Chapter Sixty: A Village Beyond the Willow Shade and Flower Brightness

  Xue Xiang learned that Liu Ying'er was in a precarious situation, and he hastily returned to the waiting area. He instructed Lei Xiaotian and others to take care of the several little ones on his behalf, then briefed Xiao Wan before leaving the hospital and driving straight home. This trip to Qin Tang was over 400 miles away, so he had to make thorough preparations to ensure everything went smoothly.

  Xue Xiang returned home and filled up the gas tank, also putting a bucket of gasoline in the trunk. This gasoline was stored by Li Hongjun at Xue Xiang's house before. With the fuel ready, the rest of the preparations were just food and drink for the road, which they had at home. A military backpack was packed with snacks for the little guy, three military water bottles were filled with boiled water, and a high-powered flashlight from the room was taken along in case of need.

  ……….

  Qintang City, named after Qintang Mountain in the central city. During the Tang Dynasty, King Li Shimin of Qin twice conquered the east and stationed his troops on Dachengshan Mountain in the city, which was granted the surname Tang and also known as Qintang Mountain. Qintang is a modern coastal city. Qintang City is located in the central area of the Bohai Bay Rim, south to the Bohai Sea, north to the Yanshan Mountains, east to the Shihuang Island City, west to Beijing and Tianjin, and is an important throat and corridor connecting North China and Northeast China. Qintang City is the economic center of Hebei Province and also an important heavy industry city in the country at that time.

  The night was as black as ink, Xue Xiang drove a three-wheeled vehicle speeding on the highway. The strong wind blew his hair flying, and the dim headlights only illuminated more than five meters ahead. The sky before dawn was the darkest, and the wide Jiabei Third Highway was quiet and silent, with one person and one car whizzing away into the distance.

  Xue Xiang's heart was racing like fire, time was so urgent, one minute late, and Liu Ying'er couldn't be saved, and his own life would also be lost. Fortunately, he drove overnight, except for the occasional large trucks passing by, there were no other vehicles obstructing him. The accelerator had been floored to the maximum, this three-wheeled vehicle was indeed a military-grade one, it was very sturdy, the engine only made a slight hissing sound, and the body was extremely stable. He had been driving for almost eight hours and had just entered the northern part of Hebei Province. His body was getting tired, maintaining the same posture for a long time, his back was stiff and slightly sore. His eyelids were also getting heavier, he bit his lip to stay awake, put down the left-hand grip, took out a pack of cigarettes from his bag, pulled one out, lit it up, and took a drag. The rich tobacco flavor filled his lungs, nicotine dispelled some of his fatigue.

  Another truck passed by Xue Xiang, heading towards Qin Tang. He had an unspeakable feeling in his heart, watching these lives rush to their deaths, but he was powerless. Reality was just that cruel, and this was also the reason why he chose to selectively forget the impending disaster.

  "Hey, brother, are you heading to Qin Tang? You're driving so fast, must be in a hurry?" A Great Wall truck drove alongside Xue's vehicle, and a chubby head poked out of the window: "At this time, it's all cargo trucks on the road. I'm driving from Beijing, and I've only seen one motorcycle along the way. Got an emergency? Hop in, buddy, I'll give you a ride." The plump driver looked to be in his thirties, with a round face and a goofy expression.

  People in this era are far from being as indifferent and numb as those of later generations. The style of helping others for pleasure has a wide market among the people. When someone asks for help, Xue Xiang will not refuse. Xue Xiang thanked the fat driver, and the two of them worked together to push the three-wheeled vehicle onto the trailer. As they entered the cab, Xue Xiang handed over a No. 2 cigarette, which the fat driver accepted with brightening eyes, exclaiming: "Big brother, you're not simple at all! This seems to be a special supply for high-ranking officials in the Central Committee!"

  Xue Xiangqi said, "Have you smoked?" He was very curious, this smoke shouldn't be so popular. He scattered a No. 2 cigarette and handed it to Kangtong and others to enjoy for a while, and the remaining five were carefully sealed by him.

  "We don't have such good fortune, to be honest with you, I've been smoking since I was young, and I know more about various cigarettes than the average person. At home, I've collected a lot of cigarette boxes too. Normally, I like to study this stuff, and this particular brand of cigarette is one that I saw on TV last time, where a leader had it in his hand, but his was thicker at one end and thinner at the other, whereas yours is roughly the same thickness at both ends." The fat driver carefully took out an iron box from the hidden compartment to the left of the steering wheel and put the cigar inside.

  Xue Xiang saw the chubby driver carefully put away his treasured cigar, so he handed over another one and smiled: "That one's for keeping, this one's for smoking."

  The chubby driver smiled foolishly and pushed away the cigarette handed over by Xue Xiang, saying: "Wait a while to drive, smoking is not convenient."

  Xue's thoughts were clear and he knew that the other person was embarrassed, so he put away his cigar and changed the subject: "Brother, what's your surname? I see you have a lot of loudspeakers in your car, are you delivering goods to the factory?"

  The fat driver started the car, laughing: "What's your surname? Nobody wants you. My name is Ma Tiechui, and everyone calls me Chuizi. I drive at Wuxing Electronics Factory, and the loudspeaker in the back often broadcasts to Qin Tangjun District."

  "Xue Xiang, lives in the East City, after returning to Beijing, come find me when you have time." Xue Xiang reported his name and asked casually: "After delivering the goods, what time will you return to Beijing?" In fact, he was worried that this kind-hearted fat driver would lose his life.

  Ma Tiechui said, "What's up? Brother has something to do and wants a ride? No problem, you tell me the time and I'll wait for you. I can drop you off and be on my way. However, brother, you'd better hurry, I don't dare wait too long. Qin Tang is not a safe place lately."

  "Huh?" Xue was taken aback, he had intended to hint that Ma Tiechui should leave as soon as possible, but instead he was reminded by him, and hurriedly asked: "Brother Ma, what's going on here? It sounds quite mysterious."

  "It's you, brother. If it were someone else, I wouldn't dare speak plainly. I reckon Qin Tang is likely to have an earthquake soon. If the factory wasn't really short-handed, I wouldn't have come no matter what." Ma Tiechui said with a serious tone.

  This completely confused Xue Xiang, previously it could be thought that Xu was aware of some "movement" or violent impact event that would happen in Qin Tang, but unexpectedly he directly hit the vital point, one sentence to the heart, this is too strange.

  Xue was silent for half a day, Ma Tiechui laughed and said: "Brother, are you scared? Haha, this is what my old man told me, he works at the L Ma family gorge seismic station, specializing in this. At first, I didn't believe it either, the old man took me to many places around Qin Tang, ants' nests, frogs in ponds were all fleeing, the most eerie was a deep pit, gurgling bubbles. If it weren't for the military rushing us this time, I'd say no way would I come, and just like you, we set off at midnight."

  "Ma? Ma Xiangfeng! Is your respected father old Mr. Ma Xiangfeng?" Xue suddenly interrupted, recalling a report he had read in "Qin Tang Warning Record", which mentioned that Ma Xiangfeng had detected an earthquake and issued a warning to the National Seismological Bureau that a strong earthquake would occur soon. However, after reporting it, he was disciplined, and the National Seismological Bureau sent people to inspect the equipment and lines, but found no problems, and later pointed out that the decrease in resistivity was caused by interference. As a result, Ma Xiangfeng was criticized by his leaders for being reckless and seeking fame.

  "Hey, how did you know my old man's name? He isn't that famous yet, is he? The news of him being framed has even reached your place?"

  It was indeed him. Xue Xiang's mind was racing, and amidst the chaos, a glimmer of light broke through. Xue Xiang extinguished his cigarette and threw it out the window: "I've heard rumors, Ma Ge, you're saying this, but I'm getting a little scared. What if we're halfway there and an earthquake happens? What then?"

  "Don't worry, I checked the microseismograph buried by the old man on my way here. The ground resistivity hasn't changed drastically, so it should still be safe. When going to find your friend, pay attention to walking in open fields, and you should make it in time."

  A good opportunity has been given, I myself knew that the earthquake was going to happen, and could even pinpoint it to a few minutes and seconds, but unfortunately there was no theoretical or evidential support, so I didn't dare speak out. Now it's fine, with Ma Tiecheng's words, in the future when others ask about it, I can explain it clearly.

  At this point, Xue suddenly became clear and bright: "Ma Ge, since we know that great disaster is approaching, the two of us only care about escaping with our lives, isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

  Ma Tiechui let out a long sigh and said, "I knew you were a kind-hearted brother, but we can't do anything about it. The old man is still a professional, connected to the heavens and the earth, but what's the result? He was still taken down. This world, it doesn't tolerate good people, nor does it tolerate true words."

  Xue Xiangzhi must have been wronged for his old father, and it was hard to dispel the injustice. He patted his shoulder and said: "Ma Ge, since you believe that the earthquake will definitely happen, why worry about Lao Yezi's unjust case?"

  Ma Tiechui slapped his thigh: "Right, my brain really isn't turning circles. When the earthquake happened, who would dare say that old man wasn't half right? The National Seismological Bureau owes him an apology!" Ma Tiechui was simple-minded and kind-hearted, so excited that his old self had been vindicated that he forgot that when an earthquake occurs, it will destroy countless lives and shatter many families.

  Xue Xiang felt a bit tired, rubbed his temples and said: "Ma Ge, since we know about this matter now, not doing anything is not an option. I've decided to intervene, what do you think, Ma Ge?"

  "Overjoyed for the old man, I forgot about this big thing. Listening to the old man say that this earthquake is different from the past, it's fierce and unprecedented, and we ordinary people are not prepared at all, how many people will die! " Ma Tiechui turned his head and looked at Xue Xiang, starting to sigh: "Even if you believe me, brother, no one listens to us. If things go wrong, I'll end up with the old man, no, I'm afraid it's not as good as the old man, he's at least a national official, we two must be beaten into reactionary elements."

  Xue Xiang knew that he had been moved, his mind was greatly calmed, and from his bag he pulled out a certificate: "Ma Ge, take a look at this!"

  Ma Tiechui held the steering wheel with one hand, picked up Xue Xiang's military ID, opened it and exclaimed: "I knew you weren't simple, brother, but I didn't expect you to be a big shot, actually being a high-ranking advisor to the Z Central Committee!"

  Xue Xiangdao said: "With this thing, I reckon nobody will believe what you say?"

  "What else can be said, it's definitely a matter of life and death. Alright, I'll sacrifice my life to accompany the gentleman this time. You're such a high-ranking official and you're not afraid, what do I have to fear?" Ma Tiechui was overjoyed and thrilled to participate in such an important event.