in2ebook Chapter 284 Disaster Relief!
Chapter 284 Disaster Relief!
The earth shook violently, and sturdy houses collapsed like dust. People who were sleeping soundly on mats outside were awakened by this sudden change.
Running away, shouting, crying, dogs barking, cries for help... complete chaos!
At the same time, in Beijing, a hundred kilometers away, the tremors were also strongly felt. Zhou Xiaobai and his family of three were fast asleep on mats in their yard when a violent tremor caused a potted plant on the wall to fall down with a loud thud, waking them all up.
Chen Yijun quickly got up.
"What's wrong? What's wrong? Xiaobai, are you alright?"
Zhou Xiaobai got up from the straw mat, rubbed his sore eyes, and shook his head.
"Mom, I'm fine..." He glanced at the shattered flowerpot not far away.
"Just now..." Suddenly I understood something.
"Dad, was there an earthquake just now?"
Zhou Zhennan also got up, turned on the lights in the yard, went out and took a look, and found that the lights in other houses in the yard were also turning on one after another. Some people came out wearing only underwear and vests. The wall on one side of the yard in front of his house had collapsed, and brick fragments were scattered all over the ground. Could it be that there really was an earthquake in Tangshan?
Just then, the phone rang inside the house. Zhou Xiaobai frowned immediately. A call in the middle of the night must mean an emergency. A bad feeling grew stronger. Zhou Xiaobai put on her slippers.
"Dad, I'll go pick him up!"
He rushed inside to answer the phone, then came out a moment later with a bewildered expression.
"Dad, it's a call from the military region. They want you to get there right now. There was a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Tangshan, and they're deploying rescue operations. I just called the driver, and the car is coming right away."
Even though they were somewhat prepared, Zhou Zhennan and Chen Yijun still gasped when they heard the confirmed news. It really happened, and it was a magnitude 7.8 earthquake. Zhou Zhennan steadied himself.
"I understand. Stay in the yard and don't go back inside. Don't answer the phone either, there might be aftershocks. Safety first!"
After a while, the driver drove up, and Zhou Zhennan got in and hurriedly drove away.
Meanwhile, Zhong Shanyue and his neighbor, Old Li, hadn't slept a wink all night. They started by playing chess, then had a late-night snack—Moutai with a plate of peanuts and cucumber salad. Both were veterans, battle-hardened veterans, and shared common interests. They reminisced about their glorious years fighting the Japanese and Americans decades ago, filled with emotion. The more they talked, the more excited they became. They downed more than two bottles of Moutai, and when the food was gone, they just drank straight. Finally, both were quite tipsy when they suddenly felt the ground tremble and the grapevines above them shook.
Old Li, with his lisp, said:
"Old Zhong, did the ground shake just now? Or was I just drunk and staggering?"
Zhong Shanyue, a man of good drinking capacity, remained sober. He stood up from the mat and said in a deep voice:
"Old Li, there really was an earthquake just now."
As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of gongs rang out outside.
"Everyone, get up quickly! There's an earthquake! Don't stay indoors, come out now, come out now!"
Upon hearing this, Zhong Shanyue's expression turned to astonishment and shock. After a long while, he muttered to himself:
"You brat, you really have a jinx."
Zhou Zhennan didn't return from the military region until after 4 p.m. that day. When he arrived at his yard, he found a large tent set up, containing tables, chairs, benches, pots, pans, and other daily necessities.
When Chen Yijun saw the man return, she exclaimed, "Old Zhou, you're back!"
Where did this tent come from?
"The hospital gave us these to stay outside for the next few days, in case of aftershocks. There was one this morning, it was really scary. So I went in and moved some furniture and belongings myself. How's it going in Tangshan?"
Zhou Zhennan picked up a chair and sat down. He was getting old, and had gone to the military region at 3 a.m. that morning without a proper rest, working tirelessly until now. He felt noticeably tired and said in a deep voice:
"It's very bad. According to news from Tangshan, more than 80% of the houses in the city have collapsed, and the entire city is almost a ruin."
"what?!"
Chen Yijun was shocked.
"The houses have all collapsed? My God, people are sleeping inside in the middle of the night, that's not..."
I don't even dare to think about it anymore.
Zhou Zhennan frowned. Although there had been rumors of an impending earthquake in Tangshan, and the government had made some preparations, it had not mandated that people sleep outside instead of indoors. Moreover, the entire population of Tangshan city and its counties was as high as 150 million, a huge number. Faced with such a massive earthquake, even though it lasted only 23 seconds, its intensity was unprecedented, almost instantly collapsing more than 80% of the buildings. He dared not imagine how many casualties there would be.
Zhou Zhennan Road:
"The advance rescue team has already arrived. I also have to go there first thing tomorrow morning. While I'm gone, please take good care of yourselves and don't go back inside the house."
"You...you're going too?!"
Chen Yijun said:
"Don't you know how old you are? You're not a young man anymore. Don't go, what if something happens..."
"Okay, okay!"
Zhou Zhennan Road:
“When the country is in trouble, every citizen has a responsibility, especially since I am a soldier. The higher-ups set up a disaster relief command center immediately, and I am the deputy commander-in-chief. How can I remotely command from Beijing? I must be on-site in Tangshan. Don’t worry, I will take good care of myself.”
Knowing her man's temper, Chen Yijun opened her mouth as if to try to persuade him again, but ultimately didn't say anything more.
When Zhou Xiaobai returned in the evening, he found that every household in the courtyard had set up tents in front of their doors, and some had even lit bonfires to cook. The children, unaware of the dangers, simply found it fun and chased each other around the fires. At night, the flames rose one after another, making it look like a picnic in the open field.
Back to myself, I was also in a tent.
"Xiaobai is back. Is Yuemin's dad alright?"
"It's alright, everything's fine," Zhou Xiaobai said.
"Mom, has Yuemin called me?"
"No, we received a few phone calls today. Your eldest and second eldest brothers called to ask about the family situation, and a few others were looking for your father."
"Oh!"
Zhou Xiaobai was a little disappointed. Although Yuemin was in the army, he must have known about the earthquake in Tangshan, but he hadn't even called to ask if she was alright.
Maybe... maybe he's busy with something, I comforted myself with that thought.
Zhou Zhennan Road:
"Yuemin's unit is also involved in this disaster relief effort. At this time, he should be on the train, rushing to Tangshan overnight. He doesn't have time to call you."
"what?!"
Both women were surprised. Zhou Xiaobai said:
"Dad, Yuemin's unit is so far away from Tangshan, why do they still have to rush over there for disaster relief?"
"Too many houses have collapsed. Saving lives is the top priority right now. Not to mention Yuemin's unit, even the Southern Military Region has several troops that have been urgently dispatched north to participate in the disaster relief and rescue efforts. Saving lives as quickly as possible is of utmost importance and cannot be delayed."