Chapter 38 Chapter 38 Escape
There are a total of twenty-three tractor drivers in Dawang County.
Each village had one or two drivers, some even none. Donghe Village had three tractor drivers, two of whom were women.
The two of them were in the tractor team, Qingmei wearing a pink triangular bandana and Zhao Xiaoxing wearing a red one. Zhao Xiaoxing didn't want to wear bright red, but Qingmei told her, "We might encounter extreme conditions when we go on a rescue mission. The brighter the colors, the easier it will be to spot us in danger."
Zhao Xiaoxing immediately lifted her jaw and fastened it.
Two people share one tractor, and Qingmei is still in the same group with Zhao Xiaoxing.
This time, we were delivering supplies to Yun County, 300 kilometers away. The tractor needed 15 or 16 hours to get there from the rural roads, then the provincial roads, and finally National Highway 107. And that was when the weather was good and the roads were good.
Inside the plum buns were pork jerky, beef jerky, chocolate, White Rabbit tea, and white sugar, which Zhao Wuhe had stuffed into her before she left. There were also two kettles filled with boiled water.
Zhao Xiaoxing felt that it was pointless to be fancy, so she brought twenty sweet potato steamed buns. As long as she wasn't hungry, it would be fine. At worst, she could just go back home and eat something delicious.
Their tractor was carrying canned goods and large barrels of clean water. These were sealed well, so they didn't need to be covered like the flour that other tractors were carrying.
On October 10th, at 11:30 am, the supply team set out for Yunxian County amid the sound of gongs and drums by the people.
The further you get towards Yanshi, the more humid the air becomes.
Zhao Xiaoxing sat next to Qingmei, chewing on a steamed bun and saying, "I'll drive later. You've been driving for five hours."
Qingmei stared intently at the tractor in front of her, nodded slightly and said, "Okay, I'll go to the back and take a nap for a while."
The tractor reached Xiang County along the road, halfway to Yun County.
The team was led by a young cadre from the county party committee. He looked at the map and asked nearby villagers about the road conditions ahead.
Qingmei took a steamed bun and stuffed it with some beef jerky, pounding her chest as she ate. Afterward, she nestled in the tractor bucket for a while.
She had just fallen asleep when she felt rain on her shoulders. She opened her eyes and saw that everything around her was dark.
Seeing that she had woken up, Zhao Xiaoxing shouted, "Take out your raincoat and put it on."
"Okay." Qingmei found a raincoat in a small corner. The tractor team stopped again, and everyone put on the raincoats they had been given.
Officer Ning shouted from the front, "The road conditions are bad as we enter the mountainous area. Don't rest, watch the road together. Follow the car in front closely and don't fall behind."
Zhao Xiaoxing swallowed hard, looking at the rain-soaked winding mountain road ahead. She discussed with Qingmei, "Do you want to drive? I'll help you."
Zhao Xiaoxing didn't trust herself, but she trusted Qingmei. When it came to tractor driving, Qingmei was almost her mentor.
Qingmei changed seats with her. Just as she was sitting down, a man with rosacea came up to her and said, "Get up."
Qingmei didn't recognize him: "What are you doing?"
Rosacea said, "You can't drive the road ahead, I'll help you."
Qingmei realized that this was a stereotype held by some male drivers.
She said sternly, "Comrade, take care of yourself."
Rosacea was about to say something when the driver in the car ahead shouted, "He's been in the newspapers driving a tractor. Who do you think you are? Come over here and watch the road!"
Zhao Xiaoxing shouted from the side, "Who asked you for help? You're so shameless. You're just a co-pilot. How can you pretend to be a good driver? Look at the road."
The other person turned back embarrassedly, not forgetting to glance at Qingmei's face.
Qingmei rolled her eyes, and the other party was stunned. Qingmei raised the corners of her lips to look like she was smiling, but the other party could see at a glance that she was playing tricks on him.
Rosacea: “…”
Qingmei started the tractor and followed the car in front slowly up the mountain road.
The tractor team drove slower and slower, and five hours passed in the wind and rain. Finally, because the wind and rain were so strong, Qingmei and the others had to stop and rest on the mountain road.
"There is a landslide area ahead. Let's get a good rest this time and drive through it in one go." Cadre Ning in front kept encouraging everyone.
Zhao Xiaoxing took out the collection of quotations from great men and held it in her hands, not even thinking about eating her steamed bread. Their tractor was pretty good, with an independent driver's seat, a new model, and it had been running for a long time without any problems.
The other tractors had constant problems, big and small. After ten hours or so, two tractors had already stalled.
"Another one broke down up ahead. Can you still fit a blanket in the truck bed?" The person in front was my second cousin from Zhuan Village, an old acquaintance. He was an excellent driver and served as the deputy team leader.
Because the other tractors were old and had a steep slope ahead, they couldn't load any more supplies. Seeing that the tractors were female, Ning decided not to burden them.
Instead, it was my second cousin who came over and told Qingmei.
He knew that Qingmei's skills were better than many male comrades, so it would be inappropriate for him to think that she was incompetent just because she was a female driver.
"Okay! Go ahead and pretend!" Qingmei said to Zhao Xiaoxing, "Carry our things from the corner to the front."
The tractor driver in front, who was helping to move the goods, saw Qingmei and apologized to her, saying, "My brother's words were not nice. Please don't take them to heart."
Qingmei said: "Gender discrimination is unacceptable. Women hold up half the sky."
The tractor driver in front of us suddenly laughed. He looked very honest and not tall, like a small mine. "I know. I will definitely teach him a lesson when we get there."
The convoy would only send more supplies to skilled tractor drivers. There were still twenty tractor drivers left, and if they didn't choose anyone else, they would just let this woman drive and you'd know how skilled she was.
Qingmei nodded and said, "I accept your apology, let's get ready quickly."
Zhao Xiaoxing came back with the luggage and stuffed it under her feet.
A moment later, the convoy resumed its journey, and this time it drove straight to Yun County without stopping.
They found a high ground to park the tractor. The flood in Yunxian County was thigh-deep, and it was heard that the water had been diverted to the nearest village and farmland.
"There are many soldiers over there maintaining order. Could they be my brother-in-law's men?" Zhao Xiaoxing stretched her neck to look to the north, but didn't see anyone familiar after looking for a long time.
Qingmei said: "He is not here, he is in the most serious dream county dozens of miles away."
Along the way, Officer Ning told them about the current situation. Qingmei listened carefully, hoping to find more clues about Gu Qingzhou.
Heavy rain poured down, and the cries of children could be heard from the temporary school playground across the street.
Qingmei followed the men and carried the supplies to the soldiers. Soon the soldiers came over to help carry the supplies.
It’s not that they don’t distribute it immediately. The most trustworthy group in times of disaster is the People’s Liberation Army.
"Cadre Ning has taken people to get diesel. Let's go to the school to take shelter from the rain."
My second cousin told everyone, "Take care of your belongings. No one will be responsible if you lose them. Especially your tractor keys. They must be kept close to you."
The disaster here was less severe than elsewhere. When Qingmei walked into the school, she saw tents all over the playground.
The first group of people who arrived stayed in the classroom. Fifty or sixty of them were sitting or lying down, looking confused.
Not to mention the tents. The October nights were chilly, and there was shallow water on the playground, so many people used benches to raise their makeshift beds.
Zhao Xiaoxing was so hungry that she felt dizzy and nauseous as she walked inside while chewing on a steamed bun. There was a classroom inside that was specially reserved for the supply team to rest.
Suddenly, Zhao Xiaoxing felt someone hugging her legs. She looked down and saw a child of four or five years old, reaching out for her steamed bun.
Zhao Xiaoxing took out a new one for her. Qingmei whispered beside her, "Don't take any more. Hurry up and go upstairs!"
Immediately, seven or eight children and four or five adults gathered around, their eyes fixed on Zhao Xiaoxing's cloth bag.
The second cousin stood in front of her and yelled, "What are you doing? No one is allowed to move."
He put one hand in his pocket, knowing that the hungry victims here might do something crazy.
More and more people gathered in front of them, and the children were clamoring for food.
Qingmei shouted, "The supplies have arrived. Soldiers, distribute them immediately! We won't give our supplies to anyone who steals our food!"
These words are more effective than taking out a knife.
The people who had gathered around were suddenly awakened. They all looked towards the school gate and actually found the food that the soldiers had been protecting behind them.
Qingmei took the opportunity to pull Zhao Xiaoxing and her second cousin upstairs to reunite with everyone.
Zhao Xiaoxing entered the classroom, quickly closed the door, and said with a pale face, "Oh my God, how could it be so scary? I thought it was going to pounce on me."
Qingmei said: "After all, it has been almost ten days since the disaster. Under the circumstances of hunger and cold, some people will have extreme emotions."
Zhao Xiaoxing reflected deeply on herself and said, "I will never act rashly again. I will eat among my own people."
The second cousin looked at her and said, "That's right. If it weren't for Qingmei, we would have been in trouble. The food we have is our own rations. If our rations are gone, we will have to queue up with the disaster victims to get food."
The other people in Dawang County asked about the situation, and the eldest cousin told them what had just happened again, asking them to remain vigilant, not to act without authorization, and not to expose the food.
We're waiting for the diesel to arrive, and we'll have to rest here for one night. We'll depart for Dawang County at noon tomorrow, and this mission will be complete.
However, things did not go as planned. In the middle of the night, heavy rain fell, and the ground was smoking.
The tents on the playground were flooded, deeper than the benches.
Cadre Ning returned from outside in the rain, wiped his face, and said, "We need to evacuate. To protect Hanwu City upstream, the leaders have decided... to release the floodwaters... to Yun County."
What?
Qingmei said in disbelief, "Then the entire county will be flooded?"
Official Ning said, "Not only Yun County, but also the neighboring Wei County and Bao'an County are within the flood discharge range. The entire population must evacuate before daybreak."
Hanwu City has heavy industrial plants, arsenals, shipyards and countless small and medium-sized factories. It has a population of five million and is the capital city and political and economic center of Beihu Province.
At the time of flooding, if Hanwu City was flooded, the entire Beihu Province would be paralyzed.
Qingmei tied a triangular scarf around her neck, put her arm around Zhao Xiaoxing's neck and said, "Let's go. Keep going."
Zhao Xiaoxing held her triangular scarf tightly, and even in the dark rainy night, the red color became a bright and eye-catching symbol. When people saw the red color, they knew they were on the right path.
Qingmei opened the fuel tank and filled it with half a bucket of diesel herself. Rosacea, who had offended her before, came over to help, but was glared away by Zhao Xiaoxing.
Zhao Xiaoxing: "Why are there still men who think we can't survive without them? Pah."
Qingmei said: "When they don't exist, we can just be ourselves. The more we care about them, the more fun it will be."
Outside the school, the victims who were being evacuated boarded the tractors in an orderly manner under the command of the soldiers.
They had to go to higher ground. Dading County, forty miles away, was at a high altitude and had mountains to block the flood. Outside the giant reservoir, almost all the villagers in the flood discharge area had to flock to such a county town.
Qingmei drove the tractor, and Zhao Xiaoxing didn't say a word along the way, staring with her eyes to help watch the road.
Fortunately, the journey was safe. When we were almost in Dading County, Zhao Xiaoxing took Qingmei's place and drove for a while.
They had tractors and could move quickly. When they arrived, the leaders of Yun County practically knelt before them, hoping they could transport more villagers to take refuge.
If we had to walk, how long would it take? In this kind of torrential rain, surrounded by enemies, no one could handle the loss of life.
The Dawang County Tractor Team received the order and left the villagers here and rushed to Yun County.
Landslides continue to occur around Yun County, and the heavier the rain, the more dangerous the situation becomes.
In this way, Qingmei rushed to transport the villagers for the second time.
As she braved the wind and rain to get out of the car and help the 70-year-old woman onto the tractor, Zhao Xiaoxing frantically called out to her, "It's the army's car!"
Qingmei should have guessed that Gu Qingzhou was coming. Five minutes ago, the wind and rain that were about to stop suddenly came back with great force, which was different from the past few days.
She stood soaking wet beside the tractor, watching the approaching military vehicles. In the jeep ahead was a figure, the man she had been dreaming about.
She really wanted to rush forward and feel the warm embrace, but at this moment she was struggling in her heart.
Gu Qingzhou saw a thin figure standing in the rain, her body covered in mud and trembling. After seeing him, she looked at him with a determined look.
Gu Qingzhou understood what she meant almost instantly.
Yun County could no longer withstand the thunderstorm, and they must not stand in front of it. Even standing there for two more minutes without doing anything could increase the trend of the flood and put the lives of the villagers in danger.
Gu Qingzhou moved his Adam's apple and said to Bao Mi, who wanted to stop, "Keep going."
Bao Mi thought he didn't notice his sister-in-law, and said anxiously: "It's my sister-in-law——"
"Keep going."
Bao Mi stopped talking, stepped on the accelerator, and the jeep passed by the thin figure in the wind and rain.
Zhao Xiaoxing asked stupidly, "Am I seeing this right? Is that Captain Gu? Why did he leave without saying a word to you?"
Qingmei wiped her face, lowered her head, and said in a muffled voice, "He's busy."
Zhao Xiaoxing said unhappily, "How can you not lower the window and say a word even if you're busy?"
Qingmei whispered, "It really can't be done."
The jeep disappeared and military trucks were passing by.
Qingmei said to Zhao Xiaoxing, "Let's get on the tractor and wait. We can start driving after they leave."
Zhao Xiaoxing looked at Qingmei's pale face and shook her hand, which was very cold. Zhao Xiaoxing said worriedly, "Don't feel bad. Why don't you put on my raincoat?"
Qingmei gave her raincoat to a pregnant woman with a child. She knew that she might be able to hold on without the raincoat, but the pregnant woman and the child would probably not be able to hold on without the raincoat.
Qingmei said calmly, "I don't want it. You wear it. Just take a good rest when you get there."
I hope that by then she can be some distance away from Gu Qingzhou... Thinking of this, Qingmei felt sad.
Are they both going to be like this for the rest of their lives? Trapped in a thunderstorm by the so-called laws of nature, unable to speak their minds openly and honestly?
It’s a good thing Zhao Wuhe is here, she can help avoid the thunder.
What if one day, Zhao Wuhe is no longer around?
Is she going to have to start a life of widowhood with Gu Qingzhou, unable to see each other?
Qingmei felt that she was really tired. She shivered to stop herself from thinking too much.
"sister in law!!"
Just before the military truck convoy slowly drove away, Bao Mi came running in the wind and rain holding a bag of clothes.
Qingmei jumped off the tractor, looked at him and said, "Why are you here?"
Bao Mi wiped his rain-soaked face and panted, "The commander asked me to give you his raincoat and this kettle with hot water in it!"
Qingmei, holding her raincoat and water bottle, quickly asked, "Is he okay?"
Bao Mi paused and said, "That's Captain Gu, he'll be fine. I'm leaving, sister-in-law, you must not fall behind. If you have any difficulties, find a soldier!"
Qingmei nodded and watched Bao Mi leave.
Qingmei returned to the tractor, put on her raincoat, opened the kettle and saw the precious hot water inside. She took a sip and handed it to Zhao Xiaoxing.
At this time, there was rain everywhere and a sip of hot water was rare.
Qingmei felt that the blood in her body, which was about to cool down, had warmed up. When Zhao Xiaoxing handed her the kettle, she also sighed with relief.
Qingmei drank two more sips and finally stopped shaking.
Yes, she must believe in herself and believe in Gu Qingzhou.
There is always a way.
The tractor in front started moving, and Qingmei followed the team out of Yunxian.
There were more than twenty villagers in the back of the truck, men, women, young and old, all huddled together.
Qingmei tried to drive the tractor as steadily as possible to avoid being thrown out by sudden movements when turning.
The rain stopped halfway through the blooming, and Qingmei took over, replaced by Zhao Xiaoxing.
As the sun rose and they began to warm up, the villagers in the back of the truck noticed that the drivers were two women. Knowing they had been rescued, they chatted enthusiastically, praising Qingmei and Zhao Xiaoxing profusely.
The adult who had tried to snatch Zhao Xiaoxing’s steamed bun was also inside, huddled in a corner with a look of regret on his face.
After arriving in Dading County, the villagers on the tractor followed others to the resettlement site.
Qingmei leaned against the tractor, holding the kettle and took a deep breath.
I'm so tired.
The temporary resting place in Dading County was a clinic in a car factory.
The people from Dawang County squeezed in and ate their own dry food. Although they were very tired, they were willing to help other fellow villagers.
"Follow me, three of us, to Yunzhou to move the goods."
My second cousin and Officer Ning came over. My second cousin looked at Qingmei and said, "Can I borrow your tractor? Other tractors don't have tires as good as yours, so I'm afraid they might have trouble getting through some of this road."
Qingmei trusted her second cousin and looked up and said, "Shall I go with you?"
My second cousin said, "You'll have to carry cement bags over there. You can rest for the night. You've worked hard today. You two can take turns with us tomorrow."
Qingmei naturally agreed. She just wanted to drink some hot water and she really couldn't move the cement bags.
The tractor drivers in Dawang County are all good. The male comrades gave the small beds used for inspection inside to Qingmei and Zhao Xiaoxing to rest, and they were lying around outside in all kinds of positions.
Qingmei and Zhao Xiaoxing ate something, locked the door, and fell asleep with their heads leaning against each other.
At daybreak, someone was boiling water outside.
When the weather was fine, we would burn wooden benches we found in the factory area and cook food we found outside in water.
There were quite a few people like this. Some of them made loud noises and woke Qingmei up.
After waking up from a nap, Qingmei felt refreshed and stretched.
Zhao Xiaoxing also rubbed her eyes and said, "My whole body feels like it's falling apart. It hurts so much."
Qingmei took her to brush her teeth. There was a faucet outside the clinic where she could turn on the water.
The tractor drivers outside also got up. They were discussing whether to get some wood to cook some dry food.
Qingmei went out the door and saw a long line in front of the faucet.
Qingmei waited for a while, and Zhao Xiaoxing ran out. Then he came back and called her, "There's another faucet over there, but it's blocked by a huge truck."
Qingmei smiled and said, "How big is it? You are exaggerating."
Zhao Xiaoxing pulled Qingmei over to look. When they got there, Qingmei saw two heavy trucks with extended carriages and exclaimed in surprise, "They're really huge! Two or three times bigger than the military truck we encountered yesterday."
Zhao Xiaoxing said, "If we had known earlier, we would have just picked him up in this car. Why make two trips?"
Qingmei looked at the extended truck. The pedals under the door were almost as high as her waist.
The car was at least three meters tall and looked very new, likely freshly produced and placed in the factory for a test drive.
Qingmei stepped on the pedal with great effort to open the car door. Sure enough, there was a plastic bag in front of the driver's seat, which contained the keys to the extended truck and the factory inspection report.
Zhao Xiaoxing shouted from below: "The faucet is working, come on."
Qingmei jumped down again and went to wash up with Zhao Xiaoxing.
The faucet Zhao Xiaoxing found was probably used by repairmen to wash their hands, and there was still oil stain on the faucet.
After washing up, Qingmei found a pair of vise pliers and a screwdriver in the maintenance workshop. She gave the screwdriver to Zhao Xiaoxing and told her, "Use it for self-defense."
Zhao Xiaoxing remembered the way those people stared at her yesterday, and she shuddered. She weighed the screwdriver in her hand and said, "It's heavy enough. I'll poke the eyes out of anyone who comes."
Qingmei smiled easily.
As I walked towards the clinic door, I heard people arguing.
They quarreled over a pot of corn porridge, causing everyone to quarrel.
The one who cooked the grits said it was his, while the group standing opposite said it was theirs, but it was stolen when they woke up.
Qingmei dragged Zhao Xiaoxing to the clinic. It was best to be cautious and protect themselves at this point. Who knew when relief supplies would arrive? This pot of grits might be enough to keep them going for a few more days.
Qingmei returned to the small bed and sat down, wondering what Gu Qingzhou was doing.
Rumble——
There was a loud bang. Qingmei ran to the door and heard someone say, "The explosion released the flood. My home is gone."
"Poor my ancestors, I don't know where I'll see you next time."
"My son, my son, why can't I find my son?"
... ...
It turned out to be a blast.
Then there were several explosion sounds. The people standing in the open space outside the clinic went from sadness to numbness. When the explosions continued, everyone started to do their own things again.
The two groups who had been arguing over the barley porridge stopped arguing and divided the barley porridge in unusual silence.
Qingmei and Zhao Xiaoxing found a place and ate beef jerky with steamed buns.
The steamed buns had been very hard after being stored for two or three days, and made a thud when they were hit against the wall.
Qingmei and Zhao Xiaoxing each finished eating one with great effort, and then began to giggle.
By the evening, my second cousin had not come back as promised.
Qingmei gradually became worried.
My second cousin is a good driver, so there shouldn’t be any problems. If there are any problems, it must be due to external reasons.
Zhao Xiaoxing found a bucket and planned to get some water to wipe herself and Qingmei. But she came back shortly after leaving and said, "The pipes are full of muddy water. There's no clean water."
Qingmei felt something was wrong.
They sat outside with other tractor drivers and waited for a while. There were quite a few people sitting in the open space, probably more than 300 people, and everyone was very quiet.
The factory was large, but at this hour it seemed quite quiet. In the darkness, the sound of voices could be heard from far away, probably from villagers resting in the open space outside the factory.
Qingmei looked up at the sky out of habit, and felt something was wrong.
This was a sign of impending storms, as it had been many times before: thick clouds were blown by the fast wind, and the moon appeared and disappeared from time to time.
Suddenly, a loud noise was heard again from a distant place.
The people in the open space were calm, just like the several explosions during the day, all focused on their own affairs.
Qingmei suddenly stood up and said, "The voice is wrong."
It's not a popping sound.
Zhao Xiaoxing asked beside her, "Thunder? Is it going to rain again?"
Qingmei still felt something was wrong. She couldn't hear other sounds, but could she not hear thunder?
Qingmei stood up and ran up the stairs on the side of the clinic to the third floor. Then she went up the narrow stairs along the wall to the roof.
She held her breath and observed the distance intently, and the jade bracelet on her wrist felt slightly warm.
Hidden in her sleeve, Qingmei often forgot about the bracelet, treating it like any other jade bracelet. But in her previous life, when she was in danger, the bracelet also got hot. And it got hot again this time!
Someone shouted faintly in the distance, and then the earth shook.
Qingmei felt the wind blowing faster in her ears. She guessed and guessed, and finally came up with a terrible possibility, which was also the only possibility - a flood.
Why was Dading County flooded?
Qingmei stood on the roof and shouted to everyone, "Get to higher ground! The flood is coming!"
The people in the open space were indifferent.
Only Zhao Xiaoxing and the people from Dawang County stood up.
Zhao Xiaoxing raised her head and said, "Did the flood really break out?"
Qingmei pointed to the west and said, "Landslides can't stop floods. The earthquake just now was the cause of the flash floods!"
At this time, someone said below: "Dading County has a high altitude..."
Qingmei said impatiently: "Can the altitude be as high as the mountain?!"
Qingmei shouted at Zhao Xiaoxing, "Call our people up here. If anyone else wants to die, I won't stop them!"
As she said that, she ran back to the small room downstairs and carried her and Zhao Xiaoxing's raincoats and simple luggage on her back, and also slung the water bottle that Gu Qingzhou gave her around her waist.
At that critical moment, two soldiers came running in and shouted to them, "Hurry up and get in the car! There's a military truck outside. Move quickly!"
Now everyone ran outside like crazy.
Qingmei and Zhao Xiaoxing also ran over, but were dumbfounded when they stopped.
The truck was already full of fellow villagers and there was no room for anyone else.
There were more than 300 of them in the open space, and more than 100 of them squeezed in with all their might. The remaining half cried and screamed, trying to get on the truck.
Almost in the blink of an eye, the floodwaters reached my feet, covering the insteps, then quickly reaching my calves.
The people on the military truck desperately asked the soldiers to drive. In desperation, the soldiers had no choice but to choose to transfer a group of people first.
The remaining more than 100 people, including Qingmei, were led by another soldier to the rooftop of the sixth floor of the office building at the entrance.
But this office building has fallen into disrepair and is abandoned.
When the flood spread to a depth of more than one meter, the wall began to fall off and the wall began to slowly tilt under the erosion of the flood.
Next to Qingmei was a middle-aged man in a respectable Mao suit. He collapsed and howled, "Someone, please save me! I can't die here! Help, help!"
Zhao Xiaoxing held onto Qingmei tightly, afraid that her petite body would be pushed off the roof. This was the sixth floor.
Qingmei felt the stairs move slightly to the left, followed by another earthquake.
Qingmei immediately estimated that there must be even more powerful flash floods coming later.
She didn't have time to hesitate and looked at the flood below. It was not as turbulent as the flood on the road because of the blocking of the factory buildings.
"I'll go get the truck." Qingmei steeled her heart and said to Zhao Xiaoxing, "Wait here for me."
Zhao Xiaoxing grabbed Qingmei's hand and said, "Are you crazy? We can't drive that car! I'll ask if there's anyone who can drive a truck. Wait a minute!"
Zhao Xiaoxing stood at the edge of the crowd and shouted, "Who can drive a truck? There's an extended truck over there. If it can come over, it can fit us all in so we can all leave."
Qingmei looked around and saw a man wearing a blue shirt from the car factory who noticed Qingmei's gaze and lowered his head.
The man in the Mao suit pleaded, "If what these two women said is true, then our only chance of rescue is that big truck. There are over a hundred of us on the truck and we won't be swept away easily. If we do that, we'll die before we even get rescued."
Suddenly someone shouted, "Whoever wants to cross the flood may go!"
Qingmei looked over and saw that it was one of the workers in blue clothes.
Zhongshan Suit saw hope ignite and then die out.
These days, it’s rare to find someone who can drive, let alone a big truck.
The jade bracelet on Qingmei's hand was getting hotter and hotter. She said to Zhao Xiaoxing, "No, I have to go."
Zhao Xiaoxing hesitated for a moment, then took Qingmei's hand and said, "I'll go with you."
The man in the Zhongshan suit looked a bit effeminate, but at this moment he was actually trying to comfort them. He called out to Qingmei, "Wait, don't worry. I have ropes. We'll hold you up so you won't be swept away by the flood."
Qingmei turned around and said to Zhao Xiaoxing, "I don't trust anyone else to pull the rope. You stay here and help me watch the rope."
Zhao Xiaoxing stamped her feet in anger and said helplessly, "Okay!"
The man in the Zhongshan suit crawled and rolled to get a rope from the warehouse downstairs. The rope was very long and should be used to tie up truck compartments. It was very strong.
Zhao Xiaoxing tied the rope around Qingmei's waist and watched her walk towards the stairs.
"Xiaomei, if anything happens to you, I'll jump off the building to accompany you!"
Zhao Xiaoxing tied the other end of the rope around her waist first, and then handed the end to Zhongshan suit.
The man in the Zhongshan suit searched around the roof and saw a ventilated cement pipe. He quickly wrapped the rope around it.
He clumsily finished tying the knot, but it wasn't secure. People gathered around, scrambling to help hold the rope in place. Only the man in blue, who had been reluctant to drive, stood still in the distance, muttering, "How can she drive a heavy truck? It's impossible. This is a waste of effort."
However, the others finally had hope, and standing on the obviously tilted top floor, they were all willing to grasp the seemingly slim hope.
Someone shouted to Zhao Xiaoxing, "We are not heartless or ungrateful people. That comrade's life is in our hands, and we will never let go."
"Yes, we will never let go."
"Even if no car comes, we will drag her up!"
......
Qingmei gritted her teeth and went downstairs. The flood had reached her waist. If she had been any later, she might not have been able to get through.
Qingmei pushed a bench to protect herself, and if any unidentified objects floated over, she would use the bench to block the impact.
The cold flood roared past her like a cold-blooded beast.
Qingmei walked through the infirmary and rested for two minutes when she felt someone tug at the rope around her waist.
Qingmei realized that Zhao Xiaoxing was worried about her because she saw that the rope was not moving. Qingmei grabbed the rope and pulled it, and the other party quickly gave it to Fang Ying.
Qingmei rested, shuddered, and continued to walk towards the big truck.
Fortunately, the terrain on the truck side was higher than the entrance, and the floodwaters were only as high as Qingmei's calves.
Qingmei stood by the car, opened the door, climbed into the car, and the first thing she did was to press the horn of the truck.
The penetrating sound of the horn reached the roof of the office building, and almost everyone's blood boiled.
Zhao Xiaoxing clasped her hands together and kept repeating "bless Qingmei" and "bless Qingmei". The man in the Zhongshan suit stood by and wanted to say something but hesitated, and finally let her go.
Qingmei opened the plastic bag in front of the car, took out the key and started the truck.
The principle of a large truck is basically similar to that of a tractor, and is also operated by a clutch and gear lever.
The gears of a truck are simpler than those of a tractor, and it is more suitable for long-term transportation and driving than a tractor.
Qingmei was worried about driving the big truck, but after taking a closer look, she felt relieved.
Zhao Xiaoxing felt the rope around her waist loosen. She quickly ran to the fence and looked out. The man in the Mao suit also ran over. Seeing that more people were about to come over, he quickly waved his hand and said, "Don't all come over, or the house will collapse."
Everyone's excited footsteps suddenly stopped, and they didn't know what to do for a moment.
The man in the Zhongshan suit was not tall. He tiptoed to look outside. A tall, extended truck slowly drove into everyone's sight.
"Go down one by one in a line, holding onto the ropes. Don't go down in groups."
Seeing that he was saved, the man in the Zhongshan suit began to direct everyone to evacuate.
"Come on, it's time for us to go down." He patted Zhao Xiaoxing's shoulder and said, "You don't have to jump off the building."
Zhao Xiaoxing sniffed, wiped the corners of her eyes, shook off the stinky man's hand and walked downstairs.
The man in the Zhongshan suit made a "tsk tsk tsk" sound and followed her downstairs.
The two long compartments at the back of the truck are fully enclosed. Once the doors are opened, everyone can directly board the compartments from the building.
More than a hundred people were divided into two extended carriages, where they had room to stay.
Zhao Xiaoxing came to the driver's seat and climbed in directly.
But unexpectedly, the man in the Zhongshan suit also followed.
Zhao Xiaoxing couldn't stand the man anymore and scolded him, "Why are you following me? Can't you see there are two women here?"
The man in the Zhongshan suit said, "It's too crowded in the back. I can't get in."
Zhao Xiaoxing said, "If you can't get in, get in!"
The man in the Zhongshan suit said in a effeminate way, "Or you would treat me like a woman too."
Ba——
The horn of the extended truck blew, and the others who boarded immediately quickened their pace. The man in blue stood awkwardly at the end of the group.
He is a worker in a car factory, so how could he not know how to drive? He just doesn't want to take risks.
Everyone pushed him to get on the bus last, so he had to wait outside.
Qingmei actually pressed the horn by mistake, and she was annoyed by the man in the Zhongshan suit's cheesy behavior.
"Okay, okay, come on up." Qingmei was about to drive and didn't want to waste time with others.
The man in the Zhongshan suit happily closed the car door, took out a map from his pocket and said, "I know where the rescue headquarters is. I'll show you the way."
Qingmei was stunned and asked him, "If I don't let you come up, you won't tell us, right?"
The man in the Zhongshan suit said, "How is that possible? I'm from the rescue headquarters, so of course I'll tell you."
Qingmei and Zhao Xiaoxing both expressed disbelief. His frantic shouting on the rooftop drowned out the voice of the old lady next to him. When everyone heard him shouting, the others stopped shouting.
...I guess I can be considered as fighting ten people alone.
Although it doesn't look good.
The man in the Zhongshan suit patted his chest and said, "Don't look at me like this, just tell me whether I am on the front line of flood control!"
“…” Qingmei and Zhao Xiaoxing were speechless.
It’s really the front line of flood control.
Qingmei sighed, hoping he wouldn't let her down. She slowly drove the extended truck onto the road.
Qingmei was driving an overweight truck, the body of which alone weighed nearly a hundred tons.
She didn't know much about trucks, but her only complaint was that the steering wheel was difficult to move. Fortunately, her arms were strong, and she managed to move it even after some effort.
The flood was about to submerge half of the carriage. The red truck broke through two waves of water and drove away at a steady speed.
The man in the Zhongshan suit applauded Qingmei in the cab and almost got slapped in the face by Zhao Xiaoxing: "Be quiet."
The man in the Zhongshan suit said shyly, "When we are all rescued, I will definitely apply for a reward for Comrade Qingmei."
Zhao Xiaoxing said, "Okay, give me a few more notebooks. My family uses them up quickly."
The man in the Zhongshan suit waved his hand and said, "Not really."
Zhao Xiaoxing angrily said, "You're not willing to give me a few more notebooks? What unit are you from?"
The man in the Zhongshan suit didn't want to mention his own unit, so he just said, "You misunderstood. It's not that I'm not willing to give you a few more notebooks, but we can give you something else."
Zhao Xiaoxing: "Washbasin or teacup?"
The man in the Zhongshan suit said, "Can't we think of anything better?"
Zhao Xiaoxing glanced at him and said, "This is already the limit."
The man in the Zhongshan suit sighed, "Forget it, let's stop talking."
The rushing flood was chasing the extended truck. Qingmei kept calm and sent everyone out of Dading County despite being hit repeatedly by unidentified objects in the water.
From the small window of the carriage, we saw that the flood's pursuit was gradually slowing down. As the vehicle slowly crawled up the hillside, the flood gradually rushed to other places.
Just when everyone breathed a sigh of relief, a rumbling sound came from the roof.
Someone shouted, "There's a landslide!"
Qingmei in front also felt that the roof of the car was hit by a huge stone, but the extended truck could not climb the slope and turn quickly, so it had to move carefully.
If the heavy truck was not strong and sturdy, the scattered rocks would probably push the vehicle off the cliff.
After turning the corner, Qingmei insisted on standing up and stepping on the accelerator, almost pushing her foot into the fuel tank, and finally left that dangerous route.
At the flood control headquarters dozens of kilometers away.
Gu Qingzhou saw his second cousin and others who were rescued.
"They are all in the car factory." My second cousin's leg was cut by broken glass, and the fierce mountain torrent directly pushed down the tractor, crushing him under the tractor.
In an instant, the tractor was washed into the valley by the flood, and he was hit by a half piece of wood. By chance, he held on to the wood and saved his life.
There were five tractor drivers who went with him, and no one knew where they had gone.
Fortunately, when he was pushed forward by the flood, he met cadre Ning who had fainted on a tree branch. After a narrow escape, he climbed up the tree and waited for the soldiers to kayak.
"Our people can't contact them." Gu Qingzhou knew Qingmei was in Daning County. He was extremely anxious, but he restrained the urge to look for her himself and calmly directed his soldiers to carry out rescue and search.
He is responsible not only for Dading County, but also for the disaster-stricken victims in other counties and cities who need him to deploy troops.
And behind him, there were several uninvited guests.
"Report!" Bao Mi ran into the tent breathlessly. "The people who were transferred from Dading County have arrived. A total of 173 people have arrived. Among them, there is no one..."
Gu Qingzhou waved his hand and said in a low voice, "First, settle the victims and distribute tents and supplies."
Gu Qingzhou's hand moved slightly. He walked to the window and looked at the clear sky. At this moment, he really hoped for a heavy rain.
I hope nothing happens to his little wife.
Gu Qingzhou closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened his eyes, he called Xiao Jin and said, "Contact the second rescue team. There are still victims left at the Dading County Automobile Factory. They must be rescued as soon as possible."
The uninvited guests remained silent in the corner.
They are some senior leaders in Beijing, provincial and municipal leaders, and Commander Wang himself.
Man proposes, God disposes. Who could have known that under the impact of a flash flood, half a mountain would collapse and tilt? After half a day of scouring, debris and floodwaters rushed down from above to hit Dading County.
At the time, Gu Qingzhou had opposed the transfer of people to Daning County, but some people insisted on having their own way. Now everyone was silent, and Gu Qingzhou had to clean up the mess.
There are still more than a hundred people left at the northernmost automobile factory in Daning County.
More than one hundred lives.
Are we all going to disappear without a trace, alive or dead?
Commander Wang was also very worried. A senior leader from Beijing came to inspect the team in person, and the team was missing a secretary-general! Such a big mistake had happened, and the situation was too embarrassing.
Just as he finished speaking, someone came over with a military mobile phone and said excitedly, "The rescue team ahead spotted a heavy truck driving slowly through the mountains. We estimate their target location is right here."
Gu Qingzhou subconsciously glanced at the sky, which was still clear.
He knocked on the table and said, "Send someone to rescue them."
Commander Wang knew his situation and also knew that Qingmei was unable to board the rescue vehicle in Dading County.
He walked over and saw Gu Qingzhou's injured left hand trembling slightly. He patted his shoulder and said, "She will be fine."
Gu Qingzhou twitched the corners of his lips slightly: "I hope so."
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