After listening to Uncle Dong Pianfang's words, Wang Ke lay there for a while, his eyelids were heavy, and soon he fell asleep.
The primary school was too small, and it was impossible for everyone in the village to lie down. The children all put their desks together and slept on them, while most of the adults crowded in and sat on the bottom.
Nearly thirty hours have passed since Gu Maolin sent the letter, and there is still no news.
In the middle of the night, Wang Ke woke up suddenly. He got up, carried a lantern and walked to the pickup truck at the door.
I saw the black donkey in front of the door, lying there like a dog, while the other donkeys were basically in the haystack on the other side of the primary school. Wang Ke touched the donkey, raised the lantern and looked at the donkey's neck. There was a blood eggplant there.
"Brother Black Donkey, thank you!" Wang Ke said to himself.
"Squad leader, why are you up?" The person who said this was Digua Liang Xiaolong, who was leading three young men on night patrol.
"What's going on?"
"No, it's just that the house is too small. It's okay for adults, but some children may not be able to bear it, especially those who are breastfeeding."
"Then go get them here quickly."
"Our few rooms can't solve the big problem. If the water doesn't recede for another two days, I'm afraid I won't be able to bear it. There are a lot of colds at the moment, and the water we eat is not clean, and there are more and more people with stomachaches. In addition, Last spring and the cold weather, these problems will be troublesome if they are not solved."
This is what Wang Ke is worried about. Tomorrow, tomorrow morning we must find the medicine.
Colds and scratches are the two diseases that currently pose the greatest threat to the whole village.
"This medicine must be solved as soon as possible. Where is Uncle Dong?" Wang Ke asked.
"Uncle Dong is right behind you, why did you get up?"
There was a voice behind Wang Ke, and when he looked back, it was Uncle Dong Pianfang. Probably after hearing the conversation between the two, Dong Pianfang was also thinking that if he didn't get the medicine in his house, the flood would soak it for a long time, and even if he took it, it would have no effect.
"Ah, Uncle Dong, I was thinking..."
"You're wondering if we should go get the medicine now, aren't you?"
Wang Ke was a little embarrassed and scratched his head.
"I will go now, but you can't go because your health is not good." Uncle Dong Pianfang said.
"Uncle Dong, it's really okay. I can do it. Do you think there's anything wrong with me?" As he said that, Wang Ke jumped on the spot several times.
"Stretch your hand over here." Uncle Dong Pianfang pinched Wang Ke's wrist and put his three fingers together. His pulse was really stable. "That's okay... you follow me." Uncle Dong Pianfang was a little hesitant. There was no way to call anyone in the middle of the night.
"Squad leader, I will follow you, my water quality is very good." Liang Xiaolong's words are true. He was born in the Dabie Mountains. Although he has never been down the Yangtze River, it is also the birthplace of the Huaihe River.
"Okay, it's just the three of us. You bring a flashlight, and the three of us will push the raft and swim over."
Dong Pianfang thought for a while, and found that the younger generation in the village had long been exhausted. The village chief was also old, and now there were only these two young people. "Then let's go back quickly. We'll go around from the north. The road there is wider and the water flow is slower."
So, the three of them quickly got ready.
Niu Suozhu, who was patrolling the sentry, ran over after hearing the news and said, "Squad leader, you rest, I'll go."
"Obey the order, you are not good at water, you are here to take care of me."
"yes!"
Wang Ke was in front, Digua Liang Xiaolong was behind, and Uncle Dong Pianfang was in the middle. The three of them took off their clothes and pushed the raft made of door panels into the water.
The two soldiers standing in front of the school gate only saw the light of the flashlight and moved forward slowly. Soon disappeared into the black night, disappeared into the flood.
After getting into the water, Wang Ke felt extremely comfortable, just like taking a bath, without any discomfort from before. And he couldn't feel the cold in the water. Why should he rush to the front? Because the danger in front is the greatest and the resistance in front is also the greatest.
This time he took off only his underpants and was bare-chested. He dragged the door panel with one hand and paddled forward vigorously with the other while constantly dodging drifting objects that might hit him head-on.
After swimming upstream for several hundred meters, the water finally slowed down after turning into an alley.
"Uncle Dong, Liang Xiaolong, can you do it?"
"I'm fine." Uncle Dong Pianfang was saying.
"Squad leader, I'm fine too." Liang Xiaolong, who was pushing the door panel from behind, was the easiest and safest one.
"Uncle Dong, let's go through here and reach your home." Wang Ke was trying hard to identify the direction.
"Boy, let me take a look. Why don't I recognize my own home?" Dong Pianfang held the raft with one hand and held up a flashlight to shine in all directions. Instead, he got lost. With just a few roofs and clusters of treetops, it's hard to make out even in the daytime.
Wang Ke also felt strange. We were walking on the right path. We crossed this sideways road, turned a corner in front, and then turned sideways and we were there. There seems to be a map in my mind, Uncle Dong, why don’t you even recognize your home?
"Boy, can you see clearly in front? I'll shine the flashlight for you!" Uncle Dong Pianfang looked at it for a long time, but still couldn't see clearly. Maybe it's because I'm older and have poor eyesight.
"Uncle Dong, we are on the right track. Isn't there a canteen over there?" Wang Ke pointed downstream with his hand.
Uncle Dong Pianfang took a look and saw nothing but a rushing river downstream.
"Uncle, look at the telephone pole next to it, the tweeter tied to it."
Uncle Dong Pianfang moved the flashlight to the side and saw clearly. Sure enough, there was a four- to five-meter telephone pole and the speaker on the water. Yes, if you put it that way, there is indeed a canteen below.
"Boy, your eyes are really good. Then we are going in the right direction."
Uncle Dong Pianfang said here, Wang Ke had already led the raft around this corner, and went against the current again. After swimming another hundred meters, it would be faster to turn into the intersection. A small wave rushed over, clamping a thick piece of wood. Wang Ke immediately subconsciously pushed the raft to one side, and pushed the piece of wood outward with his other hand. With a "swish" sound, it still hit the raft and made a "dong" sound.
"You have really good eyesight! How do you see clearly?"
Uncle Dong Pianfang on the other side praised! Only then did Wang Ke realize that he had not seen the thick wood at all, but was just subconsciously directing and reacting in his mind. Huh! It was a bit strange today. He opened his eyes and looked forward. Indeed, he could not see anything one meter away. His vision was exactly the same as before. But the road was clear and under his feet, and he was heading in the right direction.
And the feeling in the water today is a little different from before. The body does not sink at all, like a balloon, as if it was born to float on the water. Just move your limbs and swim easily.
"Uncle Dong, we are at your house in front of you. Let's go in directly through the wall."
"Where is the wall?" Dong Pianfang was surprised.
"Uncle Dong, you really didn't see it? Isn't that your pear tree in front of you?"
Dong Pianfang shined his flashlight forward, and there were indeed several thick tree branches. "Is that my pear tree?"
"Yes, isn't your donkey pen next to the pear tree?" Wang Ke said again.
Uncle Dong Pianfang was dumbfounded. Where was the donkey pen? There was flood water swirling under the tree branches. "Boy, can you see clearly underwater?"
"Can't see clearly?"
This pear tree is closest to the house. If it is really your own pear tree, then it should be a little to the north on the roof, and to the east below is the donkey pen. Maybe Wang Ke comes here so often that he even knows his own pear tree Jianjian. "Okay, you lead the way, we push the raft over and stand on the roof." Uncle Dong Pianfang shouted.
"Okay!" Wang Ke led the raft in front, and continued to swim forward for seven or eight meters, shouting: "Pay attention to your steps, there is the roof below, okay, I stopped." Wang Ke stood up, and the water only reached knee.
Then, Uncle Dong Pianfang and Sweet Potato Liang Xiaolong climbed onto the roof, squatting there to catch their breath. What's more important is that it's very cold and standing up is not as warm as squatting in the water.
"Boy, you are better than a flashlight. I can't touch things as accurately as you with a flashlight."
Wang Ke was stunned when he heard this! Yes, how could I touch it so accurately? He stood up. It was pitch black all around and he couldn't see anything clearly. However, he could clearly feel where the house had collapsed and which road he could still walk on. He knew where the things in the water were without even looking at them. In his mind, it seemed that There is a picture.
"Uncle Dong, you are commanding from above. Tell us what we need. I will go down to find it."
"No, how do you know where I put it?"
"Uncle, tell me, I'm sure I can do it." Wang Ke looked at Dong's hesitation and said, "Uncle Dong, look, I even brought the rope. If I don't come up in more than one minute, you will take me away." Can you drag it out?"
"Then you, you go in from the main room. I have a big vat on the innermost wall near the window. There are three cloth bags in it. I put the chopped isatis root, bupleurum and skullcap."
"Okay, Uncle Dong, bring them all up, right? Don't worry!" He turned back to Sweet Potato Liang Xiaolong and said, "Liang Xiaolong, please hold the raft tight."
After speaking, Wang Ke tied the rope around his waist, took a deep breath, and plunged into the water.
After thirty or forty seconds, the rope moved. Uncle Dong Pianfang quickly pulled it up. It was very heavy.
The two people finally pulled the rope up with both hands, but when they saw it, Dong Pianfang's heart suddenly tightened. There were actually three bags tied at the other end of the rope.
Wang Ke actually tied the rope to the cloth bag. Uncle Dong Pianfang put the three bags on the raft and was about to launch into the water. At this time, Wang Ke emerged from the water, holding a small basket in his hand, and said with a smile: "Uncle, look, I touched this." Uncle Dong Pianfang took a flashlight and saw that it was next to the pot. Several pounds of ginger and eggs.
"You kid want to scare Uncle Dong to death, don't you? Look how long you've been down there, it's been more than a minute!"
"Uncle, to tell you the truth, if I weren't worried about you, I could stay in there for a minute." After Wang Ke handed over these things, he still thought about it.
"Wait a minute, can you really hold yourself underwater for two minutes?"
"Yes, Uncle Dong."
"Well, you go to the medicine cabinet in the main room and touch it from right to left. The third row, the fourth compartment from top to bottom, contains the black dates. The bottom compartment of the fifth row is the tobacco shell. The second compartment above the eighth row is It’s Kudzu, go and get all these out for me.”
"OK, no problem."
"Take these three bags."
"No need, uncle, you have bags in your room."
"Hey hey hey..."
Before Uncle Dong Pianfang could finish speaking, Wang Ke dove into the water again. This time, he actually stayed in the water for three minutes. Uncle Dong Pianfang was so frightened that he stood there, shining his flashlight into the water.
This time, Wang Ke carried five or six bags of different sizes from the water, suddenly jumped out of the water, and lay on the eaves, gasping for air.
"Uncle, is Coptis chinensis useful?"
"It's useful, it's useful! You must not go down there anymore."
"There are a few more below. They are already at the door of the house. Wait a moment." After saying that, Wang Ke thrust the bag into Dong Pianfang's hand and plunged it into the bag again.
