On the way, Qiao Qingqing and her friends also met a rat-catching team, and there was an intensive scratching sound coming from the barrels in the car.
After returning to Ping'an Community, Qiao Qingqing found that her stall was gone. She became a little worried and quickened her pace to go home.
Qiao Songzhi was at home and she closed her stall early.
"A bunch of rats! They jumped out of the sewer. Just thinking about their heads makes me scared. I quickly closed the stall. Didn't you see that the old ladies who were enjoying the cool air were gone? They were all scared away."
Shao Shengfei said: "I saw mice too, there were so many of them, in the hospital!"
Shao's mother was worried: "Aren't the rat-catching teams always catching them? How come they can't catch all of them? It feels like there are even more."
"Fortunately, we live high up. Rats shouldn't be able to climb that high."
As soon as Qiao Songzhi finished speaking, Qiao Qingqing heard a strange noise outside the window.
"I'll go take a look." She walked over with the knife in hand and frowned at the nailed curtains.
She saw something outside scratching the curtains, leaving marks, but the curtains were thick enough and were not torn for the time being.
"What is that?" Shao's mother asked in a low voice, also holding a stick in her hand.
"Looking at the mark, it must be a rat." Qiao Qingqing took the stick from Shao's mother and knocked hard on the curtain.
She felt that she had hit something and it fell down.
"Let me open the curtains and take a look."
After removing the nail, Qiao Qingqing lifted a corner of the curtain and looked out. It was pitch black outside. Qiao Songzhi handed her a flashlight. When she shone the flashlight outside, she saw a bunch of rats crawling on the sewer pipe. She didn't know how they climbed up with such big bodies. When she shone the light down, she saw a few rats hanging on the windows downstairs, scratching the plastic film that sealed the windows on the fifth floor, making a crackling sound.
There were curses and children screaming coming from the house downstairs.
"They really are rats. How can they be so powerful? This is the seventh floor." Qiao Songzhi was very surprised.
"Mice are good at climbing." Qiao Qingqing retracted her upper body and looked at the curtains in thought, "Mom, we have to find new materials to seal the windows, otherwise it's only a matter of time before they tear the curtains to pieces."
"Okay, then let's use wood. I'll ask your dad to nail it when he comes back." said Shao's mother.
"It's okay, I can do it, you help me take down the curtains."
She threw the removed curtains directly onto the rooftop, and she planned to clean and disinfect them in the sun when the sun rose tomorrow.
That night, the liveliest sound in Ping'an Community was the noise of catching mice.
Not only were rats rampant, but cockroaches were also breeding in large numbers. In order to turn the cockroaches into powder, she placed a cockroach bucket outside the bathroom window and put bait in it. That night, there was a constant rustling sound in the bucket outside the window, more frequent than usual.
During the day she would bring the bucket in, and without lifting the net she could see it was filled with cockroaches.
She clearly felt that the harvest was getting bigger and bigger. She still remembered that the first time she hung the bucket out, there were only a few when she brought it back. This time, the bucket was full.
At this time in her previous life, she was still on the road of exile, suffering from the infestation of rats and cockroaches. No matter how much precautions she took before falling asleep, she would always be woken up by rats in her hot and restless sleep.
Looking at the cockroaches in the bucket, she took a deep breath and began to clean and disinfect. After she was done, she disinfected herself and the bathroom before she dared to step out of the bathroom.
The baking was done in another unoccupied room, which was converted into her pharmacy. In order to bake the cockroach medicine today, Qiao Qingqing planned not to sleep during the day and go to sleep after finishing the work. Suddenly, she heard someone knocking on the door downstairs. The voice sounded anxious, and her mood became chaotic.
After washing her hands, she went downstairs.
"…He fell. Your family should take him to the hospital!"
When Qiao Qingqing heard this, she hurried downstairs and saw Shao's father being supported by someone, looking weak.
"What's wrong?"
Shao's mother cried and said, "Your father's colleague said that your father accidentally fell into the sewer. Look, he is so confused."
Shao Shengfei was so scared that he burst into tears. Qiao Songzhi held him back to prevent him from jumping on Shao's father. She also supported Shao's mother with one hand. She said to Qiao Qingqing anxiously, "Help your father-in-law into the house first, and let him take a look."
"Could you please take my dad into the house? May I ask your name?"
"My last name is Lu, you can just call me Old Lu!"
Shao's father's colleague helped Shao in, put him on the bed and wiped his sweat tiredly. He then carried Shao's father back and helped him up again. He was really exhausted.
"Mom, please treat Uncle Lu to some water. I'll show it to Dad."
Qiao Songzhi nodded. Lu Ping wanted to leave, but Qiao Songzhi did not let him and politely asked him to sit in the living room.
Shao's mother wiped the sweat off Shao's father's face and took off his clothes, tears falling non-stop. Qiao Qingqing comforted him and quickly checked Shao's father's wound and pulse.
Mr. Shao was dizzy. When he was cleaning, the manhole cover under his feet suddenly broke. He stepped on it and fell into the sewer. He was knocked unconscious and had wounds all over his body.
"It's okay, it's just a minor concussion. He will be fine after a few days of bed rest. Mom, the injuries on Dad's body are all superficial. They will be fine after we treat them and apply medicine. Don't worry too much." Qiao Qingqing left the medicine and a bucket of water, closed the door and went out, so that Shao's mother could clean and apply medicine to Shao's father.
Lu Ping was still sitting there, he was sweating all over and his clothes were soaked with sweat. Qiao Qingqing formally thanked him for his help and asked him to stay for dinner.
Lu Ping waved his hand: "No, no! I'm just helping out, it's not a big deal, Brother Shao is always very caring towards me, so I'll go back first, do you want me to ask for leave for Brother Shao?"
"Please ask for a leave for my dad, for half a month."
The other party insisted on not staying for dinner, so Qiao Qingqing packed a bag of sweet potatoes and a bag of white sugar for him as a thank you gift. Lu Ping couldn't refuse, so he had to accept it. After returning home, his family complained about why his clothes were so dirty and smelly, so he told them about it.
"That's not bad. That family still knows some manners. It's not like you helped that guy before. You were so exhausted that they didn't even give you a sip of water. Just thinking about it makes me so angry."
Lu Ping smiled good-naturedly: "It's okay, it's all small matters."
"Okay, go change your clothes! I'll give you a basin of water, you can wash yourself, use it sparingly!"
In Ping'an Community, Shao's father had recovered a lot, but he still felt dizzy, and felt even more dizzy when he sat up. Shao's mother would not let him get up, and fed him something before letting him sleep.
Qiao Qingqing was still on the sixth floor. Shao Shengfei had been comforted. When she saw Shao's mother coming out of the room, she quickly helped her to sit down. Shao's mother cried again: "How could you be so careless! I feel so scared when I think about it. Your father fell in and fainted. If his colleagues hadn't found him and pulled him out, what would we do now? There are no street lights in that area. We don't know where to look for him."
Qiao Songzhi comforted her: "My father-in-law is lucky, this is also his blessing. My father-in-law is usually kind and righteous. Lu Ping went to him to borrow the wind oil and then found that he had fallen in. Everything is destined by heaven. Good people will be rewarded."
These words effectively comforted Shao's mother, and she stopped crying: "I want to complain. How can the manhole cover be broken for no reason? There must be something wrong."
"I'll go, Mom. You just stay at home and take care of Dad." Qiao Qingqing looked at her mother again. Her mother nodded at her and told her to be careful when going out.
Qiao Qingqing packed up and went out. She rode her bicycle to find Shao's father's team leader, the leader of the sanitation team in Ping'an Community. The two sides did not talk very happily, and the other party completely disagreed with compensation.
"Well, it was your father's own carelessness. How could the manhole cover be broken so easily? Don't break it and then blackmail me. It's so hard to find a job nowadays. You should cherish what you have! So, I will approve five more days of leave for Lao Shao, a total of twenty days! Take good care of your injury. I still have a position for him here." The captain waved his hand and was about to go off work, asking Qiao Qingqing not to make trouble.
Seeing his attitude, Qiao Qingqing knew that she didn't need to talk to him anymore, so she decided to go to the Urban Construction Bureau to ask for an explanation. She found the place where Lu Ping said, and the dark hole was there. She shone a flashlight and could see the manhole cover broken into several pieces in the turbid sewage. She took out her phone to take a photo, and walked another 300 meters to see the second manhole cover, which was of good quality.
Qiao Qingqing did not give up. She firmly believed that if someone cut corners on the construction site, there would definitely be more than one manhole cover with problems.
She checked more than a dozen manhole covers and finally found one. She stomped on it twice and heard a cracking sound. She took a deep breath and tried to pry up the manhole cover. The manhole cover that should have been difficult to pry open was easily pried open by her. She knocked on it and felt that only the surface was made of cement. The manhole cover that should have been made of reinforced concrete might be made of wood inside.
Qiao Qingqing took out a hammer and hit it a few times, and sure enough, she saw pieces of wood inside. The temperature is so high now, and this "empty" manhole cover has been exposed to the sun every day, and the inside has long been damaged. It cracked when stepped on.
After getting some wood to block the well mouth as a warning, Qiao Qingqing took the piece of evidence away and went to the Urban Management Bureau next.
The newly built Urban Management Bureau is located in the administrative district, which is also a place for rest during the day and work at night. The administrative district is brightly lit at night, and residents who want to take a cool walk like to go outside the administrative district. Even if they cannot go in, the lights there can illuminate the surrounding area as well.
Qiao Qingqing came over carrying a large manhole cover, attracting a lot of people's attention.
Some curious people asked her what she was doing and whether she was a manhole cover repairman.
"Women can also repair manhole covers?"
Qiao Qingqing ignored the old man who was talking. She parked the car at the door and called out to a staff member who was coming out.
"I would like to ask which department should I contact regarding compensation for sanitation workers' work-related injuries?"
The staff member was stunned for a moment: "A sanitation worker was injured on the job? Are you a family member? If you have any questions, you can go in and find Director Chen. He is in charge of sanitation workers."
"If the quality of the urban construction project is not up to standard, which department should I report to?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the old men and women who were enjoying the cool air at the door pricked up their ears, and those who reacted quickly immediately looked at the manhole cover behind Qiao Qingqing's car.
“This, this…”
"What's going on?" A man in his thirties walked out. He was neatly dressed and carrying a briefcase, looking like he was about to get off work.
Qiao Qingqing quickly looked at him and felt that he looked familiar. Her brain worked at high speed and she finally recognized who he was in a few seconds.
So she nodded politely: "Hello, my name is Qiao Qingqing, I live in Ping'an Community, and I came here today to report some issues to the leaders. May I ask who you are——"
"Hello Ms. Qiao, my name is Tan Jianling, and I'm Mayor Luo's secretary. So, let me take you in first. If you have any questions, let's sit down and talk."
Qiao Qingqing didn't refuse, so Tan Jianling called for help: "Park this bicycle, and this..." His eyes flickered, "Move the manhole cover in as well."
Then he said to the old men and women who were watching, "It's almost dawn, and the temperature has started to rise. Grandparents should go home first, so as not to get burned by the sun."
"Got it! Xiao Tan, are you going to get off work?"
Tan Jianling smiled: "I was supposed to get off work, but now I have to wait a while."
He turned around and stretched out his hand to make a "please" gesture: "Ms. Qiao, please follow me."
Qiao Qingqing stepped into the administrative building. Tan Jianling led her into a small meeting room, poured her some water, sat across from her, put his hands together on the table, leaned forward to listen, and asked politely, "Ms. Qiao, you can tell me what you want to say."
"My father-in-law is a sanitation worker. He usually works in Ping'an Community. Two hours ago, he stepped on a manhole cover and fell into the sewer while working..."
Tan Jianling looked at the manhole cover at Qiao Qingqing's feet and understood.
"I've made note of this matter and will report it to my superiors. I'll also follow up on your father-in-law's work injury compensation. Please fill out this form first. Yes, fill in your father-in-law's personal information. I'll submit it."
After filling it, Qiao Qingqing left, and the manhole cover was left behind as requested.
On the way home by bike, Qiao Qingqing's mind flashed the face of Tan Jianling, who had become more mature and steady a few years later.
In the year she died, Tan Jianling had already become the deputy mayor, the de facto second-in-command of the survivor base.
He just said that he was the secretary of Mayor Luo, and Mayor Luo was the mayor of Xicheng. After the survivors from Huacheng, which was closest to Xicheng, came over, the leadership team of Huacheng also joined in. Qiao Qingqing had inquired and found out that Yu Jingshen's position was also mayor.
After recognizing Tan Jianling, Qiao Qingqing knew that Shao's father's work injury compensation was a sure thing. She didn't care about the corruption in the urban construction project, nor did she care how they would negotiate on the matter. She only needed to get back Shao's father's work injury compensation.
It was already daybreak when she got home. Qiao Qingqing was sweating all over. She changed her clothes first and then went to check on Shao's father.
"Are you still sleeping? What's the situation over there? Have you found your father-in-law's leader?" Qiao Songzhi asked.
"We have found it. We just need to wait for the result."
Before the results came out, Lu Ping came to visit the patient after get off work the next day.
"Today a child fell into the sewer. When he was fished out, he was already dead." Lu Ping clutched his hands, his eyes sympathetic, "There was a big hole in his head, and he bled a lot..."
Qiao Songzhi was shocked: "How could it be, the manhole cover was also broken?"
Lu Ping nodded and whispered, "I heard that someone in the community next door also fell in. Both the car and the person were thrown in, and their face was disfigured."
Qiao Qingqing told him to be careful recently, and Lu Ping nodded repeatedly: "I know, our colleagues all said privately that we should be careful not to touch the manhole covers. Those manhole covers... don't seem to be very strong and have quality problems. Brother Shao is lucky, nothing serious happened. Is he better today?"
Shao's father was helped out by Shao's mother and chatted with Lu Ping for a few words. He held Lu Ping's hand and thanked him again and again, making the shy Lu Ping's dark face blush.
But he still felt dizzy, so he sat for a while and then went back to the house. Lu Ping also said goodbye and went home. If it was any later, the sun would come out and it would be too hot. Qiao Qingqing gave him some mugwort: "I dried it myself before. You can take it home to fumigate the house, it can repel insects." Qiao Qingqing heard from Shao's father that there was no pregnant woman in the family, so there was no taboo.
Lu Ping was both excited and embarrassed. He had just heard his wife say yesterday that there were too many mosquitoes at home and she wanted to get rid of them. Qiao Qingqing saw it and persuaded him a few more times, and Lu Ping accepted it.
Six days later, someone came to visit Shao's father and brought him gifts and his salary for last month.
"It's you?" Qiao Qingqing was surprised when she opened the door.
"Dr. Qiao? This is your home, what a fate!" The person who came smiled with his teeth showing, it was Ye Changtian.
Ye Changtian, who had not been seen for a long time, came on this ordinary evening as the mayor's assistant to visit the sanitation workers injured in the shoddy urban construction project.
"When did you become the mayor's assistant?" Qiao Qingqing asked curiously.
Ye Changtian sat on the sofa, sitting upright, his temperament was very different from before. He no longer grinned like when we first met, but smiled in a reserved way: "This is a coincidence. Didn't I get spoiled honey as my salary before? My father asked me to let it go, but I couldn't swallow it. I had to get it clear. The process was very complicated. Anyway, I met Mayor Luo, and Mayor Luo appreciated me very much, so he kept me by his side as an assistant."
This was really his chance. Qiao Qingqing congratulated him sincerely: "No wonder you disappeared. I saw that Village Chief Ye didn't seem to be very worried. It turns out that you already have a future."
Speaking of his father, Ye Changtian also had some emotion: "My dad was scared to death at the time, thinking that I was suffocated and beaten to death outside. Later, I took the time to come back, and he was relieved. The construction of the base is very busy. I followed the mayor and learned a lot. Regarding the manhole cover problem this time, the higher-ups have sent people to check the manhole covers of the entire base. There should be a group of people who will be caught. Uncle Shao's injury will not be in vain. What I brought today is just a gift for visiting. After things are settled, there will be formal compensation."
Qiao Songzhi was so happy that Ye Changtian had a bright future and was glad that there was an explanation for her father-in-law's work-related injury. She sighed, "I heard that not only Qingqing's father-in-law was injured, but there were others as well."
Ye Changtian nodded: "Yes, those substandard manhole covers have been exposed to the sun for so long that they have long been broken inside, so Mayor Luo took it very seriously and immediately formed an investigation team after receiving the report."
Ye Changtian couldn’t say anything more, and Qiao Qingqing didn’t ask.
After chatting for a while, Ye Changtian was ready to leave.
Looking at his back, Qiao Songzhi sighed: "When I was in the village before, I saw that he was different from others. It turns out that capable people can find their own place."
"The village chief had trained him to be the next village chief." Qiao Qingqing said with a smile, "Now that he can work beside the mayor, the village chief must be very happy."
"That's right."
The condolence gift brought by Ye Changtian was simple and practical, a bottle of medicinal wine and a bag of potatoes. Qiao Qingqing opened the medicinal wine and smelled it, and put it away after confirming that it was not spoiled. She was afraid that it would go bad if left outside. As for the potatoes, she peeled four for the next meal and cut them into pieces to stew chicken. High-temperature resistant potatoes are like sweet potatoes, which are good at filling but poor in taste. They need to be stewed for a long time to taste good, so Qiao Qingqing used a casserole to stew them slowly over low heat.
After Shao Shengfei peeled four potatoes, he took four or five potatoes and turned them over and over. Qiao Qingqing closed the lid and looked back at him. She understood what he was doing, but she still led him to talk and let him express his thoughts.
"Brother, what do you want to eat?"
Shao Shengfei pursed his lips, carefully glanced behind him, and whispered, "Sister, can I have some French fries?"
"Big bro, do you want some fries?"
"Yeah." He nodded.
There were not many snacks stockpiled before the end of the world, and they had long been eaten up in the past few years. Occasionally when she felt craving for something, Qiao Qingqing would make some snacks for herself.
Qiao Qingqing squatted in front of him and asked him, "Why are you speaking so quietly?"
"Mom is unhappy, I don't want her to hear it, sister, I want to eat French fries, will Mom be unhappy?"
"No, wash this potato in your hand and these two potatoes, and I'll make you some French fries."
Shao Shengfei became happy: "Really?"
Seeing him like this, Qiao Qingqing sighed. Shao's father was injured and uncomfortable these days, and Shao's mother was always tense and looked unhappy, which scared Shao Shengfei. He was like a child, looking at his parents' faces, and when his parents were in a bad mood, he would shrink and was not as lively as before.
"Really? When have I ever lied to you?"
Shao Shengfei nodded and went to scoop water to wash the potatoes. Qiao Qingqing cut the potatoes into strips, heated the oil in a pan, and poured the potato strips in when the oil was 60% hot. After frying, she filtered the oil and scooped it out, then fried it a second time, and the French fries were golden and crispy.
"Do you want to add plum powder or ketchup?"
"Plum powder!" Shao Shengfei did not hesitate. Qiao Qingqing put the plum powder into the big bowl, shook it and mixed it evenly: "Okay, take it out."
In addition to porridge, a pot of potato stewed chicken, and a serving of plum fries for breakfast.
Qiao Qingqing hadn't eaten French fries for a long time and was quite happy eating them. She had just left a portion in her space and would give it to Sheng An when he came back.
"Eating French fries will make you feel irritated. I'll make some chrysanthemum tea for you later," said Qiao Songzhi.
After breakfast, Shao's mother went in to feed Shao's father, and then the sun was high in the sky. The air conditioner was turned on, and Qiao Qingqing checked the doors and windows before going into the room to sleep with her mother.
Before going to bed, Qiao Songzhi continued crocheting. Qiao Qingqing looked at it for a while and recognized it: "Is this a little rabbit?"
"Yes, I'm afraid that I won't be able to sell bows all the time, so I'm thinking about crocheting small animals or something, which children will like more." Qiao Songzhi was very happy, "Can you recognize that this is a little rabbit?"
"Yes, very much like him."
"Then I feel relieved. I was just afraid it might not look like it."
"Okay, mom, let's go to bed. The sun is shining on our butts." Qiao Qingqing held her arm. Qiao Songzhi touched her head and said, "Nonsense. In the past, the sun shining on our butts was used to wake up lazy sleepers. Okay, okay, let's go to bed now."
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