Chapter 38: Still United
At the Yuan family's house, Yuan Musheng was trapped under three fallen wooden racks, and medicinal herbs were scattered all over the ground.
He knew that no one would come at this time, so he didn't waste his energy shouting for help, but gathered his strength to try to climb out by himself.
But his leg seemed to be broken, and it hurt terribly whenever he moved.
He reached out to push the wooden rack, but the weight of three four-layer solid wooden racks stacked on top of each other was simply beyond his ability.
Yuan Musheng was panting like a cow, gritting his teeth and pushing hard, but the wooden frame remained motionless.
"No, I can't push it." Yuan Musheng wiped the sweat from his forehead and turned his head to look around, trying to find any handy tools.
However, it was a moonless rainy night, and the oil lamp had been knocked over when the wooden frame fell. In the darkness, Yuan Musheng could not see clearly what was around him.
Lightning flashed across the sky from time to time, but the brief light that came through the window was not enough for Yuan Musheng to find what he needed among a pile of scattered things.
Yuan Musheng couldn't help but smile bitterly, thinking back to what Madam Rong had said to him in the past.
"You even dared to pick herbs on the cliff, how come you didn't fall to your death? Who do you think you are? A flying outlaw? You're just a doctor who can't carry anything! What are you doing hanging around on the cliff? What kind of medicine is more important than your life?"
"I'm just excited to see the prey, you... Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch! Madam, please be gentle."
"I'd better see it broken! Sooner or later, you'll be killed by these herbs!"
The words were still fresh in his mind, and Yuan Musheng thought to himself, isn't he doomed now?
But the medicinal herbs at home had already been prepared. Many people were injured in the village today, and it was the time to use the medicine, but they were destroyed by the rain. He felt sad.
After regaining some strength, Yuan Musheng took a deep breath, placed his hands on the edge of the wooden frame and pushed upwards with force.
The wooden frame was slightly loose, and Yuan Musheng was delighted. He was about to grit his teeth and increase his strength when suddenly the ground and the house shook.
There was another earthquake.
Lightning flashed outside the window, and a beam came down straight on Yuan Musheng's head.
Yuan Musheng was pressed down by the wooden frame and couldn't escape even if he wanted to.
He widened his eyes in horror. It was all over. He was really going to die here today.
My wife, I am sorry for you!
Qiao'er, Lang'er, Daddy is so sorry for you! Remember to persuade your mother to remarry and don't be a widow because of me!
A bunch of messy thoughts flashed through his mind. As the ground shook, Yuan Musheng felt like he was hallucinating.
Why did he see the beam flying away?
Wait, when did he fly?
Yuan Musheng was hit by the rain in his face and it hurt him so much that he finally came to his senses.
He turned to look at Shang Wan, who was holding the hat on his head and running with him in his arms. As soon as he shouted "sister-in-law", his voice was washed away by the rain.
Shang Wan shook the rain off her face and glanced at him, "What do you want to say?"
"Tung oil cloth can keep out the rain." Yuan Musheng swallowed a mouthful of rainwater and said, "There's not enough medicinal herbs over there. We need to take some over."
Shang Wan carried him around in a circle and returned to get the things.
Because of the aftershock just now, more than half of the place where the Yuan family stored medicinal herbs collapsed, and many herbs were soaked. Yuan Musheng was heartbroken, but he also knew that he had no time to clean up the herbs at this moment.
Shang Wan lit the oil lamp and, under Yuan Musheng's command, ran to wrap the necessary medicinal herbs in oil paper and put them into a large bamboo basket. He then wrapped it with two layers of tung oil cloth to keep the rain out.
"Let's go, close your eyes." Shang Wan carried the big bamboo basket on his right shoulder, reached out to pick up Yuan Musheng who had no time to react, and rushed towards where the crowd was.
Yuan Musheng didn't close his eyes at first, but he couldn't resist the cold rain hitting his face. When Shang Wan finally let him go, Yuan Musheng felt like he had been slapped dozens of times and his face was numb.
"You dead man!" Madam Rong ran over crying, grabbed Yuan Musheng and pounded his chest with her fists, "Where have you been? I thought you were dead!"
Yuan Musheng had already injured his leg, and after being pushed by Madam Rong, he lost his balance and fell to the ground.
Mrs. Rong, who was crying and venting her anger, was stunned. She wiped her tears and helped him up. "I didn't use much force. Why did you fall?"
"I was wrong." Yuan Musheng knew that his wife was tough on the outside but soft on the inside, so he said softly, "I went back to get some herbs and got hit on the medicine shelf. My leg is probably broken. Wait until I reattach my leg and then you can hit me."
Upon hearing this, Madam Rong no longer cared about hitting him. She hurriedly shouted, "Lang'er, your father's leg is injured. Come over and help hold him up."
"I'll do it." Luo Laoer stepped forward to help, and Madam Rong quickly thanked him.
Shang Wan put the big bamboo basket in a place sheltered from the rain and ran to check on his family first.
Seeing her wet clothes sticking to her body, her hair soaked and sticking to her cheeks, and her whole body dripping with water, Lu Chengjing's brows were furrowed so tightly that he could pinch a fly to death.
"I'm wearing a hat." Shang Wan pointed to the hat on his head, not understanding why Lu Chengjing was so angry.
Seeing Shang Wan was completely unaware, Lu Chengjing felt helpless and sighed, "You'll get sick if you wear wet clothes. Xiaohuan has some clean clothes. Go change first."
At this moment, Rong Niang came running over with a pot lid on her head, "Sister-in-law, you're all wet. Go change your clothes with me quickly."
Shang Wan was pulled away by her.
The women stood together with their backs to each other, creating a circular changing space for her, and the men consciously turned their heads away and didn't look in her direction.
Shang Wan changed clothes quickly. The clothes prepared by Madam Rong were quite suitable in length except that the waist was a bit wide.
Aunt Zhou brought a clean cloth to wipe her hair. Shang Wan thanked her and took it to wipe her hair herself, and asked a few questions about the earthquake.
Xiaohuan was also hiding from the rain here with Yuanyuan in his arms. The little guy was woken up by the thunder, cried for a while, and then fell asleep again. He was sleeping soundly now.
Shang Wan poked the little guy's cheek, and a small dimple immediately appeared on the round, rosy little face.
After discussing for a while, the men in the village pulled out the tung oil cloth and tied it to four existing wooden stakes, and a simple rain shelter was built.
The villagers who were hiding under various shelters moved into the sheds. Each family contributed straw mats and hung them around the sheds to block some of the wind and rain.
There are five rolls of tung oil cloth, which are usually used to cover medicinal materials to prevent moisture. Now they have become five awnings that can barely accommodate all the villagers.
Those who had run into the houses to take shelter from the rain came back and stayed with their families. This time, there was no need for Zhang Er to lead people to take inventory. Each family lit the lights on their own, and everyone was there, not one missing.
Shan Dajun wrung the corner of his clothes. He had just helped put up the awning and got quite wet. He whispered to Shen Qi, "The people in this village are quite united."
The atmosphere in Willow Village is completely different from this place. Almost every family takes care of their own things and protects their own things tightly. How could they take them out?
"Because there are clear-headed backbones," Shen Qi glanced at the tired-looking old men, then set his sights on Shang Wan, Liu Cheng, Li Dashan and the others, "and there are also outstanding leaders."
"If the backbone is stable and the leader can handle pressure and bear the brunt of the situation, even if there is chaos, it won't last long."
Shan Dajun nodded, "It saves us a lot of effort."
Shang Wan came over with half-dry hair and looked at Shen Qi, "I need your help with something. How about I lend you a hand to talk?"
Shen Qi secretly raised his eyebrows. What kind of help could this powerful man ask him for?
(End of this chapter)
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