Chapter 411 The Brigade Rebuilds Homes
Following that, Ye Shengge immersed herself in a busy study routine. However, Han Yuyan visited her at Mi Province University every day, though he made sure Ye Shengge didn't notice.
In reality, Zi Yisheng's men had already discovered Han Yuyan's whereabouts and were tailing him discreetly. As long as Han Yuyan didn't get too close, they wouldn't make a move.
The heavy rain in Chuncheng finally stopped, and the floodwaters were slowly receding. The relocation area had improved significantly thanks to Zi Yisheng's relief efforts and the government's distribution of grain, preventing any instances of theft or looting.
Upon hearing news from Chuncheng, not a single disaster victim didn't long to return home. Even without their houses, it was their roots. Living elsewhere, even if they weren't starving, they felt adrift.
Ten full days passed, and the floodwaters had completely receded, leaving behind deep mud on the roads. To return, one could only walk, as the government lacked the capacity to transport disaster victims by vehicle. Thus, the victims were given a new task: clearing the mud in batches.
By the time the Bai Rong Brigade members returned home, another fifteen days had passed. They had to camp out along the way temporarily each night, leaving everyone exhausted and disheveled. Seeing their homes reduced to ruins, no one felt anything but dejected.
Gong Aidang quickly organized people to clear temporary living spaces for each family, ensuring they were at least settled.
Gong Shusen had already taken over from the old village chief and was actively involved in managing affairs, easing some of Gong Aidang's burdens.
Ji Songlin, carrying the letter from Zi Yisheng, first went to the county government. The brigade's reconstruction would require government support; otherwise, they could only erect makeshift shelters for now.
The educated youths still lived together. However, felling trees on the mountain was a task for everyone, which was strenuous work for the female educated youths, whose shoulders were already raw from carrying the cut logs.
"Ow, I can't lift it anymore, it's just too difficult."
Gao Jiaojiao suddenly dropped the large log she was holding. This caused An Xia, who was working with her, to be struck on the leg by the log. The sharp edge of the wood sliced her thigh, and blood immediately began to flow.
An Xia screamed and fell to the ground. Gao Jiaojiao, terrified by what she had done, no longer felt tired, especially upon seeing the blood dripping onto the ground.
"What should I do? What should I do? An Xia, I really didn't mean to. I, what should I do?"
An Xia's face had turned pale from the pain, and before she could speak, someone scooped her up.
"I'll take you down the mountain to stop the bleeding."
An Xia turned her head to look at the person holding her – a familiar face, Gong Wenliang, the second son of the old village chief.
Gong Wenliang had noticed these two educated youths while carrying logs nearby. Their unsteady movements suggested something was bound to happen, and he hadn't even had time to warn them before the incident occurred.
Gao Jiaojiao watched An Xia being carried away and quickly followed, fearing the worst due to the significant blood loss.
"An Xia, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to. I'll pay for your medical expenses, let's go to the hospital."
An Xia felt both pain and shyness at this moment, as it was her first time being held by a man.
Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, many people saw Gong Wenliang carrying a woman, and she was a young educated youth from the village.
"Wenliang, why are you carrying this girl? Are you two dating!"
"Hahahaha, Zhang Yuan will be furious when she finds out."
Gong Wenliang, already not one for much conversation, knew these people were loose-lipped and could only lower his head and quickly search for the brigade leader.
"Captain, hurry, this educated youth is injured."
Gong Aidang was organizing reconstruction work and was swamped with tasks. Hearing this news made his head throb.
He rushed out and saw a pair of blood-soaked trousers, even Gong Wenliang's clothes were stained with blood. Beside them stood Gao Jiaojiao, who could only cry.
"Quick, quick, send her to the hospital. It's troublesome when Elder Fan and Elder Dang aren't here."
There were no bicycles in the village, so they had to use a cart to transport her to the county. Gong Aidang initially didn't want Gong Wenliang to be involved, as a divorced man becoming entangled with a young educated youth wasn't a good look.
"I'll go, since I'm already covered in blood, and it would be troublesome for someone else to carry her around."
Gong Aidang truly didn't expect Gong Wenliang to say such a thing, and even more so, to speak so much.
Zhang Yuan, upon hearing that Gong Wenliang was carrying a young educated youth down the mountain, felt a surge of anger. She suppressed it, but eventually, she couldn't help but go and see.
She saw Gong Wenliang gently placing the young educated youth onto the cart amidst the crowd, with a care she had never received from him.
"Oh, Zhang Yuan, you've come to watch the show too."
"Hey, maybe Wenliang will end up with that educated youth in the future, Zhang Yuan, don't you think so?"
Everyone was mocking Zhang Yuan, who had rejected the village chief's son and instead ended up with a good-for-nothing from the village. What kind of person was she?
Zhang Yuan's eyes were filled with hatred, feeling that Gong Wenliang was a betrayer and must have been involved with this educated youth for a long time.
"Who knows if they were already involved? This is improper conduct."
Hearing Zhang Yuan say this, everyone else fell silent. If his ex-wife said so, it might indeed be true.
Gong Aidang stood near Zhang Yuan and was enraged by her shameless slander of his cousin.
"Zhang Yuan, did you eat shit with your mouth?"
Zhang Yuan, formerly the village chief's daughter-in-law, had never feared Gong Aidang, the brigade leader. But ever since she married Ji Dashu, Gong Aidang had never treated her well, so she was now somewhat intimidated by him.
"Brigade leader, your words are too harsh. Aren't they acting inappropriately by embracing each other?"
Gong Aidang looked at Zhang Yuan with disgust, and his words became even more venomous.
"Acting inappropriately? Haven't you seen that Gong Wenliang is saving someone? That's a glorious act. As for you, not everyone is like you, sleeping with a man before marriage. If we're talking about improper conduct, you're number one, and should be a model in our village."
Zhang Yuan's face turned crimson. She wasn't married, was she? During the disaster, where could she get married? She could only live with someone in an unclear situation.
Now that it was pointed out publicly, the matter was magnified. Not only were Gong Aidang's words harsh, but everyone's whispers also made Zhang Yuan too ashamed to stay. She could only turn and flee.
Gong Aidang watched Zhang Yuan run away, his eyes showing a hint of concern. If Gong Wenliang's situation wasn't handled well today, it could become troublesome.
"Alright, An Zhizhi is injured on the mountain. Everyone be careful when you go up the mountain, otherwise, you'll be in trouble again with people needing to be sent to the hospital."
"Brigade leader, is Wenliang really involved with An Xia Zhizhi?"
"Nonsense. If saving someone means being involved, then who will be willing to save people in the future?"
"Then why was he holding her so tightly? Hahahaha, I think Wenliang has feelings for that educated youth."
"Holding tightly for what? Get back to work. You people like to gossip when you have nothing else to do."
An Xia, lying on the cart, looked at the bulging veins on the armrest and then at the somewhat tanned face. At that moment, it dispelled all her unease about coming to the countryside, and she slowly closed her eyes.
"Hey, An Xia, An Xia, don't scare me, I don't want to be responsible for someone's death."
Gong Wenliang was driven mad by Gao Jiaojiao's crying, especially when An Xia fell unconscious, making him even more agitated.
"Shut up. If you keep crying, you'll truly kill her. Quickly wake her up, we're almost at the county."
Gong Wenliang immediately quickened his pace. Gao Jiaojiao ran alongside the cart, patting An Xia's face vigorously.
Gong Wenliang's mouth twitched at the sound of the slaps. What a reckless person.
Upon reaching the hospital, Gong Wenliang rushed inside carrying An Xia.
"Help her quickly, doctor, help her quickly."
Only after An Xia was taken to the treatment room did Gong Wenliang and Gao Jiaojiao collapse onto the ground.
An Xia's treatment didn't take long. She had deep wounds that needed stitches, and the smaller cuts only required medication. The most serious issue was severe blood loss. With the lack of nutritious food, excessive blood loss could be life-threatening.
"Are you relatives of the female comrade inside?"
Gong Wenliang quickly stood up and kicked Gao Jiaojiao.
"We're from the same brigade."
"Is An Xia still alive?"
The nurse glared at Gao Jiaojiao impatiently.
"She's alive, but the patient has lost a lot of blood. You need to go and pay for it, she needs a blood transfusion."
"Okay, okay, as long as she's alive, that's good. How much do I need to pay?"
"Twenty-five for one blood transfusion, plus fifteen for treatment, so pay fifty yuan, as medicine will also be used."
Gao Jiaojiao quickly reached for her pockets. She had just over eighty yuan left. Ever since the disaster in Chuncheng, her family hadn't had the opportunity to send money, and she was very poor now.
Gong Wenliang looked at Gao Jiaojiao, who was standing still, and her hand clutching her pocket. He understood immediately.
"Hurry up and get the money. Don't forget you're the one who caused her to be like this. If she doesn't recover, you'll be a murderer, and I'll be a witness."
Gao Jiaojiao pouted. Who knew throwing a log would cost fifty yuan.
"Why are you so fierce? I'm just feeling heartache for a moment, it's not like I'm not going to pay."
The nurse nearby understood that the person inside was harmed by the woman in front of her.
"If you keep waiting, the person will die. I'll be a witness then, and I'll report you for refusing to pay and causing someone's death."
"I, I'll go now."
The nurse, watching the person run off quickly, proudly puffed out her chest.
"Hmph, I can't deal with you."
"Nurse, is the person inside serious? How long does she need to stay in the hospital?"
"Not too serious, just needs one blood transfusion, and then she can go back to rest. She needs to eat well to recover, otherwise, her body will still be depleted."
Gong Wenliang nodded, sighing inwardly. Where could he find good food to help her recover? Ever since returning to the village, no one had provided grain, and the floodwaters had swept away anything from the mountains, leaving no traces of animals.
Zi Yisheng was the first to receive news of the receding floodwaters. He knew it would take time for things to dry out, and building houses would require more time.
However, the black market in Chuncheng had already opened, and a significant amount of grain and supplies had been transported back from Mi Province. The price of goods in the black market was at an all-time low, allowing disaster victims in need of grain to stock up.
Ye Shengge intensified her studies. She knew she would be returning home soon, and even if she could delay it, it wouldn't be for too long.
Monkey also took advantage of the cargo ships and returned home first. This disaster would certainly cause a shortage of supplies in Qi City, so he needed to contact Luo Hansheng to resume normal deliveries. Delaying would mean delaying profits.
The village chief was the most anxious. He wanted to know the current situation in the village and was concerned whether Gong Aidang and the others could manage the reconstruction work effectively.
Gong Wentao was reluctant for the village chief to return home first. Returning now meant hardship and toil, and the elder was too old.
The village chief was stubborn. When his son disagreed, he became insistent, even threatening to go on a hunger strike. Finally, Wang Fengling, annoyed, directly took the village chief onto the cargo ship.
Gong Wentao had no choice but to follow. However, they could at least return to the village and help rebuild the houses of the Zi and Ye families first.
Wang Fengling saw her son about to disembark to carry grain and quickly stopped him.
"Don't carry grain, just pack a few pounds in your bag. Otherwise, it won't be enough for the villagers. This way, your father can truly share the hardships with the villagers."
Wang Fengling was no longer an ignorant old lady from the village. She had learned many terms from the old madam of the Bai family, and her words now sounded knowledgeable.
Old Village Chief Gong Hua pouted. It wasn't as if he hadn't experienced hardship before. They had just lived comfortably for a few days, and they had already forgotten their roots.
Gong Wentao and the others, upon disembarking, did not head over the mountain to return to the village. The two elders were too old, and a fall on the mountain could be fatal. They took a cargo truck to Chuncheng first, and then took a public bus back to the county.
Upon arriving in the county, they coincidentally saw Gong Wenliang pulling a cart. Before they could be happy, they saw the person lying on the cart, covered in blood.
"Wenliang, what happened?"
Gong Wenliang thought he was hearing things. He turned his head and indeed saw his father, mother, and younger brother. He happily set down the cart and ran over, hugging his parents and tears streaming down his face.
"Father, Mother, you're finally back."
While Gong Wentao was letting the three of them have their emotional reunion, he went to Gao Jiaojiao to inquire about the situation.
Gao Jiaojiao was a coward. Seeing Gong Wentao's disfigured face, she was terrified. She trembled so much she almost fainted. Gong Wentao, disgusted, bypassed Gao Jiaojiao and asked An Xia, who had already woken up.
An Xia was also scared, but thinking of Gong Wenliang, she mustered her courage and explained what had happened. After finishing, she let out a sigh of relief.
Gong Wentao then carefully observed An Xia, the educated youth, and then looked back at his second brother, his brows furrowed tightly. He had a bad premonition!
"Second brother, why have you lost so much weight? Didn't Young Master Zi send grain to the relocation area? Weren't you eating enough?"
Gong Wenliang secretly wiped away his tears and held his mother's arm.
"I ate enough, even more than before. Young Master Zi specifically allocated more grain to our brigade."
Gong Wenliang was discreet and whispered to his parents to avoid causing trouble for Young Master Zi.
"Are Er Mao and San Mao doing well?"
"They're all doing well. I've teamed up with Big Brother. They've learned to help with chores now, and are making progress compared to before."
Wang Fengling smiled with relief. Truly, who would want their child to be a scoundrel? It was good that they were improving now.
Gong Hua was also deeply relieved, but his pride kept him from letting the children get too boastful.
Wang Fengling was extremely bothered by the matter of An Xia Zhizhi and her second son's actions.
"You, you've caused quite a big problem this time."