After recognizing her own feelings, Xu Xiuxiu seemed to relax instantly, and she dedicated herself even more to the flood relief efforts. During these bitter and painful moments, her heart oddly bubbled with a sweet flavor. Perhaps it was because of Song Yuanhuan's unyielding integrity that she, as a military wife, felt she should make an even greater contribution. Although these minor efforts seemed like a mere pebble thrown into the sea, the myth of Jingwei trying to fill the ocean is not achieved overnight, but through persistent effort.
Xu Xiuxiu might not have many skills, but her perseverance was certainly much stronger than that of many others, so she was very happy working hard.
"Here, can you give your hand to Auntie? Auntie will apply some medicine, and it won't hurt after that," Xu Xiuxiu said gently, sitting next to a little boy who had been rescued from a collapsed building, and she coaxed him with an extremely gentle voice.
The little boy looked dazed, possibly affected by the disaster. His rolling eyes were full of timidity and wariness. After a long while, he responded to Xu Xiuxiu by extending his little trembling arm and watched her apply the medicine without even a whimper when the antiseptic stung.
"You're very brave." After finishing applying the medicine, Xu Xiuxiu raised her hand to praise him and ruffled the back of the little boy's head, then took some gauze from the medicine box to bandage him.
Just as Xu Xiuxiu finished applying the medicine and was busy bandaging the boy's arm, using bandaging skills that weren't professional but had improved in aesthetics and speed after two days of practice, suddenly, there was a loud, shocking noise from a distance that felt like the earth and mountains were shaking.
"Ah!" The little boy instinctively shrank back, as if remembering a previous accident. His face turned pale, and he painfully covered his head, looking extremely fragile.
Xu Xiuxiu immediately hugged the six or seven-year-old boy, soothingly patting his back, while her eyes searched around for the many medical personnel, hoping for some answers.
"What's happening!?" The scene became chaotic as both military doctors and nurses, and even including the patients, were startled by the sudden noise, and a messy chorus of inquiries arose around them.
"I don't know! With such a loud noise, could it be an explosion or something?" Several young military medical staff gathered together, all expressing their concerns about this unexpected sound.
"Don't talk nonsense." An older and more composed staff member immediately glared at a young nurse who spoke fearfully and without restraint.
"Everyone, don't panic, let's first take care of the patients we have." Someone stood up to calm the crowd.
"Okay." The rumbling lasted for about ten to twenty seconds, but tranquility was quickly restored. Everyone calmed down after being reassured and promptly resumed their prior tasks.
About ten minutes later, when everyone was still panicking like headless flies, a clear announcement rang out at the disaster rescue site, "A minor landslide has occurred outside Tangtu Village. Please remain calm and do not panic, to avoid causing extensive casualties again. The military is taking the lead in evacuating. Please cooperate and pack your things; we will move quickly in ten minutes."
Although the collapsed houses in Tangtu Village were not yet fully searched and rescued, the landslide was ferocious and could not be underestimated, and was even more violent than a flood because it included a mix of various rocks and branches, which were extremely destructive and could easily cause extensive casualties. Although the area of the landslide seemed small through binoculars, for safety's sake, moving the rescue base was urgent.
"Landslide?" Xu Xiuxiu muttered, her face turning somewhat pale.
After consecutive days of torrential rain followed by one clear day, she thought the storm had passed, but the disaster wasn't over yet. Landslides, mudslides, how could this be happening!
Xu Xiuxiu frantically thought, very aware of how landslides occur. She thought that if the landslide were massive, it might very well have submerged Tangtu Village. This wasn't a joke—it was a very real possibility. Xu Xiuxiu didn't dare think too much, and instead quickly regained her composure to pack up with everyone and then help the injured and others evacuate first.
The military's rescue base moved to a nearby village called Dengshan Village, which had fewer people and more land, fewer nearby mountains, less severe disasters, and easier access and communication to the outside.
Dengshan Village was originally the first choice for the military's disaster relief base, but Tangshan Village had been chosen due to its more severe disaster to optimize rescue efforts. Unexpectedly, a landslide occurred outside Tangshan Village, but fortunately, the damage wasn't extensive.
The military's base was quickly and temporarily set up. However, in the afternoon, a second startling rumble came from Tangshan Village. The disruption lasted longer this time, and despite the distance from Dengshan Village, the trembling and shaking could still be felt, which was extremely frightening.
It was unclear how long it was before things quieted down a bit, but apparently, the second disturbance wasn't minor. Many soldiers and worksite staff involved in the rescue at Tangshan Village were injured. Hearing this news, Xu Xiuxiu began to feel uneasy until Zheng Guohui found her late at night, and her uneasiness multiplied immensely.
"Sister-in-law." Zheng Guohui called her with a somewhat serious expression.
"What's the matter?" Xu Xiuxiu tried to smile and ask but the smile was obviously forced.
How could Zheng Guohui not notice Xu Xiuxiu's reaction, but he had no choice but to tell her the truth that another landslide had occurred behind Tangshan Village in the afternoon. Song Yuanhuan had been leading a team at a collapsed house for disaster relief but that place was very close to the landslide, and an accident had happened.
"Where is he now? Where is he?" Xu Xiuxiu suddenly lost control of her emotions and yelled at Zheng Guohui, tears streaming uncontrollably.
Song Yuanhuan was a very meticulous man who handled things very rationally and clearly. She had always been confident in him, as he had never given her any reason to worry. She deeply believed that even in such dangerous areas, she had never imagined he could get hurt or even possibly pay with his life.
In fact, as a couple who were close, she was well aware of how many injuries he had suffered, as his body bore many scars, some of which were quite frightening. Yet, she had never seen him get hurt in person, whether on missions or during drills, he always came back intact—she thought it would be the same this time.
But why! Just as she had come to understand her own heart, just as she had realized how much she loved him, he had an accident!