Chapter 176

The strong wind came during the day. When everyone was fast asleep, the wind suddenly blew up, squeezing in through the gaps in the doors and windows, making a howling sound like ghosts and wolves howling.

Because the wind was too strong, many discarded items were blown into the air, and the noise caused by the collision woke up many people from their sound sleep.

Mu Nan sat up from the bed in a daze, listening to the loud noise outside, a little worried: "I feel like the house is shaking."

Qin Huai stood by the bay window, frowning and looking outside. Mu Nan got off the bed, yawning and looking for slippers with his feet. He fumbled for a while before putting on his slippers: "Are there a lot of things flying in the sky outside?"

Qin Huai made way for him a little to let him see for himself.

Mu Nan's eyes widened in shock. He had never seen such a scene of yellow sand all over the sky in his life. The visible range outside was only a few meters. Even the building opposite their house could only be seen as a vague outline in the yellow sand and dust.

"What's going on? Is it because the wind is so strong that it blows up all the sand on the ground?"

Qin Huai: "Maybe it's a sandstorm."

Looking at the apocalyptic scene outside, Mu Nan murmured, "I've lived long enough to see all kinds of things."

Looking at the sandstorms in inland areas, it seems that Jian Chu’s desertification theory will be realized soon.

But now is not the time to watch the sandstorm through the window. Mu Nan discovered that the ceiling installed in the yard downstairs seemed unable to withstand such strong winds. It looked like it was about to be blown away, which made people feel nervous.

Qin Huai frowned because of the problem with the ceiling. He didn't expect the wind to be so strong. Although the ceiling downstairs was installed fairly firmly, if the wind lasted longer, it would be difficult to withstand it.

But even if it couldn't hold up, they had no way of going down to reinforce it. There was nothing to reinforce it, and the dust outside was so heavy that they couldn't even get out the door. They could only pray that even if the ceiling was blown over, it wouldn't hit anyone.

However, it is unlikely to hit anyone. Given the weather outside and the daytime, no one should be out. But if it is blown out and hits someone's wall or window, it would be quite dangerous.

The two of them watched from the window for a while until Qin Huai heard Mu Nan's stomach growling, then he went to the kitchen to make breakfast. He glanced at the time and saw that it was still early, so he said, "If you haven't slept enough after eating, go take a nap."

Mu Nan yawned and shook his head as he followed behind: "I'm not going to sleep anymore. It's too noisy outside and I can't sleep."

Qin Huai first went to take a look in the chicken coop downstairs, and when he saw there were eggs inside, he took them out directly, made two boiled eggs, and fried a few slices of buttered toast. Afraid that he would get sick of it, he took out the cold dishes from the refrigerator and steamed them. Although cold dishes can be eaten cold, it is better not to eat too cold food after just waking up.

While eating breakfast, Qin Huai said, "I'll go down and get rid of a few roosters and keep one breeding hen."

Mu Nan stuffed his mouth with egg yolk, and immediately drank milk, otherwise he would choke. He said in a bloated voice: "Do we have to kill all three little roosters? Can we kill them now?"

"That's enough. Raising it any longer will only increase the meat for the elderly. This size is just right for killing it."

Three little roosters, this is not a small project. You have to boil water, wipe their necks, pluck their feathers, and clean up the place when you are done. Qin Huai also said that while the blood is fresh, he will roast the little roosters directly, make a few servings of hand-shredded chicken, and make the rest into roasted rooster.

Mu Nan thought Qin Huai did this only because the roosters had grown up and could be slaughtered. If they were kept any longer they would not gain much meat and would only cause trouble. As a result, the next day, Qin Huai started to process the rabbits. It was obvious that the rabbits could be raised a little bigger, and if they were processed now, there would not be much meat left.

Seeing Qin Huai's actions, Mu Nan suddenly had an idea: "Brother, you are not preparing to flee, are you?"

Qin Huai put the bloody rabbit hair into the pool beside him and said with a smile: "It's hard to escape. Where can you escape to in this windy and sandy weather?"

Mu Nan squatted at the bathroom door and looked at the skinned rabbit on the ground: "Why kill it now? You can still raise it."

"The wind and sand are too strong now, so we have to be prepared for the possibility that the doors and windows of our home may be smashed."

Mu Nan pointed at the red rabbit meat on the ground and asked: "Kill them for defense?"

Qin Huai looked at him helplessly and said, "There are too many. Reduce them. If the doors and windows at home can't withstand the strong wind, we can at least hide in the windowless storage room. Do you think it is more convenient to hide in there with a few chickens and rabbits, or with a group of chickens and rabbits?"

Mu Nan suddenly realized: "That makes sense."

Qin Huai: "Do you want to eat rabbit meat? I can make you some cumin-flavored rabbit cubes."

Mu Nan licked his lips upon hearing this and nodded without hesitation: "Eat!"

While Qin Huai was dealing with the rabbits, Mu Nan was not idle either. He started to process the rabbit skins, but the sky was full of yellow sand these days and even the sun couldn't shine down. It was a good opportunity to soak them in medicine and then take them to the room on the top floor to dry in the shade.

He already had quite a few rabbit skins in his hands. He had bought quite a few when he was at Qing He's place before. But he later gave them to Yang Jing and asked her to help him make a rabbit skin vest. With the remaining ones in his hands, Mu Nan planned to make two scarves by himself. The simplest and crudest method was to sew them on both sides so that there would be fur on both sides. This way, you can just wrap it around your neck to keep warm. When the spicy rabbit cubes were just out of the pot, Da Niu sent a video message to the group. Mu Nan just sat down and was about to check the news on his phone. When he saw the video message from Da Niu, his heart skipped a beat. He still had some trauma from the last incident. He was afraid that this was another major incident, so he quickly answered the call.

As soon as the video was connected, Daniu said quickly: "Get your things ready. We may be evacuated at any time. Get your things ready and stay at home until we are notified."

Without waiting for Mu Nan to speak, Daniu hung up the video. If they really needed to evacuate, he would probably be very busy. Other people in the group who didn't have time to open the video were all asking questions. Mu Nan quickly relayed Daniu's words in text and immediately ran to find Qin Huai.

"Brother, Daniu said we might have to evacuate, and asked us to prepare our things, but it's so windy and dusty outside, where should we evacuate to? Are we going to the cave again?"

Qin Huai was calm and collected: "Put the food in the pot into the lunch box, check if there is any problem with the backpack we prepared, and take out the timed feeder and put it in the storage room."

Mu Nan hurriedly did as he was told. He first packed up the vegetables in the pot and put the feeder in the storage room. Soon Qin Huai came over with the chickens: "Get an isolation fence and separate the rabbits from the chickens."

Mu Nan exclaimed, "Aren't we taking them with us? If we stay outside for another ten days, half a month, or even a month or two, wow, they will rot and get maggots at home!"

Qin Huai was silent for three seconds. Perhaps the scene described by Mu Nan automatically emerged in his mind, which made him feel uncomfortable. He simply said, "Now wipe his neck and put him in the space."

Mu Nan suddenly looked sad: "Is my family's livestock industry going to die again?"

Perhaps seeing that he was really unwilling, Qin Huai did not force him: "Then leave it to fate. Prepare enough food and water, and whether you live or die is up to fate."

Mu Nan sighed, watching Qin Huai use fences to separate the rabbits and chickens. The rabbit side was filled with feed, and the chicken side was filled with two large buckets of food and water. The feeding was set every twelve hours. Anyway, the only thing to do was to ensure that they would not starve to death even if they were away for a month.

"Why do we need to evacuate? Even if the wind is strong outside, can't we just stay at home? This house is not made of paper, it won't collapse if the wind blows."

Qin Huai asked Mu Nan to store all the electrical appliances in the house into the space. This time they had plenty of time, so they simply packed a sack of cabbages and watermelons. Although it was a sack, the quantity was not large, with only three cabbages and two watermelons. The others were not ripe enough to be picked. This time there was no flood, so they just hoped that the house would be stronger and not be blown down by the strong wind.

Even the refrigerator was completely put away in the space. Mu Nan and Qin Huai only received a notice of the impending evacuation on their phones, asking the residents to wait patiently at home while the communities effectively organized people to leave.

Mu Nan and Qin Huai closed all the doors upstairs and downstairs and decided to evacuate. They also turned off the power switches upstairs and placed a generator in the windowless storage room. There was no way to provide air conditioning, so they could only use the electricity to power the fans for the chickens and rabbits.

Based on the power consumption of the fan, a generator filled with oil can last at least half a month. I just hope that this dust storm will pass quickly.

The two sat on the stairs on the first floor. When they were leaving, they turned off the main power switch in the house. They carried two huge backpacks and a sack of things. In order to make it easier to carry, they used the trailer they had used for the previous migration. They also put a lot of daily necessities in it. Anyway, they would take what they could carry, and if they couldn't carry it, they would just throw it away. They just didn't know where they would evacuate to this time.

While sitting at the door waiting, Mu Nan received a voice message from Jian Chu, asking them if everything was ready.

Mu Nan: "We're ready. We brought a trailer. What about you?"

Jian Chu: "We also brought a trailer, but we don't have those transparent goggles. We do have swimming goggles, but I don't know if I can't see the road clearly when I wear them."

Mu Nan: "The goggles we wear should allow us to see the road. If you can't see clearly, then lead us."

Song Jia also sent a message in the group: "Help me expand your imagination. People can wrap their faces with cloth to cover their faces, but what about dogs?!"

Mu Nan: "Get a cardboard box and put it over Niu Niu's head. If Niu Niu can't see and won't walk, help me carry the bag and I'll lend you the trailer to tow Niu Niu."

Song Jia: "Deal!"

There was another beep. Qin Huai picked up his phone and saw that the residents of District 2 were notified to gather at the small square in fifteen minutes. No one later would be waited for.

Qin Huai helped Mu Nan put on the goggles, making sure there were no gaps so that sand and dust would not blow in. He then put on his hat tightly and even wore a thin long-sleeved sweatshirt for this purpose. He tightened the elastic cord of the hat and tied the cuffs and trouser legs tightly with ropes. Although it would definitely be hot to go out like this, at least it could protect him from some wind and sand.

Mu Nan also checked Qin Huai and made sure that his eyes, ears and mouth were covered tightly before they opened the door and went out.

As soon as they went out, they were almost blown away by the wind. It was okay for boys, no matter how thin they were, even Mu Nan weighed about 110 to 120 kilograms. Girls were much lighter. Sun Sisi, the smallest one, had a round face, but her actual weight was less than 90 kilograms. She was almost blown away.

In the end, the trailer was contributed to Niu Niu, but Song Jia was not asked to help with the things. There was still some empty space in the trailer, and Niu Niu could barely fit in it if they squeezed in.

It’s not that Niu Niu was unwilling to walk after having a cardboard box put over her head, it’s mainly because the wind was too strong. The sound of some objects blown into the air by the wind was a bit stimulating for dogs. They were afraid of this kind of sound, which they were not used to for some reason. Coupled with the crazy wind, they were so scared that they didn’t dare to walk.

After finally settling the people and the dog, the group headed towards the small square, carrying their bags and dragging their carts.

Song Jia and his friends had no eye protection, so they walked at the back. Qin Huai and his friends' goggles did not block their vision and were dressed the most tightly, so they led the way in front. However, the journey was really difficult and they almost felt like they had to take two steps back for every step they took because of the wind.

Mu Nan had never gone out in such a strong wind with a force of more than ten. He was completely dazed and even felt that he would be blown away at any time. Qin Huai even replaced his bag with a bag filled with cabbage and watermelon. Although the bag looked big, the weight inside was not even half as heavy as the cloth bag. He felt much heavier, but at least he felt stable.

By the time we finally reached the square, we were exhausted. Many people were already waiting there, walking in groups, holding each other’s hands.

It has been several years since the earthquake. In the general environment, there are very few obese people. Even in District 2 where conditions are slightly better, there are few fat people. Everyone is underweight, and if they don't hold on to each other, they will be easily blown to the ground by the strong wind.

The notice said that it was fifteen minutes and it was exactly fifteen minutes. When the time came, the people wearing the work clothes of the Self-Defense Force could only gather people with sticks and then move them to the resettlement site. The wind was so strong and mixed with a lot of yellow sand that it was impossible to speak. Even those from the Self-Defense Force, few had goggles, and many people squinted their eyes so hard that they couldn't open them, but they were still trying hard to organize the evacuation of people.

Mu Nan didn't know if there were any more people coming behind them. They arrived relatively late. After all, they were a little far from the small square. They had just stood there for two minutes when the team in front started to move. As for the people behind them, the visual range was almost zero, so even though they could open their eyes with goggles, they still couldn't see anything clearly.

Although I don't know where we will evacuate to this time, since the evacuation has been organized by the higher-ups, everything must have been arranged. I just have to follow them.

I originally thought that I would need to walk for a long time in such strong winds and yellow sand, but I didn't expect that I would reach an underground entrance in just twenty minutes.

Mu Nan knew about this underground entrance. When he came out with Qin Huai before, Qin Huai took him to see it. This used to be a subway station under construction, but it was under construction before the end of the world and had not been officially opened for operation.

After the resettlement and reconstruction here, this subway has also been under reconstruction. Last year, I saw some news saying that it would be put into use again soon. As a result, some buses were back on the road this year, but there is no news of the opening of the subway.

Unexpectedly, this time the evacuation would be underground. Mu Nan thought they were going to walk somewhere to catch a car and then evacuate into a cave.

Although there were a lot of people, under the organization of the Self-Defense Forces, they walked down in an orderly manner. When they reached the underground building, the wind that could blow people down at any time finally disappeared. Without the obstruction of wind, they felt a little lighter.

Because they had to go down the stairs, it was not easy to tow the trailer. With so many things plus Niuniu, it was still quite heavy. Fortunately, Song Jia and Wu Zheng helped to lift it. There was not much space for three people to walk, so Mu Nan didn't squeeze in to help, and simply went to help Jian Chu and the others. They had a lot of things as well, and they also had families with them, so the weight was not light at all.

The building under the subway is obviously well built. It is not only ventilated but also powered. It feels very cool once you go in. However, the capacity of a station is limited and it may not be able to accommodate people from several districts. However, there is a subway station at regular intervals, so with such a dispersed arrangement, each station should be able to accommodate people.

They were the first group to come in. The place was empty. In front of them, a community worker was holding a loudspeaker and reading out housing matters, including where they could be accommodated, which bathroom they could use, and where they should go to get food and water every day.

Of course, food and water are not free, they all cost money. If you don't have money, it doesn't matter. Once you are settled, go to the staff to register, and they will arrange temporary work for you. As long as you can move, you will definitely not starve to death. If you can't move, it's okay. If you really can't move, you will receive subsidies.

While the staff was talking about various matters with a small loudspeaker, Jian Chu and Mu Nan had already started looking around to decide where to settle down. They definitely couldn't live among the crowd. Jian Chu had rabbits and chickens, and Song Jia had chickens and dogs, neither of them were suitable to live with people.

However, Jian Chu only then discovered that Mu Nan's family didn't bring any animals with them.

Mu Nan said: "I didn't bring it with me. I felt it was not very convenient to bring it with me. I locked it up at home. When I return, whether it is alive or dead, I can only leave it to fate."

Jian Chu felt so painful when he heard this: "I hope he's still alive. Otherwise, I might as well eat him. At least he'll have some meat."

It was estimated that people from other districts would be arranged to come later, so too many people could not be blocked at the door. After explaining the living rules in a few words, he took them inside and let them choose their own accommodation.

The people from the neighborhood committee just said that this strong sandstorm may last for five to seven days, and we need to deal with each case specifically, so we must be prepared to take shelter here for at least a week.

Because they were the first group, the venue was very open and there were many seats to choose from. Mu Nan planned to choose under the stairs, which made people feel safer, but Qin Huai pointed to the platform on the other side of the last carriage: "There is a vent there. Although it is at the innermost part, air circulation should not be a problem. It is against the wall and in the corner, so it is more suitable."

As soon as Qin Huai finished speaking, Song Jia saw that someone nearby seemed to have taken a fancy to that place, so he immediately ran over without saying a word and occupied the spot first.

The family that had their eyes on that corner continued to walk towards that direction, thinking that such a large place would not be occupied entirely by others. However, when they saw the people coming from behind, they immediately changed direction. There were so many people, all of them tall and big, and they were not to be trifled with.

The three girls lived in the innermost room, and then two trailers were placed next to the girls as a temporary barrier. Although it was impossible to do anything in public under the current circumstances, we couldn't really treat the girls as girls and do whatever we wanted.

The air cushion came in handy again, but the girls might not be able to take care of it. Seeing Mu Nan's entanglement, Yang Jing waved his hand and said, "You can use it yourself. We brought some cushions."

The so-called mat was just a thin sheet. Mu Nan was still wondering if this was too unmanly, when Qin Huai came over, patted him on the head, took the mat from his hand, handed it to Jian Chu who was cleaning the floor, and said to Mu Nan, "Take off your clothes."

Mu Nan subconsciously looked around: "Take off your clothes?"

Qin Huai took action directly. Song Jia, who was standing by, covered his eyes and screamed, "Is this a scene I can see without paying?"

As a result, Qin Huai only took off the sweatshirt that Mu Nan was wearing, and there was actually a khaki sleeveless vest underneath.

Qin Huai took Mu Nan's clothes to the side of the tracks and shook them off for a while. A pile of stone slag, dust and sand fell off. Then he rolled up the sweatshirt and said, "Use it as a pillow. Go to your bag and get a shirt and put it on."

Others followed suit. There was no way to shake off the sand in other places, and there was a pile of stone roads under the tracks. So they shook the yellow sand brought in from outside onto the tracks to avoid dirtying the ground where they were going to sleep.

But they didn't have much clothes on. At first, two of them were embarrassed to be naked, but as more and more people came over, and some of them took off their outer pants, shoes and socks in public, then everyone didn't feel embarrassed anymore. Anyway, they all had skinny bodies and were covered in dirt, and it would be a shame to be looked at by others.

Mu Nan did not bring wet wipes this time, and it would be a bit unreasonable to bring wet wipes now, but he brought a small bag of face towels and asked Jian Chu and the others if they wanted them. After making sure that they had brought their own towels, he took two, wet them with water, used one to wipe his body, and used the other to wipe Qin Huai.

The face towels had turned black after being used. They had taken strict precautions. Finally, they lightly wiped the floor in front of where they slept, which was considered to be the maximum use of the two face towels.

After we finally settled down, the second group of people arrived.

Mu Nan lay on his side on the mat, propping up his head with one hand and fanning himself with a small electric fan with the other. He looked at the noisy group of people who had just arrived and sighed, "The group life has begun again."