Hu Yanhai's mother was taking care of him in the ward. She looked exhausted. When she saw Qiao Qingqing and her husband coming to visit her, she was very moved and rushed to pour hot water for them to drink.
There was no heating or hot water in the ward, and it was as cold as an ice cave.
"No need, we brought it." Qiao Qingqing stopped Hu's mother who was about to go out to find hot water, and signaled Shao Shengan to put down his things.
After knowing that Yuan Xiaowen was hospitalized, Qiao Qingqing packed another batch of supplies from the space on the way, all of which were needed by Yuan Xiaowen now.
Yuan Xiaowen drank the porridge, which was fed by Qiao Qingqing. She cried while eating, but she was very strong. She almost couldn't breathe from crying, but she regulated her breathing by herself. After she recovered, she continued to eat and quickly finished a bowl.
"No more drinking, Qingqing, have you really eaten? You and Sheng An should eat too. It must have been hard for you to come here from your home. You have suffered for me..." As Yuan Xiaowen spoke, she choked even harder. Qiao Qingqing patted her on the back, telling her not to get too excited.
"It's important to take good care of your body. It's really too cold here. Come home with me. I'll tell you a secret. I have floor heating at home. It's very warm."
Yuan Xiaowen's eyes widened in surprise.
Hu's mother didn't want to eat the porridge and said she wanted to go find her son.
"The hospital didn't collect the hospital fees, and asked the family to help with some chores. Dahai and his father went to help dig ice, saying they needed to find wood under the ice to make a fire, otherwise the doctors and nurses in the hospital wouldn't be able to have hot meals."
"Yanhai and my parents-in-law tried their best. They were also very sad." Yuan Xiaowen smiled bitterly. "I really didn't expect it to be like this. I had just been discharged from the hospital. I thought I still had time to recuperate. I was looking forward to having this baby and wanted it to be born healthy... It was too cold. It was really too cold that night. Qingqing, you don't know how thrilling it was. Yanhai took me to the hospital in a speedboat. My parents-in-law followed us. On the way, the water under us suddenly began to freeze. When we were almost at the hospital, the speedboat could hardly move. It kept hitting ice cubes when moving forward. I was still in a daze at the time. I wondered why the road was so bumpy... Later, my mother-in-law told me with a look of fear that it was a good thing we had a speedboat, which was fast, otherwise we might have been frozen on the road. That night, I heard that many people were stuck on the road. There was also a pregnant woman in the bed next to me. She came half an hour later than me. When I heard her husband crying, he said that they came by kayak, which was close to home. When they were at the hospital gate, the kayak could not move, and he dragged his wife into the hospital by kayak. Just a little late, his wife was gone, the child was gone, and the person was gone..."
Qiao Qingqing hugged Yuan Xiaowen and felt Yuan Xiaowen trembling. Her eyes turned red as she empathized with her.
"It's going to be fine...it's going to be fine..."
Shao Shengfei widened his eyes and looked at Shao Shengan: "My sister is crying."
Shao Shengan held his hand: "Are you cold?"
He shook his head: "It's not cold, my sister is crying, both sisters are crying."
Shao Shengan sighed: "Brother, let's not disturb them. I'll take you out for a walk."
More than an hour later, Hu Yanhai and his father came back, and they exchanged pleasantries as soon as they met.
After hearing Qiao Qingqing's suggestion to take Yuan Xiaowen home to recuperate, Hu Yanhai agreed immediately. He only heard Shao Shengan whisper the word "floor heating" to him, and then he didn't think about anything else.
Floor heating, floor heating.
He looked at his wife's pale face. It was really too cold here. He was worried that his wife couldn't survive. It wasn't because of the lack of medical care and medicine, but because she couldn't survive this cold winter.
"When Wenwen is able to leave the hospital, I will send her there. I know your house is not spacious, so I can sleep in the living room. I will come back when Wenwen is well, and let her stay at your house for a few more days." Hu Yanhai thanked him solemnly, "I have said thank you too many times. In the future... just ask me if there is anything I can help with!"
Four days later, Hu Yanhai put on the skates Qiao Qingqing left for him, wrapped Yuan Xiaowen tightly in a quilt on his back, and with the help of his cousins who could skate, he carried Yuan Xiaowen to Jinyuan Community. Qiao Qingqing put a 1.5-meter bed in the master bedroom and made bedding for Yuan Xiaowen and her husband to live in.
Seeing that everything was settled, Hu Yanhai and his cousins said goodbye. Shao Shengan came forward to give them ten jin bags of flour and two bags of white sugar, but he didn't dare to give more for fear of bringing disaster to the family. But the cousins were very happy. The supply ship had not moved for several days, and the family didn't have much food left.
Shao Shengan saw the brothers off downstairs and watched them leave.
When he was going upstairs, he met Zheng Tiehui coming down. Zheng Tiehui asked a few questions and found out that a friend had come to his house. He was stunned for a moment: "In this day and age, there are still friends coming to live with you. They must be close friends, right?"
Shao Shengan smiled and said nothing, but asked him where he was going.
"I'm going to go to the primary school to have a look. Do you want to come?"
"I won't go. I have guests at home."
"The floor heating is turned on at night. After eight hours, it can still keep warm for three or four hours after being turned off. After five or six hours, the temperature in the room is still slightly higher than outside." Qiao Qingqing explained to Yuan Xiaowen in the room.
"I understand. How can we generate electricity 24 hours a day? How can we have enough gasoline? It would be great if we can be a little warmer at night. Qingqing, you are good to me. I know that. I am lucky to have a good friend like you." Yuan Xiaowen looked worse than the last time they met in the hospital. Her eyelids started to droop after just a few words. Qiao Qingqing stopped talking, covered her with a quilt, and left the room after watching for a while until she fell asleep.
"Where is Hu Yanhai?" Qiao Qingqing looked around and asked.
Shao Shengan opened the door and came in, saying that he met Hu Yanhai going downstairs.
"He said he saw a branch on the shallow ice on the way here and wanted to dig it up. I couldn't stop him and he jumped downstairs."
At noon, Qiao Qingqing made some nourishing porridge for Yuan Xiaowen. While eating, Yuan Xiaowen couldn't help but look surprised: "Qingqing, how could it be——"
How could there be chicken at this hour? She could tell that it was fresh chicken, tender and delicious.
"We have some at home, eat it quickly."
Yuan Xiaowen ate two bowls of shredded chicken porridge and lay down with a guilty feeling. She thought, this must be Qingqing's family's stock, maybe they were chickens they raised before and they were slaughtered for her...
Hu Yanhai returned in the evening, carrying a large bundle of branches on his back and with wounds on his face.
"It's okay! I met some hooligans and had a fight. I won." Hu Yanhai wiped the corner of his mouth casually. The blood scab was broken and his mouth was crooked in pain. He just stretched his neck to look in the direction of the room, "Is Wenwen okay?"
"Okay, I got up at noon to have lunch, and then fell asleep again. You go change your clothes and don't let her worry." Qiao Qingqing said.
"Let me put the branches away first. Where should I put them?"
Hu Yanhai brought the branches to the terrace and saw that the empty space on Qiao Qingqing's terrace was covered with branches. There were a lot of branches in stock. He lowered his eyes and spread out the branches he brought to dry, then went downstairs to change his clothes.
Hu Yanhai didn't want to eat dinner with Qiao Qingqing and the others, saying that he had brought food with him. He insisted and hid on the terrace. After he finished eating the dry biscuits he brought, he estimated that the people downstairs had finished eating, so he pretended to be calm and went into the master bedroom to take care of Yuan Xiaowen.
"Hu Yanhai is a very principled man." Shao Shengan said this to Qiao Qingqing privately.
Yuan Xiaowen came to the family to recuperate. After two nights of sleep, her spirits improved significantly. She hadn't slept a full night for a long time. She slept very well in the two nights here. With enough sleep and good spirits, her body also improved. Hu Yanhai was very happy to see this. He was busy every day and took care of his wife without asking others to do so. The rest of the time, he either helped Qiao Qingqing find branches and wood for the fire, or helped to take out various household garbage, deal with ice on the window glass, etc. On the fifth day of coming here, he went back early in the morning to visit his parents.
"I feel like I'm a burden to him." Yuan Xiaowen said to Qiao Qingqing.
"Don't think like that. The birth of a child is a happy event and everyone welcomes it. It's just that the environment is bad now and life is hard. It doesn't like it here, so it said goodbye to us and went to live a good life somewhere else. Wenwen, don't get stuck in a dead end." Qiao Qingqing comforted her.
Yuan Xiaowen curled the corners of her mouth, her eyes still fixed on Hu Yanhai's receding figure outside.
Qiao Qingqing felt that something was wrong with Yuan Xiaowen's mind, and it seemed so familiar that it made her a little scared.
Qiao Songzhi observed for a while: "She seems to be in a bad mood, but she lost her child and is not feeling well now, so it is normal for her to be in a bad mood."
Qiao Qingqing shook her head: "Mom, I'm not just in a bad mood..." She didn't dare to say too much to scare her mother, but she had seen too many eyes like Yuan Xiaowen in her previous life - they were self-loathing, despair and numbness. Later, many of those people died or committed suicide.
After Hu Yanhai came back from visiting his parents, Qiao Qingqing told him about this: "She may have some depression tendencies. You need to take her to see a psychiatrist. I remember there is a tertiary hospital near your home. One of my colleagues went there for depression and was cured. You should pay attention. This concerns her life!"
Hu Yanhai's heart trembled: "I will pay attention!"
Qiao Qingqing frowned, "Why don't I take her there? I'll take her there when she gets better."
"No need, I will take it seriously, don't worry." Hu Yanhai promised.
On the morning of the sixth day of the sharp drop in temperature, Qiao Qingqing heard the long-lost sound of airplane propellers in the bathroom.
Others heard it too and went out to see excitedly.
Sure enough, a plane came to deliver supplies!
"It seems to be heading towards the primary school! Let's go and take a look!" Zheng Tiehui excitedly stopped his neighbors from going with him.
"I'll go and take a look too." Shao Shengan said to his family, and Hu Yanhai immediately said he would go too.
On this morning, planes were flying back and forth continuously. Qiao Qingqing couldn't count how many planes there were, but it was obvious that the supply ship at Jinyuan Primary School was replenished with supplies during these flights. Zheng Tiehui happily announced: "Supplies will be distributed as usual tomorrow!"
Early the next morning, Shao Shengan, Hu Yanhai, Shao's father and their neighbors set out to collect supplies.
When Hu Yanhai came, he brought his and Yuan Xiaowen's ID cards and marriage certificate, so he also received two copies.
"It's time to eat compressed biscuits again, oh!"
"The water I was given has all frozen. How can I drink it?"
"The supply ship didn't send any fuel this time. I thought they would send gas tanks!"
"It's good to have been given matches. Be diligent and dig some wood to burn yourself..."
"I dismantled the cabinets at home..."
No matter how difficult it is, those who are alive must still try their best to live.
After Yuan Xiaowen recovered, she said she wanted to go back. Qiao Qingqing asked her to stay for a few more days, but she smiled and shook her head. Holding Qiao Qingqing's hand tightly, she whispered, "Qingqing, your family lives better than others. You have everything to eat and use. You must be careful not to let others know. There are many bad people out there. I know I have caused a lot of trouble for your family. Qingqing, you can help me for a while, but you can't help me forever. Everyone has their own life to live. I can't take advantage of you for granted. This is not a long-term solution."
"We have known each other for more than 20 years, just like real sisters." Qiao Qingqing really wanted to keep Yuan Xiaowen. She often counselled Yuan Xiaowen these days and saw with her own eyes that Yuan Xiaowen smiled more and more. Staying was the best choice for Yuan Xiaowen.
"Qingqing, take care of yourself. We'll see each other later. I'll come to see you."
Unable to keep Yuan Xiaowen, Qiao Qingqing had to send the couple back. Yuan Xiaowen did not accept all the gifts she prepared, and earnestly advised her not to be too extravagant. Before Qiao Qingqing could explain, Yuan Xiaowen winked at her and said, "Didn't I tell you last time to learn how to hide things? I brought so many things back, and I wanted to hide them, but I couldn't. I know you are good to me, but I also want to be good to you."
She just put on new clothes from head to toe, took some food and a small alcohol stove, and went back.
Qiao Qingqing often missed her and would visit her every half a month. Shao Shengan knew her character. In the previous life, Hu Yanhai came to deliver supplies in the rain during the flood. This feeling must have been engraved in Qingqing's heart, so he never stopped her and went with her every time.
The supply ship finally stabilized and supplies were distributed every five days, including warm clothing, food, and occasionally medicine.
Huacheng is like an isolated island. News from the outside world cannot come in, and people here cannot go out. They can only guard each supply point, like guarding the flame of survival, and try their best to hold on.
It was the sixth of the third month after the big temperature drop. It should have been New Year's Eve, a good holiday for family reunion, but that night the temperature dropped below minus 50 degrees Celsius.
It was about five in the evening when it started to get dark. Qiao Qingqing's family decided to have the New Year's Eve dinner early. Shao's mother lit a coal stove on the balcony so that she could warm herself up while eating. As soon as she opened the escape window for ventilation, she was frightened by the howling wind outside.
"It's so windy outside. Can you hear the wind?" asked Shao's mother.
"I heard you. Where did you put the vanishing cream? Take it out and rub it on. My face is so painful from the cracks."
Shao's mother went to find some vanishing cream for Shao's father, and also applied it to Shao Shengfei.
"It smells so good!" Shao Shengfei struggled and ran away.
The wind was so strong that when Qiao Qingqing walked to the balcony, she could hear the sharp sound of wind and her hair was blown into the air.
"The coal stove won't light up." Shao's mother rubbed her hands and continued to make a fire.
Qiao Qingqing closed the escape window and asked Shao's mother not to light the coal stove today: "Let's go to the room to have dinner."
“Wouldn’t that be a waste of electricity?”
"It's okay, there's enough electricity."
The New Year's Eve dinner is very rich, with nine dishes in total, including vegetables, meat and soup, including braised pig's trotters, boiled chicken, fried dumplings, tea tree mushroom and old duck soup, cold braised beef, stir-fried vegetables, shredded potatoes with vinegar, and the last dish is sesame dumplings. Each person gets a bowl, and after eating it, they have a sweet reunion in the new year.
Shao Shengan also opened a bottle of white wine, poured a glass for everyone, and Shao Shengfei also got a small glass.
"Mom, say a few words." Shao Shengan said to Qiao Songzhi.
Qiao Songzhi was a little at a loss: "What should I say?"
Qiao Qingqing touched the back of her hand and looked at her with a smile.
"Mother-in-law, please say a few words, and then we can start the banquet." Shao's mother smiled.
Qiao Songzhi raised his glass and said solemnly and yearningly: "In the new year, I wish our family good health, peace, and a happy reunion. After we survive the natural disaster, we can live a normal life."
"Good! My mother-in-law said it well!"
"Hello, Mommy Qiao!"
Everyone clinked glasses and drank. The spicy liquor brought a spicy feeling to the throat and also brought warmth to the stomach. Qiao Qingqing stopped after taking only one sip. In the past, for work, she went from never drinking to being able to drink a thousand glasses without getting drunk. But now she doesn't need to do that anymore. She can drink whenever she wants, freely and carefree.
"Eat the food, eat the food, eat it while it's hot!"
"This beef is delicious, Qingqing, you eat it."
"Fei Fei eats this, it's delicious."
"Fei Fei, thank Mother Qiao quickly..."
At the same time, other families were also gathering around New Year's Eve dinners, either sumptuous or simple, enjoying the rare reunion and stability in the end times. This year of fear has finally come to an end, and everyone is looking forward to the dawn of hope that will come next year.
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