NOVEL NEXT Chapter 476: Earthquake
Just now, I heard the noise, but I was busy in the kitchen making ginger tea and boiling water, so I couldn't come out to greet you.
Once I confirmed with my husband that the house structure was fine, I rushed into the kitchen with missing tiles.
Although the kitchen was leaking rain too, the stove area seemed okay, so it didn't affect cooking or boiling water.
Even though the temperature is high and it's not cold, staying outside in the rain all night has created a heavy dampness.
Especially for the three children, I boiled a big pot of water to wash them well, and made a pot of ginger tea for the adults to dispel the dampness.
"Sister-in-law, we're not cold."
Not only are we not cold, but we're also sweating from all the running around.
"Listen to your sister-in-law, even if you're not cold, have a bowl, and have your sons-in-law too," said the old lady Hua, uneasy, as she drank her daughter-in-law's ginger tea in one go.
Since their mother had spoken, the eldest and second sisters-in-law obediently went into the kitchen to drink ginger tea. After finishing, they didn't forget to bring a bowl for their husbands.
After the sisters-in-law left, Mrs. Qi hurriedly helped her daughter-in-law take care of the grandchildren, feeding the children hot water and helping them take a hot bath to get rid of last night's dampness.
Old man Hua and his sons, after drinking the ginger water made by the daughter-in-law, continued to clean up with the grandsons.
Although the main structure of the house hadn't changed much, the beams on the roof were intact, but most of the tiles were gone, not to mention the collapsed wooden sheds for livestock and poultry. The yard was a mess.
Even though they didn't know if there would be aftershocks, cleaning up was necessary, especially on the roof where the remaining tiles posed a significant safety hazard.
The yard needed to be cleaned up before setting up tents because, for safety's sake, living in the open yard after the earthquake was still a priority.
Fortunately, the yards of each house were not small, and staying away from danger, setting up a tent wasn't difficult.
With the help of two sons-in-law, the process went quicker, and soon two big tents were set up.
"Grandpa Hua..." While they were cleaning, Luo Song arrived with over ten people.
"Grandpa Hua, I brought people to help," Luo Song said, pointing to the people behind him.
Luo Song's family had many brothers, so the old man Huang didn't refuse, "Is your house cleaned up?"
"We're cleaning it up now, Grandpa Hua, don't worry. We have a lot of people."
"Is Grandpa Luo Lai okay? Why are you still thinking about us at this time? Is Elder Luo okay? Hurry back and accompany your grandfather..." Recalling the old man's health, Old Man Hua felt a bit worried, along with the village elders. The more he thought about it, the more worried he became, so he decided to stop what he was doing to check on each house.
Luo Song wanted to stay and do more for the Hua family as his grandfather wished, but he said, "Thank you for caring, Grandpa Hua. My grandfather is alright."
After the earthquake, he's been in pain everywhere. He planned to see Doctor Sun, but the message was that Doctor Sun still hadn't come around. He was told Doctor Sun would come in the afternoon. Knowing Doctor Sun's age, Luo Song had no choice but to wait, so he was resting in the tent with his caretaker, fortunately in fair spirits apart from the pain. Otherwise, Luo Song wouldn't have left his grandfather to help the Hua family.
With the people Luo Song brought, cleaning up was much faster. Seeing Luo Song busy here and there, a satisfied gleam flashed in Old Man Hua's eyes.
With Luo Song there, Old Man Hua could finally free up his hands. Concerned, he called his eldest grandson and hurried out.
Early in the morning, he was preoccupied with the things around his home and didn't manage to visit others. As he walked, Old Man Hua felt more at ease.
Although there were varying degrees of damage, it was fortunate enough that most of the houses remained intact during the earthquake. The most important thing was that everyone was alive.
The house of Elder Huai was the closest and the first target for Old Man Hua's visit. He was worried since several of his clan uncles were not young, and he wasn't sure if they could withstand such a strong earthquake last night.
At this moment, Elder Huai was sitting under a hastily erected tarpaulin. Seeing Old Man Hua approach, he showed a slightly weak smile. His pale face caused a tightening in Old Man Hua's heart.
"Uncle Huai, how are you?"
"Nothing, whew... I'm strong, are the villagers... all okay?" Elder Huai waved his hand, but his breath was noticeably unstable and he was breathing heavily.
"The situation is better than expected. Uncle Huai knows the houses built by Cheng Tian and his men are very sturdy. Don't worry, take good care of your health," Hua Man said with a quick smile.
Elder Huai replied, "That's good... My body is like this, reaching this far is satisfactory enough..."
Old Man Hua didn't agree with Elder Huai's words, "You can't say that! We'll have many good days ahead. You should be here to see all the little ones in our village grow up, marry, and have children."
"That sounds good... whew whew... cough cough..." Elder Huai's heightened emotions made it difficult for him to breathe again.
"Shall we ask Doctor Sun to come and check?" Old Man Hua asked Hua Dou, who was helping Elder Huai steady his breath.
"Yes, Doctor Sun said he'd come after resting for half an hour."
Recalling Luo Song's words, Old Man Hua nodded, "Uncle, have some water."
Seeing Elder Huai's state, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
"Uncle, try not to worry, the family still depends on you."
"Hmm, I know. Alright, don't worry about this old guy, go and get busy," Elder Huai urged, knowing the village chief was extremely busy given the current chaos.
"Alright, if anything happens, let the kids come find me."
"Mmm..." Elder Huai waved his hand.
Next, Old Man Hua visited the homes of Elder Li, Elder Yong, and the few remaining village elders.
After going around, the state of Elder Huai wasn't the worst. The situation of Old Man Hua's father was more precarious. By the time Old Man Hua arrived, he was already struggling for breath, and Doctor Sun, who wasn't feeling well himself, had been brought over by Hua Zhuang's family.
"It's fine, just a fright. I'll prepare a few prescriptions, and he'll be able to breathe again," Doctor Sun said with a faint smile while meeting Hua Feng's gaze.
"Huff... I knew it was nothing. The kids were worried and insisted on bothering you, Doctor Sun. Thank you."
"It's the heart of the physician to care for parents, as it should be. Take a good rest and don't overthink things."
"Alright... thank you."
Doctor Sun nodded, glanced at Hua Zhuang beside him, and nodded at Hua Feng before leaving the courtyard.
Hua Zhuang said, "Dad, you rest first, I'll go get the medicine."
"Doctor Sun said it was nothing, so it really should be fine. You just have a good rest."
"Alright, I know," Hua Feng nodded, smiling weakly.
He actually understood in his heart but was content; people his age outside were already long gone.
"You're insightful, take care of yourself. I won't disturb you anymore. I'll come and see you later, Uncle."
"Mm hmm," Hua Feng waved his hand. After the acupuncture by Doctor Sun, he felt much better and closed his eyes for a nap.
As Old Man Hua left the courtyard, he saw Doctor Sun's solemn face and Hua Zhuang's pained expression.
"Doctor Sun, I beg you, find a way, there must be hope, right?"
He saw Hua Zhuang suddenly kneel in front of Doctor Sun, who tried but couldn't pull him up.
"Doctor Sun..." Old Man Hua's heart tightened too, as he walked briskly over, "Is Uncle Feng... very serious?"
Doctor Sun nodded, sighing, "In fact, Uncle Feng was already old; even with good care, it was a matter of one or two years. But last night's earthquake depleted his last bit of energy, the internal organs are damaged and rapidly failing. He only has a few days left."