Immediately afterwards, a clear and articulate Mandarin voice came over the loudspeaker:
"A super typhoon is expected to make landfall on islands surrounding Guangdong Province tonight. Residents are advised to take precautions, check and reinforce their homes as soon as possible, ensure doors and windows are tightly closed, and avoid going outside..."
Before the broadcast had even finished, Song Yiming's voice could be heard coming from the courtyard: "Regimental Commander, Division Commander, all officers above the battalion level are to attend an emergency meeting at the division headquarters."
Lu Ze's expression was solemn. He gave Yu Yao a few instructions and, without even having time to eat, was about to leave.
Yu Yao chased after him and stuffed a white steamed bun into his hand, saying, "Have some to eat on the way, it'll make you feel better."
Lu Ze's subordinates reiterated, "Don't be afraid tonight. If anything happens, just call Sister Song or Sister Su. This typhoon won't last long; I'll be back in two or three days. Take good care of yourself while you're home alone."
"Okay, Lu Ze, I'll be careful. You should be careful too; safety is the most important thing."
"Okay, I'm leaving."
Yu Yao watched the two figures leave, feeling somewhat worried.
According to the broadcast, such extreme weather poses a significant threat to island development and the safety of the people.
Soldiers not only need to prepare for disaster prevention and avoid risks in advance, but also need to rush to the front when necessary. Hunger and cold are minor matters, and their lives will also face great challenges.
Every year during typhoons, no matter how thorough the preparations, soldiers still sacrifice their lives due to various accidents.
I hope everything goes well for him.
Sister-in-law Song and Sister-in-law Su Meihua were also seeing their husbands off.
Song Yufeng and Su Meihua had been accompanying the military on the island for many years and had experienced similar situations more than a dozen times. Seeing Yu Yao's worry, they comforted her.
"Don't worry, Yu Yao. Commander Lu has a lot of experience in dealing with typhoons, and this typhoon isn't very big. Everything will be fine."
"Thank you, sisters-in-law. I've never experienced a typhoon before, so I was a little nervous. Please excuse me."
“Yu Yao, you’re lucky. I remember when I went to the island with Xiao Jun’s dad, we encountered a typhoon as soon as we arrived. I was so scared that I almost fainted. It was the aunt next door who noticed that I looked unwell and helped me to bed to rest.”
Song Yufeng, who was standing next to her, also laughed and said, "My first experience with a typhoon was similar. Although I didn't faint, I was so scared that I cried. My eyes were red and swollen. When I went out after the typhoon, people thought that Lao Wu had beaten me up. Sister Dan and the political commissar even talked to Lao Wu and told him not to beat his wife."
The two women didn't hide anything when talking about their embarrassing secrets. Yu Yao knew they were afraid she would be nervous. And sure enough, after hearing what they said, her nervousness did dissipate a lot.
Yu Yao also understood that Lu Ze, as a soldier of the island, had his responsibilities.
The word "soldier" represents not only honor, but also sacrifice and dedication to serve the people. For the people, personal interests are placed after the people.
For military spouses, this won't be the first time, nor will it be the last.
If she and Lu Ze are to be together, this is a lesson she must learn.
With the typhoon making landfall, there were too many things to do, so the three of them didn't chat much and rushed home to get things done.
As soon as Yu Yao returned to the house, she grabbed a basket and went to her private plot to pick vegetables.
Looking at the tiny bok choy that was only the size of a palm and hadn't grown much yet, Yu Yao felt a little reluctant to part with them. But with the typhoon blowing, not only would the bok choy be destroyed, but even a piece of the ground would be uprooted. After thinking about it, she reluctantly picked them all.
Because she and Lu Ze had taken good care of their small plot of land, they had harvested a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, and she had to pick them three or four times to finish.
Although there were quite a few vegetables, it would only last her and Lu Ze for ten to fifteen days. Before the new vegetables in the field grew, they could only eat potatoes and sweet potatoes, which are easier to store.
After picking the vegetables, Yu Yao dug up the mango tree and passion fruit seedlings in the yard.
After that, I moved everything that could be moved from the yard to the main room or kitchen. After doing that, I checked the doors and windows.
Fortunately, they had only recently moved in, and Lu Ze had already done these tasks beforehand, so there was no need to climb onto the roof to check, nor to worry about heavy rain outside causing light rain inside.
Even without these steps, Yu Yao still worked quickly and nervously for quite a while.
Before we knew it, it was already dark, and there wasn't a breath of wind in the air; it was extremely stuffy.
She had just gone back inside and turned on the light when suddenly there was a thunderstorm outside, and after the lightning, the whole room was plunged into darkness.
The power is out.
Yu Yao found the cabinet in the dark, found a match, and lit the candle.
The candles had barely been lit when gusts of wind howled outside, their mournful cries echoing through the darkness. A fierce storm raged, towering waves surged, and then the rain began to pelt down relentlessly.
The snow fell on the roof and onto the ground with a thud. The reflection of the kapok tree outside the window swayed in the wind like a menacing ghost.
Yu Yao took the candle and walked around the house. Except for two leaks in the kitchen, the rest of the roof was fine.
She found two enamel basins to catch the leaks, then went back to her bedroom.
Listening to the increasingly loud wind and rain outside, she thought she wouldn't be able to sleep, but unexpectedly, she fell into a deep sleep not long afterward.
She was awakened in the middle of the night by a loud rumbling noise.
The sound came from the right. Realizing it, Yu Yao's expression changed drastically.
Oh no, it's Sister Meihua's house that's collapsed.
She quickly got up and dressed, and waited in the main room for a while until she heard the wind weaken and guessed that the first wave of strong winds should have passed before she dared to open the door and go out to check.
Although the wind force has decreased, it is still not small compared to a typhoon.
As soon as the door opened, a gust of wind rushed in, and it took her a long time to close it.
As I stepped out of the yard, large raindrops pelted my face, making it impossible to even open my eyes.
Yu Yao looked to her right and her expression turned sour.
On the right side of the courtyard, along with the main hall, everything collapsed. The roof was blown away, and the fruit trees planted in Sister Meihua's yard were uprooted, leaving only a pit. The fruit trees were nowhere to be found.
A corner of the bedroom area also collapsed.
"Sister-in-law Meihua? Sister-in-law Meihua?" Yu Yao stood anxiously outside the bedroom window and called inside, but no one answered.
It wasn't until the second call that a faint voice came through; it was Lei Xiaojun's voice.
She quickly smashed the window with a stone and went inside to take a look.
Su Meihua was curled up at the foot of the bed, her forehead hit by a beam and her face was covered in blood. Lei Xiaojun was shielded under her, crying uncontrollably.
"Aunt Yu, please, please save my mom! Waaah~"
"Xiaojun, don't be afraid, Aunt Yu will rescue you and your mother right away."
Yu Yao suppressed her sadness and used all her strength to move the roof beam, calling out Su Meihua's voice as she moved it.
At that moment, other voices came from outside the window. The military families in the compound heard the sound of the building collapsing and all came over.
"Yu Yao, we're here to help you."
With everyone working together, they moved the roof beams and rescued Su Meihua and Lei Xiaojun. Just as one of the military wives breathed a sigh of relief, they saw the house behind Yu Yao collapse.
"Yu Yao, watch out!"
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