The two retreated, and the survivors who had just been rescued screamed in fear again. Everyone rushed back. Qiao Qingqing heard the sound of the land falling, rustling, piece by piece, and she and Shao Shengan ran hand in hand, not daring to look back.
After running for a distance, the two stopped and turned around. There were still people running in front of them, shouting everywhere, and only sporadic lights in the darkness. It had been ten years since the natural disaster, and even flashlights were rare. Suddenly, something happened at night, and many people were in a hurry to light fires. The people who were running for their lives ran into other people's camps, adding another layer of chaos.
Shao Shengan panted and grabbed the flashlight hanging around his neck and shone it forward. His voice was trembling: "At least, at least ten meters have collapsed."
Qiao Qingqing took a deep breath and said, "Let's go home and get ready at home."
The two returned home safely and asked their family to start packing their luggage.
Listening to the noises at the beach, Qiao Songzhi and his friends felt cold, but their years of survival experience helped them stay calm. When Qiao Qingqing and her husband came back and said they needed to pack up, they quickly packed up and tied the supplies to the tricycle. In the end, only two tents were left. Qiao Qingqing checked the backpacks again and distributed them to everyone.
The ducks were driven into bamboo baskets, which were then divided into two layers by wooden boards. Ten ducks could fit into one bamboo basket. The big ducks were divided into two bamboo baskets, while the little ducks and the chicks hatched by Dabao could fit into one bamboo basket. Dabao didn't want to go into the bamboo basket, so Qiao Songzhi let him do it.
Finally, only the vegetable field was left. Shao's father picked all the vegetables that could be picked. As for the seedlings that could not be picked and were reluctant to discard, he had to wrap the roots in plastic bags and carefully piled them into wooden barrels, waiting to find a new site to plant them the next day.
While Shao Shengan and his men were dismantling the tent, more people went to inquire about the news and came back, hurriedly packing up their things.
Song Sanhe and his friends were also packing up after receiving the message from Shao Shengfei. Song Sanhe asked Liu Zhen to go and see how Shao Shengan's house was packed up: "Tell Shao Shengan that he will call when he is leaving, we are going together!"
It's too chaotic! It's easy to get into trouble at this time, so you must find a reliable companion to walk with.
"knew!"
"Also over there with Su Cong, go to the camps of several of your comrades!"
Liu Zhen ran away.
When I arrived at Qiao Qingqing's house, I was stunned at the first sight.
Isn’t this too exaggerated?
"You guys packed up so quickly, even the tents are almost taken down—" Liu Zhen slapped himself, hurriedly said what Song Sanhe had instructed him to do, and ran away again after waiting for a response.
"Eat something, and I'll put the pots and pans in the car after you're done," said Shao Shengan.
It was a little after four in the morning, and the family was sitting under the empty awning, eating egg fried rice, which they were not sure whether to call a midnight snack or breakfast.
While eating, Shao's mother couldn't help crying. She lowered her head so that others wouldn't notice, but everyone saw it and pretended not to know.
No one wants to keep moving. The word "wandering" itself has a pessimistic and sad connotation. Most people hope to have a home where they can take root.
A dull and depressing atmosphere spread in the awning.
There was still mud on Qiao Qingqing's face from the rescue. She was sweating while packing up, so the mud had not dried yet and was still on her face. Shao Shengan finally had his hands free, so he got a towel and wet it to help her wipe her face. She tilted her head and let him wipe it. When he was done, she was about to say "I'll help you", but she saw her husband rub the towel around her face randomly, and that was it. She couldn't help but smile, thinking that the situation was not that bad, and their family was still together.
"I'll go over and check the situation at daybreak. We have packed everything. We have kayaks, speedboats, and a boat." Shao Shengan said while washing the towel.
"Yeah, it will be fine when daybreak comes." Qiao Songzhi sighed.
Before dawn, everyone crowded in the awning and lay down for a while. Except for Shao Shengfei, no one else fell asleep. Dabao paced back and forth beside the three bamboo baskets, and finally sat down next to the bamboo basket containing chickens and ducklings, closing his eyes to rest.
Fortunately, the collapse process stopped. After dawn, Qiao Qingqing and Shao Shengan went to take a look and roughly determined that after the ground collapsed last night, the coastline moved back 20 meters. Survivors were lying everywhere on the ground, and the rescued materials were piled up randomly.
"Let's measure the depth." said Qiao Qingqing.
Shao Shengan poked downwards with the wooden stick he carried with him, but the two-meter-long stick could not reach the end.
"I'll go in and take a look."
Qiao Qingqing stopped him from going into the water: "The situation is unclear and it's too dangerous to be underwater. Besides, the water is turbid and we can't see anything. It's almost time to go to work. I'm going to pick up Mom and go to the Tangzhou fleet."
The tent camp of the Tangzhou fleet is very close to the sea, but there is also a buffer distance of about ten meters, so when the accident happened last night, important materials could be transferred immediately. Qiao Qingqing saw Sheng Miao first. Sheng Miao was feeding pigs. Seeing her, she asked with concern: "Where is your home? Did you do okay last night?"
"My family is fine, how's the campground?"
"Since it was discovered early, the loss is not too serious. Some small boats are trying to salvage supplies that were not evacuated in time." Sheng Miao's eyes were dark, and it was obvious that he had not been able to sleep last night.
There were many people walking around on the boats near the coast, but there were fewer people in the tent camps. She saw people carrying supplies towards the fleet. She probably thought there were many small boats there transporting goods to the big ships.
Qiao Qingqing pursed her lips and asked, "After the camp is demolished, do we need to choose a location to rebuild it?"
Sheng Miao was stunned for a moment: "I don't know about this." But after thinking about it, she said softly, "Remember what I told you? Tangzhou fell suddenly, and the higher-ups will not let the tragedy happen again."
So this time we will definitely prepare in advance.
Qiao Qingqing thanked her: "Then I will go back to the medical team first."
Doctor Tan was relieved to see her coming: "I'm glad you're okay. It was too sudden last night. Fortunately, there were not many injured in the camp. The medical team will all be on board. You should also pack up."
Qiao Qingqing didn't expect to hear clear news from Dr. Tan. She already had an idea in her mind and asked her, "Can I give my seat on the ship to my family?"
Doctor Tan was stunned.
"My family built a boat, although it's certainly not as good as the fleet's boats... I'm still young and can fend for myself, so I hope my place on the boat will be good enough for my family."
"I understand your intentions, but not just anyone can join the medical team. Are your family members also doctors?"
Qiao Qingqing shook her head: "Then let's go to a normal ship and be with other survivors."
"You come and help first. Several children drowned last night. They are in tent number 3. Go and see them." Dr. Tan turned and left.
This is tacit consent.
"Thank you," she said softly.
"Qingqing--" Qiao Songzhi waited until Dr. Tan left before speaking anxiously.
"Mom, do you know why we made two boats but hid one? Dad, Sheng An Feifei and I are the main rowers. If we are divided into two boats, there will be only one result, that is, neither boat will go fast. The four of us can row the fastest." That's why we hid one boat in the space as a backup.
She held Qiao Songzhi's hand tightly: "Mom, I hope you can be in a safe place, so that I can feel more at ease. My mother-in-law's health is not very good. You just take care of each other. Sheng An and I will follow you."
Qiao Songzhi held her daughter's hand. She knew in her heart that Qingqing would not be able to go on the ship with her. One reason was Qingqing's feelings for Sheng An. Qingqing would never let Sheng An go. They had a good relationship and always wanted to stay together. Another reason was Qingqing's sense of responsibility. She and Axia were the most vulnerable in the family. Qingqing tried her best to get her into the Tangzhou fleet, so she would not leave Axia behind.
Qiao Songzhi was convinced: "Your mother-in-law and I will take good care of ourselves, don't worry about us."
The entire camp was retreating back to the boat. Qiao Qingqing looked after a few children and gave a calming massage to one of the three-year-olds who was still a little frightened. During the lunch break, she went home and told Shao Shengan about her plans.
"Qingqing, you and mom should take care of each other on the boat. There's no need to give your place to my mom."
Qiao Qingqing had already planned to try to settle the two mothers in a safe fleet. It had been ten years since the end of the world, and they were almost seventy years old. Shao Shengfei was strong and healthy, and Shao's father was still strong and energetic after his foot injury healed. He was more capable of survival than Shao's mother. As for her husband, they would always go hand in hand. They were the younger generation, husband and wife, and lovers. She would not separate from him.
After hearing her explanation, Shao Shengan's eyes turned red.
"They are the mothers of both of us." Qiao Qingqing said softly, reaching out to hug him, "Go, go and get mom over here, and you can pick up my mom's luggage as well."
In this way, Qiao Songzhi and Shao's mother boarded the ship with their luggage. Qiao Songzhi could have boarded the medical team's ship, but she decided not to go and stayed with Shao's mother.
It was a chaotic day, which reminded Qiao Qingqing of the scene on the day of the earthquake. It was a devastating disaster that swallowed up countless lives in the blink of an eye. But this time... it was like a blunt knife cutting flesh. Everyone was helpless in the face of the collapsed ground. It was hard to imagine where the survivors would escape to if all the land sank into the sea.
Qiao Qingqing insisted on working in the medical team. In the afternoon, the entire medical team moved back to the ship. She helped move things and watched Dr. Tan and others disappear on the deck.
In the evening, the ground collapsed again, and more than 50 meters of ground along the way was completely submerged.
The panic continued to grow. Some people took refuge in the caravan camp, hoping to get on the car and escape as soon as possible. Some people went to the Tangzhou fleet to ask for asylum, but the fleet was already full and had only accepted less than a hundred new people in these days. Considering the load capacity and food supply, the fleet refused to accept any more people.
More people moved deeper into the land. The once lively seaside gathering place was disbanded overnight, but Qiao Qingqing's family remained where they were.
"Let's wait here and save some energy." Shao Sheng'an had already talked to Song Sanhe, Su Cong and the others. Their families were relatively familiar with each other, so they could stay here together and wait for water to take a boat.
Shao's father said, "I'll listen to you. We have a wooden boat, but it's not easy for us to carry it."
"At this speed, it will reach us by this time tomorrow. I have never sailed on a homemade wooden boat before." Qiao Qingqing said in a gentle voice.
"Let's take a boat ride!" Shao Shengfei was very much looking forward to it.
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