found that there was only a slight inflammation inside. The stitches looked a little red and swollen because they had not fully healed.
All in all it's not a big problem.
After watching her change the medicine for Gu Jiashu and then watching Jiashu take two anti-inflammatory pills, Gu Zhengchu spoke again.
He said: "You should stay at your uncle Shen and aunt Cheng's house for the next few days. Your leg still needs to be healed.
Don’t run around during this period, or your muscles will atrophy and you will become disabled in the future.”
Hearing what he said, Shen Jianyi and Cheng Ru nodded repeatedly: "No, no, we're staying here! Get your legs healed first, that's the most important thing, put everything else aside."
Jiashu did not resist this time.
He wiped the tears from his face and said to the two elderly people gratefully: "Uncle and aunt, I am sorry to trouble you. I will stay for a few days and leave when my leg is healed."
"We as family don't say such polite words!" Shen Jianyi waved his hand to stop him from continuing.
Then he looked at Gu Kai and ordered, "Go get some water for your brother and help him wash his head. Can't your legs be exposed to water? Then wrap them in a plastic bag. You have to take a bath after running so far in such a hot day."
Then he looked at his wife and said, "Go make some food for Jiashu. He must not have eaten well these past few days."
At this point, he couldn't help but shake his head and sigh: "This kid is in big trouble!"
Gu Jiashu really suffered.
Putting aside the injuries he had sustained, just look at the dirty T-shirt that you can't tell the color of, the hair that was stuck together in wisps, and the cracked lips that were bleeding...
Just know how hard life is in the city.
The author has something to say:
Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution during 2022-07-05 21:55:28~2022-07-06 23:58:14~
Thanks to the little angels who cast mines: 49408644 3;
Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: Zhai Zhai 32 bottles; Miss Qianjin, Yueri 1 bottle;
Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!
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