Chen Lan, taking advantage of the time the children were preparing food, carefully carried her mother and tenth sister, who had fallen asleep in her arms, into the house to settle them down.
Then, she used her mind to meticulously check the relief supplies prepared in the system's warehouse, to see if anything was missing. This was because after the Tangshan earthquake, all supplies in the disaster areas were extremely scarce, and it could be said that everything was lacking.
Chen Lan had only selected a few urgently needed supplies as donation targets. As she meticulously inventoried them, she pondered the most effective solutions.
The most crucial elements right now were food and clean water. Chen Lan could no longer afford to be picky! For food, she prepared instant noodles that could be eaten dry, ordinary bread, and biscuits. The weather was hot, so these items wouldn't spoil easily.
The issue of drinking water was a bit more troublesome, as bottled water had not yet appeared in 1976. It wouldn't be until 1977 that China's sole bottled mineral water, Qingdao Laoshan Mineral Water, would be introduced.
What could be done? It seemed they could only prepare more water purification tablets to disinfect the local water. However, they still needed to prepare some bottled water for Xu Mingxuan and the children, just in case.
Oh, right! They also needed to prepare barrels and large vats for storing water, as well as cups for drinking and bowls for eating.
Then there were the relief tents and materials for setting them up, such as canvas and ropes. After the earthquake, most of the houses in Tangshan had collapsed, so relief tents became the shelter for the disaster victims.
Due to the large number of injured people in the earthquake, a significant amount of anti-inflammatory drugs, painkillers, and other emergency medications were needed. They also needed to prepare more bandages, gauze, disinfectant, and anti-diarrhea medicine to prevent enteritis.
Furthermore, most of the utility poles in the disaster area had collapsed after the earthquake! Therefore, before electricity was restored, flashlights, batteries, and candles would be quite important in the relief efforts in the disaster area!
The remaining items were clothes and warm blankets for the disaster victims. Although it was summer, the victims sleeping outdoors under the sky would easily catch a cold or suffer from stomach problems due to the drop in temperature at night.
Seeing that the preparations were almost complete, Chen Lan decided to take out the prepared supplies from the system warehouse before it got too bright and there were fewer people on the street.
With this thought, Chen Lan walked out of the courtyard gate and glanced at both sides of the street. Perhaps it was because it was still quite early, or perhaps because the previous night had been too hot, but the nearby residents probably hadn't rested well. In any case, there were very few people on the street early in the morning.
Chen Lan brought out ten nearly new old Dongfeng trucks from the system warehouse, each filled with relief supplies. Looking at the ten Dongfeng trucks loaded with supplies, Chen Lan still felt that these supplies were far too few. For the people of Tangshan at this time, these items were like a drop in the ocean.
What to do? No matter how many relief supplies she could buy in modern times, she didn't dare to take them all out at once! Chen Lan was in a dilemma.
Just then, Xu Mingxuan and the children from home finished their meal and were about to go out to ask for leave from their units. Chen Lan called out to him, "Mingxuan brother, the ten Dongfeng trucks loaded with supplies are parked on the street outside the courtyard. By the way, under what name do you plan to donate these supplies?"
This question stumped Xu Mingxuan! He thought for a moment and replied, "How about we donate these supplies in the name of a patriotic overseas Chinese, Lan'er, do you think that's okay?"
Chen Lan thought for a moment and said, "Mingxuan brother, I expect that once the news of the Tangshan earthquake spreads, all units will organize the people to donate supplies to the disaster area, and they will also organize workers from all walks of life to go to Tangshan for disaster relief. Hospitals may also organize doctors and nurses to rush to the disaster area for rescue. Therefore, it would be best for you to directly send these supplies to the disaster area in the name of your respective units. I think the leaders of your Reclamation Bureau or the Railway Center Road Hospital would be very willing to accept this suggestion!"
Xu Mingxuan, following Chen Lan's suggestion, asked, "Lan'er, are you afraid of attracting too much attention and causing unnecessary trouble?"
Chen Lan nodded and replied very seriously, "Yes! Mingxuan brother, I don't want any complications at this moment. I think this might be the best opportunity to let the people in our valley appear before the public."
Xu Mingxuan asked with confusion, "Lan'er, how do you plan to do that?"
Chen Lan thought for a moment and replied, "My father-in-law said that after the Tangshan earthquake, all living and production materials in the disaster area were extremely scarce. The people of the whole country united, and when one area had difficulties, all areas lent support. People from all regions responded to the call of the Party Central Committee, actively donating supplies for disaster relief."
Chen Lan glanced at Xu Mingxuan and continued, "So, I plan for us to donate grain to the disaster area directly through the border defense battalion in the name of the Valley Brigade. It's time for the people in the valley to appear before the public! This way, everyone in the valley will have a legitimate identity, which will be beneficial for the children in the valley to participate in work and study after leaving the valley in the future."
Xu Mingxuan listened to Chen Lan's explanation and pondered for a while before saying, "Lan'er, have you considered that if you expose the valley to the public now, the good days in the valley will likely come to an end? I estimate that all the assets in the valley will be confiscated, and the farming machinery and production equipment will likely be moved away. If that's the case, do you think everyone in the valley will agree to your doing this?"
Chen Lan also knew the seriousness of the matter, as it involved the interests of the entire five to six hundred people in the valley.
So, Chen Lan very seriously recalled the general trend of national development after the resumption of the college entrance examination in 1977.
Chen Lan vaguely remembered that after the convening of the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee in 1978, the country also began the process of reform and opening up, and China's economic development entered a fast lane.
In July 1978, the household contract responsibility system began to be implemented in Xiaogang Village, Fengyang County, Anhui Province.
In 1980, the state approved the establishment of the first Special Economic Zone—Shenzhen. Shenzhen transformed from a border fishing village with a population of only 30,000 to a modern metropolis with a population of over ten million.
With this in mind, Chen Lan said, "Mingxuan brother, all the assets in the valley originally belonged to everyone. We had already reached a consensus on this matter when we first arrived in the valley."
Chen Lan paused for a moment, looked at Xu Mingxuan, and continued, "So, no matter what, I still plan to return to the valley. I believe everyone in the valley should have this awareness, especially since doing so is for the next generation in the valley."