Once back in the car, Leng Minghui closed his eyes, leaned back on the seat, and kept seeing Xia Baozhu's smiling or quiet expressions.
He was captivated by every expression she wore, and it gave him the feeling that she was right beside him.
Leng Minghui touched his chest; she was indeed very close to him, because she was in his heart.
Why is she so stubborn?
...
Song Yaoyang's men didn't understand why he would send a woman along to deliver supplies; she looked delicate and frail, as if a gust of wind could blow her away.
The roads were relatively easy to travel on their side, but after entering Jiangdong Province, many roads were washed away by days of heavy rain, and the car would get stuck in the mud from time to time.
At times like these, they can only be pushed by manpower. Everyone except the driver gets off, including Xia Baozhu.
She was relieved not to have to get off and push her stroller when she was on the bus a while ago, but now she gets off and pushes it three times an hour.
"Thanks to you for coming." After getting into the car, Song Yaoyang said to Xia Baozhu, who looked like a mud monkey next to him.
"Yes, to serve the people." Xia Baozhu replied lazily. Song Yaoyang had only asked her to join him because of her strength.
Xia Baozhu's face quickly turned serious, for the disaster was simply too severe.
Everywhere you look, there is water. Houses in low-lying areas are submerged in water, and in some places only the roof is visible.
Fortunately, soldiers were everywhere, bringing hope to those whose homes had been destroyed and who were numb with despair.
Song Yaoyang left a carload of supplies and continued on his way. His car contained various instant foods, bottled water, some commonly used medicines, and life-saving supplies.
Looking at the silent Xia Baozhu, Song Yaoyang asked, "Is this the first time you've seen a scene like this?"
"Um."
Xia Baozhu used to frequently attend various charity galas with her family. Her first impression of disaster relief was just about galas and donations, and her true understanding of disasters was pitifully low.
Because she had never faced disaster like this before, and she didn't know the true horror of nature.
The supplies ran out quickly; ten truckloads of supplies were nothing but a drop in the ocean in the face of disaster.
They arrived at Daocheng, where the floodwaters were still raging.
The floodwaters, like a ferocious beast, relentlessly ravaged the land. They surged and roared, seemingly intent on devouring everything in their path.
Where the water flows swiftly, whirlpools form, creating a tremendous suction force. Anything caught in the whirlpool, whether trees or houses, vanishes instantly.
Various debris floated on the water's surface, including broken furniture, tattered clothing, and items that were once part of people's lives.
They drifted with the floodwaters, as if telling a story of past beauty and peace.
The floods left devastation in their wake. Roads were washed away, bridges collapsed, and transportation was completely paralyzed.
People are trapped in their own corners, unable to escape.
Farmland was not spared either; fertile land was submerged by floods, and crops were completely destroyed.
The livestock struggled in the flood, their cries of agony rising and falling, a sound that pierced the heart.
Those who couldn't evacuate in time were either swept away by the flood or trapped on rooftops, waiting for rescue.
The power of nature makes people feel small and helpless. The destruction and disaster brought by this flood made Xia Baozhu realize the fragility of mankind in the face of nature.
This is not a problem that a single savior can solve; it requires the collective effort of everyone.
Looking at the soldiers rushing around and the officials and ordinary people fighting the flood, Xia Baozhu made a decision.
"I'm not going back yet." She wanted to stay and do her part.
Song Yaoyang looked like he had just expected it: "I'll stay too."
The other twenty-three people who came with them all chose to stay.
They also had some spare supplies and an inflatable boat on their vehicle.
After inflating the small boat and putting on life jackets, Song Yaoyang divided the team into five groups of five.
The meeting point was at their truck; the other nine trucks had been borrowed by Song Yaoyang to transport supplies.
Xia Baozhu covered her head with a long-sleeved shirt, leaving only her eyes showing.
While rescuing others is important, it's also crucial to take proper protective measures for yourself.
The floodwaters were raging, and no one knew what the consequences would be if someone fell into the water.
She was wearing long sleeves, trousers, and lace-up boots, and her hands were wrapped with strips of cloth.
Looking at Xia Baozhu's bandit-like attire, Song Yaoyang had a complicated feeling.
What is she thinking about every day?
Xia Baozhu boarded the inflatable boat and joined Song Yaoyang and three others in the rescue operation.
They saw the dam along the way; the floodwaters were about to reach their highest point, and most of the dam was already covered with sandbags, but there were still two gaps.
Hundreds of soldiers carried sandbags and ran quickly, racing against time.
If these two gaps cannot be plugged when the flood comes, all previous efforts will be in vain.
"I'll go help." Xia Baozhu stood up from the inflatable boat and asked Song Yaoyang and the others to take her to the shallow water area.
"I'll go too." Song Yaoyang followed Xia Baozhu off the inflatable boat, while he told the other three to continue the rescue.
By the time he finished speaking and turned around, Xia Baozhu had already run far away.
Song Yaoyang ran forward, convinced that Xia Baozhu had been hiding her true abilities when they were being chased last time.
He found Xia Baozhu in the crowd. She was too short among the men and could easily be hidden from view.
Each bag of sand weighed fifty pounds, and Xia Baozhu carried one bag on each shoulder. If she weren't afraid of being too shocking, she would have liked to carry four bags, but her arms weren't long enough.
She strode through the crowd of people taller than her, her head down, rushing towards the gap.
Only when you get closer can you see how wide the gap is. But there are many of them, so keep it up!
Song Yaoyang also carried two bags at a time, but because he was tall, he stood out when he ran around in the crowd.
"It's coming! The flood is coming! Hurry up!" someone shouted hoarsely through a loudspeaker.
Hearing this, Xia Baozhu didn't care about anything else. She stopped carrying it on her back and started lifting it by hand.
With two bags in one hand, he ran as fast as he could, wading through the muddy water.
The breach she helped plug was stabilized when the first flood hit, but a new danger arose when the rolling waves reached the highest point of the breach, and they had to keep carrying sandbags.
The sandbags they used were also transported from afar by soldiers and civilians using wheelbarrows.
The land is now flooded and rotten, making it easy for trucks to get stuck, so everything has to be done by manpower.
Everyone was exhausted, panting, with dry and thirsty throats, a tearing and burning pain in their chests, and their arms and legs were only supported by sheer willpower.
But they would only stop to rest and drink some water when they could no longer bear it, and then plunge back into the ever-flowing crowd of people fighting the flood.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
