Many others also suffered from the torrential rain. For example, the old couple's small shack was leaking so badly that it was like a water curtain cave. Because of the low terrain, a lot of water got into the house. The two of them drained the water from morning to night and couldn't get a good night's sleep.
In the end, other tenants couldn't stand it anymore and rescued them, said Wang Guozhong, a technician in his forties living next door to Cao Li.
“I have a bed at the factory for overtime shifts. You can stay here for now, and I’ll go back to the machine factory. When the weather clears up, you should really fix up your little shack; it’s too dangerous.”
Fortunately, other people's houses also had leaks to varying degrees, but they were all within a manageable range.
The elderly couple thanked him profusely as they moved their belongings over and promised to waive two months' rent for Wang Guozhong, but he refused.
"Why are you being so polite? Helping each other is our tradition, isn't it? Just relax and stay here. I've packed my things and I'm heading back to the factory now."
Wang Guozhong pushed his bicycle to the porch, covered his bedding and clothes with a plastic sheet, put a basin and some daily necessities in a net bag in front of the bicycle, said goodbye, and rode away.
"This rain is so heavy, I wonder how things are at home!"
Yuan Yuan, a city girl, doesn't understand the hardships of farmers. Tang Cuiju, watching the rain, felt heartbroken that the corn seedlings in the field would be flooded, and worried about the disaster at home. Especially with all the units notifying her to stop work, the ordeal became even more unbearable.
"No, I can't wait any longer, I have to go back and check." Tang Cuiju said, preparing to pack her things, but Yuan Yuan stopped her.
"Sister Ju, calm down. With such heavy rain and all the workplaces shut down, do you think the buses will actually run?"
"Then I'll ride my bicycle back."
"Then you absolutely can't. What if something happens on your way home by bike? Do you really want your family to worry about you again?"
After much persuasion, they finally calmed the person down: "Just stay here and wait for news. They will definitely send a telegram. Maybe it's because your workplace is closed that the telegram can't reach you!"
"As long as the telegraph and telephone lines are not broken or damaged, they can be transmitted. The work stoppage is on our parcel side."
"That settles it then. Let's go to the post office later and ask if there's any news from home."
...
In fact, Xiao Jiu had given Ye Zhen's phone number to Tao Changyi on the very day he arrived.
"Dad, this is a telephone operator at the post office I know. Her name is Ye Zhen. When you have time, please call her and have her let my second sister know that she is safe. Otherwise, my second sister might rush home in a panic and something else might happen."
Before long, the flood control teams will gradually move towards them. With the rain continuing non-stop, and without the river embankment to stop it, the famine that was finally alleviated this year will be greatly affected by this rain.
However, neither Tang Cuihua's dream nor her subsequent life remembered that a flood would occur that year.
It seems that the trajectory of history can also deviate. After all, where the clouds drift is not determined by history, but by the changing circumstances of the day.
After raining for two days and two nights, it finally began to subside on the morning of the third day, but the sky was still overcast, as if it were about to rain again at any moment.
No one dared to let their guard down. As the rain subsided, various units began to organize people to come and set up tents, making sure everyone had a place to stay.
As for other food supplies for disaster relief, they have not yet arrived. It's not that they are unwilling to provide them, but rather that even the most skilled cook cannot make a meal without ingredients.
Under the planned economy, everything was subject to purchase restrictions, and people had to exchange tickets for it. The government could only allocate very little, so they had to rely on themselves.
Even if there are vouchers available, they are prioritized for the elderly and children. Furthermore, the number of people is counted before the vouchers are distributed, leaving no opportunity for anyone to take advantage of the situation.
Over the past few days, people have been coming to register their identity information, including which village they are from, the name of the head of household, where they are located, and whether they have received any special assistance. They ask all these questions clearly.
There were four of them, including Xiaojiu, but they only received two bills. She didn't try to be tough and said they didn't need them and wouldn't take up national resources.
Only a fool would say such a thing. With so many people here, if she dared to say that one second, someone might shamelessly come over and demand it the next.
There's no doubt that someone might steal their things at night.
In an emergency, she even begged for two more bills, and although she was ruthlessly rejected, at least she tried.
The relief center only provides two meals a day, with no staple food, only porridge, and it's so thin that you can hardly see any rice grains. It's basically just a bowl of hot water mixed with porridge. Even so, it's already pretty good, as it has at least alleviated the symptoms of discomfort for many elderly people and children.
The four of them shared two bowls of soup, and their main dishes were biscuits and sponge cakes. Occasionally, when they went out for a walk, they would come back with hot steamed buns and dumplings, which they called "bought," but in reality, Xiao Jiu made them herself in her space.
With so many people around, they only ate two meals a day, but they would have biscuits to tide them over if they got hungry in between. She would occasionally slip her a hot boiled egg to her grandmother, and her grandmother would always look at her with a surprised expression.
Xiao Jiu would smile mysteriously at her and say, "Eat up, I had someone switch these. Grandma, you can't fall ill. You're the pillar of our family. Only when you're healthy can we all relax."
When my father and the others left yesterday, Xiao Jiu even stuffed a cloth bag containing more than ten kilograms of broken rice mixed with millet into it for them to take with them.
Although there is a place to live in the factory, cooking may be difficult. If we borrow someone else's stove, we shouldn't eat too well.
Mixing broken rice with millet makes it suitable for making porridge. Even if outsiders see it, they won't say anything and won't be able to figure out what's going on.
After calling Ye Zhen, Tao Changyi sent telegrams to his sons, and even to Zhou Yue and Niu Feng, to let them know he was safe.
Because the disaster was severe and many stubborn people who were unwilling to leave their homes had not been evacuated in time, various units have organized able-bodied men to search for people in the surrounding rural areas, adhering to the principles of saving as many people as possible and not sitting idly by and waiting for death.
Tao Changyi entrusted the old man to Tao An's care, and then signed up to join the rescue team, along with many adult men from the winery.
It's no wonder people are so conscious these days. When a leader issues an order, everyone raises their hands in response—that's real action.
Tao An originally wanted to go too, but he had to take care of his grandfather, and the dormitory was very crowded, with everyone looking after their own family.
He was leaving with his father, and it wasn't convenient for his mother to come and take care of him, so after thinking it over, he decided to stay.
Just as everyone expected, after the heavy rain stopped for two or three hours, the rain gradually intensified again, threatening to turn the place upside down, which was really worrying.
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