Chapter 367 - 367 367 Thank You
Chapter 367 - 367 367 Thank You
?Chapter 367: Chapter 367: Thank You Chapter 367: Chapter 367: Thank You Six people trudged unevenly towards the camp, thankfully, the man from before had caught up with them from behind, carrying a torch, just to escort them part of the way. Indeed, the local villagers were needed to guide them through the terrain, which would have been difficult to navigate otherwise.
After escorting them back to camp, the unpretentious man waved his hand and disappeared into the dense forest with the torch.
Bai Xiao and the others sighed in relief and quickly returned to their quarters.
They were so hungry they could feel their stomachs sticking to their backs, but at the villager’s home, the woman in labor was only drinking rice porridge. They really didn’t feel right about eating; they saw that the villager’s rice bin was less than half full, yet they offered to cook for them, which they firmly declined. The child and the woman in labor needed nutrition, and in these mountain ravines, the rice was probably all they had. If they were to eat it, the woman in labor would have only sweet potatoes to chew on.
They seriously told the villagers that they couldn’t eat, explaining that they would be disciplined if they did. The mountain man seemed embarrassed and muttered his dissatisfaction for a long while, wondering why they would be punished for just eating a meal.
They saved a life upon arriving at the house, and yet they couldn’t even eat a bite; it weighed on their consciences.
The six of them left all the dry food they had brought with them for Liu Yun. So, upon returning to their quarters, they headed straight for the mess hall, where the head of the mess heard that they were the health workers who had performed surgery without anesthesia in the village during the day. He immediately stoked the fire and cooked them a large pot of rice and opened two cans of meat. This canned meat was generally not served—it was reserved for leaders, but now it was their treat.
The six of them gathered around the pot, each person devouring two bowls of rice in one breath before finally feeling revived.
There was no talk that night; everyone slept soundly, the day’s exhaustion blocked by the night’s curtain.
Early the next day, they continued to throw themselves into caring for the injured.
However, by the afternoon, the deafening sound of gongs and drums filled the air. Bai Xiao worried that it might attract enemy artillery fire, but the advantage here was the steep mountains and many surrounding peaks which meant the enemy’s cannons couldn’t reach them.
Then the deputy commander was met by a large crowd of people, each carrying a basket. These contained the gifts they hadn’t managed to deliver the day before, and this time they had come to the camp with great fanfare. It seemed they had heard the leadership wouldn’t allow it, so the villagers had come to see the leaders themselves.
With no choice, the deputy commander accepted their kind offerings, as it seemed inappropriate not to now.
But when he attempted to return the rice flour, sugar, salt, and other items to the villagers, they would not take them back.
After a round of insistent back-and-forths,
The deputy commander very seriously informed them that if the villagers didn’t take their items back, they couldn’t accept the gifts either.
Left with no option, the villagers reluctantly carried the goods back with them.
Each of them marvelled at the benevolence of these people.
They weren’t fools; the items they were given in return were more than double what they had brought. The villagers knew they didn’t want their lives to be impacted and had deliberately compensated them.
The whole camp was thrilled by this gesture, seeing it as a sign of popular recognition, something more pleasing than the items themselves.
An acceptance and recognition that money couldn’t buy.
The entire Health Team was uplifted, everyone exerting themselves with renewed enthusiasm, aiming to achieve even more.
Now there was solidarity from top to bottom.