"Brother, how about we make a deal?"
A deal? Wasn’t this supposed to be a donation? Why was it being termed as a business deal now? Newest update provided by Novᴇl_Fire(.)net
"Brother, I’m a cook. I plan to buy some equipment, set up a stall at the disaster relief site, and find some locals to help me cook for them. If you’re free, just help me transport the ingredients back and forth. I’ll pay you one thousand yuan per trip, but you must guarantee to be available whenever called upon and buy whatever is needed. Does that work for you?"
Originally the veteran thought she was simply donating a truckload of fresh goods, but now, it seemed like more than a simple donation — she was planning to set up camp there for the long haul.
"The flood should recede within a month, then we can return. I arrived late, so I’ll do my best to cook as many delicious meals as possible for them in the remaining month."
What could the veteran say? His eyes welled up with tears. He wanted so badly to say, "I don’t need your money," but with his children needing school fees, he couldn’t utter those words. When he tried to just ask for the gas money, Gong Mingxia refused.
"Brother, I’m already grateful that you can accompany me and help me out. You have a family to support, which is not easy, so don’t be polite here. As for me, I just have a daughter. Our family is simple without too many worries. I’ve left my daughter with her godmother, and she’s on summer vacation now, so I wanted to do something meaningful."
With Gong Mingxia’s repeated reassurances, the veteran, patting his chest, promised to complete the task.
That day, they went to the market and bought 3,000 eggs, 200 pounds of pork, as well as vegetables, fruits, rice, flour, large cooking pots, gas stoves, racks, cutting boards, various seasonings, plates, chopsticks, and dish soap and other daily necessities. In the end, they crammed all the items into two small trucks. Of course, this was just enough for one day. Without refrigeration facilities locally, any excess would have been wasted.
Then they drove to a severely affected area in H province, a three to four-hour drive from the city center. When they arrived around 2 p.m., they could see soldiers in life jackets standing on the distant flood barriers.
The local village officials initially tried to stop them. However, when they learned she was there to cook for the children, they were deeply moved. Since they brought 200 pounds of pork, which had to be cooked that evening to avoid spoilage, the village chief immediately took them to a small shop.
The shop had a freezer that had been out of use since the disaster. Now, it was perfect for storing the pork.
With the help of the village officials, Gong Mingxia breathed a sigh of relief. "Folks, do you have any tents? Can we get one? I have lots of vegetables and fruits to unload from the truck and arrange neatly. We need to do this while it’s still light so I can make dinner for them."
The village chief was incredibly moved. "Miss, no rush, no need to hurry so much. Our village takes turns cooking daily. Look, you’ve come from far away, take a break first, a good rest. We have the tents you mentioned. I’ll get one and then find some villagers to help you unload the truck. Don’t cook tonight; putting in effort tomorrow will do just as well."
Actually, Gong Mingxia was in a rush because she felt there wasn’t enough time, but now, what the village chief said made sense. So, she let go of her worries, followed the arrangements, went to get a tent, and then chose a spot under the flood barrier rampart to set up camp. Before dusk, they had unloaded everything from the trucks.