Chapter 84
Because the wood had just been burned, the cellar felt warm and cozy, with a smoky, charcoal-smoked smell.
Almost everything inside had been stored away in the spatial artifact by Grandma Jiang and the others, leaving the space empty at the moment.
The refrigerator barely managed to fit inside.
Grandpa Jiang instructed Jiang Hai to pile the burnt soil on the cellar door, while the unburnt firewood remained on top of the soil to continue burning.
Within minutes, the temperature in the cellar rose sharply.
The two brothers, Ayu and his brother, were somewhat worried.
This method, while offering a better chance of survival when a cold wave arrives, can easily lead to suffocation or being roasted like a chicken before the cold wave even arrives.
But at this point, everything depends on gambling.
They will either freeze to death, heat up to death, or suffocate to death.
Either way, we're going to die.
After Jiang Hai filled in the last bit of the gap, the fire burning above was very strong, and the cellar became even hotter.
Even wearing a fur coat, Grandpa Jiang was sweating from the heat.
In the darkness, A-Yu's voice was exceptionally clear: "Grandpa Jiang, what else do we need to do now?"
Grandpa Jiang looked at the two brothers.
He remembered clearly that his granddaughter had mentioned that this refrigerator could always maintain a constant temperature of zero degrees Celsius, even in sub-zero environments.
These two children lost their lives because of them.
This time, if there really was a chance to continue living, Grandpa Jiang had no hesitation and only wanted to leave it to the two of them.
He sighed and turned to Jiang Hai, saying, "Ah Hai, it's my fault as your father."
He has three sons.
When I was young, I thought my second son was sensible and honest, and my third son was clever and quick-witted. Only my eldest son was rebellious and liked to go against me.
When Jiang Hai wanted to join the army, he didn't allow it.
But this kid was disobedient and signed up without telling anyone in his family.
Later, when he returned to be the village secretary, he said that being a secretary was not easy and told Jiang Hai to quit.
He didn't listen.
This son, whom he was always "dissatisfied" with, was actually the one who resembled him the most.
Throughout his life, he had never spoken kindly to his son. When he was young, he scolded Jiang Hai, saying, "Soldiers shed blood but not tears." Now that he's older, however, Old Master Jiang wants to say a few words.
Jiang Hai gripped his father's hand, his voice trembling, "Dad..."
Grandpa Jiang gently patted the back of his hand: "Don't rush to speak, let me finish what I have to say."
“You are a good boy. I used to say that you are not as considerate and obedient as Ahe, nor as quick-witted as Dashan, and I still don’t think I was wrong… But Ahai, today I have to tell you from the bottom of my heart that you are my good son, their good older brother, and the pillar of our Jiang family.”
After saying this, Grandpa Jiang composed himself and said, "I'm sorry for what I did this time. Ayu and his two children are here... I can't give you any hope of survival."
"If you want to hate someone, hate me. Don't be my son in your next life."
As he spoke, he picked up the still-steaming kettle and said to Ayu and the other boy, "You two, drink a bowl of ginger and mugwort water and hide in this refrigerator."
Ayu was stunned for a moment, "Grandpa Jiang—"
An unusual rustling sound came from outside.
It sounded like the ground being frozen inch by inch by ice.
Old Master Jiang said sternly, "Stop talking nonsense! Drink it now!"
Perhaps it was because Grandpa Jiang's aura was too imposing, Ayu shrank back a little.
The two exchanged a glance, hesitated for less than a second, and then, taking advantage of the dim light, gulped down a bellyful of water.
Drinking ginger and mugwort water feels like drinking a ball of fire, instantly warming your whole body.
The two brothers were somewhat surprised and uncertain. What kind of water was this that was so potent?
Grandpa Jiang nodded in satisfaction and gave a final instruction: "Put a mouthful in your mouth and swallow it. If you feel you can't bear it later, just swallow a little bit."
The two brothers nodded repeatedly.
After taking a big gulp of ginger and mugwort water, they climbed into the refrigerator one after another.
The refrigerator wasn't very big to begin with, and the two brothers squeezed in, so they could only stand close together with their hands and feet tucked in—one of them had his feet on my legs, and I had my hands on your knees, managing to fill the refrigerator to the brim.
Grandpa Jiang stuffed the dried meat in his hand into Ayu's hand, and finally instructed, "Ahai, get a quilt and cotton clothes to cover them up."
Jiang Hai did as instructed, taking out quilts and cotton-padded clothes and covering the two of them carefully, then gently closing the lid of the refrigerator.
Grandpa Jiang handed the kettle to Jiang Hai, saying, "Have some too."
Jiang Hai pursed his lips and gulped down a bellyful of water.
I don't know if it was just my imagination, but after drinking the soup, my whole body felt hot.
Grandpa Jiang also took a few sips.
He then sighed, slowly sat down on the ground, with a calmness in the face of death. "I put the tooth powder that Ah Zhi left for us in this water. I decided to put it all in. I hope it will be of some use."
After saying this, Grandpa Jiang seemed to have exhausted all his strength and did not speak again.
Jiang Hai slowly put on his fur coat and wrapped himself in the quilt along with the old man.
A wisp of cool air seeped in through the cracks in the doors and windows, and the room, which had just been a little warm, instantly froze.
The wind and snow outside seeped into every crevice, and the iron pot on the stove, which had just boiled water, still carried the residual heat of the stove fire. In an instant, a layer of white frost formed on the bottom of the pot.
The pile of potatoes in the corner that hadn't been put into the basket was instantly covered with a thick layer of ice.
Even the strings of dried chili peppers hanging on the wall were frozen stiff.
The temperature in the cellar plummeted the moment the cold wave hit.
The outer layer of the quilt that the father and son were wrapped in suddenly became stiff.
Seeing that Grandpa Jiang had closed his eyes and his breathing had slowed down, Jiang Hai also closed his eyes.
He murmured something to himself:
"Dad, in the next life, I still want to be your son."
*
Inside the air raid shelter.
After several hours of fighting, the temperature inside the room seemed to have stabilized at around minus forty degrees Celsius.
Jiang Wen glanced at the temperature gauge. "Third Aunt, the temperature hasn't changed for half an hour. Is it not going to drop any further?"
Ye Qingyun shook his head, "I don't know, let's wait for notification."
I heard that some soldiers in Zone 7 collapsed just now. This caused cold air to penetrate, resulting in frostbite for many people, which led to the riot.
At this moment, the soldiers were all exhausted, and the residents were pale with cold.
This super snowstorm didn't seem to last long; it was as if it just passed by casually.
Even though they all tried so hard, those who were not in good health to begin with still couldn't withstand the temperature.
As night fell, some people developed high fevers, and some even fell into a deep sleep and never woke up.
Everyone is waiting.
Wait until this blizzard ends.
I don't know how much time passed.
The loudspeaker suddenly crackled a few times, and then the leader's calm voice came through: "Comrades, the cold wave has passed the base, and we are safe for the time being. The ground temperature is still around minus seventy or eighty degrees Celsius, and the effects of the cold wave have not completely dissipated. Please be patient for a few more days."
"Also, thank you all for your support and help to the soldiers, thank you!"
After the sound from the loudspeaker faded, the air-raid shelter fell silent.
Everyone felt as if they were dreaming, unable to believe it.
Are they really safe?
The once deathly silent air-raid shelter was suddenly filled with the sound of soft, intermittent breathing. Someone covered their face and their shoulders trembled slightly, but they didn't dare to make any loud noise.
From the corner, someone whispered, "It's safe now," their voice thick with nasal tone, but it was quickly drowned out by the suppressed sobs around them.
A few more seconds passed.
Finally, someone suddenly burst into tears.
The old man, wrapped in a thick cotton-padded coat, touched his wife's body, which had turned ice-cold, and sobbed, "Old woman, why couldn't you hold on a little longer! Hold on a little longer!!!"
Those family members who were all safe and sound had faces full of ecstatic joy at surviving a disaster.
The huge air-raid shelter was instantly restored to life.
Grandma Jiang looked bewildered.
Did they manage to pull through?
What about her husband?
What about her eldest son?
Where are they all?
Ye Qingyun always kept Grandpa Jiang and Jiang Hai in her heart, and even more so her husband and her two children.
She had been tirelessly helping these soldiers, leaving her utterly exhausted.
In this situation, she didn't even know what to do next.
Liu Xu, who was standing nearby, noticed her helplessness and reached out to support her arm.
Ye Qingyun looked up and met the other person's worried eyes, and her wandering thoughts returned.
She smiled at Liu Xu and said, "I'm fine."
Just then, Ah Song, who had been ordered to hide under the covers because of frostbite, suddenly jumped up and shouted, "Boss! You're back!!"
Grandma Jiang and Wu Xiuxin tensed up.
Han Lei is back?!
Everyone instinctively looked over.
Then Han Lei and a few of his men walked back from the area of several military pickup trucks.
Everyone looked completely red.
It's obvious that it's frostbite.
Ye Qingyun hurriedly said, "Quick, quick, get them all under the covers!"
After everyone had gotten into bed, Wu Xiu and the others brought each of them a bowl of ginger water.
After watching the man finish his drink, Jiang Jun couldn't help but ask, "Ah Lei, how did it go? Did you find my grandfather and the others?"
Han Lei and his brothers exchanged glances, their expressions grave. "Sorry, there are just too many people. We couldn't find them."
With a loud crash, the empty bowl in Grandma Jiang's hand nearly fell to the ground. Her body swayed violently, and her face instantly drained of all color.
Wu Xiu froze on the spot, her eyes, which had been shining just moments before, suddenly dimmed.
Even the surrounding air seemed to get a few degrees colder.
Seeing this, Han Lei quickly said, "Grandma Jiang, Aunt, don't worry! The scene is too chaotic right now. Just because we can't find them doesn't mean they're not here. Maybe they were scattered somewhere else by the crowd."
But none of the people present were stupid.
Going out of your way to find results that haven't been found yet is probably not a good thing.
For a moment, only a silent heaviness spread across the scene.
Ah Song and the others felt distressed seeing this.
In just a few hours, the Jiang family treated them like family.
He couldn't bear to see them suffer, so he tentatively suggested, "Should we ask one of the soldiers for help?"
Ye Qingyun quickly said, "Ah Song is right! While the situation is still relatively stable, let's see if we can get them to help us!"
Wu Xiu stammered, "I...I'll go ask right now!"
"Ah Xiu, wait a minute!" Hope rekindled in Grandma Jiang's eyes, and she stood up with difficulty. "I'll go with you."
Instead of overthinking, it's better to do something yourself.
Ye Qingyun caught the unwavering determination in the old lady's eyes, and his heart pounded. He immediately nodded emphatically, his voice filled with conviction: "Alright, let's go together!"
She turned around and asked Liu Xu and Niu Dali to help look after the children, and told Han Lei to get some rest. Then she planned to walk with her family to the entrance of the air-raid shelter.
Upon hearing this, Ah Song stood up nervously, "Auntie, I'll go with you too. Our boss hasn't found Brother Yu and the others either!"
Upon hearing this, Grandma Jiang felt even more guilty, as Ah Yu's two children were being dragged down by the old man.
Ye Qingyun patted the old lady's hand and comforted her, "Mom, don't worry too much, finding someone is the priority."
Grandma Jiang nodded slightly.
Near the entrance, many soldiers were resting in the open space.
They sat or leaned, some even curled up on the ground, looking exhausted and clearly worn out.
Ye Qingyun found Wan Changlong, who had been fighting on the front lines.
He was sitting on the ground taking a short rest when he saw the Jiang family approaching. He immediately stood up and smiled, saying, "I was just thinking of resting for a while before coming to find you, but I didn't expect you to come first."
Wan Changlong had a very good impression of the Jiang family.
He hadn't forgotten that during the most difficult time, it was this family that led the way in helping their soldiers.
He was thinking of finding some time to thank them.
Ye Qingyun glanced at Grandma Jiang and Wu Xiu, "We came here to ask what the situation is outside and when we can go out?"
Upon hearing this, Wan Changlong didn't hide anything and frankly said, "The temperature outside is still very low. According to the forecast from above, the low temperature will continue for three to six days before it gradually warms up."
Three to six days!
This is taking way too long!
Seeing their pale faces, Wan Changlong assumed they were despairing over the cold weather, so he said a few more words: "Don't worry too much. The professors at the research institute have analyzed that this super cold wave is just an extreme disaster that occurs suddenly during the transition from summer to winter. As long as you grit your teeth and get through this period, you should not encounter such a situation again in the future."
Ye Qingyun shook his head, offering no explanation, but simply asked, "Sir, when will we be able to leave the air-raid shelter?"
Wan Changlong was somewhat surprised: "You're going out? The temperature outside is so low right now, you might not make it through the night if you go out."
The other party's words made Ye Qingyun and the others feel even worse.
If Grandpa Jiang and the others were really outside, they'd probably be in a similar situation now...
Jiang Wen quickly said, "Our family members may not have been able to hide here, so we want to take advantage of the stable temperature now to go and look for them."
Then he gave a general account of the situation of Grandpa Jiang and the others.
After listening, Wan Changlong immediately understood their purpose and nodded, saying, "Well then, the air-raid shelters are crowded and chaotic right now, so it's really not easy for you to find them on your own. Since you're not sure if your family members are down there, I'll have someone check the registration records for you."
Upon hearing this, everyone was overjoyed.
Ye Qingyun could hardly contain his excitement, his voice trembling slightly: "Then, thank you so much, sir!"
Wan Changlong smiled and waved his hand: "You helped the soldiers so much when they were in trouble before, I was just worried that I didn't have a chance to thank you, this is nothing."
As Wan Changlong spoke, he immediately instructed the soldiers around him to take care of the matter.
"Checking the records will take some time, so please be patient. We'll discuss the rest once we have the results."
After expressing their gratitude repeatedly, everyone could only suppress their emotions and return to their temporary lodgings to continue waiting.
Time passed slowly in the silence, and every moment of waiting felt exceptionally long.
The anticipation on everyone's faces gradually faded, and a hint of anxiety and unease unconsciously crept into their brows.
Seeing this, Ye Qingyun worried that everyone would become more and more anxious as they waited, so he said, "You must all be hungry after working for so long, right? I'll go get you something to eat."
Wu Xiu: "I'll go with you."
The cooked rice, which had been placed in the bed beforehand and next to a military water bottle, didn't freeze, but it was still icy cold and difficult to eat.
The two sisters-in-law took the dry rations to the fire to roast them. Once the rice was all softened, they carefully carried them back to distribute to everyone.
The dry rations were rough and sore on the throat; the only flavor they had was from the meat chunks.
Even though the taste wasn't great, everyone was still very satisfied with the meal.
In this freezing weather, it's not easy to get a hot meal, especially since they've been on edge for so long and have almost exhausted their energy.
The three children, having just experienced a frightening confrontation, were all dejected.
Ye Qingyun observed her family members one by one.
Seeing everyone's exhausted faces, and fearing they might develop fevers like the others, he said, "Before Commander Wan brings back any news, let's all take a short rest. Especially Mom and Sister-in-law, you both look unwell. If you keep pushing yourselves like this, what if you collapse before Dad and Brother are even found?"
The old lady and Wu Xiu could no longer force themselves to stay upright, so they slowly lay back down on the large communal bed.
Liu Xu filled the military water bottles with freshly boiled water and stuffed them into their quilts, finally making the originally cold beds a little warmer.
By this time, they didn't have much water left, so Ye Qingyun didn't dare let everyone have hot water, only giving it to the elderly and children.
Other adults will get through it if they just tough it out.
After eating some hot food, the weariness on everyone's faces lessened considerably, and they finally had the energy to chat about their experiences that day.
Speaking of the situation in districts 7-9, Han Lei couldn't help but sigh: "It's a good thing we came here with you guys. It was so crowded over there that you couldn't even find a place to stand. Some people who weren't very hygienic just took leaves and relieved themselves right there. The smell..."
He shook his head, not wanting to think about it.
With a third of the base's population crammed into districts 7-9, it's no wonder that a stampede occurred.
But there's nothing we can do about it.
The vast majority of residents in low-rent housing areas do not have enough warm clothing to get through this cold wave.
If the base is not managed in separate zones, many things could happen if residents from different zones are mixed together.
Furthermore, being crowded together helps keep warm.
These are the simplest and most brutal management methods used by the base leaders, yet they are very effective.
These are just some of the minor things they encountered in districts 7-9; there were other unbearable things they hadn't yet experienced.
The more Han Lei thought about it, the wiser he felt that insisting on involving the Jiang family in the operation was the best decision he could have made. With his own abilities, he could have only settled so many people in the worse-condition areas of 4-6 at most, instead of having a relatively quiet place to stay like this.
He wasn't the only one with this thought; his underlings were also secretly relieved that they had latched onto the Jiang family's coattails at just the right time.
If we could find the Yu brothers, that would be even better...
Although they couldn't find them in the air-raid shelter, Han Lei and his friends felt that their brothers would definitely be alright.
Liu Xu couldn't help but sigh: "I really don't know how long I'll have to endure this in the air-raid shelter."
This biting winter feels even more helpless than the scorching summer.
Even if the temperature gradually warms up later, judging from the current situation, it probably won't get much higher.
Furthermore, the situation outside is probably in complete disarray.
Even if they manage to weather this cold wave, rebuilding the base will face numerous difficulties.
Liu Xu knew it in her heart.
In their haste to escape, many people at the base didn't even have time to bring their family's food supplies.
If all the supplies we depend on for survival are destroyed in this disaster, how difficult will it be for us to live in the future?
The problem of survival weighed heavily on my mind like a boulder, and just thinking about it made me feel extremely distressed.
The other people had also vaguely thought of the things that were troubling Liu Xu.
For a moment, everyone fell silent.
All I could hear was the quiet chatter from next door about what to do next.
No one spoke again, and a heavy worry quietly spread through the air.
After a moment, Yuan Ying suddenly asked, "Qingyun, do you think Commander Wan and the others are being so polite to us because of Dashan and Azhi?"
Ye Qingyun gave a bitter smile.
That's quite possible.
After all, the mission for the father and his two sons was to travel all the way to Hunan Province.
It would have been better if Yuan Ying hadn't mentioned it, but as soon as she did, Ye Qingyun couldn't help but reach into his pocket and fumble for the communication bead that he hadn't had time to listen to.
At this moment, Ye Qingyun felt the same way about Wu Xiu and Granny Jiang.
She wanted to know how the children were doing, but she was also afraid that something had happened to them.
Just as she was hesitating.
Wan Changlong was leading his men toward them when Jiang Wen spotted them immediately. Overjoyed, he quickly stood up to greet them: "Commander Wan!"
On the other side, Wu Xiu, who was already tossing and turning and unable to sleep, sat up abruptly upon hearing the noise, her voice filled with barely concealed urgency: "Commander Wan, have you found out anything? How is it?"
Wan Changlong said apologetically, "I'm sorry, we verified the information of all the personnel and asked the heads of each district to send people to look for them, but we really couldn't find the person you are looking for."
As soon as she finished speaking, Old Mrs. Jiang felt a sudden darkness before her eyes, her body swayed, and she fainted.
"Grandma!"
"mom!!"
Everyone rushed forward in a flurry and helped the unconscious old lady to lie down on her side.
After finally settling Grandma Jiang in, Han Lei took a deep breath and looked at Wan Changlong, asking, "Battalion Commander Wan, when can the door to this air-raid shelter be opened?"
Wan Changlong frowned upon hearing this, his tone grave: "You've all seen the chaos in the air-raid shelter. Nobody knows what the situation is like outside. And you still want to go out and look for people at a time like this?"
"I want to go!"
A resolute voice suddenly rang out from behind.
Everyone looked over.
It was Wu Xiu!
At this moment, the light in her eyes was sharp and firm, carrying an unshakable determination.
Meeting Wan Changlong's gaze, she repeated clearly, word by word, "Commander Wan, I'm going! I'll take responsibility for my own life and death!"
Han Lei nodded emphatically, his tone equally resolute: "My brothers are still outside, I have to go too!"
These brothers of his were brothers he had risked his life for; he could not abandon any of them, even if they were corpses, he would bring them back!
Ah Song, "Me too!"
"Me too!"
At that moment, an aged voice slowly rang out: "Ah Xiu, take me with you!"
Grandma Jiang had recovered at some point. She stood up, her body trembling, and said, "I'm going to bring them back."
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