Siheyuan, Shazhu: I have both parents in this life

Chapter 289 Overcoming Difficulties Together
As the helicopter flew towards Tianjin, it passed over fragmented fields, collapsed villages, and diverted rivers; one can imagine the emotions of the people on board.

Today's situation is even worse than yesterday's; the damage caused by the aftershocks is clearly no less than that caused by the main shock.

"Boss! At ten o'clock, those people seem to be calling for help!" Prairie Wolf in the passenger seat pointed to the ground.

Below, in a large village, all the houses had collapsed. In what appeared to be a threshing ground, people were waving grayish-white towels into the air.

"Get closer and see the situation!" He Yuzhu ordered.

"Yes." The entire formation began to adjust its course.

When the people below saw the helicopter flying over, some immediately stood up and started waving their arms.

He Yuzhu used binoculars to check the ground situation.

"Boss, shall we go downstairs?"

"Use the loudspeaker to tell them to clear a landing spot for us. We'll go down and take a look. Numbers 2-7 will continue to hover and await orders."

"Yes."

Ten minutes later, the massive Chinook slowly descended, the wind whipped up by its rotors sending dust and grass clippings flying high into the air.

The crowd initially retreated in panic, then erupted into even louder cries and calls for help.

As soon as the plane came to a stop, people rushed towards it against the strong winds, groping around outside the cabin trying to open the door.

He Yuzhu glanced at the group of strong, muscular men and said to Prairie Wolf over the radio, "You stay in the driver's seat. I'll go down and check the situation first."

"Boss, I'd better go down first!"

"Excuting an order!"

"Yes."

As He Yuzhu approached the cabin door, he heard shouts from outside: "Open the door quickly, let us in, we don't want to stay here and wait to die."

Looking through the plane window, He Yuzhu glanced at the people outside. They were all in their twenties, and some had only minor injuries, while others were even uninjured. He could roughly guess what was going on.

"Comrade, don't get off. Let's just leave. Those people outside don't look like good people," a wounded soldier in the cabin said.

“Yeah, what if they make us go down?” said a man who looked like a worker.

He Yuzhu glanced indifferently at the person who had spoken, and the person was so frightened by He Yuzhu's gaze that he immediately shut his mouth.

He Yuzhu pushed open the cabin door, and immediately several hands reached in, trying to pull him down.

He Yuzhu kicked out, yelling, "Ouch! You stinking soldier, how dare you hit someone like that!"

"Let me tell you, you can't afford to pay for the damage you've done. I'm going to tell your boss!"

“Pull him down.”

"You go first."

While the group was still gossiping, He Yuzhu jumped off the plane and shouted, "Who's in charge here?"

A middle-aged man in a tattered cadre uniform, his face covered in blood, stumbled over: "Comrade! Comrade! I am the production team leader of this village!"

"Are all these goods from your village?"

"Yes, yes, all of them!"

"Get them out of here. They're all healthy and uninjured. Take me to see the wounded."

"Who are you talking about? Let's get him!" shouted the leader of the group.

Then He Yuzhu knocked several of the goods down, and they lay on the ground groaning and complaining that they were now wounded as well.

"Comrade, isn't this a bit inappropriate? They're all soldiers!" The village chief swallowed hard.

"Since things aren't going well, I'll be leaving. I'll report your village's location to the command center, and you can just wait for rescue."

"No, no, I was just saying. We have a seriously injured person in our village. If we delay any longer, he will die." The village chief grabbed He Yuzhu's arm.

He Yuzhu shook off his hand, glanced across the threshing ground, and his heart sank.

Then He Yuzhu shouted, "Where is the militia captain?"

"Here it is, here it is!" A man limped over.

"You're the militia captain? You're kind of useless!" He Yuzhu looked him up and down.

"Why do you speak so rudely, comrade?"

"If you weren't crippled, would they dare cause trouble?"

The militia captain was speechless. He looked at the village chief, who in turn looked at a certain spot in the crowd.

He Yuzhu had no interest in their trivial matters and said directly, "Organize the militia to send the seriously wounded onto the plane. Remember, they must be seriously wounded."

“Go,” the village chief said.

"Everyone who can move, lend a hand, hurry up!" the militia captain shouted to the crowd.

The villagers erupted in cheers, and the unharmed carefully lifted the seriously injured and unconscious elderly, the children with broken legs, and the women barely breathing, and ran quickly toward the open cabin door.

As the wounded were being loaded onto the planes one by one, someone couldn't help but say, "Comrade, you have so many planes, why don't you have them all come down and take us all with you?"

He Yuzhu looked at the person who spoke, and the village chief whispered to him, "That's the village chief!"

He Yuzhu nodded and replied loudly, "I only take the wounded."

“I was also wounded. That man walked over with his arm in a sling.”

"I'm sorry, you can't board the plane with an injury like that."

"Which unit are you from? If I go to the county to report you, you'll be in big trouble."

"Old Wei, you should just calm down now that things are like this!" the village chief said.

"What, you want to be talked to too?"

The village chief fell silent.

"What do you say, soldier?"

"I have nothing to say to you. Go back and stay there. My plane doesn't take people like you."

"Huang San, Wang Wu, Wei Liu, are you all useless? Hold him back, I need to get on the plane."

"Director, this guy is pretty good. We're no match for him."

"Where's your usual competence? Stop people from boarding the plane. If I can't get on, no one is allowed to leave!" the director said with a gloomy face.

"Yes!" The group of people stood up with grunts and tried to stop the others.

He Yuzhu strode over and kicked them a few more times, causing several of the men to faint.

"Murder! Murder! Soldiers have killed someone! Didn't you see?"

The others ignored him and continued transporting the wounded. The village chief came over and said, "Comrade, this..."

"It's nothing, I'm just dizzy, I won't die."

"That's good, that's good. Don't get punished for this. It's not easy to join the army these days."

"Fine, fine, fine, nobody listens to me, huh!" the director shouted.

He Yuzhu whispered to the village chief, "How did he survive such a huge disaster? Was his house very sturdy?"

The village chief's pupils contracted, indicating that he understood, but he dared not do it.

He Yuzhu shook his head, walked to the plane and watched the wounded board, then told the people how to safely release the wounded.

The village chief strolled into the crowd, spoke a few words to a few young men, and then returned.

He Yuzhu said, "I'm sending this to Tianjin. You can go to Tianjin to find people later."

"Thank you. Please leave me the name of your unit. I'll send you a banner after the disaster is over."

"no need!"

The last seriously injured old lady was carried onto the plane. Her daughter-in-law was holding a three- or four-year-old child whose head was wrapped in a blood-stained cloth and whose face was pale.

“Let’s send the child up too,” He Yuzhu said to her.

Tears streaming down her face, the daughter-in-law knelt down before He Yuzhu with a thud: "Benefactor! Thank you, benefactor!"

He Yuzhu quickly stepped forward to help her up, then took the child and turned to board the plane.

He heard the village chief say to the woman, "Fourth brother's wife, your son's life is saved."

"But the child's father, sob sob sob!"

"Eh"

The hatch slowly closed, and the roar of the engine suddenly increased.

As the villagers looked up at it with tears in their eyes, the Chinook rose from the ground, carrying with it the hope of life, and soared into the sky.

The people below all raised their hands and waved, except for the few who had been knocked down, and there was also a certain director who had been knocked unconscious.

When the helicopter formation landed at Tianjin Port again, the efficiency of transferring relief supplies had significantly improved.

The wounded were quickly carried off the plane, and newly arrived medical personnel and supplies were quickly boarded.

He Yuzhu did not get off the plane. He drank some water in the cockpit and waited for the fuel to be replenished.

When the cabin was once again filled with supplies and a small team of new medical personnel, He Yuzhu pushed the control stick.

The giant steel eagle flew towards the disaster area once again.

The temporary hospital at the Industrial City Stadium is more than twice the size of yesterday's facility.

The tents were lined up in a row, and the smell of disinfectant in the air was so strong and pungent that it couldn't mask the faint stench of blood and excrement.

The sounds of groans, shouts, and the urgent instructions from medical staff blended together to create a suffocating background noise.

Hu Wenxue had just finished performing emergency suturing on a worker with an open abdominal wound. Sweat soaked his hair, running down his forehead and carving several muddy grooves on his dusty face.

He took off his blood-stained gloves, wiped his face, and found a place to sit down and catch his breath.

The head nurse ran over and said, "Dr. Hu, the diarrhea patients admitted to tent number three this morning are not doing well."

"Diarrhea?" Hu Wenxue forced himself to speak. "Food poisoning? Did you drink dirty water?"

“It doesn’t seem like it.” The head nurse shook her head, speaking quickly. “High fever, projectile watery stool, and one child’s eyes are sunken. Dr. Chen and his team initially suspect it might be… Vibrio cholerae. Moreover, similar symptoms have been found in more than one tent.”

Hu Wenxue's heart skipped a beat.

It is common sense that a major disaster is always followed by a major epidemic.

But so fast? Then it dawned on him: it was so hot today, even hotter than Hong Kong!

"Isolate them immediately! All diarrhea patients should be gathered in the reserved empty tent at the far west end. Medical staff who have been in contact with them should change their protective gear, and strict disinfection should be carried out. Excrement should be covered with bleach and buried deep!" Hu Wenxue immediately gave the order.

Just as the head nurse was about to leave, Hu Wenxue added, "Notify all medical teams to be on high alert and report any similar cases immediately!"

"Understood, isolation and initial disinfection have been arranged." The head nurse nodded.

A moment later, another nurse ran over: "Dr. Hu, our supplies of disinfectant and bleach won't last much longer. Also, some of the local people who helped us, and some of the lightly injured, don't quite understand the necessity of quarantine. They think we're making a fuss over nothing, and some have even secretly slipped out of the quarantine area..."

Hu Wenxue's heart sank, and he strode towards tent number three.

The tent reeked of a sour, rotten smell. Several patients lay on makeshift beds, their faces ashen, showing obvious signs of dehydration.

Dr. Chen, a middle-aged doctor who came from Tianjin, was bending over to examine a comatose child, his face grave.

"How is the situation?" Hu Wenxue asked in a low voice.

“Typical cholera-like diarrhea, highly suspected to be Vibrio cholerae O1,” Dr. Chen straightened up, his voice low, filled with fatigue and anxiety. “Highly contagious, and the possibility of water contamination is very high. We must carry out large-scale disinfection as soon as possible to control the source of infection! Otherwise…” He didn’t finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear.

Hu Wenxue stepped out of the tent, his gaze sweeping over the overcrowded resettlement area.

The waste disposal points were rudimentary, with flies buzzing around; although there were people maintaining order at the water collection points, the safety of the water source itself could not be guaranteed; exhausted people huddled together, and their hygiene habits became extremely fragile in the face of such a massive disaster.

Several soldiers responsible for spraying disinfectant were trying to persuade a woman holding a child to go to the isolation tent. The woman cried and shouted emotionally, attracting a lot of attention.

"Where's He Sheng? Has he come back yet?" Hu Wenxue asked the nurse.

In situations like this, you can only rely on the person who can mobilize resources and has enough influence to speak for you.

"Just got back. The plane is refueling. It's probably at the command center."

He Yuzhu had just finished chugging half a kettle of cold water outside the makeshift command post when Old Zhao pointed to a map and discussed with him several newly discovered key areas where a large number of people might be buried. Hu Wenxue hurried over, his face more solemn than ever before.

"Mr. He! It's an emergency!" Hu Wenxue didn't bother with formalities and quickly recounted the situation, including cases of diarrhea, suspected cholera, difficulties in isolation, and a shortage of disinfection supplies.

Old Zhao's expression changed instantly: "Cholera? Are you sure? Could it be just ordinary gastroenteritis?"

"The clinical manifestations are highly consistent! Dr. Chen and his colleagues have confirmed it! And there is a cluster of cases!"

"A lot?" He Yuzhu asked. Hu Wenxue replied, "The number is still manageable, but the problem is that there's already resistance at the quarantine sites, and the disinfection supplies are simply not enough to cover such a large area! We must take immediate action!"

Old Zhao frowned deeply, looking at He Yuzhu: "Zhuzi, look at this..."

"Dr. Hu, please give me your advice. Old Zhao will arrange for someone to handle it," He Yuzhu said.

Old Zhao nodded in agreement.

Dr. Hu organized his thoughts:

"First, issue an epidemic prevention notice in the name of the command center and broadcast it repeatedly through loudspeakers, emphasizing that all people with diarrhea, vomiting, or fever must be forcibly quarantined! This is not a matter for discussion, but an order!"

"Secondly, regarding water sources, we immediately organized a special team to investigate and disinfect all water intake points, prioritizing the safety of drinking water. All surface water must be disinfected and boiled before it can be consumed."

"Third, disinfection and sterilization. The bodies must be properly disposed of: incineration, deep burial, and lime application! Designate special locations away from water sources and resettlement areas."

"That's all I can think of for now. Another issue is medicine. The medicines that have been delivered so far are for treating external injuries, but we need other medicines now."

“I’ve made preparations. When my next batch arrives, I’ll be relying on you, Lao Zhao. You have to make sure everything is in order, or there will be big problems,” He Yuzhu said.

He looked at Hu Wenxue: "Are there enough medical staff? Are there any doctors here specializing in this?"

Hu Wenxue said, "It would be best to transfer another batch, as most of the people here are surgeons."

"Old Zhao, please coordinate it first, and try to get it on our next shipment."

"Okay, I'll contact them right away. Dr. Hu, please write down what you just said, and I'll have someone follow up."

“No problem,” Hu Wenxue said.

When He Yuzhu's helicopter formation landed at Jinmen Port again, several Yellow River trucks with red crosses on them rushed over.

"Boss, the medicine is here!" The security guard, sporting dark circles under his eyes, jumped out of the car and directed his men to unload the goods quickly.

Boxes of sulfonamides, chloramphenicol, disinfectant powder, and bleaching powder were quickly loaded onto a helicopter, along with six infectious disease doctors who had been urgently transferred from Beijing.

On the west side of the temporary hospital at the Industrial City Stadium, the completely cleared isolation area was marked out with straw ropes. Cao Yuan, a newly arrived infectious disease doctor, put on a heavy rubber protective suit and walked into the tent filled with the pungent smell of bleach.

"Put your excrement in this bucket, then dump it into that pit, and cover it with bleach before burying it," the nurse said, pointing to the newly issued bedpan lined with thick plastic film.

Several patients with mild symptoms who had initially tried to slip away silently retreated when they saw the armed soldiers guarding the outside of the isolation area.

Several other experts, along with local epidemic prevention teams, carried heavy sprayers and repeatedly sprayed along murky puddles, makeshift toilets, and garbage dumps.

The pungent smell of medicine has become a new background odor in the resettlement area.

The loudspeaker repeatedly broadcast the strict epidemic prevention regulations: "Diarrhea and fever, immediate isolation; raw water must be boiled, violators will be severely punished!" Initial resistance and complaints gradually turned into silent compliance after seeing several critically ill patients being carried into the isolation area on stretchers.

To make matters worse, three days later, a torrential downpour began without warning.

Inside the command center, the atmosphere was even heavier than the leaden sky.

Old Zhao held a newly compiled report in his hand, his fingers trembling so much he could barely hold it.

The ink was soaked by the rain that had drifted in, making the shocking numbers even more glaring.

He abruptly closed his eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing violently, and finally simply pushed the report gently in front of He Yuzhu.

He Yuzhu's gaze swept over those few lines of cold numbers, and he remained silent for a long time.

"We've basically dug everything that could be dug out." Shi Bin's voice was hoarse, like a broken gong. He stood at the door, covered in mud and water, with rain streaming down his trousers.

“The rest is too deep, or…” He didn’t finish his sentence.

For four days, he and his Taishan security team, along with countless soldiers and civilians, practically dug through the ruins with their fingernails and used mechanical arms to excavate in the mud.

The golden time has passed, and hope is becoming increasingly faint.

"Rain! This damn rain!" Old Zhao stared at the torrential rain outside and slammed his fist into his face.

What had been a muddy mess had turned into a swamp, with water accumulating in the low-lying tents. The wounded and sick shivered in the damp and cold, coughing incessantly.

"Old Zhao, arrange for people to drain the water. I'll figure out a way to transport the tents."

"You shouldn't be flying in this weather. Are you out of your mind?"

"I can't fly, and I would never risk the lives of my men by using land transport."

"That's good."

"Shi Bin, send all the tracked trucks to the port to haul away the tents."

"Boss, we've already gone. You know the road conditions right now."

"Tell them to hurry up. If too many people get sick, our doctors will be overwhelmed and unable to save them all."

"I'll go right now." Shi Bin walked directly towards his Jeep.

The tents didn't arrive until a full day later, and it was still raining.

A new problem has emerged: insufficient food supply.

The command post could only set up large pots at each resettlement site. The previous method of distributing food to people to solve their own problems was changed to a rationed supply, just enough to ensure that no one starved to death.

No one complained. Everyone knew that the food supplies sent over were limited, and they had to hold out until large-scale supplies from the outside arrived. As long as they could survive, that was enough.

In this way, amidst continuous rain, constant aftershocks, the pressure of epidemic prevention, and a lack of supplies, the people of the industrial city endured five difficult days.

The rain finally stopped.

The long-awaited sunlight pierced through the clouds and shone on the ravaged land.

The stadium's resettlement area has expanded several times over, with rows of dark green tents neatly arranged on raised platforms, and only shallow water accumulating in the drainage ditches dug between the tents.

Inside the temporary command post, radio calls continued frequently, but the content had changed to the allocation of supplies, the transfer of the wounded, and reconstruction planning.

Time flies, and it's already August 15th.

He Yuzhu stood by the makeshift watchtower, his gaze sweeping over the land that had experienced catastrophe and was now being rebuilt.

Shi Bin approached, exhausted, his voice hoarse: "Boss, we've searched the deepest and most dangerous spots repeatedly, and used all the movable machinery. Down below... there's not much hope."

He Yuzhu was silent for a moment, then looked down at the piles of rubble in the distance: "We've done our best. Let the brothers rest in shifts. The rescue mission is about to end, and we should go home."

Shi Bin nodded; he understood what his boss meant.

The initial emergency rescue phase has passed, and their mission is drawing to a close.

He Yuzhu then went to the command post and found Old Zhao: "Uncle Zhao, the situation is stable now, we should go."

Zhao Fengnian looked at He Yuzhu for a long time before speaking: "Yes, you should go back. We need to take care of rebuilding our homes ourselves."

He Yuzhu nodded calmly: "We can't help with that, but if you need anything, you can contact me. This is my phone number."

He Yuzhu gave Lao Zhao a slip of paper with his home phone number on it.

After looking at it, Old Zhao lit it directly with a match.

The news that the Hong Kong rescue team was leaving spread quickly.

However, the rescue team did not rest. The medical staff carefully registered all the medical equipment and emergency medicines and handed them over to the medical team designated by the command.

The engineering machinery was handed over to the engineering corps under the command center, and the helicopters were handed over to a certain aviation squadron.

The rescue team now only has vehicles for transportation left. On the night before their departure, the medical team held a final handover meeting at their tent.

Hu Wenxue handed a thick stack of medical records and subsequent medication recommendations to the director of the local temporary hospital, and also gave detailed instructions on the key points of observation for several critically ill patients.

"I've noted it all down, please don't worry." The dean held Dr. Hu's hand tightly.

August 16th, dawn.

Without a grand farewell ceremony, the Hong Kong rescue team began to pack their belongings in an orderly manner.

There weren't many things to begin with, so everything was packed up quickly.

The team members lined up quietly, and one by one, the Yellow River "Warrior" off-road vehicles started up, ready to leave the place where they had fought for nearly twenty days and nights.

The team slowly drove out of the stadium gates, but the area outside was packed with people.

There was no fanfare or fluttering red flags, only a crowd of people silently seeing them off.

The streets were lined with residents who had come spontaneously to say goodbye after hearing the news.

There were elderly people with crutches and bandages, mothers holding their children, injured people who had just been able to walk, and many more young and strong people who had dug and carried things on their shoulders and by hand with the Yellow River rescue team.

The crowd was so quiet that only low sobs and suppressed "thank you" could be heard.

As the convoy passed by, some people bowed deeply, some wiped their faces vigorously, and many more waved incessantly.

The team members sat in the car, their chests heaving. Some turned to look out the window, while others pursed their lips and blinked hard. No one spoke; the car was filled with a heavy silence.

They had witnessed too many tears here, but the scene at this moment was even more heart-pounding.

As the convoy approached the road leading out of the city, the sight before them made everyone hold their breath.

On both sides of the road, there were solemn square formations standing.

Those were not residents, but soldiers—officers and soldiers from several units participating in the disaster relief efforts, who completed their assembly in a short period of time after receiving orders.

Their uniforms were faded and stained with mud; some even had injured arms, but their posture remained upright.

The crowd was so large that they formed several long lines that seemed to stretch endlessly along the main road.

"parking!"

Shi Bin shouted hoarsely, and the convoy slowly stopped in front of the queue.

He Yuzhu pushed open the car door and got out.

Company Commander Zhou, Company Commander Wen, and several other officers of higher rank strode forward to greet them.

"Comrade He Fei!" The middle-aged officer with a serious face stood up and raised his right hand.

Behind him, from near to far, all the officers and soldiers raised their hands in salute.

Their movements were perfectly synchronized, with only the sound of their sleeves rubbing together as they saluted forming a low hum, expressing unspoken respect and farewell.

He Yuzhu returned the same standard military salute, his gaze sweeping over the young and resolute faces, etched with fatigue yet full of respect.

Behind them, all the Yellow River rescue team members who got off the vehicle, whether security guards or medical staff, subconsciously straightened their backs and tensed their bodies.

"Brothers!" He Yuzhu's voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly to the vicinity. "It has been an honor for all members of the Yellow River Rescue Team to fight alongside you these past few days!"

Without further words, he raised his hand once more, offering a final, solemn military salute to the green formation, to this land and its people.

The officers and soldiers also maintained their salutes, like silent monuments.

Time seemed to freeze for a few seconds before the saluting hand was neatly lowered.

The officer stepped forward and firmly grasped He Yuzhu's hand: "Comrade He Fei, take care! Thank you!" His palm was hot and strong.

The convoy started up slowly again, passing the ranks of soldiers and the silent forest of respect.

When the convoy arrived at the port, He Yuzhu was surprised to find that Lao Fang and Lao Zhao were already waiting by the gangway. No wonder he hadn't seen Lao Zhao earlier.

The port was still busy, but many people in different work clothes, sailors, and even unloading workers stopped what they were doing and stood gazing.

"Zhu Zi!" Old Zhao rushed over in three steps and hugged He Yuzhu tightly.

"We really miss you, kid. Come back as soon as you can, bring your family and visit us. Your Aunt Xia and the others, and I, all miss you!"

“Okay!” He Yuzhu nodded emphatically.

Old Fang walked over, his face showing deep fatigue, but his eyes were filled with relief and gentleness.

He wasn't as excited as Lao Zhao; he simply reached out and firmly grasped He Yuzhu's hand with a steady grip.

"Zhu Zi, thank you this time. Everyone will remember this kindness."

He paused, glanced around at the mountains of supplies piled up in the port yet orderly, and at the rescue team members boarding the ships. His gaze fell on He Yuzhu, and his tone became particularly solemn: "There's still a lot to do, and a long road ahead. I know you're worried about your family, but many things aren't the right time. This is an exception; you'll have to wait before you can come back." He didn't say it explicitly, but the two understood each other implicitly.

He Yuzhu didn't say anything more and nodded.

He Yuzhu then boarded the ship, leaving all their jeeps in the open space at the port.

Whoosh! The long, drawn-out whistle of the ship cut through the hustle and bustle of the harbor.

The cargo ship, adorned with a giant red cross, slowly untied its mooring lines, turned its bow, and sailed into the azure sea.

The sea breeze, slightly salty, caressed everyone's face.

The ship's gunwale was filled with members of the Yellow River Rescue Team, silently gazing back at the harbor, watching the figures standing on the shore grow smaller and smaller until they finally became a blurry outline, melting into the sunlight and the seamless blend of sea and sky.

No one cheered, no one jumped for joy.

Only one heavy feeling remains in everyone's chest, like the sunlight on the sea, bright, intense, and lingering.

The ship sailed further and further away, entering a shimmering expanse of water.

(End of this chapter)