NOVPUB"Heehee~" Seeing the content on the paper, Lin Wanning finally showed her smile again, and took out the Wind-Relief Oil from her bag to give to him.
"Lin Wanning! Come up here and answer this question."
Suddenly hearing her name called by the math teacher on stage, the girl shuddered in fright and gave Xu Qingfan a resentful glance before reluctantly walking up to the podium.
Xu Qingfan shook his head, amused, and secretly took out his phone to continue searching for earthquake-related news.
However, this time when he searched, he couldn’t find any more updates released by the people of Wen City; he guessed that the network was probably completely down by now.
Netizens who were dozens of kilometers away from the earthquake epicenter shared their harrowing experiences with lingering fear. Even the aftershocks had shaken buildings, and on forums, blogs, and bulletin boards, everyone was discussing the terrifying earthquake that had just happened.
By the last English class, the news of the Wen City earthquake had spread across the country through various channels.
The English teacher’s hometown seemed to be Wen City, and she stood on the podium with a hoarse voice, saying, "Good afternoon everyone!"
"Good afternoon teacher!" students also stood up and replied in unison.
"A very severe earthquake has just occurred in Wen City. I hope everyone can join in a three-minute silence, praying that the people of Wen City will turn misfortune into a blessing!"
"Ah?"
"Damn, another earthquake?"
"I have a game buddy from Wen City!"
"That’s so scary!"
"..."
The students in the class were buzzing with a strong desire to speak, unable to imagine the terrible scale of an earthquake without witnessing it firsthand.
"Quiet!" Xiao Ruawen slapped the desk with a book, and the students instantly fell silent. "Starting now, let’s observe three minutes of silence. Don’t make any noise!"
The classroom instantly fell silent, and the students could clearly hear the recitation of a text from the next class, and the cicadas chirping in the trees...
After three minutes, the students sat down again.
Lin Wanning wrote worriedly on a piece of paper: Brother Qing Fan, what shall we do? There’s been an earthquake in Wen City.
Xu Qingfan thought for a moment, and finally wrote back:
[Believe in our country!] After writing that, he circled the words ’our country’ emphatically.
"Mm!" The girl nodded earnestly.
Due to the news of the earthquake, the students were all distracted and didn’t care to listen to the lesson, and the English teacher seemed to be preoccupied as well.
After managing to get through to the end of class, there was a burst of lively discussion in the classroom.
Packing up their belongings, the five of them left the classroom with their backpacks.
"I wonder if Dad will go to the disaster area for the rescue this time," said Xiao Ruawen, her face full of strong concern. She was barely over a year old in 1998, but she had heard many horrifying tales of that flood from her mother’s memories.
Xu Qingfan patted the girl’s shoulder, saying nothing.
"Let’s hope everyone is okay!" Xiao Ruawen added.
"Everyone will definitely be okay!" Lin Wanning also nodded in agreement.
...
By the time they got home, it was already past five o’clock. The two families, along with Wu Lingyu, were eating dinner around the dining table in the living room.
The TV was broadcasting an emergency special report on the Wen City earthquake, and they listened attentively while eating.
When they heard that it was a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake, Xu Aiguo shook his head in grief and sighed, "What a year of hardship and disasters."
"I thought they were drilling on the road outside this afternoon when the tremble happened," Yao Jiping chimed in. 𝘯𝑜𝘷𝘱𝘶𝘣.𝘤𝘰𝑚
"God bless, hopefully, everyone is safe."
The adults exchanged words back and forth, and after the news report finished, Xu Qingfan picked up the remote and switched to Hong Kong TV Station.
Surprisingly, there was no airing of the usual war dramas against bandits; instead, they were broadcasting a live report on the earthquake.
However, the broadcast was not from Wen City, but from a warehouse in the suburbs where Hao Wei Duck Necks was located.
"We can see behind me piles of supplies ready to be sent to the affected area, with a considerable variety. Now, let’s ask the person in charge here, what kinds of goods are these, and what’s their total value?" said the host after introducing the situation and then handed the microphone to Zhong Wenqing, who smiled politely before speaking, "This is just one of the warehouses for supplies that we plan to send to the affected area. We expect to donate over 90,000 tents, more than 300,000 sleeping bags, 10,000 portable lights, and countless anti-inflammatory drugs, pain relievers, antiseptics, and so on."
"Thank you very much for the introduction, Manager Zhong. In the cold wave in January, Hao Wei Duck Necks was also the first to deliver supplies to the front line. The cozy and warm Hao Wei Duck down jackets warmed the hearts of everyone trapped. So, what makes Hao Wei Duck Necks so responsive every time, and will the affected people still be able to eat warm and comforting ducks this time?" asked the host.
Zhong Wenqing continued, "Yes, in addition to the above relief supplies, our company also plans to donate distilled water and braised duck products worth ten million to the affected people. As for why we can respond so quickly every time, I’d like to say that everything Hao Wei Duck Necks has is given by the people. As a socially responsible company, it is right to do so!"
"Thank you very much for the interview, Manager Zhong. Now let’s interview a truck driver who will soon be heading to the front-line affected area," said the host, passing the microphone to a truck driver who was checking the vehicle.
"About to head to the front line, what is your current state of mind?" the host asked.
"I don’t understand all that, Boss Zhong said that the drivers in charge of this delivery will have their year-end bonuses doubled," said the middle-aged man honestly, and he quickly added, "I’m not going just for the money, either. In the 1976 Tang City earthquake, I was dug out of the rubble by the People’s Liberation Army when I was only eight years old. Now I have a chance to contribute to the country. I will donate my entire sixty-thousand-year-end bonus to the affected area!"
