NOVPUB
Chapter 195: Chapter 195: Rescue 2
After hanging up the phone, Aunt Luo started nervously pacing the room, muttering to herself.
"My son is so disobedient; insisting on going to Qing City with his cousin for the rescue effort. I need to pack him some food, necessities, and medical supplies."
A thought occurred to Tong Yao, "Aunt Luo, the rescue team your son is joining, is it organized by the community?"
"Right, he said it was organized by his boss, who is a retired soldier with a generous heart. When Jiang City was hit by a flood, it was also him who organized a community rescue team. It’s a voluntary decision to join or not; anyway, those in their factory who join the rescue mission still get paid." Aunt Luo sounded quite proud when talking about her son’s boss, perhaps because her own nephew was a soldier too.
It was clear that Aunt Luo held great regard for soldiers.
Tong Yao’s eyes flashed, "Aunt Luo, can I go with your son?"
"What?" Aunt Luo was taken aback at Tong Yao’s suggestion. "Yaoyao, are you going with me to send supplies to my son, or are you planning to go to Qing City?"
"Aunt Luo, I’m going to Qing City." Tong Yao answered decisively.
She figured, seeing as she was idle at home, and Si Chen wouldn’t be coming back anytime soon, there was no point in her and Si Xiaohui squeezing into one bed. Instead, she could use this time to do something meaningful; by the time Si Chen achieved his great success, perhaps someone might dig up her courageous actions, dispelling the future critics who questioned her qualifications to marry Si Chen.
"Sister-in-law, what are you going to do in Qing City?" Si Xiaohui grew nervous. "The situation there is dire, wouldn’t you just add to the chaos?"
"Sister-in-law, how should we explain this to our elder brother if you leave?" Si Boyi’s face flushed with concern, looking as if he had downed a liter of liquor.
Aunt Luo suddenly snapped back to reality and started imploring, "Yaoyao, you just saw the situation in Qing City on the news. I hope I don’t offend you, but with your thin arms and legs, as scrawny as a sesame stem, you wouldn’t be able to contribute much. Considering the current conditions over there, even coming back would be difficult."
Tong Yao knew Aunt Luo meant well, and she wasn’t angry but held her own thoughts.
"Aunt Luo, I’ve decided to go. If you won’t take me with you, I’ll join another team."
"Erm..." Aunt Luo hesitated, seeing Tong Yao’s resolute attitude.
Upon noticing this, Tong Yao quickly started to sweet-talk Aunt Luo, "Aunt Luo, please! I beg you! My husband is also out there on a rescue mission; I might be able to see him if I go. Besides, if I go with your son, we could look out for each other. If I went with strangers, they wouldn’t care about me."
Tong Yao’s wheedling worked. Aunt Luo figured she had a point and sighed, "Alright then, see if there are things you need to pack and hurry back to get ready. I will come to fetch you when I’m done preparing."
"Thank you, Aunt Luo." Tong Yao dashed home, her heart filled with cheer.
Si Xiaohui and Si Boyi followed her home, watching her pack her belongings and feeling equally flustered.
"Sister-in-law, requiring medical assistance as rampant as it is in Qing City, you’ll just stir more trouble! Our big brother is busy there trying to save lives, having you there would just be another burden. Now, we have to worry about you too, and not just big brother," Si Xiaohui blurted out abruptly.
"Sister-in-law, the shop is about to open, and there won’t be anyone in charge if you go to Qing City." Although Si Boyi didn’t sound as frantic, he was more anxious than Si Xiaohui.
As Si Xiaohui and Aunt Luo pointed out, she couldn’t help and would only cause more worry.
In such a situation, what good could Tong Yao, a woman who knew no medical skills and couldn’t do hard labor, possibly do?
"Stop."
With her hands crossed, Tong Yao made a stopping gesture and asserted, "I’ve made up my mind; nobody can dissuade me. Our business license hasn’t been approved yet, the shop cannot open no matter if the renovation is done or not. Keep an eye on the renovation for me; I will pay for it when I return. I will talk to Liu Yu about this in a moment."
"Sister-in-law, why are you so stubborn?" Si Xiaohui stomped her foot in frustration. Despite knowing Tong Yao’s temperament, neither she nor her second brother could hold Tong Yao back.
Although Tong Yao looked frail, she was strong-willed inside. She wasn’t any less capable than men when it came to arguing. What’s more, she was a risk-taker with firm convictions, and nobody could dominate over her decisions.
However, if Tong Yao went, she and mom would blame them for not stopping her.
Having such a sister-in-law was truly vexing.
Si Boyi was much on the same wavelength as Si Xiaohui: he knew he couldn’t stop Tong Yao and didn’t know how to persuade her, all he could do was watch her pack helplessly.
Tong Yao packed a set of clothes and grabbed some of the leftover alcohol swabs, then stuffed them into her backpack. Then, she pulled 30 yuan from her pocket and handed them to Si Xiaohui, "Xiaohui, this is 30 yuan. You two keep it for daily expenses. If you have time, go home to visit."
On a normal day, the money she brought back would have been given to Si Boyi for safekeeping. But knowing that Si Boyi was involved with Zhang Lijuan, she decided it was better to give the money to Si Xiaohui.
Although Si Xiaohui would occasionally praise Zhang Lijuan, she would never be willing to spend her money on her. When it came to money matters, they were more like ’plastic sisters’ than real ones.
"Sister-in-law, be careful!" Holding the money, Si Xiaohui felt like she had just accepted a hot potato.
By taking the money, she was lending tacit approval to Tong Yao’s intent of going to Qing City.
Thinking that Tong Yao gave her the money because she trusted her more than her brother warmed her heart a bit.
"Understood."
After packing her bag, Tong Yao went to tell Liu Yu about the renovation fee. Liu Yu agreed readily and advised her to pack more biscuits and water, echoing Tong Yao’s thoughts.
After briefly discussing the matter, she went to Aunt Luo’s place. On her way to find Aunt Luo’s son, she bought more water and biscuits which extended the bulging pack even more.
"Mom, why did you bring Tong Yao along? Isn’t that just asking for trouble?" When Niu Gang learned that Tong Yao was planning to join them, his forehead furrowed into a frown.
Since Tong Yao rented the apartment next door, he’d seen her a few times. Though they’ve never greeted each other, they were aware of each other’s presence.
Indeed, there were also girls in their team. But those girls were as strong as bulls unlike Tong Yao, who looked like a gust of wind could blow her over. If anything, she could end up needing rescue. What would happen if she suddenly decided to return home midway? Who would take her back then?
