Before Jian Chu and Mu Nan could go deeper into their conversation about their mutual feelings, the person installing the solar panels emerged from the room with the wires already connected. They then ran the wires to a generator set up in another room. The rest of the work was straightforward: according to the diagram, it was just a matter of connecting wires of specific colors to the designated ports.
Once the other person came out, Jian Chu fell silent. Mu Nan, who wasn't one to chatter unnecessarily, decided to let them handle their own business. So he too kept quiet, and the two of them sat on the cooling mat, facing the busy people in the room. As soon as Qin Huai emerged, he saw Mu Nan sitting so neatly and said with a smile, "You managed to get the door installed on your own? Impressive. You must be tired. Lie down and rest for a while."
Mu Nan shook his head. "Do you want something to eat? You need to be well-fed to have the energy for other tasks."
Qin Huai replied, "I'm not hungry. There are still some steamed buns left. We can just eat those later."
Qin Huai and Yu Zibai quickly finished setting up the generator. Whether it would start and run smoothly would have to wait until tomorrow. The room where the generator was placed was still tightly sealed to protect it from the high temperatures outside. On the other hand, the room where the solar panels were installed had its coverings removed. After several months, they could finally see outside through the windows, but the view was all ruins-no more city lights or streams of car lights.
Qin Huai took a quick glance outside and then said, "Let's head out. We should start wrapping things up."
Yu Zibai nodded and followed Qin Huai out of the room, then closed the door behind them with a heavier step.
Seeing them come out, Mu Nan quickly waved them over. "Come over and cool off. What do you want to put in your steamed buns? Come and choose for yourselves."
Mu Nan brought out individually packaged snacks, including seaweed strips, lotus root cubes, beef chunks, and the most potent of all-pickled mustard greens. Since Jian Chu and his group were there, Mu Nan could only offer these pre-packaged snacks, which were all long-lasting. Apart from the pickled mustard greens, the rest were just snacks, but they went well with the steamed buns. If Jian Chu and the others weren't there, Mu Nan probably would have served some cold dishes and plain congee instead.
Thinking about their upcoming rescue mission, where they would inevitably encounter seriously injured people, corpses, and possibly grotesque scenes of mangled limbs and exposed intestines, Jian Chu figured they might not be able to eat anything later. So, it was best to eat as much as possible now, though he wondered if he might end up feeling nauseous later.
Mu Nan handed out disposable gloves to everyone, advising them to eat while wearing the gloves to avoid having to wash their hands and save water.
Yu Zibai chuckled, "Did you just contribute your snack stash?"
Mu Nan laughed along, "Exactly. Anyway, these things wouldn't last much longer if left for too long. Better eat them while you can. Feel free to put whatever you like in the buns. It's more flavorful than just eating the buns plain."
Jian Chu and Yu Zibai weren't the type to take advantage, so they only took a pack of diced lotus root. They shared the pack, tearing the buns in half and adding the lotus root. The salty and spicy taste stimulated their appetite.
While they were eating, Mu Nan pulled out a box from the cabinet, which he had prepared before Jian Chu and the others arrived. He knew Qin Huai had it with him and couldn't hide it from Yu Zibai, so he decided to unpack it in front of them.
The waist pouch was one Mu Nan had used previously. It wasn't too big but could still hold a fair amount of items. He packed it with a bottle of cooling spray, a pain-relief and hemostatic spray, some disinfectant and hemostatic powder, a small pack of cotton balls, gauze, and a pack of bandages. He also stuffed in a few cold compress wipes until the pouch was bulging.
"Brother, I've packed everything for you. Be careful when rescuing people. Watch your step and stay away from areas with exposed rebar. Know your limits."
Qin Huai smiled and responded, "Got it. I promise I'll come back in one piece tomorrow morning."
Mu Nan handed the pouch to Qin Huai and then rummaged through a drawer for a pack of work gloves, giving them two pairs each. "Wear these thicker gloves to avoid injuring your hands."
Jian Chu remarked, "You're so well-prepared."
Mu Nan didn't say anything, but Qin Huai smiled and replied, "We've lived in this old house for over twenty years, so we have everything here."
Jian Chu realized this made sense. As tenants, they always had to consider whether buying things would be too troublesome when moving out. There's a difference between a rental and a home. Ah, another day of envying the neighbors.
Qin Huai and Yu Zibai had a light snack and then got ready to head out. Before leaving, they asked Mu Nan and Jian Chu to empty a backpack, as it might be useful to collect anything they could use during their rescue efforts. Seeing Jian Chu filling bottles with water for Yu Zibai, Mu Nan hurried to the kitchen, using the cupboard for cover. He filled a thermos with a little water and then packed it with ice. He also put a bottle of water in the backpack for Qin Huai. "Make sure to drink water regularly to avoid dehydration."
Qin Huai responded patiently, "Got it, little housekeeper." Once they left, Mu Nan and Jian Chu sat back down. Though tired, Jian Chu wasn't sleepy after napping earlier in the day. He noticed a few bags they had picked up on their way up and decided to check them out.
Mu Nan handed Jian Chu a pair of gloves. "Wear these while you check. In case there are any personal items, it's better not to touch them directly."
Jian Chu agreed and started sorting through the bags. The first bag he opened was dazzling. It wasn't very large, just a plain black briefcase, but inside were bundles of cash, each bundle looking like it contained ten thousand dollars. There was a total of a hundred thousand dollars, along with a pile of gold jewelry: bracelets, necklaces, rings, and earrings.
Jian Chu and Mu Nan stared at each other in shock. "This is worth a fortune."
Mu Nan shook his head. "Money isn't worth much anymore. But gold is still valuable. Gold can always be used as hard currency."
Jian Chu was still uncertain. "Money might not be worth much now, but once the outside help arrives and we rebuild, this money will still be usable in other cities."
Jian Chu, like other citizens, thought of the earthquake as a local disaster and hadn't yet grasped the global scale of the collapse.
In his previous life, Mu Nan had also thought it was only a local disaster and expected to receive aid and rebuild as in other cities that had experienced earthquakes. Unfortunately, they soon realized everything was lost.
Mu Nan said, "You can keep the cash. Let's split the gold in half."
Jian Chu quickly shook his head. "That's not fair. We found these things together, so it's better to split everything evenly."
Mu Nan didn't argue, knowing the cash was practically useless. He left it to Jian Chu, who could take it if he wanted.
The second bag contained documents, clothes, and a few bottles of water. They didn't need the clothes but could keep the water for drinking or washing. The bag also had some gold jewelry and bank cards.
Jian Chu set aside the valuable items while Mu Nan put the documents back into the bag. "Let's leave this bag in the corridor tomorrow. The owner might come back looking for it."
Jian Chu nodded. After checking all the bags they had collected, they found several bottles of water, eight packs of instant noodles, and more gold jewelry. Despite the cooling fan, the search had made them sweat heavily.
Jian Chu first piled the useless items outside the door and then sorted out the valuable ones. He said, "Are we profiting from this disaster?"
Mu Nan glanced at the small pile of gold on the floor and replied, "Does this really count as striking it rich?"
Jian Chu looked at the bags outside, feeling a bit restless. He wasn't sure how many households had returned to the building, but it seemed likely that only the lower floors had people coming back. Given the power outage, those on higher floors might not be willing to climb back up. This meant the upper floors could be empty. He felt a strong urge to pry open doors, hoping to find even a few bottles of water. However, the thought of Yu Zibai's disapproval came to mind, causing Jian Chu to curse under his breath.
Mu Nan, who was removing his gloves and wiping his hands with a tissue, asked, "What's wrong?"
Jian Chu asked, "Would you want to search the upper floors?"
Mu Nan shook his head. "It's better not to. The building didn't collapse, so the residents on the upper floors must have safely escaped. If they come back and find their homes robbed, while the outside situation is so dire, it would be a huge blow. Just wait a couple of days, and we can go down with them to search the ruins. We'll still find plenty of useful things."
Jian Chu returned to the mat and watched as Mu Nan packed the sorted gold into small bags. Jian Chu then asked, "Do you think my earlier thoughts were quite immoral? I guess my moral compass might be skewed, as it seems like normal people wouldn't have such thoughts."
Mu Nan smiled at Jian Chu's question. "No, it's quite normal. Most people would think like that in this situation. I still have plenty of water at home; look over there, there are many buckets. If I didn't have any supplies, I'd probably be collecting food and water while no one else is around. It's crucial to ensure one's survival."
He continued, "Moreover, I have a lot of supplies in my space, so I'm not missing anything. But someone else might be in desperate need of that one bottle of water or food to survive. Jian Chu, your thoughts are quite normal it's just that you're in a better position to survive. If you didn't ask and just acted on your own, I wouldn't have minded."
Jian Chu sighed. It was just a fleeting thought, but the idea of prying open doors felt uncomfortable, possibly influenced by Yu Zibai's past ideological lessons. He wondered if he could actually bring himself to do it. Looking at the lit lamps, Jian Chu suggested, "Let's turn off the lights and sleep for a bit. We should save electricity. If the solar panel isn't set up properly tomorrow, the battery might still hold out."
Mu Nan agreed that there was nothing more to be done. Although he might not sleep well due to worrying about Qin Huai outside, it was better to lie down and rest. If he couldn't sleep, he could at least organize the items in his space. Before turning off the lights, Mu Nan placed two bottles of water on the ground-one on Jian Chu's side and one on his own-to avoid having to get up for water if they got thirsty.
The room fell into darkness, with only the air conditioner fan still buzzing. Mu Nan turned away from Jian Chu and, after a moment of separation, found himself missing his brother.
At that moment, Qin Huai was registering with the soldiers responsible for their neighborhood and then started clearing the area from the center of the complex. The residents were densely packed, so there were likely many people trapped underneath.
Someone noticed Qin Huai and Yu Zibai wearing gloves and asked urgently, "Where can we get gloves?"
Qin Huai replied, "From home."
The person was surprised. "Home? There's no home left, everything is destroyed."
Qin Huai explained, "We were lucky. Our home didn't collapse, and the floor we lived on was low. I checked and found that the gloves were still usable."
Hearing this, a few nearby people felt a pang of discomfort-not from jealousy over the gloves but from their own losses. Their homes were gone, and they didn't even know if their families were alive. The realization brought a sharp sadness, and they worked harder, moving stones with renewed determination.
Perhaps due to their good luck, as soon as they started clearing the area, they heard some noise below. Yu Zibai was the first to hear it, though the sound was too chaotic to be clear. He shouted, "Stop! Everyone, stop!"
Hearing his shout, everyone instinctively halted. "What's going on?"
Yu Zibai said, "Listen carefully. Is there a sound coming from below?"
The others quickly strained to hear. The person closest to the sound nearly lay on the ground, then excitedly shouted, "There are people alive down there! There are survivors! Get help quickly, hurry!"
The loud cries drew everyone's attention, and they quickly gathered around, working much faster to move bricks and stones.
Soon, they created an opening large enough for a person to enter. Someone leaned into the hole, shining a light and calling down, "Is anyone there? Make a sound if you're alive."
The sound of knocking on steel rebar came from below, lifting everyone's spirits. The complex had high-rise buildings, over twenty stories. If the lower floors were fast enough, they might have escaped during the collapse. Those on higher floors could only wait for rescue. Finding survivors was an enormous stroke of luck.
After over two hours of hard work, they finally cleared an opening that led to a pit, likely formed by stacked building debris creating a relatively safe space. Since there was still some height above the ground, they had to lower someone into the pit to assess the situation. Lifting someone out using a rope seemed more practical than expecting them to climb up by themselves.
However, no one had much rescue experience, so choosing who would go down was a problem. Qin Huai had some training but no practical experience. As he prepared to try, someone stepped forward, saying, "I'll go. I have experience, I participated in earthquake rescue operations before."
Hearing that he had experience, the people around quickly came forward to help with the ropes. They lowered him carefully, and after a while, when there was no movement from below, they hesitated to shout loudly for fear of causing vibrations. Eventually, someone down below pulled on the rope, prompting everyone to quickly haul it up. Someone was shining a flashlight into the hole, and when they could see a person, they excitedly shouted, "Hurry up, it's a child!"
When the first child was pulled up, he was unconscious and pale, but he was still breathing. Someone immediately carried the child towards the military settlement, hoping not to delay the rescue and waste their efforts.
Soon, the rope was lowered again, and they quickly pulled it up with renewed effort. This time, it was an older girl. Her condition was better; although she was weak and crying out for her mother, she was conscious.
Qin Huai approached and put a piece of chocolate from Mu Nan's bag into the girl's mouth, saying, "Wait a bit longer, your parents will be rescued soon."
Before he could finish, the ground shook beneath him. Qin Huai quickly grabbed the girl and ran aside, and everyone else hurriedly backed away. Within moments, the previously cleared opening collapsed again.
Everyone's faces turned white, and they rushed to reopen the hole, shouting, "Hurry! There are still people inside!" Besides the people already trapped, there were also those who had gone down to help with the rescue.
As dawn approached, everyone was exhausted, sitting by the roadside. The final collapse had been cleared, and the people inside had been removed. The makeshift morgue had a few more covered bodies, including the rescuer, Zhang Bin. Zhang Bin, 32 years old, had served in the military and participated in an earthquake rescue seven years ago, saving countless people. Seven years later, he saved two children with his own hands but did not survive to see another day.
Seeing that dawn had arrived and Qin Huai had not yet returned, Jian Chu and Mu Nan, who had not slept all night, were getting anxious. Mu Nan went to the door to listen for any sounds from the stairs. He knew the rescue was dangerous, given that it was a high-rise building, not a low-rise. A fall could be fatal, and exposed rebar could cause severe injuries. Mu Nan had seen too many such dangers in his previous life. He had avoided many risks by staying on flat ground, so seeing that it was already bright and Qin Huai still hadn't returned made him very worried.
After waiting impatiently, they were about to go downstairs to look for them when they finally heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Since only Qin Huai and his team would be coming up at this hour, Mu Nan rushed to the door and shone a flashlight down the stairs, shouting, "Brother? Is that you?"
Qin Huai answered, and soon Mu Nan saw them. His heart finally settled.
Before he could ask why they were so late, Qin Huai immediately embraced him tightly. Mu Nan was startled and instinctively checked him, asking, "What's wrong? Are you hurt? Did you get injured?"
Qin Huai, whose voice was hoarse from not stopping all night, said, "I'm not hurt. Just let me hold you."
Mu Nan tried to steady himself, supporting Qin Huai's weight as best he could.
Jian Chu quickly ran to Yu Zibo and asked, "What happened? What's going on?"
Yu Zibai shook his head. Although he wanted the comfort and strength that Qin Huai seemed to be getting from Mu Nan, their relationship wasn't at that level yet. He simply said, "It's nothing, just tired. We rescued a few people and recovered several bodies. We've been working all night."
Mu Nan gently patted Qin Huai's back and said, "The solar power generator is working again, but it needs to store some electricity to run the air conditioner. We should have power by around noon. Let's go home, clean up, and get some rest."
Jian Chu added, "Let's go home too. We've been waiting for you for so long. Mu Nan and I set up the wiring. The solar power still can't run the air conditioner, but the fan works fine. We also scavenged a few bottles of water from another staircase. Let's get cleaned up and not worry about conserving water. You've been handling bodies, so it's better to be careful. Let's head back."
Yu Zibai nodded, and he and Jian Chu went back to their homes.
Once they were home, Mu Nan had Qin Huai sit on a small stool and brought out a portable air conditioner fan from his space to cool him down. The previous fan had been given to Jian Chu. Mu Nan used a damp towel to wipe Qin Huai's face and hands. Although he didn't have any serious injuries, his hands were covered in scratches and sweat, which had made his palms and fingertips pale and wrinkled. Seeing this made Mu Nan's eyes turn red.
Qin Huai ruffled Mu Nan's hair and smiled gently, "Nan Nan, I've never felt so deeply that it's great to be alive."
Mu Nan squatted in front of Qin Huai, looking up at him and suggested, "How about we stay in tonight and take it easy? Let's take it slow, okay?"
Qin Huai lowered his head and kissed Mu Nan's forehead without any ulterior motives, saying, "It's alright. Seeing you makes everything better."
Mu Nan was amused by his words, "You make it sound like I'm your life-saving elixir."
Qin Huai, smiling, thought to himself that Mu Nan wasn't just his life-saving elixir-he was his whole life.