After purchasing the items, Bai Lu hurried to the entrance of the county hospital. Seeing her return, the driver quickly stepped forward to take the items from her. “Nurse Bai, a kind-hearted person just brought over a lot of supplies and said they were donated to you.”
“Donated to me?” Bai Lu frowned, asking in confusion, “Why would they donate them to me? I don’t need this many supplies.”
“Look at me, I’m getting ahead of myself.” The driver slapped his head and explained sheepishly, “They weren’t for you personally, but for the area you’re responsible for. They’re for you to distribute and manage—likely because they were worried others wouldn’t distribute them fairly.”
Bai Lu nodded thoughtfully. “I see. I’ll head up and take a look, then. I should tally the quantities to get a better idea of what we have.”
The rescue vehicle was a truck with a high cargo bed. Bai Lu held onto the railing and climbed up. Since she had donated the items herself, she knew the exact quantities, but she had to keep up appearances. She took out a pen and paper to make a detailed list of the supplies.
When Gao Chen came out and saw the truck filled with so many additional goods, he was quite surprised. “Nurse Bai, where did all this come from?”
He didn’t suspect Bai Lu had bought them because he knew how much a nurse’s salary was; there was no way she could afford so much.
“A kind person donated them. They might have been to our hospital before and recognized me, so they specifically asked that I handle the distribution,” Bai Lu explained. “Dr. Gao, I’ve already bought the supplies you requested.”
“Thank you for the help,” Gao Chen said, sitting down against the wall of the truck bed. “I don’t have any money on me right now. I’ll pay you back once we’re back at the hospital.”
“No problem.” Since everyone had rushed to Su Shan City, few had brought cash. It was understandable that Gao Chen didn’t have any.
Bai Lu handed some buns to Gao Chen. “Dr. Gao, these are some buns I just bought. We rushed here without breakfast, so you must be starving. Have a few to tide you over.”
Gao Chen looked up at her, a bit surprised. “Did you eat?”
Bai Lu nodded.
“Thanks. I’ll settle the bill for these as well,” Gao Chen said, opening the paper bag and starting to eat.
Bai Lu didn’t decline. She was currently just a nurse earning a modest monthly wage; she couldn’t afford to be overly generous.
The driver asked from the front, “Dr. Gao, Nurse Bai, are we ready to go?”
Gao Chen replied, “Let’s head out!”
As the vehicle started, Bai Lu sat down next to Gao Chen, keeping a respectful distance. Though curious about the man’s condition, she didn’t ask. After this experience, he likely wouldn’t dare harbor ill will toward female comrades again.
By the time the rescue truck reached its destination, it was evening. The vehicle could only reach the entrance, as it was impossible to drive any further in. Bai Lu climbed down and went to the kitchen to fetch the people in charge, asking them to move the chicken legs.
She instructed them to prepare the food based on the head count—one large chicken leg per person. The remaining legs were to be diced and used to cook chicken and broken rice porridge so everyone could have a share.
As for the other supplies, she kept them on the rescue truck. Bringing them into the tents would likely result in them being snatched. Very few people followed the rules in such dire circumstances.
Bai Lu returned to her tent to settle in and gave Wen Nuan the items she had brought for her. She then called over the other nurses in the tent to help. First, she distributed the snacks, candies, hygiene products, and clothes among them. Once they had stored their items in their suitcases, they returned to help her.
The snacks and candies were mainly intended for the children, who were numerous. Only sweets could keep them calm. The injured needed peace to recover, and a noisy environment made rest impossible.
Furthermore, many adults had likely never even tasted such candies. The sweets wouldn’t just satisfy their cravings; they would offer a glimmer of sweet hope for the future.
Each person received one box of cherry tomatoes, two lollipops, and a pack of pastries.
Next, they distributed the clothes, shoes, and hygiene products for the women. People lined up at the rescue truck to receive their items. For those who needed the hygiene products, Bai Lu taught them how to use them before giving each woman two packs.
Bai Lu had bought packs containing thirty pieces each, so sixty pieces per person would last them four or five months. She could donate more once they ran out.
Once all the supplies were distributed, Bai Lu returned to the tent and collapsed in a corner. She had been on the move all day without a moment’s rest. Even though she had been sitting in the truck, the bumpy ride had been draining.
In every tent, people were enjoying the snacks and candies. Children were dressed in new clothes and shoes, and smiles were everywhere. They momentarily forgot their fear, their pain, and their lost homes. The sweetness of the candies kindled a new sense of hope.
If they could overcome this hardship, their future would surely be as sweet as those treats.
Bai Lu placed a piece of stationery on a cardboard backing and began writing. The situation in the disaster zone was stabilizing, and the number of arriving wounded was decreasing. Once the patients had recovered sufficiently, they would likely return to Heyi County. Bai Lu wanted to finish her letters quickly and give them to Jin Qiu so he could mail them back to her hometown upon his return.
The content of each letter was the same, addressed to where her parents and family lived. They were debt evaders—wealthy enough to pay but refusing to do so, leaving Bai Lu to bear the burden. They simply didn’t want to spend a cent.
Bai Lu wanted Jin Qiu to mail the letters because she was afraid her relatives would track her down to Heyi County. Even if she had money, she wouldn’t help the Bai family pay; she wasn’t the one who had defrauded investors.
By having Jin Qiu mail them, the clever ones would follow the addresses in the letters. As for the foolish ones who tried to trace the source back to Jin Qiu, they would only be hurting themselves. Regardless, they would never find their way to Bai Lu.
After finishing the letters, Bai Lu stored them in the Myriad Realms Warehouse. She then wrote down several recipients’ addresses; since the letters were identical, any of the addresses would suffice.
The kitchen staff went from tent to tent delivering chicken legs. By the time they reached Bai Lu’s tent, it was already dark.
Though Bai Lu had provided several large iron pots, they weren’t enough to cook for nearly a thousand people at once. They had to cook and deliver in batches. By the time it was their turn, night had fallen.