"Comrade, do you need more hands? I'm idle at home, might as well do something for you. Is that okay?"
"This, this is great. Aren't you afraid..."
The speaker pointed to the mask on their mouth, hinting that this matter was very risky.
"Not afraid! If I were afraid, I wouldn't have asked."
"Oh, alright. I'll give you a phone number, you can call to sign up. If you pass, someone will arrange work for you!"
"Okay!"
After Bai Suxiang watched her finish writing down the number, she hurried back inside and disinfected herself with alcohol.
"What did you go downstairs for?" Guo Xiufang asked when she saw Bai Suxiang returning from outside.
"I'll tell you later!"
After a quick disinfection, Bai Suxiang took the slip of paper and went into her bedroom.
Guo Xiufang was a bit suspicious, so she quietly leaned against the door to listen to what was happening inside.
"Hello, is this the Sandong City Relief Association?"
It was Bai Suxiang's voice. The phone wasn't on speaker, so she couldn't hear what was being said on the other end.
"I'd like to ask if I can be a volunteer, to serve Sandong City."
Guo Xiufang's heart leaped into her throat. "This damned girl, why is she asking about this?"
"Okay, okay, I understand. I will. Thank you, thank you!"
As soon as she heard Bai Suxiang hang up the phone, Guo Xiufang couldn't help but knock on the door. "Knock, knock, knock!"
"What is it..."
Bai Suxiang opened the door, but before she could finish speaking, she saw Guo Xiufang looking at her angrily.
It seemed she would have to explain patiently again.
"What are you doing? What do you want to do?"
Guo Xiufang didn't voice her thoughts, assuming Bai Suxiang wanted to help. While she wasn't without a spirit of contribution, she was a mother. What mother could watch her child face danger without worry? Especially with the dire situation outside, news reports saying many places lacked food and people were causing trouble. Her going out now was the most dangerous time. Could she just stand by?
"Mom, I'm going to be a volunteer, to help everyone." Bai Suxiang said, linking her arm around Guo Xiufang's and leading her into the room.
"You're not allowed to go! Do you hear me! Not allowed to go!" Guo Xiufang's face immediately turned hostile, and she said fiercely. She didn't want to speak to her child like this, but she feared Bai Suxiang would act recklessly if she didn't.
"Mom, it's okay, you don't have to worry. Didn't the news say as long as we take precautions, it'll be fine!"
"Hmph! Easy for you to say. You'll only understand when you're dead, and then it'll be too late! Listen to your mother, don't go."
One minute she was speaking harshly, and the next, her eyes were teary. The uncontrollable tears at the corners of her mouth could no longer be held back.
"Mom, it's okay, it's okay, don't cry. I haven't gone yet, and besides, weren't you also from that era of contribution!" Bai Suxiang felt an indescribable emotion seeing her mother cry. Only the closest people could be so moved by such emotions. Everything was unspoken, yet everything was being conveyed. She gently patted her mother's shoulder, thinking of how to explain her actions.
"I don't care, I don't care, you just can't go!" Guo Xiufang didn't care about anything else, tears streaming down her face. She hadn't been this heartbroken even when she herself had faced hardship, but seeing her daughter go, she felt so wronged. Her youth, her bright future, if anything were to happen... Guo Xiufang's fear grew with every thought, and she cried harder and harder.
"Mom, please don't be sad. Aren't there many girls my age on TV who are supporting others? Don't their parents and sisters worry? But even so, think about it, if no one steps forward in this situation, what's the point of our lives? Moreover, the current situation is not optimistic. While there are many supplies being transported to Sandong City, they can't be distributed in time, and they need people. If you don't go, and he doesn't go, who will distribute the supplies? The families upstairs are running out of food, and one has not dared to cook for days. Are we just going to watch them starve? Furthermore, our family's situation is not ideal either. We still have some rice and flour, but the vegetables are almost gone. If those aid supplies can be distributed in a timely manner, wouldn't these problems be solved?" Bai Suxiang explained patiently, her eyes red but her tone firm.
"Wuwuwu..." Guo Xiufang couldn't help but burst into tears. She didn't know whether to let her go or not.
"Let her go. It's a contribution to society, making the best use of her talents." Bai Fuchi, who seemed to have overheard their conversation, walked over, limping.
"Go, go ahead. Bring more small cabbages home!"
"You! Hahaha..." Guo Xiufang burst into tears, then into laughter. Bai Suxiang also found it both funny and exasperating. The story about the small cabbages was between her father and mother. Back then, her parents had just finished their blind date, and their parents hadn't fully agreed to the marriage. Her mother had merely mentioned that the family was short of vegetables, so her father went to the fields at dawn to pick small cabbages. By the time he delivered them to her mother's house, the cabbages were almost rotten. Their marriage almost fell apart over it. Every time this story was brought up, her mother would laugh at how foolish her father was. Although she laughed every time, Bai Suxiang could see that they were truly deeply in love.
"Don't cry anymore. Let her go, to help more people! When we were their age, we were running around in tumultuous times. Moreover, the medical conditions now are much better, there aren't many major problems. Let her go. Okay!" Bai Fuchi said, patting Guo Xiufang's shoulder.
"Yes, Mom, don't worry, I'll take care of myself." Guo Xiufang remained silent, her head bowed. Bai Fuchi quickly winked at Bai Suxiang, signaling her to leave quickly.
"Dad, you take care of Mom. I'll go see what's going on!" Bai Suxiang said, and hurried to the door to change her shoes. The quietness of the street gave no hint of danger. Fear was only present for that fleeting moment of stepping out. The moment the apartment door was closed, it all ceased to matter.
"The Relief Association said I should go to pick up protective gear. May I ask how to get there and where I can pick it up?"
"What is your assigned number?"
"5437!" Bai Suxiang remembered the number as instructed on the phone.
"5437? Are you sure?"
"Yes!" Bai Suxiang was certain it was that number.
"Then you need to take a special shuttle from the train station. Call this number and see if they can pick you up."
"Okay, okay, thank you!"
"Then you wait outside. I have to get back to work!"
"Okay, okay, you busy yourself." Bai Suxiang said, then immediately dialed the number they gave her, waiting for the shuttle to the train station.