Hearing the voice, the Young Soldier immediately waded through the water and walked over.
"Auntie, the rain is getting heavier now. This area is low-lying, so you need to evacuate immediately!"
Of course, Old Lady Xiang wanted to leave as soon as possible.
The problem was, she still had many belongings left to pack.
Before, she hadn’t known about the Category 16 typhoon, but now that she did, she wanted to salvage as much as she could from the house.
Otherwise, after the typhoon passed, replacing all these things would cost at least two or three hundred yuan.
"Comrade, I haven’t finished packing yet..."
The Young Soldier wiped the rainwater from his face. "Auntie, this is an emergency. Forget about these things for now—your life is more important!"
"How can I just leave them?"
Old Lady Xiang grabbed the Young Soldier’s hand and pulled him inside. "Comrade, do me a favor. I can’t move this thing myself. Can you help me carry this sewing machine to the assembly hall?"
She pointed at the sewing machine in the corner.
"I bought this less than six months ago. It cost my son three months' wages."
"My son worked hard for that money. If it gets ruined by water, what a waste!"
Before the Young Soldier could respond, Old Lady Xiang added, "Comrade, I also have these two bundles here. Could you take them along as well?"
Hearing this, the Young Soldier’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.
The two bundles were wrapped in bedsheets and looked bigger than a dining table.
Even if he had three heads and six arms, he couldn’t possibly carry them all.
Besides, it was against the rules.
"Auntie, I’m afraid that’s not possible."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Old Lady Xiang scowled and rolled her eyes.
"You’re a soldier—how can you be so inflexible? Is it really that hard to help an old woman?"
"Auntie, it’s not that I don’t want to help."
The Young Soldier patiently explained, "The assembly hall has limited space. To prevent secondary risks, all family members are only allowed to bring essential valuables and necessities during the evacuation."
Old Lady Xiang raised her voice. "This is a valuable!"
Over a hundred yuan—how could that not count as valuable?
The Young Soldier replied, "Auntie, the broadcast made it clear earlier. Apart from IDs and money, no large items are allowed."
After being refused multiple times, Old Lady Xiang’s expression darkened further.
"You’re so stubborn, completely unwilling to bend the rules."
"By the time you finish arguing, we could’ve been halfway there!"
The Young Soldier fell silent. Now he understood why Battalion Commander Pan had said working with the families was difficult.
"Mom, let it go."
Li Mei opened the door and stepped out, looking weak. "The military has its rules. Let’s not cause trouble for Chunsheng over something like this."
At the mention of her son’s future, Old Lady Xiang muttered a few complaints but finally quieted down.
Seeing this, the Young Soldier sighed in relief. "Then please hurry and pack. You must evacuate within ten minutes."
He turned to leave, but Li Mei stopped him.
Outside, the rain was pouring harder than ever, as if the sky had split open.
That old woman only knew how to bark orders—Li Mei had been the one packing everything.
Packing was one thing, but she was too weak to carry all of it.
Besides, she had been planning to rest and recover her health, hoping to conceive a healthy baby next year.
She couldn’t afford to catch a chill now.
Having already been through life-and-death struggles, Li Mei had learned to prioritize herself.
With that in mind, she clutched her chest and coughed a few times before speaking.
"Comrade, my husband is away on duty. Our family has the elderly and the young."
"In my condition, I can’t wade through the water to the assembly hall. Could you borrow a cart and push me there?"
The Young Soldier glanced at Li Mei’s pale face and didn’t argue.
Military families were part of the unit. As long as they followed the rules, help would be given.
A few minutes later, the Young Soldier returned with a cart.
He had assumed only Li Mei would ride on it.
Instead, the entire family climbed aboard.
To make matters worse, Old Lady Xiang sneaked several more bundles onto the cart while he wasn’t looking.
Helpless, the Young Soldier had to call for another soldier to assist.
Together, the two of them pushed the cart, straining every muscle to get Old Lady Xiang’s family to the assembly hall.
Even then, Old Lady Xiang wasn’t satisfied.
She complained about how slow they were.
Li Mei cut her off impatiently. "Mom, hurry inside. If we don’t find a spot soon, there won’t be any good places left."
She just wanted the old woman to shut up.
Unexpectedly, her words turned out to be prophetic.
When they reached the second-floor assembly hall, it was already packed.
Not just the families from the eastern compound—those from the western compound had arrived too.
Combined, there were thousands of people.
"What are you looking around for?"
Old Lady Xiang grew annoyed seeing Li Mei standing still. "Hurry up and spread out the mat, or we won’t even have standing room!"
But Li Mei remained calm. "Mom, we need to pick a good spot."
Her eyes scanned the crowd as she spoke.
"What’s there to pick?" Old Lady Xiang adjusted her grandson in her arms, growing more impatient.
She was exhausted and just wanted to sit down and change out of her soaked clothes.
At her age, she couldn’t afford to run a high fever.
Reluctantly, Li Mei lowered her voice and explained, "Mom, a Category 16 typhoon might be too much even for this hall."
"What?" Old Lady Xiang whipped her head around.
She was from inland—if not for visiting her youngest son, she wouldn’t even have seen the ocean before.
Fear flashed in her eyes. "Isn’t this the sturdiest building the military has? It can’t withstand the storm?"
"It is the sturdiest, but we’ve never faced a typhoon this strong before."
Li Mei pointed upward. "If it collapses, the roof will go first. And the areas near the windows aren’t safe either."
"Then where should we go?"
Old Lady Xiang looked around. They had arrived late—there were no good spots left to choose from.
Li Mei wasn’t sure either, but one thing she believed firmly:
The richer people were, the more they valued their lives.
The more powerful they were, the more cautious they became.
The highest-ranking officers here were the division commander and political commissar. If they stayed close to their families, they’d likely be safe.
But after searching, Li Mei didn’t find the wives of the division commander or commissar.
Instead, her gaze landed on Jiang Si in the crowd.
There was no mistaking her—she was too pale.
Amid a sea of sun-darkened faces, her fairness stood out like a beacon.
Coincidentally, just as Li Mei and her family managed to squeeze their way through the crowd, they happened to catch sight of the division commander's wife, Jiang Si, and a few others conversing in hushed tones.
At this, even Old Lady Xiang couldn’t help but feel convinced.
Staying close to these women would undoubtedly be safer.
In fact, Old Lady Xiang’s thoughts ran even deeper.
She saw this as an opportunity to build connections with the wives of these high-ranking officials—making frequent appearances, ensuring they remembered her face.
That way, when any favorable opportunities arose in the future, the leaders would surely think of their Chunsheng first.
Jiang Si, however, remained unaware of the schemes brewing between Li Mei and her mother-in-law.
But one thing Li Mei had guessed correctly.
The spot Jiang Si had chosen was, from a safety standpoint, indeed the most secure location in the entire auditorium.
Jiang Si had been among the first to enter. With some knowledge of architecture, she had immediately headed for the storage room beneath the stage.
This storage room was designed as a semi-basement.
The wooden stage floor above, reinforced by the concrete foundation, formed a sturdy composite layer capable of withstanding pressure.
Even if the roof collapsed, it would provide effective cushioning.
Moreover, compared to the open space of the auditorium, this area offered more privacy.
This was precisely why the division commander’s wife had come here as well.
She had once been the head of the cultural troupe and was familiar with the layout of the auditorium.
However, she had arrived later because she had been busy evacuating the military families from the western residential compound.
By the time she finished and rushed over, the storage room could only accommodate one more person.
Seeing this, she quickly ushered her young granddaughter inside.
The little girl, well-behaved and just nine years old, was classmates with the eldest child of the family.
Additionally, since Hu Meili had previously been part of the cultural troupe, it was only natural for her to look after the girl, both out of courtesy and obligation.
With her granddaughter in safe hands, the division commander’s wife felt a weight lift from her shoulders.
After thanking Jiang Si and the others, she hurried off again.
Jiang Si and Xu Mingjuan stood quietly for a moment, glancing at the sky outside, and were about to return to the storage room when—
Suddenly, someone called out, "Comrade Jiang."
Jiang Si turned around.
Her gaze immediately landed on Li Mei—or more accurately, on the child in Li Mei’s arms.
Then she noticed Li Mei’s stomach—
It was flat!
Jiang Si blinked in surprise. She had given birth?
