Wang Liansheng stroked his wife’s short hair flattened by her hat and sighed, "You’ve lost weight."

Ling Chengyan relaxed her body, gently leaning on her husband’s shoulder, and softly said, "I’m fine."

In a place like this, it’s impossible for two people to have much time for affection and tenderness.

After a warm hug, Wang Liansheng didn’t say much and urged his wife to take some time to rest.

When Ling Chengyan woke up after half an hour, she found a bowl of warm porridge.

Wang Liansheng handed her the chopsticks timely, "Eat it while it’s hot."

Ling Chengyan smiled at him and began eating.

Taking advantage of her eating, Wang Liansheng talked to her about home and the children. It was nothing more than trivial, lively everyday matters, but it kept a smile on Ling Chengyan’s face and seemed to wash away the fatigue and other negative emotions she’d been carrying.

Wang Liansheng only stayed for one night and returned to the Eastern Province with the care convoy early the next morning.

Meanwhile, Ling Chengyan and her specially trained team helped wrap up local efforts and set off for their return journey a week later.

Before leaving, the locals arranged a hotel for them to freshen up and rest before departure.

As they left the disaster-stricken area, each team member was dressed neatly and looked spirited, as if they’d reverted to their original state when they first arrived.

The vehicles, previously covered in mud and water, had been cleaned as well. The team boarded, and the vehicles slowly left the hotel parking lot, driving through the town’s streets. Liu Xianghu looked at the water marks still visible on the buildings on either side and said, "The disaster is over, but life must go on."

This sentence seemed to come from some movie line, artistic and totally unlike something Liu Xianghu, a rough man, would say.

Yet it resonated with Ling Chengyan, for they were outsiders, here to provide emergency aid, but life must continue for the local people.

Whether their homes were destroyed or loved ones lost, life must go on, and the road ahead must be tread upon.

Full of emotions, Ling Chengyan closed her eyes to rest, not wanting to see the devastated town anymore.

Suddenly, cries and drumbeats came from both sides of the road.

"Captain, look!" Liu Xianghu called out excitedly.

Without his indication, Ling Chengyan already opened her eyes to see the crowds gathering by the roadside.

There weren’t too many people, just a few hundred of them—men, women, the elderly, and children—all supporting each other and some calling loudly, "Thank you, safe travels!"

Some were enthusiastically beating their drums, their eyes following the slowly moving army green vehicles.

"Captain..." Liu Xianghu, usually coarse, unexpectedly had reddened eyes. He called for the captain, his voice choked, only looking at Ling Chengyan, asking if they should stop.

Ling Chengyan looked at the villagers by the roadside and gently shook her head, "Let’s go."

The vehicles slowly left the crowd, leaving the town hit by the disaster, leaving the afflicted region behind. When the marks of flooding were no longer visible on the roadside, those in the vehicles remained silent.

Until they saw the sign marking the provincial boundary, Liu Xianghu shouted, "Captain, we’re almost home!"

Ling Chengyan nodded and instructed, "Let’s eat in Taohua Town."

Liu Xianghu and Wu Qingyun, both from the Automobile Company, had driven around quite a bit in the past and were very familiar with the route.

Liu Xianghu brushed aside the melancholy and sorrow from departure, loudly responding, "Okay, I’ll signal Wu Qingyun right away."

As he spoke, the car horn under his control emitted a series of orderly long and short sounds, and the vehicle behind responded. Liu Xianghu lifted his chin, with a small smug grin, saying, "That old fox Wu Qingyun really is wily. If Zhang Wanxiang were here, he would definitely be confused by such signaling!"

Liu Xianghu completely set aside what he had seen and experienced before, regaining his cheerfulness with a touch of mischief, like an ungrown child.

Back in their province, even the taste of the dishes felt comforting and sweet. The team feasted heartily, then continued their journey back.

Not far into their journey, Liu Xianghu’s expression changed, and with Ling Chengyan’s help, they stopped the car to inquire about the situation. It turned out Liu Xianghu suddenly had a stomachache, but it wasn’t diarrhea...

A few minutes passed before Liu Xianghu eased up a bit, but Ling Chengyan had already moved to the driver’s seat, letting Liu Xianghu rest in the passenger seat.

Back at the provincial city base, everyone was ecstatic. The truly skilled chefs in the cooking squad had worked hard, preparing thin-skinned, large-packed dumplings in advance, ready to welcome them back.

Ling Chengyan couldn’t bother with the dumplings and took Liu Xianghu to the hospital for examination. The result was surprising; he had a worm in his body, suspected to be some sort of bloodsucking worm infection.

This kind of worm hides in the water, especially polluted water. When a person’s skin comes into contact or when drinking water contaminated by worms or eggs, they can get infected.

Ling Chengyan could confirm that under her supervision, the team members wouldn’t voluntarily drink raw water, but skin contact with dirty water was almost a daily occurrence in the disaster zone. Moreover, whether guarding the embankment or performing rescue operations, the team couldn’t avoid getting dirty water splashed on their faces, even in their mouths, so infection by such happenstance wasn’t impossible.

Fortunately, as she asked the doctor, acute infections like Liu Xianghu’s are relatively easy to cure, and once treated, they generally don’t leave any lasting effects.

She grasped a key point and asked, "What about chronic conditions?"

The doctor glanced at her, still patiently answered, "If it’s a chronic infection, the worm could reside in the patient’s body long-term, continuously damaging vital organs, eventually leading to severe complications and death."

Ling Chengyan’s face turned grim as she asked the doctor, "Can you determine if someone is infected before symptoms appear?"

The doctor looked at her with a more puzzled expression, frowning and shaking his head, "Symptoms appear at least after twenty days. Only then can blood tests or examination confirm infection. We doctors are not miracle workers."

Ling Chengyan slowed her tone, aiming for calm, "Our team had just participated in flood relief in Hui Province for nearly a month, and they were together the whole time. They didn’t drink raw water, but they’d almost daily come in contact with floodwater, sometimes spending whole days soaked in it... So I need to understand this parasitic infection in detail for further response."

The doctor’s impatience faded, his attitude became more courteous, inviting Ling Chengyan to sit down. He then explained the details of bloodsucking worm infection, adding an important point at the end, "What you need to do now is ensure proper protective measures, temporarily isolate those who have returned from the epidemic region, safely handle contact items and meals, especially waste, to prevent further spread of infection."

Ling Chengyan nodded, accepting the book on bloodsucking worm prevention the doctor handed her, and returned to the team.

Zhang Yuanhong led the team waiting for their return to eat dumplings, with all members gathered in the dining room, loudly chatting and jokingly wrapping dumplings together, like celebrating the New Year.

Nobody took Liu Xianghu’s stomachache seriously, assuming he had eaten something bad. None of them knew that the month-long flood relief task might leave them with long-term ailments.