Yan Jingwan was transferred to the county with the evacuees and was placed in a primary school. She lived in a large classroom with people from the cultural troupe. There was no bed, so she slept on a large bunk bed made of desks.
The classroom had been flooded, leaving marks of the flood on the walls. The color of the lower half of the wall was much darker than that of the upper half.
The ground had just been cleaned and disinfected not long ago, and the smell of Lysol still lingered in the air.
Yan Jingwan found a seat at the edge and sat down, sorting out her few remaining luggage.
A room filled with members of the cultural troupe, sitting or standing, chatting in low voices. Some complained about the harsh conditions, lacking even a mattress, only a sheet per person, and the discomfort of sleeping at night. Others were thankful to have escaped, advising them to be lucky to have survived, safe at least, and stop complaining about the conditions.
At this moment, a young girl walked up to Yan Jingwan, smiled shyly at her, and asked, "Yan Zhizhi, is there anyone next to you? If not, can I sleep next to you?"
Yan Jingwan recognized her, Zeng Ping, the soprano from the Wenyu Troupe.
Yan Jingwan had never spoken to her, but she had heard her sing. Her voice was rich, full, and vibrant, and her vocal range was wide. She was an excellent singer, but she was rather introverted, with little presence in the troupe. She was not valued by her superiors, and her opportunities to perform on stage were rare.
Yan Jingwan nodded: "Okay, you can sleep here."
"Thank you." Zeng Ping thanked her and deftly spread her own bed sheet next to Yan Jingwan.
She packed her things and asked Yan Jingwan a little embarrassedly: "Yan Xizhi, I just settled down and have nothing to do. I want to go out for a walk. Do you want to come with me?"
Yan Jingwan agreed to help Qin Zheng send a telegram home. She didn't know if the communication had been restored yet. Since she was about to go out, she nodded and said, "Okay, let's go together."
She put her things away, carried a small bag close to her body, and kept her money and tickets in it.
Zeng Ping followed suit and also brought a bag, carrying all her valuables with her.
The resettlement site for the primary school where they were staying was not big, with only three rows of bungalows and a playground. Even after the school was flooded and cleaned, traces of the flood could still be seen.
Coming out of the school gate, there is a dilapidated street outside, with low blue bricks and small tiles, which shows a lot of historical traces.
After the flood, the villagers who had moved elsewhere came back, and every household left their doors open as they went in and out to clean up the house.
This was an unfamiliar place, and it was impossible to tell east, west, south, or north. Yan Jingwan did not walk around rashly, fearing that they would get lost again if they went around in circles, so she found a kind-looking lady to ask for directions.
"Auntie, I'd like to ask you how to get to the county post office?"
The old lady readily pointed her in the direction: "Go straight along this street until you reach the main intersection. Turn left, then go through two more intersections. You'll see it. The post office is right next to the intersection."
"Thank you, Auntie."
After Yan Jingwan finished asking, she nudged Zeng Ping with her arm and said, "Where do you want to go? Ask this lady as well."
"I want to ask for the address of the supply and marketing cooperative or department store. I want to buy some daily necessities."
The old lady said, "Then why don't you two walk together? The supply and marketing cooperative, the department store, and the post office are all on the same street. Just go there and look around and you'll see it."
"Okay, thank you."
After thanking the old lady, Yan Jingwan and Zeng Ping walked forward according to the route she pointed out. Neither of them was talkative, so they kept silent along the way and concentrated on getting on with their journey. After a while, they arrived at the main intersection ahead.
After turning left and passing two intersections, Yan Jingwan looked up and saw the post office.
She had good eyesight and was not nearsighted. She looked to the left and saw the department store not far away.
As the name suggests, the department store is really a building. Although it only has five floors, it stands out against the backdrop of the surrounding bungalows and two-story buildings.
Yan Jingwan asked Zeng Ping, "I have to buy some groceries soon. Do you want to go first? Or will you wait until I finish shopping at the supply and marketing cooperative before joining me?"
Zeng Ping didn't hesitate and said directly: "We are unfamiliar with the place, so let's go together."
"Okay. Then follow me to the post office first."
The Post Office had probably just resumed operations, and the hall was deserted. Not only were there few people doing business, but there were only three or four employees present.
Upon asking, I learned that due to the impact of the flood, most of the county's infrastructure was destroyed, and the power supply has not yet been restored. Most of the staff of the Post and Telecommunications Bureau were sent out to repair the lines. Since they could not handle business, only a few counter clerks were left at the office to look after it.
Since the post office cannot handle business, it naturally cannot send telegrams.
Yan Jingwan's idea of helping Qin Zheng send a telegram to his family was dashed. Not wanting to make another trip, she asked, "Do you know when we can send a telegram?"
"It's hard to say. We don't understand the technology," the post office employee said. "It could be tomorrow, or it could be a week or two. No one can guarantee a timeframe. If you're anxious, come back every now and then and ask."
"Oh well."
Yan Jingwan left the post office disappointed. Zeng Ping comforted her, "It's okay. The communication interruption is only temporary. It will be restored in a few days. It doesn't matter if it's a few days earlier or later."
Yan Jingwan sighed, "This is the only way."
She turned to look at Zeng Ping, "Then let's go to the department store first."
"good."
The department store is five stories high and quite conspicuous. Yan Jingwan and Zeng Ping saw it at a glance. Since they hadn't seen the supply and marketing cooperative yet, they went to the department store first. If they could buy everything, they wouldn't have to go back to the supply and marketing cooperative.
The flood has just receded, but the negative impact on people's lives has not yet dissipated.
Yan Jingwan and Zeng Ping walked all the way to the department store. Most of the shops on both sides of the street were closed, and there were very few pedestrians on the road, and the few who were there were in a hurry.
The department store is located on high ground, so only the first floor was damaged when the flood came. And because of the high ground, there was enough time for them to move the items to a higher place, so the loss of the department store was not that great. Not only did they have enough capacity to allocate supplies to support the county's resettlement work, but it was also the first shop in the entire county to resume business.
However, even so, the variety of goods in the department store is still relatively limited, and most of them are sold out.
Yan Jingwan picked up some daily necessities, especially a menstrual pad and sanitary napkins for when she has her period, as her period will be in the next three or two days.
Zeng Ping came to the department store to buy these two items, and she was even more unlucky than Yan Jingwan. It was already the third day since she came. She had been using the previous menstrual belt for the first two days. There was no soap, no clean water source, and no place to dry it thoroughly. After two days of using it, she always felt something was wrong with her body.
She was too embarrassed to tell anyone about such a private matter, so she could only endure it silently.
After paying and stuffing the things into the bag, the two left the department store one after the other.
They had bought everything they needed, so there was no need to go back to the supply and marketing cooperative. After leaving the department store, they walked back along the main road.
When they returned to the primary school resettlement site, they happened to meet someone looking for them, saying that Director Zhou had notified all cultural troupe staff to go to the playground for a meeting.
There was no time to put the things back, so Yan Jingwan and Zeng Ping went directly to the playground with their bags on their backs to hold a meeting.
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